JNB · Johannesburg, South Africa
O.R. Tambo International Airport.
--:--:-- · SAST (UTC+02:00) · 26.1401° S, 28.2468° E
O. R. Tambo International Airport
Main airport serving Johannesburg, South Africa
Verification trail
Source-backed facts for JNB
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 31055; ident FAOR; scheduled service listed.
Cached airports.csv snapshot: 2026-04-25; runways.csv snapshot: 2026-05-21.
Official airport source
ortambo-airport.com
Used as the preferred live-reference handoff for terminals, gates, alerts, and airport notices.
Open sourceReference summary
O. R. Tambo International Airport
Airport-shaped reference summary from en.wikipedia.org; summary snapshot 2026-05-20.
Open sourceManual / derived signals
22 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
JNB / FAOR
OurAirports ident
FAOR
GPS / local code
FAOR
ISO region
ZA-GT
Scheduled service
Listed in source snapshot
Role
major international passenger gateway
Official host
ortambo-airport.com
Reference host
en.wikipedia.org
Wikidata entity
Q821750
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
21 km
Approximate distance to central Johannesburg.
Airport Snapshot
Country capital
Pretoria
Languages
Afrikaans, English
Currency
ZAR (R)
Country area
1,221,037 km²
Passenger volume
28 million passengers
Terminals
Not clearly stated
Runways
2 runways
Longest runway
14,495 ft / 4,418 m
Runway surface
asphalt (2)
Opened / operator
1952 · Airports Company South Africa
Owner / entity
Airports Company South Africa
Hub airlines
South African Airways
Airport role
major international passenger gateway
Scheduled service
Listed
Fact coverage
22 source-backed signals
O.R. Tambo International Airport is a major international passenger gateway for Johannesburg, South Africa. Johannesburg's built-up core sits roughly 21 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.
O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB / FAOR) is at 26.1401° S, 28.2468° E, elevation 5,558 ft (1,694 m), serving Johannesburg, 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.
Johannesburg 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 Johannesburg: 21 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 JNB.
Name and identity cues
Primary airport name
O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB / FAOR)
O. R. Tambo International Airport · Main airport serving Johannesburg, South Africa
Known label 1
Johannesburg International Airport
Alternate airport-name cue retained for JNB, not a separate indexable duplicate page.
Known label 2
FAJS
Alternate airport-name cue retained for JNB, not a separate indexable duplicate page.
Source identifiers
FAOR · FAOR · ZA-GT
ortambo-airport.com · en.wikipedia.org · scheduled service yes
Source-specific airport notes
Regional role cue
Tambo International Airport is an international airport serving the twin cities of Johannesburg and the main capital of South Africa, Pretoria.
Accepted from the airport reference trail as a role-specific cue for JNB; not treated as a live service guarantee.
Closest mapped city anchors
1. Boksburg
boksburg · 8.1 km from JNB
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 445,168 · city coordinates -26.2120, 28.2596
2. Benoni
benoni · 9.1 km from JNB
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 605,344 · city coordinates -26.1885, 28.3208
3. Edenvale
edenvale · 9.4 km from JNB
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 49,292 · city coordinates -26.1410, 28.1525
4. Germiston
germiston · 13 km from JNB
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 255,863 · city coordinates -26.2348, 28.1766
5. Alexandra
alexandra · 15 km from JNB
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 179,624 · city coordinates -26.1053, 28.0988
6. Thembisa
thembisa · 16 km from JNB
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 511,655 · city coordinates -25.9964, 28.2268
Airport alternatives in the retained graph
1. HLA FALA
Lanseria International Airport · Johannesburg
39 km from JNB · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · elevation 4,517 ft (1,377 m) · airport coordinates -25.9390, 27.9266
2. PTG FAPP
Polokwane International Airport · Polokwane
283 km from JNB · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · elevation 4,076 ft (1,242 m) · airport coordinates -23.8453, 29.4586
3. BFN FABL
Bram Fischer International Airport · Bloemfontein
380 km from JNB · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · elevation 4,457 ft (1,358 m) · airport coordinates -29.0927, 26.3024
Route-time reference set
1. JNB-PTG
Polokwane · 283 km · 1h 11m
Africa/Johannesburg · +0h from JNB; reference route only, not a live schedule.
2. JNB-BFN
Bloemfontein · 380 km · 1h 19m
Africa/Johannesburg · +0h from JNB; reference route only, not a live schedule.
Runway source evidence
Published runway count
2 runways
Longest runway 14,495 ft / 4,418 m. 2 lighted runways in the runway snapshot.
Runway surface mix
asphalt (2)
Surface labels are normalized from the OurAirports runway rows for JNB.
