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Cape Town International crowned Africa’s leading airport

Skytrax has ranked Cape Town's airport the best in Africa for the 11th consecutive year.

Selene Brophy
Written by
Selene Brophy
City Editor, Time Out Cape Town
Cape Town International Airport South Africa
AlexandreFagundes | Cape Town International Airport, South Africa.
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Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) has officially clinched the title of Africa's top airport in the 2026 Skytrax World's Top 100 Airport awards. The Mother City airport also claimed the title of the cleanest airport in Africa. At the same time, its staff were awarded the accolade of Best Airport Staff in Africa, reinforcing the airport's reputation for service excellence and world-class passenger experience. 

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) dominated the top categories in African aviation, securing multiple top honours at the 2026 Skytrax World Airport Awards held in London on 18 March. 

Africa's Top 5 airports 2026:

  1. Cape Town International Airport (South Africa) 
  2. O.R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg (South Africa) 
  3. Marrakech Menara Airport (Morocco) 
  4. King Shaka International Airport, Durban (South Africa)
  5. Mohammed V International Airport, Casablanca (Morocco) 

O.R. Tambo International Airport ranked second, while the InterContinental Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport hotel ranked among the Top 5 Airport Hotels in Africa. Durban's King Shaka International Airport secured fourth place among Africa’s best airports, as well as the second-best regional airport in Africa, and a top 10 global ranking in the 5–10 million passenger category.  

READ: Cape Town International sets all-time passenger record high

Singapore's Changi Airport was named the Airport of the Year. The airport has claimed this title 13 times in the history of the annual awards, which began in 1999. The ranking is determined by a World Airport Survey questionnaire completed by airport customers from over 100 nationalities during the survey period, which ran from August 2025 to February 2026.  

World's Top 5 Airports 2026  

  1. Singapore Changi Airport (Singapore)
  2. Incheon International Airport (South Korea)
  3. Tokyo International Airport (Haneda, Japan)
  4. Hong Kong International Airport (Hong Kong SAR, China) 
  5. Narita International Airport (Japan)

See the full Skytrax list of the World’s Top 100 Airports for 2026. 

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