Here are the 10 best African airports in 2022
Skytrax has unveiled the best airports in Africa for 2022 during the recently held World Airports Awards 2022.
The UK-based consultancy service, which specialises in airline and airport reviews, has been the world’s most reliable source for quality reviews/rankings about different aspects of the global aviation sector since 1999.
Skytrax’s methodology for the annual review entails an airport customer satisfaction survey that looks at customer service and facilities in more than 500 airports.
Below are the 10 best airports on the continent according to the latest ranking.
1. Cape Town International Airport
This airport is currently the best in Africa. Commissioned in 1954, this airport is one of the oldest and busiest airports on the continent. From this airport, travellers can get direct flights to major travel destinations across Africa, the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
1. King Shaka International Airport
located 35 kilometres away from the north of Durban, the King Shaka International Airport was commissioned in 2010 and primarily serves the city of Durban. It replaced the Durban International Airport. According to publicly available information, the airport’s passenger terminal can handle 7.5 million passengers yearly.
3. Johannesburg Airport, also known as the O.R Tambo International Airport
This airport is one of the busiest in Africa, having the capacity to handle nearly 30 million passengers per annum. It was established in 1952 as the Jan Smuts International Airport.
4. Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, Mauritius
This is the main airport in Mauritius. Commissioned shortly after the end of the Second World War in 1945, the airport was initially known as the Plaisance Airport. Since the 1940s, the airport has undergone major re-constructions to expand and modernise it. It has also reportedly played a huge role in the Mauritian economy.
5. Mohammed V International Airport, Casablanca
This is yet another major international airport in Morocco which specifically serves the city of Casablanca. Originally named Berrechid Airfield, it was built by the United States in 1943 and served as an auxiliary airfield. Although the United States temporarily handed ownership of the airport to Morocco at the end of the Second World War, the North African country didn’t fully take ownership until 1959. It was then renamed Mohammed V International Airport, after Mohammed al-Khamis bin Yusef bin Hassan al-Alawi who was the Sultan of Morocco from 1927 to 1953.
6. Marrakesh Menara Airport
Also known as Aéroport Marrakech Ménara in French, this airport is the main international airport in Morocco, receiving millions of passengers from Europe, the Middle East and other parts of the world. The airport has been around since the 1940s, as it played a huge role in serving as a hub for the US military. Since then, it has undergone modifications, including a 2008 extension to the main terminal which has left the airport’s architecture with a mixture of traditional and modern elements.
7. Kigali International Airport
Rwanda is a landlocked country. Perhaps this explains why the country does not joke with its airports, especially the Kigali International Airport which is the main one. According to publicly available records, the airport was designed to handle about 400, 000 passengers per annum. But as of 2013, more than 600,000 passengers were recorded for both local and international travels. This prompted plans to expand the passenger terminals, even as efforts to build a new international airport are underway.
8. Addis Ababa Bole International Airport
Established in 1962, the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport is the main international airport in Ethiopia. It replaced Lidetta and has since undergone expansion works. Currently, more expansion works are ongoing around the airport’s passenger terminal.
9. Cairo International Airport
This is one of the busiest and best airports in Africa. It is also the main airport in the whole of Egypt. Note that even though the airport came into its current form in 1963, its history dates back to the 1940s and it was formerly known as Heliopolis Airport.
10. Bram Fischer International Airport, Bloemfontein
Lastly, we have the Bram Fischer International Airport. It is the primary airport in the city of Bloemfontein, one of South Africa’s three capital cities. Formerly known as Bloemfontein Airport, its name was changed in November 2012 during a ceremony presided over by South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma.
