CPT · Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town International Airport.
--:--:-- · SAST (UTC+02:00) · 33.9740° S, 18.6043° E
Cape Town International Airport
Airport in Cape Town, South Africa
Verification trail
Source-backed facts for CPT
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 2775; ident FACT; scheduled service listed.
Cached airports.csv snapshot: 2026-04-25; runways.csv snapshot: 2026-05-21.
Official airport source
airports.co.za
Used as the preferred live-reference handoff for terminals, gates, alerts, and airport notices.
Open sourceReference summary
Cape Town International Airport
Airport-shaped reference summary from en.wikipedia.org; summary snapshot 2026-05-20.
Open sourceManual / derived signals
18 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
CPT / FACT
OurAirports ident
FACT
GPS / local code
FACT
ISO region
ZA-WC
Scheduled service
Listed in source snapshot
Role
international scheduled-service gateway
Official host
airports.co.za
Reference host
en.wikipedia.org
Wikidata entity
Q854130
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, 7:09 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
18 km
Approximate distance to central Cape Town.
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
10,502 ft / 3,201 m
Runway surface
asphalt (2)
Opened / operator
1954 · Airports Company South Africa
Owner / entity
Q854130
Hub airlines
Mixed or not clearly stated
Airport role
international scheduled-service gateway
Scheduled service
Listed
Fact coverage
18 source-backed signals
Cape Town International Airport is a international scheduled-service gateway for Cape Town, South Africa. Cape Town's built-up core sits roughly 18 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.
Cape Town International Airport (CPT / FACT) is at 33.9740° S, 18.6043° E, elevation 151 ft (46 m), serving Cape Town, 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.
Cape Town 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 Cape Town: 18 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 CPT.
Name and identity cues
Primary airport name
Cape Town International Airport (CPT / FACT)
Cape Town International Airport · Airport in Cape Town, South Africa
Known label 1
Kaapstad Internasionale Lughawe
Alternate airport-name cue retained for CPT, not a separate indexable duplicate page.
Known label 2
CTIA
Alternate airport-name cue retained for CPT, not a separate indexable duplicate page.
Known label 3
DF Malan Airport
Alternate airport-name cue retained for CPT, not a separate indexable duplicate page.
Source identifiers
FACT · FACT · ZA-WC
airports.co.za · en.wikipedia.org · scheduled service yes
Source-specific airport notes
Regional role cue
Cape Town International Airport, and sometimes abbreviated to CTIA, is the primary international airport serving the city of Cape Town, South Africa.
Accepted from the airport reference trail as a role-specific cue for CPT; not treated as a live service guarantee.
Closest mapped city anchors
1. Athlone
athlone · 9.5 km from CPT
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 237,414 · city coordinates -33.9672, 18.5021
2. Lansdowne
lansdowne · 10.0 km from CPT
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 17,399 · city coordinates -33.9873, 18.4975
3. Kuils River
kuils-river · 10 km from CPT
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 46,685 · city coordinates -33.9421, 18.7066
4. Rondebosch
rondebosch · 12 km from CPT
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 15,158 · city coordinates -33.9633, 18.4764
5. Retreat
retreat · 15 km from CPT
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 25,745 · city coordinates -34.0551, 18.4762
6. Durbanville
durbanville · 16 km from CPT
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 54,286 · city coordinates -33.8308, 18.6486
Airport alternatives in the retained graph
1. PLZ FAPE
Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport · Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
647 km from CPT · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · elevation 226 ft (69 m) · airport coordinates -33.9897, 25.6174
2. ELS FAEL
King Phalo Airport · East London
861 km from CPT · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · elevation 435 ft (133 m) · airport coordinates -33.0356, 27.8259
3. BFN FABL
Bram Fischer International Airport · Bloemfontein
909 km from CPT · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · elevation 4,457 ft (1,358 m) · airport coordinates -29.0927, 26.3024
Route-time reference set
1. CPT-PLZ
Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) · 647 km · 1h 39m
Africa/Johannesburg · +0h from CPT; reference route only, not a live schedule.
2. CPT-ELS
East London · 861 km · 1h 55m
Africa/Johannesburg · +0h from CPT; reference route only, not a live schedule.
3. CPT-BFN
Bloemfontein · 909 km · 1h 59m
Africa/Johannesburg · +0h from CPT; reference route only, not a live schedule.
