PLZ · Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), South Africa
Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport.
--:--:-- · SAST (UTC+02:00) · 33.9897° S, 25.6174° E
Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport
International airport in South Africa
Verification trail
Source-backed facts for PLZ
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 2820; ident FAPE; scheduled service listed.
Cached airports.csv snapshot: 2026-04-25; runways.csv snapshot: 2026-05-21.
Official airport source
acsa.co.za
Used as the preferred live-reference handoff for terminals, gates, alerts, and airport notices.
Open sourceReference summary
Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport
Airport-shaped reference summary from en.wikipedia.org; summary snapshot 2026-05-20.
Open sourceManual / derived signals
20 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
PLZ / FAPE
OurAirports ident
FAPE
GPS / local code
FAPE
ISO region
ZA-EC
Scheduled service
Listed in source snapshot
Role
major international passenger gateway
Official host
acsa.co.za
Reference host
en.wikipedia.org
Wikidata entity
Q4651612
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, 8:22 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
3.2 km
Approximate distance to central Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth).
Airport Snapshot
Country capital
Pretoria
Languages
Afrikaans, English
Currency
ZAR (R)
Country area
1,221,037 km²
Passenger volume
1,620,705 passengers
Terminals
Not clearly stated
Runways
2 runways
Longest runway
7,087 ft / 2,160 m
Runway surface
asphalt (2)
Opened / operator
1929 · The Airports Company South Africa
Owner / entity
Q4651612
Hub airlines
Mixed or not clearly stated
Airport role
major international passenger gateway
Scheduled service
Listed
Fact coverage
20 source-backed signals
Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport is a major international passenger gateway for Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), South Africa. Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)'s built-up core sits roughly 3.2 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.
Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport (PLZ / FAPE) is at 33.9897° S, 25.6174° E, elevation 226 ft (69 m), serving Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), 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.
Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) 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 Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth): 3 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 PLZ.
Name and identity cues
Primary airport name
Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport (PLZ / FAPE)
Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport · International airport in South Africa
Known label 1
H. F. Verwoerd Airport
Alternate airport-name cue retained for PLZ, not a separate indexable duplicate page.
Known label 2
Port Elizabeth International Airport
Alternate airport-name cue retained for PLZ, not a separate indexable duplicate page.
Known label 3
Walmer Airport
Alternate airport-name cue retained for PLZ, not a separate indexable duplicate page.
Source identifiers
FAPE · FAPE · ZA-EC
acsa.co.za · en.wikipedia.org · scheduled service yes
Source-specific airport notes
Location cue
The airport is located approximately two miles south of the city's central business district.
Used to make the airport page location-specific beyond the code, coordinate, and timezone record.
Closest mapped city anchors
1. Gqeberha
gqeberha · 3.2 km from PLZ
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 1,050,078 · city coordinates -33.9611, 25.6149
2. Kariega
kariega · 33 km from PLZ
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 291,052 · city coordinates -33.7556, 25.4007
3. Jeffreys Bay
jeffreys-bay · 64 km from PLZ
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 32,477 · city coordinates -34.0453, 24.9215
4. Humansdorp
humansdorp · 78 km from PLZ
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 34,733 · city coordinates -34.0290, 24.7691
5. Kruisfontein
kruisfontein · 82 km from PLZ
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 18,991 · city coordinates -34.0033, 24.7314
6. Grahamstown
grahamstown · 114 km from PLZ
South Africa · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · population 91,548 · city coordinates -33.3042, 26.5328
Airport alternatives in the retained graph
1. ELS FAEL
King Phalo Airport · East London
231 km from PLZ · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · elevation 435 ft (133 m) · airport coordinates -33.0356, 27.8259
2. BFN FABL
Bram Fischer International Airport · Bloemfontein
548 km from PLZ · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · elevation 4,457 ft (1,358 m) · airport coordinates -29.0927, 26.3024
3. CPT FACT
Cape Town International Airport · Cape Town
647 km from PLZ · Africa/Johannesburg · +0h · elevation 151 ft (46 m) · airport coordinates -33.9740, 18.6043
Route-time reference set
1. PLZ-ELS
East London · 231 km · 1h 8m
Africa/Johannesburg · +0h from PLZ; reference route only, not a live schedule.
2. PLZ-BFN
Bloemfontein · 548 km · 1h 32m
Africa/Johannesburg · +0h from PLZ; reference route only, not a live schedule.
3. PLZ-CPT
Cape Town · 647 km · 1h 39m
Africa/Johannesburg · +0h from PLZ; reference route only, not a live schedule.
Runway source evidence
Published runway count
2 runways
Longest runway 7,087 ft / 2,160 m. 2 lighted runways in the runway snapshot.
