Lanseria Airport
A privately-owned airport near Johannesburg, Lanseria deals with more air traffic than any airport on the continent. The airport primarily handles international flights to and from Mozambique, as well as domestic flights to both Cape Town and Durban. Lanseria is also used as a destination for a number of privately chartered flights, due to its proximity to Sandton, Pretoria and Westrand. The airport is probably most famous for being the destination of Nelson Mandela’s first flight after his release from prison in 1990.
Lanseria Airport began life thirty years ago as a humble grass strip airfield. Founded by two pilots from Pretoria, the airport was officially opened in 1974 by transport minister Hannes Rall. A year later, Lanseria hosted the Air Africa International show, offering domestic buyers the chance to acquire western aircraft and equipment for the first time in the history of South Africa. Since then, Lanseria Airport has hosted air shows every two years, featuring air displays by some of the best pilots from around the world.
Since its foundation, the number of operators using Lanseria Airport has grown consistently. In order to keep up with the demands placed upon it, the airport’s runways and Main Terminal building underwent renovation and expansion, a project that reached completion in 2002.
Lanseria now handles a huge amount of international freight carriers, probably more than any other airport in the country. However, the airport also provides passenger services to Mozambique. LAM Mozambique Airlines offers flights to and from Maputo and Vilanculos, while Air Travelmax uses routes between Lanseria and both Vilanculos and Inhambane. Internally, the low-cost domestic carrier Kulula.com operates a large number of flights to both Cape Town and Durban. These can often be much cheaper than equivalents flights from OR Tambo International, Johannesburg’s other major airport.
If you are landing at Lanseria Airport, and have some time to kill before resuming your journey, why not visit the nearby Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve?. Maintained by 39 full time staff, the park is dedicated to preserving the area and wildlife within it. Although it is home to a population of lions, cheetah and the rare Cape wild dog, the park has a particular focus on the white rhino, a species in danger of extinction. Since the Reserve was founded in 1985, they have managed to breed and rear eighteen rhino calves, making it one of the few places on earth where these rare creatures can be seen in their natural habitat.