BFN · Bloemfontein, South Africa
Bram Fischer International Airport.
--:--:-- · SAST (UTC+02:00) · 29.0927° S, 26.3024° E
Bram Fischer International Airport
Airport in Free State, South Africa
Verification trail
Source-backed facts for BFN
This section separates stable airport identifiers from live operating data. Codes, coordinates, timezone, elevation, source identifiers, and accepted reference links are retained here; live arrivals, departures, gates, delays, NOTAMs, and airline schedule changes must still be checked with the airport or carrier.
Airport catalog
OurAirports ID 2772; ident FABL; scheduled service listed.
Cached airports.csv snapshot: 2026-04-25; runways.csv snapshot: 2026-05-21.
Official airport source
sa-airports.co.za
Used as the preferred live-reference handoff for terminals, gates, alerts, and airport notices.
Open sourceReference summary
Bram Fischer International Airport
Airport-shaped reference summary from en.wikipedia.org; summary snapshot 2026-05-20.
Open sourceManual / derived signals
16 source-backed signals
Merged from OurAirports cached airports.csv, OurAirports cached runways.csv, Wikidata airport entity snapshot, airport-shaped Wikipedia summary snapshot; facts generated 2026-05-21.
IATA / ICAO
BFN / FABL
OurAirports ident
FABL
GPS / local code
FABL
ISO region
ZA-FS
Scheduled service
Listed in source snapshot
Role
international scheduled-service gateway
Official host
sa-airports.co.za
Reference host
en.wikipedia.org
Wikidata entity
Q598282
Snapshot generated
2026-05-21
Airport lookup keys
Stable codes
Regional keys
Alternate names
Nearby airport codes
Route reference codes
Accepted citation URLs
Last updated May 21, 2026. Stable airport identifiers and timezone facts are content-reviewed; clocks render live in the browser, while weather and time-difference notes are page-snapshot aids rather than permanent airport records.
Live values rendered at Nov 5, 9:24 PM UTC.
What you need to know now
Local airport time
--:--:--SAST · UTC+02:00
Time zone
SAST
Africa/Johannesburg · UTC+02:00
Airfield conditions
Live airport weather is temporarily unavailable.
Surface access
9.1 km
Approximate distance to central Bloemfontein.
Airport Snapshot
Country capital
Pretoria
Languages
Afrikaans, English
Currency
ZAR (R)
Country area
1,221,037 km²
Passenger volume
Source note unavailable
Terminals
Not clearly stated
Runways
2 runways
Longest runway
8,396 ft / 2,559 m
Runway surface
asphalt (2)
Opened / operator
Airports Company South Africa
Owner / entity
Q598282
Hub airlines
Mixed or not clearly stated
Airport role
international scheduled-service gateway
Scheduled service
Listed
Fact coverage
16 source-backed signals
Bram Fischer International Airport is a international scheduled-service gateway for Bloemfontein, South Africa. Bloemfontein's built-up core sits roughly 9.1 km from the terminal area. Operations run on Africa/Johannesburg (UTC+02:00, SAST). Live weather is temporarily unavailable. With 3 other indexable airports in its surrounding network, it works well as a reference point for regional flight planning and timezone checks.
Bram Fischer International Airport (BFN / FABL) is at 29.0927° S, 26.3024° E, elevation 4,457 ft (1,358 m), serving Bloemfontein, South Africa.
The accepted reference summary is used as supporting context for the airport identity and operating notes; the timed facts here still come from the airport catalog, timezone database, country snapshot, and linked source trail.
Bloemfontein is in South Africa (capital Pretoria); regulated by South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA); on Africa/Johannesburg (SAST, UTC+02:00); working languages: Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele; currency: ZAR (R).
Distance from central Bloemfontein: 9 km.
Airport context brief
A compact traveler-facing brief from the airport catalog, country snapshot, route geometry, city anchors, peer airports, and source trail for BFN.
Name and identity cues
Primary airport name
Bram Fischer International Airport (BFN / FABL)
Bram Fischer International Airport · Airport in Free State, South Africa
Known label 1
AFB Bloemspruit
Alternate airport-name cue retained for BFN, not a separate indexable duplicate page.
Known label 2
Bloemspruit
Alternate airport-name cue retained for BFN, not a separate indexable duplicate page.