Runway surface mix
asphalt (2)
Surface labels are normalized from the OurAirports runway rows for PLZ.
Runway identifiers
08/26 · 17/35
Identifier pairs are retained as airport-specific runway cues, not live operational availability claims.
Same-country airport context
1. ELS FAEL
King Phalo Airport · East London · 231 km from PLZ
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 435 ft (133 m) · -33.0356, 27.8259
2. BFN FABL
Bram Fischer International Airport · Bloemfontein · 548 km from PLZ
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 4,457 ft (1,358 m) · -29.0927, 26.3024
3. CPT FACT
Cape Town International Airport · Cape Town · 647 km from PLZ
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 151 ft (46 m) · -33.9740, 18.6043
4. DUR FALE
King Shaka International Airport · Durban · 712 km from PLZ
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 295 ft (90 m) · -29.6144, 31.1197
5. JNB FAOR
O.R. Tambo International Airport · Johannesburg · 909 km from PLZ
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 5,558 ft (1,694 m) · -26.1401, 28.2468
6. HLA FALA
Lanseria International Airport · Johannesburg · 922 km from PLZ
large airport · Africa/Johannesburg · south-africa · 4,517 ft (1,377 m) · -25.9390, 27.9266
Accepted operational notes
Source note 1
The airport is owned and operated by the Airports Company South Africa which also operates nine other airports around South Africa.
Retained as a source-backed local role note for PLZ.
Source note 2
In 2017, the airport served 1,620,705 passengers.
Retained as a source-backed local role note for PLZ.
Country and authority
PLZ 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). PLZ is listed with scheduled service in the airport source snapshot.
Names and local labels
PLZ is also associated in the airport facts snapshot with H. F. Verwoerd Airport, Port Elizabeth International Airport, Walmer Airport. These labels help catch alternate airport names without creating separate duplicate airport pages.
Reference description
International airport in 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
Location cue: The airport is located approximately two miles south of the city's central business district.
Entity fingerprint
Wikidata airport entity: Q4651612 · AFS Port Elizabeth. Administrative area: Gqeberha · Eastern Cape. Named after: David Stuurman. Entity official-site cross-check: af.mil.za
Field and clock profile
Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport is a near sea-level field at 226 ft (69 m), positioned at 33.9897° S, 25.6174° E in the Southern subtropics. The runway snapshot lists 2 runways and a longest runway of 7,087 ft / 2,160 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
Gqeberha is the closest retained city-time anchor at 3.2 km. ELS East London is the closest retained airport alternative at 231 km.
Country airport peers
PLZ is compared with ELS East London at 231 km, BFN Bloemfontein at 548 km, CPT Cape Town at 647 km, DUR Durban at 712 km, JNB Johannesburg at 909 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
PLZ-ELS East London: 231 km, about 1h 8m, +0h. PLZ-BFN Bloemfontein: 548 km, about 1h 32m, +0h. PLZ-CPT Cape Town: 647 km, about 1h 39m, +0h. These are distance and timezone references, not live flight availability claims.
Source trail
OurAirports ident FAPE backs the stable code, coordinate, elevation, and timezone record. acsa.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
1,620,705 passengers
Airline role
Mixed commercial service
Terminal footprint
See operational notes
Runway footprint
2 runways · longest 7,087 ft / 2,160 m
Runway identifiers
08/26, 17/35
OurAirports classifies PLZ as a large airport with scheduled service; the airport name and codes identify it as an international gateway for Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth).
PLZ (FAPE) is one of the curated airport pages with a real traffic signal attached: 1,620,705 passengers, operating from a near sea-level field at 226 ft (69 m).
PLZ sits in a broader regional network with 3 nearby curated alternatives, so airline choice and connection strategy are part of the planning story here.
PLZ's runway record lists 2 runways, with the longest runway at 7,087 ft / 2,160 m and source surfaces recorded as asphalt (2).
The Airports Company South Africa is the clearest operator or management signal we currently have on file for PLZ.
- The airport is owned and operated by the Airports Company South Africa which also operates nine other airports around South Africa.
- In 2017, the airport served 1,620,705 passengers.
These operational notes prefer the structured airport facts snapshot, then fall back to the accepted airport reference at acsa.co.za, then blend that with local timezone, route, and city-access data already on this page.
Decision matrix for PLZ
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
PLZ uses Africa/Johannesburg (SAST, UTC+02:00). Use this before overnight arrivals, cross-date departures, and same-day connections.
When surface access matters
Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport is about 3.2 km from central Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth); build that transfer into arrival and check-in planning.
When alternates matter
ELS East London is the closest retained alternate at 231 km, time difference +0h.
