Port Elizabeth Airport
Port Elizabeth Airport serves the South African city of the same name, which is located in the country’s Eastern Cape Province. It is known by the nickname ‘Ten Minute Airport’, because it is said to be under ten minutes’ drive from almost any part of the city. Although it usually just handles domestic flights, it is one of the busiest airports in the country, servicing around 1.5 million passengers every year.
In use since the officially opening in 1936, Port Elizabeth Airport has seen many changes over the years. The infrastructure was improved in the mid-fifties with the construction of permanent air traffic control and terminal buildings, with an additional departures terminal added in the late seventies. At the turn of the millennium, plans to radically upgrade the airport were put into place. Building work combined the separate terminals into a single, comprehensive facility, with a new retail section joining the renovated arrivals and departures sections together. Construction work ended in 2004, increasing the potential capacity of the airport to 2 million passengers per year. This made Port Elizabeth a perfect candidate for hosting matches during the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament, as the airport would need no further renovation in order to handle the huge increase in passengers. In light of this, the all-new Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was constructed, becoming the first of five purpose-built venues to be opened across the country in preparation for the tournament. The city will play a prominent part in the tournament, hosting five group games, one match in the first knock-out phase, one of the quarter finals and the third place play-off.
A number of domestic carriers operate flights to and from Port Elizabeth Airport, including 1Time, Airlink, Kulula, South African Airways and South African Express. Although Airlink offers flights to Bloemfontein and East London, the other airlines serve routes to Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. As there are numerous flights available to these three major South African airports, there is lots of competition for customers, so it’s advisable to check all carriers before booking to get the best possible price.
Although there is no direct rail service, the proximity of the airport to the city centre means that the transport links are pretty good. The journey by road is so short, that even a taxi ride to your hotel won’t set you back that much, even by airport taxi standards!