Runway identifiers
03L/21R · 03R/21L
Identifier pairs are retained as airport-specific runway cues, not live operational availability claims.
Same-country airport context
1. HLA FALA
Lanseria International Airport · Johannesburg · 39 km from JNB
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 4,517 ft (1,377 m) · -25.9390, 27.9266
2. PTG FAPP
Polokwane International Airport · Polokwane · 283 km from JNB
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 4,076 ft (1,242 m) · -23.8453, 29.4586
3. BFN FABL
Bram Fischer International Airport · Bloemfontein · 380 km from JNB
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 4,457 ft (1,358 m) · -29.0927, 26.3024
4. DUR FALE
King Shaka International Airport · Durban · 478 km from JNB
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 295 ft (90 m) · -29.6144, 31.1197
5. ELS FAEL
King Phalo Airport · East London · 768 km from JNB
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 435 ft (133 m) · -33.0356, 27.8259
6. PLZ FAPE
Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport · Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) · 909 km from JNB
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 226 ft (69 m) · -33.9897, 25.6174
Accepted operational notes
Source note 1
It serves as the primary airport for domestic and international travel for South Africa and since 2020, it is Africa's second busiest airport, with a capacity to handle up to 28 million passengers annually.
Retained as a source-backed local role note for JNB.
Source note 2
The airport serves as the hub for South African Airways.
Retained as a source-backed local role note for JNB.
Country and authority
JNB 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). JNB is listed with scheduled service in the airport source snapshot.
Names and local labels
JNB is also associated in the airport facts snapshot with Johannesburg International Airport, FAJS. These labels help catch alternate airport names without creating separate duplicate airport pages.
Reference description
Main airport serving Johannesburg, 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: Tambo International Airport is an international airport serving the twin cities of Johannesburg and the main capital of South Africa, Pretoria.
Entity fingerprint
Wikidata airport entity: Q821750 · OR Tambo International Airport. Owner / owning body: Airports Company South Africa. Administrative area: Kempton Park. Named after: Johannesburg · Jan Christiaan Smuts · Oliver Tambo
Field and clock profile
O.R. Tambo International Airport is a high-elevation field at 5,558 ft (1,694 m), positioned at 26.1401° S, 28.2468° E in the Southern subtropics. The runway snapshot lists 2 runways and a longest runway of 14,495 ft / 4,418 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
Boksburg is the closest retained city-time anchor at 8.1 km. HLA Johannesburg is the closest retained airport alternative at 39 km.
Country airport peers
JNB is compared with HLA Johannesburg at 39 km, PTG Polokwane at 283 km, BFN Bloemfontein at 380 km, DUR Durban at 478 km, ELS East London at 768 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
JNB-PTG Polokwane: 283 km, about 1h 11m, +0h. JNB-BFN Bloemfontein: 380 km, about 1h 19m, +0h. These are distance and timezone references, not live flight availability claims.
Source trail
OurAirports ident FAOR backs the stable code, coordinate, elevation, and timezone record. ortambo-airport.com 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
28 million passengers
Airline role
South African Airways
Terminal footprint
See operational notes
Runway footprint
2 runways · longest 14,495 ft / 4,418 m
Runway identifiers
03L/21R, 03R/21L
OurAirports classifies JNB as a large airport with scheduled service; the airport name and codes identify it as an international gateway for Johannesburg.
JNB (FAOR) is one of the curated airport pages with a real traffic signal attached: 28 million passengers, operating from a high-elevation field at 5,558 ft (1,694 m).
JNB sits in a broader regional network with 3 nearby curated alternatives, so airline choice and connection strategy are part of the planning story here.
JNB's runway record lists 2 runways, with the longest runway at 14,495 ft / 4,418 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 JNB.
- It serves as the primary airport for domestic and international travel for South Africa and since 2020, it is Africa's second busiest airport, with a capacity to handle up to 28 million passengers annually.
- The airport serves as the hub for South African Airways.
These operational notes prefer the structured airport facts snapshot, then fall back to the accepted airport reference at ortambo-airport.com, then blend that with local timezone, route, and city-access data already on this page.
Decision matrix for JNB
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
JNB uses Africa/Johannesburg (SAST, UTC+02:00). Use this before overnight arrivals, cross-date departures, and same-day connections.
When surface access matters
O.R. Tambo International Airport is about 21 km from central Johannesburg; build that transfer into arrival and check-in planning.
When alternates matter
HLA Johannesburg is the closest retained alternate at 39 km, time difference +0h.
When source checks matter
ortambo-airport.com 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 JNB inside the retained airport graph by country, timezone, elevation, and coordinate neighbors. They are deterministic dataset facts, not generated flight claims.