When source checks matter
acsa.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 PLZ inside the retained airport graph by country, timezone, elevation, and coordinate neighbors. They are deterministic dataset facts, not generated flight claims.
Country-rank position
PLZ ranks #7 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
PLZ shares Africa/Johannesburg with BFN Bloemfontein ZA · CPT Cape Town ZA · DUR Durban ZA · ELS East London ZA · HLA Johannesburg ZA · JNB Johannesburg ZA. This helps separate same-clock airports by city, country, code, and geography.
Elevation-neighbor cohort
PLZ is 226 ft (69 m). Closest elevation peers in the retained airport set include CWL 220 ft (67 m) (6 ft delta) · REU 233 ft (71 m) (7 ft delta) · CCS 234 ft (71 m) (8 ft delta) · LBG 218 ft (66 m) (8 ft delta) · LAE 239 ft (73 m) (13 ft delta).
Coordinate-neighbor check
PLZ's nearest retained coordinate neighbors are ELS 231 km +0h · BFN 548 km +0h · CPT 647 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East London | ELS | 231 km | 1h 8m | +0h | --:--:-- |
| Bloemfontein | BFN | 548 km | 1h 32m | +0h | --:--:-- |
| Cape Town | CPT | 647 km | 1h 39m | +0h | --:--:-- |
PLZ to ELS
East London
Distance 231 km; estimated travel window 1h 8m; destination zone Africa/Johannesburg is +0h from PLZ. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
PLZ to BFN
Bloemfontein
Distance 548 km; estimated travel window 1h 32m; destination zone Africa/Johannesburg is +0h from PLZ. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
PLZ to CPT
Cape Town
Distance 647 km; estimated travel window 1h 39m; destination zone Africa/Johannesburg is +0h from PLZ. 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 Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) is close enough that taxi, ride-hail, and rail or shuttle links are usually the fastest arrival options.
Gqeberha 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.
Chief Dawid Stuurman 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 PLZ, then shown with their own timezone, local time, and time difference from the airport clock.
Gqeberha
gqeberha · 3.2 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Kariega
kariega · 33 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Jeffreys Bay
jeffreys-bay · 64 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Humansdorp
humansdorp · 78 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Kruisfontein
kruisfontein · 82 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Grahamstown
grahamstown · 114 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Port Alfred
port-alfred · 125 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Somerset East
somerset-east · 141 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Fort Beaufort
fort-beaufort · 165 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Alice
alice · 175 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Dimbaza
dimbaza · 196 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Cradock
cradock · 203 km · Africa/Johannesburg
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Airlines and Network Role
Chief Dawid Stuurman 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: East London (ELS), Bloemfontein (BFN), Cape Town (CPT). Treat them as distance and clock cues, then verify flight availability with the carrier.
Planning checkpoints
- Traffic signal: 1,620,705 passengers.
- Terminal footprint: not clearly stated in the source trail.
- Runway footprint: 2 runways; longest runway 7,087 ft / 2,160 m; identifiers 08/26, 17/35.
- Runway surfaces: asphalt (2); 2 lighted runways in the source snapshot.
- Operator / management: The Airports Company South Africa.
- Opened / inaugurated: 1929.
- Network role: mixed or not clearly stated in the source trail.
Nearby Airports
Nearby airports are ranked by coordinate distance from PLZ. The time difference column is computed from IANA zones against the page snapshot, while the local clocks update in the browser.
King Phalo AirportELS
East London · large airport
- Distance
- 231 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
- 548 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.
Cape Town International AirportCPT
Cape Town · large airport
- Distance
- 647 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 151 ft (46 m)
Compare against CPT when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Questions
FAQ
What timezone is Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport (PLZ) in?▾
Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport is in the Africa/Johannesburg timezone (UTC+02:00, SAST).
What are the codes for Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport?▾
Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport uses IATA code PLZ and ICAO code FAPE.
Where is Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport located?▾
Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport is located in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), South Africa at coordinates 33.9897° S, 25.6174° E, with an elevation of 226 ft (69 m) (near sea-level field in the subtropics).
How far is Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport from central Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)?▾
Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport sits roughly 3.2 km from the nearest mapped city center for Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth).
Which route reference is most useful from PLZ?▾
East London (ELS) is one of the closest route references on this page, with an estimated travel window of 1h 8m, destination timezone Africa/Johannesburg, and a +0h difference from PLZ.
Which authority regulates PLZ?▾
Chief Dawid Stuurman 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 PLZ?▾
PLZ's curated peers in South Africa on this site include ELS East London, BFN Bloemfontein, CPT Cape Town, plus 3 more.
How many runways does Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport have?▾
Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport's source-backed operational summary lists 2 runways, with the longest runway recorded at 7,087 ft / 2,160 m; identifiers include 08/26, 17/35.