Business Insider Africa
On Tuesday March 22nd, the Nigerian Government unveiled a lavish terminal at one of its international airports in Lagos. Business Insider Africa understands that this is part of the West African country’s ongoing infrastructural upgrades across five of its major airports.
A quick tour of the facility showed a truly beautiful place, befitting of a country that claims to be the “giant of Africa”. But this notwithstanding, Nigeria does not have one of the top best airports in Africa.
A picture of the newly commissioned terminal at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos
As you may well know, international airports are the gateway to every country. Therefore, there is need to present the best image of a country to foreign visitors, by ensuring that airport facilities are state-of-the-art and well-maintained. Also, workers at these airports must be professional enough to always give the best possible serve to visitors. These are some of the yardsticks used for determining the best airports around the world.
That said, Business Insider Africa hereby presents the top 10 best airports in Africa as of 2021. This list is courtesy of the World Airports Awards, an annual awards event organised by Skytrax, a UK-based consultancy service specialising in airline and airport reviews. Since 1999, Skytrax has been the world’s most reliable source for quality reviews about different aspects of the global aviation sector.
Every year, Skytrax’s airport customer satisfaction survey focusses on customer service and facilities in more than 500 airports around the world, in a bid to determine the best airports in different parts of the world.
Here are the 10 best international airports in Africa
1. Cape Town International Airport
This is currently the best airport in Africa. Commissioned in 1954, this airport is one of the oldest and busiest airports on the continent. From this airport, travelers can get direct flights to major travel destinations across Africa, the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Cape Town Internaional Airport
2. 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 which was decommissioned in 2010. According to publicly available information, the airport’s passenger terminal has the capacity to handle 7.5 million passengers every year.
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 and was originally known 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.
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5. 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 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.
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6. 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 Warm, 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.
7. Addis Ababa Bole International Airport
Established in 1962, the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport is the main international airport in Ethiopia. It replaced the now decommissioned military airport Lidetta, and has since undergone some major expansion works, including the currently ongoing expansion of its passenger terminal which is being handled by some Chinese companies.
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, both 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.
9. Port Elizabeth International Airport
This is yet another South African airport which serves the city of Port Elizabeth. Also known as the Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport, it was established in 1929. Its facilities has since undergone major re-constructions in order to fit into the modern era.
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.
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