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Big changes for one of South Africa’s most successful airports

Lanseria International Airport is preparing for a range of infrastructure upgrades that will allow it to handle future demands.

These upgrades are also intended to help it compete with other major South African airports like OR Tambo International Airport.

Lanseria is South Africa’s only privately owned and operated airport and is the country’s fourth largest airport in terms of passenger numbers, behind King Shaka International, Cape Town, and OR Tambo.

Currently, it sees around 1.9 million annual passengers; however, this figure is expected to grow to over four million by 2032 and six million by 2037.

The long-term goal is for Lanseria to accommodate over 18 million passengers by 2050.

To accommodate these numbers, Lanseria has begun preparing for sweeping infrastructure upgrades that will better position the airport for the future.

“Our vision is to be a regional airport catering mainly for the SA Development Community and the sub-Saharan region,” said CEO Rampa Rammopo.

With its current setup, Lanseria only caters for domestic routes, with most commercial routes departing from Lanseria bound for Cape Town, Durban, or George.

To address this, Lanseria is now in talks with Air Namibia, Kenya Airways, Air Mauritius, and Air Botswana about flying to and from the airport.

Lanseria also plans to increase its available parking, spending R250 million on a new three-story parkade opposite the main airport building, adding an extra 1,000 parking spaces.

This will help deal with the steadily increasing number of passengers, and the feedback Lanseria has already received is that it doesn’t have enough parking space.

Similarly, Lanseria’s current single runway may eventually be expanded with a second runway; however, this is still only in consideration as it will cost between R1 and R2 billion.

In the meantime, Lanseria is expanding its cargo capabilities with a fully-fledged, modern cargo precinct that will position it as a regional logistics hub.

“This will be a ten-year phased project, with groundbreaking expected in the third quarter of 2025,” Rammopo said.

“We hope this project will stimulate business activity, improve logistics and market access, and ultimately drive regional economic growth.”

New expansion

Lanseria also intends to develop its vacant land holdings and add to existing facilities.

The airport has around 90 hectares of open land and has recently signed its first land lease agreement with Bionic Aviation.

The agreement will involve the development of a state-of-the-art hanger and office facility.

This will be conducted in conjunction with a five-year refurbishment programme to modernise its existing hangars and runway.

Lanseria’s main taxiway, Alpha Taxiway, was built over two decades ago, and the refurbishment will enhance operational efficiency and preserve the airport’s reputation for safety and reliability.

Another intended development is a new fuel farm that will expand its fuel capacity infrastructure to hold 6,000 cubic metres, up from the current 1,000 cubic metres.

“This additional storage capacity will significantly reduce the risk of supply disruptions, given the structural changes in South Africa’s fuel industry,” Rammopo said.

“It will give our operators and visitors greater confidence in our ability to meet fuel demands with both availability and efficiency.”

Rammopo also noted that all these upgrades and refurbishments aren’t simply going to make Lanseria an alternative to OR Tambo but a direct competitor.

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