Runway source evidence
Published runway count
2 runways
Longest runway 10,502 ft / 3,201 m. 2 lighted runways in the runway snapshot.
Runway surface mix
asphalt (2)
Surface labels are normalized from the OurAirports runway rows for CPT.
Runway identifiers
01/19 · 16/34
Identifier pairs are retained as airport-specific runway cues, not live operational availability claims.
Same-country airport context
1. PLZ FAPE
Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport · Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) · 647 km from CPT
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 226 ft (69 m) · -33.9897, 25.6174
2. ELS FAEL
King Phalo Airport · East London · 861 km from CPT
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 435 ft (133 m) · -33.0356, 27.8259
3. BFN FABL
Bram Fischer International Airport · Bloemfontein · 909 km from CPT
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 4,457 ft (1,358 m) · -29.0927, 26.3024
4. HLA FALA
Lanseria International Airport · Johannesburg · 1266 km from CPT
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 4,517 ft (1,377 m) · -25.9390, 27.9266
5. JNB FAOR
O.R. Tambo International Airport · Johannesburg · 1272 km from CPT
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 5,558 ft (1,694 m) · -26.1401, 28.2468
6. DUR FALE
King Shaka International Airport · Durban · 1277 km from CPT
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 295 ft (90 m) · -29.6144, 31.1197
Accepted operational notes
Source note 1
It is the second-busiest airport in the country and fourth-busiest in Africa.
Retained as a source-backed local role note for CPT.
Country and authority
CPT 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). CPT is listed with scheduled service in the airport source snapshot.
Names and local labels
CPT is also associated in the airport facts snapshot with Kaapstad Internasionale Lughawe, CTIA, DF Malan Airport. These labels help catch alternate airport names without creating separate duplicate airport pages.
Reference description
Airport in Cape Town, 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.
Source-specific cues
Regional role cue: Cape Town International Airport, and sometimes abbreviated to CTIA, is the primary international airport serving the city of Cape Town, South Africa.
Entity fingerprint
Wikidata airport entity: Q854130 · Cape Town International Airport. Administrative area: Cape Town. Entity official-site cross-check: capetowninternationalairport.co.za
Field and clock profile
Cape Town International Airport is a near sea-level field at 151 ft (46 m), positioned at 33.9740° S, 18.6043° E in the Southern subtropics. The runway snapshot lists 2 runways and a longest runway of 10,502 ft / 3,201 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
Athlone is the closest retained city-time anchor at 9.5 km. PLZ Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) is the closest retained airport alternative at 647 km.
Country airport peers
CPT is compared with PLZ Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) at 647 km, ELS East London at 861 km, BFN Bloemfontein at 909 km, HLA Johannesburg at 1266 km, JNB Johannesburg at 1272 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
CPT-PLZ Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth): 647 km, about 1h 39m, +0h. CPT-ELS East London: 861 km, about 1h 55m, +0h. CPT-BFN Bloemfontein: 909 km, about 1h 59m, +0h. These are distance and timezone references, not live flight availability claims.
Source trail
OurAirports ident FACT backs the stable code, coordinate, elevation, and timezone record. 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 10,502 ft / 3,201 m
Runway identifiers
01/19, 16/34
OurAirports classifies CPT as a large airport with scheduled service; the airport name and codes identify it as an international gateway for Cape Town.
CPT (FACT) is a near sea-level field at 151 ft (46 m) in the subtropics, kept in the curated set for its route, timezone, and market-planning value.
CPT sits in a broader regional network with 3 nearby curated alternatives, so airline choice and connection strategy are part of the planning story here.
CPT's runway record lists 2 runways, with the longest runway at 10,502 ft / 3,201 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 CPT.
- It is the second-busiest airport in the country and fourth-busiest in Africa.
These operational notes prefer the structured airport facts snapshot, then fall back to the accepted airport reference at airports.co.za, then blend that with local timezone, route, and city-access data already on this page.
Decision matrix for CPT
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
CPT uses Africa/Johannesburg (SAST, UTC+02:00). Use this before overnight arrivals, cross-date departures, and same-day connections.
When surface access matters
Cape Town International Airport is about 18 km from central Cape Town; build that transfer into arrival and check-in planning.
When alternates matter
PLZ Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) is the closest retained alternate at 647 km, time difference +0h.
When source checks matter
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 CPT inside the retained airport graph by country, timezone, elevation, and coordinate neighbors. They are deterministic dataset facts, not generated flight claims.
