The land marked for construction of CWA is 25km away from Cape Town International airport.

According to the Airports Company South Africa, around 10.4mn two-way passengers passed through Cape Town International Airport’s terminals in 2024, a 7% jump from the previous year. Of these, three million were international. Air volumes also recorded growth, with a rise of 27% for the first 10 months of 2024, compared to numbers for 2023. These figures are set to grow, with Air France, British Airways, and others, looking to increase seasonal flight frequency and capacity – and even launch new routes – to Cape Town this year.

This expansion of aviation activity is exactly what Nick Ferguson is banking on. As the executive MD of rsa.AERO and executive director of Cape Winelands Aero, Ferguson is the man behind the Cape Winelands Airport project. The project will see the Fisantekraal Airfield near Durbanville on the northern outskirts of Cape Town transformed into a modern airport. The airfield was built in 1943 to protect the South African coastline during World War II and served as a base for Lockheed Ventura bombers. Today, it’s used for flight training and recreational flying. Ferguson, a property developer, came across the airport four years ago when he was looking for a piece of land for another project.