Source identifiers
FABL · FABL · ZA-FS
sa-airports.co.za · en.wikipedia.org · scheduled service yes
Closest mapped city anchors
1. Bloemfontein
bloemfontein · 9.1 km from BFN
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 556,637 · city coordinates -29.1211, 26.2140
2. Botshabelo
botshabelo · 45 km from BFN
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 309,714 · city coordinates -29.2674, 26.7260
3. Winnie Mandela
winnie-mandela · 46 km from BFN
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 15,454 · city coordinates -28.7003, 26.4581
4. Thaba Nchu
thaba-nchu · 54 km from BFN
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 72,721 · city coordinates -29.2093, 26.8390
5. Theunissen
theunissen · 85 km from BFN
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 34,718 · city coordinates -28.4110, 26.7011
6. Bultfontein
bultfontein · 91 km from BFN
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 27,994 · city coordinates -28.2876, 26.1500
Airport alternatives in the retained graph
1. JNB FAOR
O.R. Tambo International Airport · Johannesburg
380 km from BFN · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · elevation 5,558 ft (1,694 m) · airport coordinates -26.1401, 28.2468
2. HLA FALA
Lanseria International Airport · Johannesburg
386 km from BFN · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · elevation 4,517 ft (1,377 m) · airport coordinates -25.9390, 27.9266
3. ELS FAEL
King Phalo Airport · East London
462 km from BFN · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · elevation 435 ft (133 m) · airport coordinates -33.0356, 27.8259
Route-time reference set
1. BFN-JNB
Johannesburg · 380 km · 1h 19m
Africa/Johannesburg · +0h from BFN; reference route only, not a live schedule.
2. BFN-HLA
Johannesburg · 386 km · 1h 19m
Africa/Johannesburg · +0h from BFN; reference route only, not a live schedule.
3. BFN-ELS
East London · 462 km · 1h 25m
Africa/Johannesburg · +0h from BFN; reference route only, not a live schedule.
Runway source evidence
Published runway count
2 runways
Longest runway 8,396 ft / 2,559 m. 2 lighted runways in the runway snapshot.
Runway surface mix
asphalt (2)
Surface labels are normalized from the OurAirports runway rows for BFN.
Runway identifiers
02/20 · 12/30
Identifier pairs are retained as airport-specific runway cues, not live operational availability claims.
Same-country airport context
1. JNB FAOR
O.R. Tambo International Airport · Johannesburg · 380 km from BFN
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 5,558 ft (1,694 m) · -26.1401, 28.2468
2. HLA FALA
Lanseria International Airport · Johannesburg · 386 km from BFN
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 4,517 ft (1,377 m) · -25.9390, 27.9266
3. ELS FAEL
King Phalo Airport · East London · 462 km from BFN
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 435 ft (133 m) · -33.0356, 27.8259
4. DUR FALE
King Shaka International Airport · Durban · 470 km from BFN
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 295 ft (90 m) · -29.6144, 31.1197
5. PLZ FAPE
Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport · Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) · 548 km from BFN
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 226 ft (69 m) · -33.9897, 25.6174
6. PTG FAPP
Polokwane International Airport · Polokwane · 663 km from BFN
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 4,076 ft (1,242 m) · -23.8453, 29.4586
Accepted operational notes
Source note 1
The runways are shared with AFB Bloemspruit.
Retained as a source-backed local role note for BFN.
Country and authority
BFN sits in South Africa (Republic of South Africa), whose capital is Pretoria. South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) is the national civil-aviation authority we name for regulator context. Country context: Africa, Southern Africa.
Traveler context
Common country-language signals: Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho. Currency context: ZAR (R). BFN is listed with scheduled service in the airport source snapshot.
Names and local labels
BFN is also associated in the airport facts snapshot with AFB Bloemspruit, Bloemspruit. These labels help catch alternate airport names without creating separate duplicate airport pages.
Reference description
Airport in Free State, South Africa. This description is used only as identity context; live flight status, terminal assignment, and airport alerts still belong to the official airport or airline source.
Entity fingerprint
Wikidata airport entity: Q598282 · Bloemfontein Airport. Administrative area: Bloemfontein · Free State. Entity official-site cross-check: airports.co.za
Field and clock profile
Bram Fischer International Airport is a high-elevation field at 4,457 ft (1,358 m), positioned at 29.0927° S, 26.3024° E in the Southern subtropics. The runway snapshot lists 2 runways and a longest runway of 8,396 ft / 2,559 m. The airport clock uses Africa/Johannesburg (SAST, UTC+02:00), so cross-date arrivals should be checked against this zone rather than the airline origin city.
City and airport alternatives
Bloemfontein is the closest retained city-time anchor at 9.1 km. JNB Johannesburg is the closest retained airport alternative at 380 km.