Country-rank position
CPT ranks #2 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
CPT shares Africa/Johannesburg with BFN Bloemfontein 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
CPT is 151 ft (46 m). Closest elevation peers in the retained airport set include ANC 152 ft (46 m) (1 ft delta) · FJR 152 ft (46 m) (1 ft delta) · DIL 154 ft (47 m) (3 ft delta) · DUS 147 ft (45 m) (4 ft delta) · BWI 146 ft (45 m) (5 ft delta).
Coordinate-neighbor check
CPT's nearest retained coordinate neighbors are PLZ 647 km +0h · ELS 861 km +0h · BFN 909 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) | PLZ | 647 km | 1h 39m | +0h | --:--:-- |
| East London | ELS | 861 km | 1h 55m | +0h | --:--:-- |
| Bloemfontein | BFN | 909 km | 1h 59m | +0h | --:--:-- |
CPT to PLZ
Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
Distance 647 km; estimated travel window 1h 39m; destination zone Africa/Johannesburg is +0h from CPT. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
CPT to ELS
East London
Distance 861 km; estimated travel window 1h 55m; destination zone Africa/Johannesburg is +0h from CPT. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
CPT to BFN
Bloemfontein
Distance 909 km; estimated travel window 1h 59m; destination zone Africa/Johannesburg is +0h from CPT. 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
The airport sits in the normal outer-ring range for a major metro gateway, so rail, shuttle coach, and ride-hail all matter when you judge the fastest arrival.
Cape Town 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.
Cape Town 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 CPT, then shown with their own timezone, local time, and time difference from the airport clock.
Athlone
athlone · 9.5 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Lansdowne
lansdowne · 10.0 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Kuils River
kuils-river · 10 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Rondebosch
rondebosch · 12 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Retreat
retreat · 15 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Durbanville
durbanville · 16 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Kraaifontein
kraaifontein · 17 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Cape Town
cape-town · 18 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Muizenberg
muizenberg · 18 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Somerset West
somerset-west · 23 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Stellenbosch
stellenbosch · 25 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Grabouw
grabouw · 43 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Airlines and Network Role
Cape Town 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: Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) (PLZ), East London (ELS), Bloemfontein (BFN). 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 10,502 ft / 3,201 m; identifiers 01/19, 16/34.
- Runway surfaces: asphalt (2); 2 lighted runways in the source snapshot.
- Operator / management: Airports Company South Africa.
- Opened / inaugurated: 1954.
- Network role: mixed or not clearly stated in the source trail.
Nearby Airports
Nearby airports are ranked by coordinate distance from CPT. The time difference column is computed from IANA zones against the page snapshot, while the local clocks update in the browser.
Chief Dawid Stuurman International AirportPLZ
Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) · large airport
- Distance
- 647 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 226 ft (69 m)
Compare against PLZ when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
King Phalo AirportELS
East London · large airport
- Distance
- 861 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.
Bram Fischer International AirportBFN
Bloemfontein · large airport
- Distance
- 909 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 4,457 ft (1,358 m)
Compare against BFN when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Companion Planning Tools
Questions
FAQ
What timezone is Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in?▾
Cape Town International Airport is in the Africa/Johannesburg timezone (UTC+02:00, SAST).
What are the codes for Cape Town International Airport?▾
Cape Town International Airport uses IATA code CPT and ICAO code FACT.
Where is Cape Town International Airport located?▾
Cape Town International Airport is located in Cape Town, South Africa at coordinates 33.9740° S, 18.6043° E, with an elevation of 151 ft (46 m) (near sea-level field in the subtropics).
How far is Cape Town International Airport from central Cape Town?▾
Cape Town International Airport sits roughly 18 km from the nearest mapped city center for Cape Town.
Which route reference is most useful from CPT?▾
Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) (PLZ) is one of the closest route references on this page, with an estimated travel window of 1h 39m, destination timezone Africa/Johannesburg, and a +0h difference from CPT.
Which authority regulates CPT?▾
Cape Town 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 CPT?▾
CPT's curated peers in South Africa on this site include PLZ Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), ELS East London, BFN Bloemfontein, plus 3 more.
How many runways does Cape Town International Airport have?▾
Cape Town International Airport's source-backed operational summary lists 2 runways, with the longest runway recorded at 10,502 ft / 3,201 m; identifiers include 01/19, 16/34.