There is a brewing plan to change the name of Lanseria International Airport in Gauteng.
This is according to Johannesburg Executive Mayor Dada Morero, who spoke about the planned name change during his 2025 State of the City Address in early May.
The mayor informed the Joburg city council that changes are in the works at Lanseria, located in the northwest of the city.
“We are informed that the airport management is contemplating renaming the facility to more closely reflect and celebrate its connection to our city,” he said.
Morero explained that the decision to rename the airport is part of a broader vision for Lanseria’s growth and identity.
“The city will support this initiative, which will strengthen the airport brand and foster a stronger sense of belonging,” said the mayor.
Lanseria is the only privately-owned and operated airport in the country, and has garnered a reputation as one of South Africa’s most well-run terminals.
It has been in operation since 1974, when two Pretoria-based pilots – Fanie Haacke and Abe Sher – established a small grass strip airfield.
In 1972, the pair formed the ambitious plan to create the busiest airport in the country, using R2.7 million in funding to establish Lanseria as an alternative to Johannesburg’s main international terminal.
Haacke and Sher initially received pushback from farmers in the area, who voiced their concerns over a busy airfield being placed in their backyard.
However, Joburg desperately needed a secondary transport hub to ease congestion at O.R. Tambo International Airport (formerly Jan Smuts International).
This situation meant that the duo received the backing of the then-Minister of Planning, who gave them the green light to proceed with the project.
The Roodepoort and Krugersdorp Municipalities then bought the airport to ensure the government’s support to create a new airport in the region.
Lanseria officially opened its doors to the public in 1974, acting as a port of entry for privately-owned aircraft.
The secondary airport rapidly grew in popularity over the following decades, and was put in the global spotlight in 1990 when Nelson Mandela was flown to the site following his release from prison.
New owners
In 1991, Lanseria was sold to a consortium of private investors, thus maintaining its official stance as the country’s sole privately-owned and operated air strip.
The purchase also resulted in a R500-million investment, which was put towards major upgrades to the runway and facilities to ensure that Lanseria could accommodate larger aircraft like the Boeing 757.
These upgrades were completed in the mid-2000s, providing Lanseria with a new main terminal building, and expanded runways and taxiways.
Later in 2012, the airport was sold to a consortium comprising the Government Employee Pension Fund, the infrastructure developer Harith, and the women’s empowerment company Nozala.
This new group of investors continued to expand Lanseria, adding an all-new runway and air traffic control tower.
The latest round of upgrades was announced in July 2024, with investors promising that they would further expand the site’s capacity to attract more regional flights.
This, in turn, is expected to further ease the amount of traffic at O.R. Tambo.
The proposed upgrades include new maintenance, repair, and overhaul facilities, fixed-base operator facilities, a fuel depot, and taxiway upgrades.
The fuel depot is particularly important, as it is a protective measure to ensure that Lanseria does not encounter the same issues that have plagued Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) facilities in recent months.
Notably, both Cape Town International and O.R Tambo encountered an issue with their fuel depots in January this year.
Cape Town suffered a damaged cable with impacted the operation of its fuel depot, limiting its ability to refuel landing aircraft.
The problem led to certain flights being delayed while others were redirected towards other airports.
Joburg, on the other hand, was hit by the fire at the National Petroleum Refiners of South Africa refinery that occurred earlier that month, resulting in a critical jet-fuel shortage.
Lanseria was largely insulated from the issue, and its new fuel depot is intended to serve as added insurance in case of a similar emergency.
Lanseria International Airport CEO Rampa Rammopo said that the new facilities will help to address the limitations of the current site, which may be a deterrent to some airlines.
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