Country airport peers
BFN is compared with JNB Johannesburg at 380 km, HLA Johannesburg at 386 km, ELS East London at 462 km, DUR Durban at 470 km, PLZ Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) at 548 km inside the retained South Africa airport set, which is useful when backup airports share the same country context but differ by city, route network, and clock behavior.
Route geometry
BFN-JNB Johannesburg: 380 km, about 1h 19m, +0h. BFN-HLA Johannesburg: 386 km, about 1h 19m, +0h. BFN-ELS East London: 462 km, about 1h 25m, +0h. These are distance and timezone references, not live flight availability claims.
Source trail
OurAirports ident FABL backs the stable code, coordinate, elevation, and timezone record. sa-airports.co.za is attached as the official airport website. en.wikipedia.org is used only as supporting reference context. Snapshot date: 2026-05-21.
Operational Profile
Traffic profile
Reference airport
Airline role
Mixed commercial service
Terminal footprint
See operational notes
Runway footprint
2 runways · longest 8,396 ft / 2,559 m
Runway identifiers
02/20, 12/30
OurAirports classifies BFN as a large airport with scheduled service; the airport name and codes identify it as an international gateway for Bloemfontein.
BFN (FABL) is a high-elevation field at 4,457 ft (1,358 m) in the subtropics, kept in the curated set for its route, timezone, and market-planning value.
BFN sits in a broader regional network with 3 nearby curated alternatives, so airline choice and connection strategy are part of the planning story here.
BFN's runway record lists 2 runways, with the longest runway at 8,396 ft / 2,559 m and source surfaces recorded as asphalt (2).
Airports Company South Africa is the clearest operator or management signal we currently have on file for BFN.
- The runways are shared with AFB Bloemspruit.
These operational notes prefer the structured airport facts snapshot, then fall back to the accepted airport reference at sa-airports.co.za, then blend that with local timezone, route, and city-access data already on this page.
Decision matrix for BFN
These are the specific situations where this airport page earns its keep: time-zone conversion, city transfer planning, nearby airport backup logic, and source-confidence checks before acting.
When the clock matters
BFN uses Africa/Johannesburg (SAST, UTC+02:00). Use this before overnight arrivals, cross-date departures, and same-day connections.
When surface access matters
Bram Fischer International Airport is about 9.1 km from central Bloemfontein; build that transfer into arrival and check-in planning.
When alternates matter
JNB Johannesburg is the closest retained alternate at 380 km, time difference +0h.
When source checks matter
sa-airports.co.za is listed as the official airport website in the airport facts snapshot; live schedules, gates, routes, terminals, and NOTAM-sensitive operations still need official airport or airline verification.
How this airport compares nearby
These comparisons place BFN inside the retained airport graph by country, timezone, elevation, and coordinate neighbors. They are deterministic dataset facts, not generated flight claims.
Country-rank position
BFN ranks #1 in the curated South Africa airport set when large airports are listed before medium airports, then sorted by IATA code. The retained country set has 8 airports.
Same-zone airport cohort
BFN shares Africa/Johannesburg with CPT Cape Town ZA · DUR Durban ZA · ELS East London ZA · HLA Johannesburg ZA · JNB Johannesburg ZA · PLZ Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) ZA. This helps separate same-clock airports by city, country, code, and geography.
Elevation-neighbor cohort
BFN is 4,457 ft (1,358 m). Closest elevation peers in the retained airport set include TBZ 4,459 ft (1,359 m) (2 ft delta) · CUU 4,462 ft (1,360 m) (5 ft delta) · RNO 4,415 ft (1,346 m) (42 ft delta) · HLA 4,517 ft (1,377 m) (60 ft delta) · KTM 4,390 ft (1,338 m) (67 ft delta).
Coordinate-neighbor check
BFN's nearest retained coordinate neighbors are JNB 380 km +0h · HLA 386 km +0h · ELS 462 km +0h.
Flight Path Arc
Great-circle route between airports with animated plane. Pick a route.