Country-rank position
JNB ranks #6 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
JNB shares Africa/Johannesburg with BFN Bloemfontein ZA · CPT Cape Town ZA · DUR Durban ZA · ELS East London ZA · HLA Johannesburg ZA · PLZ Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) ZA. This helps separate same-clock airports by city, country, code, and geography.
Elevation-neighbor cohort
JNB is 5,558 ft (1,694 m). Closest elevation peers in the retained airport set include DEN 5,431 ft (1,655 m) (127 ft delta) · ABQ 5,355 ft (1,632 m) (203 ft delta) · NBO 5,330 ft (1,625 m) (228 ft delta) · KBL 5,877 ft (1,791 m) (319 ft delta) · BJX 5,956 ft (1,815 m) (398 ft delta).
Coordinate-neighbor check
JNB's nearest retained coordinate neighbors are HLA 39 km +0h · PTG 283 km +0h · BFN 380 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polokwane | PTG | 283 km | 1h 11m | +0h | --:--:-- |
| Bloemfontein | BFN | 380 km | 1h 19m | +0h | --:--:-- |
JNB to PTG
Polokwane
Distance 283 km; estimated travel window 1h 11m; destination zone Africa/Johannesburg is +0h from JNB. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
JNB to BFN
Bloemfontein
Distance 380 km; estimated travel window 1h 19m; destination zone Africa/Johannesburg is +0h from JNB. 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.
Johannesburg 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.
O.R. Tambo 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 JNB, then shown with their own timezone, local time, and time difference from the airport clock.
Boksburg
boksburg · 8.1 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Benoni
benoni · 9.1 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Edenvale
edenvale · 9.4 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Germiston
germiston · 13 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Alexandra
alexandra · 15 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Thembisa
thembisa · 16 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Brakpan
brakpan · 16 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Ivory Park
ivory-park · 17 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Alberton
alberton · 19 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Springs
springs · 20 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Etwatwa
etwatwa · 21 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Johannesburg
johannesburg · 21 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Airlines and Network Role
O.R. Tambo International Airport is associated in the current source trail with South African Airways, which makes carrier-specific schedule checks especially important before acting on a route plan.
The route timing references show the first cross-timezone planning burden after this airport: Polokwane (PTG), Bloemfontein (BFN). Treat them as distance and clock cues, then verify flight availability with the carrier.
Planning checkpoints
- Traffic signal: 28 million passengers.
- Terminal footprint: not clearly stated in the source trail.
- Runway footprint: 2 runways; longest runway 14,495 ft / 4,418 m; identifiers 03L/21R, 03R/21L.
- Runway surfaces: asphalt (2); 2 lighted runways in the source snapshot.
- Operator / management: Airports Company South Africa.
- Opened / inaugurated: 1952.
- Network role: South African Airways.
Nearby Airports
Nearby airports are ranked by coordinate distance from JNB. The time difference column is computed from IANA zones against the page snapshot, while the local clocks update in the browser.
Lanseria International AirportHLA
Johannesburg · large airport
- Distance
- 39 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.
Polokwane International AirportPTG
Polokwane · large airport
- Distance
- 283 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 4,076 ft (1,242 m)
Compare against PTG when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Bram Fischer International AirportBFN
Bloemfontein · large airport
- Distance
- 380 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 O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) in?▾
O.R. Tambo International Airport is in the Africa/Johannesburg timezone (UTC+02:00, SAST).
What are the codes for O.R. Tambo International Airport?▾
O.R. Tambo International Airport uses IATA code JNB and ICAO code FAOR.
Where is O.R. Tambo International Airport located?▾
O.R. Tambo International Airport is located in Johannesburg, South Africa at coordinates 26.1401° S, 28.2468° E, with an elevation of 5,558 ft (1,694 m) (high-elevation field in the subtropics).
How far is O.R. Tambo International Airport from central Johannesburg?▾
O.R. Tambo International Airport sits roughly 21 km from the nearest mapped city center for Johannesburg.
Which route reference is most useful from JNB?▾
Polokwane (PTG) is one of the closest route references on this page, with an estimated travel window of 1h 11m, destination timezone Africa/Johannesburg, and a +0h difference from JNB.
Which authority regulates JNB?▾
O.R. Tambo 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 JNB?▾
JNB's curated peers in South Africa on this site include HLA Johannesburg, PTG Polokwane, BFN Bloemfontein, plus 3 more.
How many runways does O.R. Tambo International Airport have?▾
O.R. Tambo International Airport's source-backed operational summary lists 2 runways, with the longest runway recorded at 14,495 ft / 4,418 m; identifiers include 03L/21R, 03R/21L.