Arriving From / Departing To
| Destination | Route code | Distance | Estimated window | Time difference | Destination clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johannesburg | JNB | 380 km | 1h 19m | +0h | --:--:-- |
| Johannesburg | HLA | 386 km | 1h 19m | +0h | --:--:-- |
| East London | ELS | 462 km | 1h 25m | +0h | --:--:-- |
BFN to JNB
Johannesburg
Distance 380 km; estimated travel window 1h 19m; destination zone Africa/Johannesburg is +0h from BFN. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
BFN to HLA
Johannesburg
Distance 386 km; estimated travel window 1h 19m; destination zone Africa/Johannesburg is +0h from BFN. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
BFN to ELS
East London
Distance 462 km; estimated travel window 1h 25m; destination zone Africa/Johannesburg is +0h from BFN. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
Airport Details
Timezone
Ground Transport and Nearby Context
Central Bloemfontein is close enough that taxi, ride-hail, and rail or shuttle links are usually the fastest arrival options.
Bloemfontein is the nearest mapped city anchor in the current dataset, which makes it the cleanest companion page when travelers want to switch from airport timing into local city timing.
Bram Fischer International Airport has 3 nearby indexed airport alternatives, which makes backup departures and diversion logic part of real planning instead of a theoretical edge case.
Nearby city time anchors
Airport pages are most useful when they bridge into real city clocks. These city anchors are ranked by distance from BFN, then shown with their own timezone, local time, and time difference from the airport clock.
Bloemfontein
bloemfontein · 9.1 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Botshabelo
botshabelo · 45 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Winnie Mandela
winnie-mandela · 46 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Thaba Nchu
thaba-nchu · 54 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Theunissen
theunissen · 85 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Bultfontein
bultfontein · 91 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Winburg
winburg · 94 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Ladybrand
ladybrand · 113 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Marquard
marquard · 120 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Virginia
virginia · 123 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Hlohlolwane
hlohlolwane · 125 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Welkom
welkom · 131 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Airlines and Network Role
Bram Fischer International Airport does not have a long carrier list in the current source trail, so this page emphasizes the durable pieces travelers can safely use here: local time, field identifiers, nearby airports, and timezone differences.
The route timing references show the first cross-timezone planning burden after this airport: Johannesburg (JNB), Johannesburg (HLA), East London (ELS). Treat them as distance and clock cues, then verify flight availability with the carrier.
Planning checkpoints
- Traffic signal: not clearly stated in the source trail.
- Terminal footprint: not clearly stated in the source trail.
- Runway footprint: 2 runways; longest runway 8,396 ft / 2,559 m; identifiers 02/20, 12/30.
- Runway surfaces: asphalt (2); 2 lighted runways in the source snapshot.
- Operator / management: Airports Company South Africa.
- Historical opening year: not clearly stated in the source trail.
- Network role: mixed or not clearly stated in the source trail.
Nearby Airports
Nearby airports are ranked by coordinate distance from BFN. The time difference column is computed from IANA zones against the page snapshot, while the local clocks update in the browser.
O.R. Tambo International AirportJNB
Johannesburg · large airport
- Distance
- 380 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 5,558 ft (1,694 m)
Compare against JNB when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Lanseria International AirportHLA
Johannesburg · large airport
- Distance
- 386 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 4,517 ft (1,377 m)
Compare against HLA when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
King Phalo AirportELS
East London · large airport
- Distance
- 462 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 435 ft (133 m)
Compare against ELS when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Questions
FAQ
What timezone is Bram Fischer International Airport (BFN) in?▾
Bram Fischer International Airport is in the Africa/Johannesburg timezone (UTC+02:00, SAST).
What are the codes for Bram Fischer International Airport?▾
Bram Fischer International Airport uses IATA code BFN and ICAO code FABL.
Where is Bram Fischer International Airport located?▾
Bram Fischer International Airport is located in Bloemfontein, South Africa at coordinates 29.0927° S, 26.3024° E, with an elevation of 4,457 ft (1,358 m) (high-elevation field in the subtropics).
How far is Bram Fischer International Airport from central Bloemfontein?▾
Bram Fischer International Airport sits roughly 9.1 km from the nearest mapped city center for Bloemfontein.
Which route reference is most useful from BFN?▾
Johannesburg (JNB) is one of the closest route references on this page, with an estimated travel window of 1h 19m, destination timezone Africa/Johannesburg, and a +0h difference from BFN.
Which authority regulates BFN?▾
Bram Fischer International Airport sits inside South Africa, where civil aviation oversight is led by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA).
What other airports in South Africa are close peers to BFN?▾
BFN's curated peers in South Africa on this site include JNB Johannesburg, HLA Johannesburg, ELS East London, plus 3 more.
How many runways does Bram Fischer International Airport have?▾
Bram Fischer International Airport's source-backed operational summary lists 2 runways, with the longest runway recorded at 8,396 ft / 2,559 m; identifiers include 02/20, 12/30.