Best Airports in Africa 2026: Cape Town tops for 11th Year

South Africa continues to shine on the African aviation scene, with multiple airports receiving top accolades at the Skytrax 2026 World Airport Awards. For travellers, this means cleaner terminals, friendlier staff, and smoother journeys across the country.

The awards ceremony was held at PTE World in London on 18 March 2026. Known as the largest global airport customer satisfaction survey, the World Airport Awards are independent, impartial, and trusted as a benchmark for airport quality. Since 1999, over 575 airports worldwide have been assessed based on customer feedback covering everything from check-in and arrivals to shopping, security, lounges, and boarding.

Cape Town International Airport: Africa’s best for 11th year

For the eleventh consecutive year, Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town has been named Best Airport in Africa. Beyond the top ranking, the airport also claimed:

• Cleanest Airport in Africa 2026
• Best Airport Staff in Africa 2026

South Africa dominates Africa’s top airports

Other airports in South Africa also performed strongly in the 2026 rankings:

• #2 Best Airport in Africa: OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg
• #4 Best Airport in Africa: King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban

Regional airports recognised for excellence

South Africa's regional airports also received accolades for quality service and passenger experience:

• #2 Regional Airport: King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban
• #4 Regional Airport: Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport (PLZ) in Gqeberha
• #5 Regional Airport: Bram Fischer International Airport (BFN) in Bloemfontein
• #6 Regional Airport: King Phalo Airport (ELS) in East London

In addition, King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban ranked #10 globally in the 5–10 million passengers category, cementing its status as a rising star for regional travel.

Best Airport Staff and Hotels

Service quality was also a major factor in the survey:

Best Airport Staff in Africa 2026:

• #1 Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town
• #2 King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban
• #3 OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg

Best Airport Hotel in Africa 2026:

• #5 InterContinental Johannesburg O.R.Tambo Airport, located at OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg

What this means for travellers

The World Airport Awards are based on the World Airport Survey questionnaires completed by over 100 nationalities of airport customers during the survey period, which operated from August 2025 to February 2026. The survey evaluated the customer experience across airport service and product key performance indicators – from check in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security / immigration through to departure at the gate.

For travellers planning trips to Africa, the 2026 results highlight a clear trend: South Africa offers some of the continent’s most reliable, clean, and service-oriented airports, making travel smoother and more enjoyable.

Whether you’re flying into Cape Town for a coastal getaway, connecting through Johannesburg, or exploring regional hubs like Durban, Gqeberha, or East London, you can expect a world-class experience from check-in to take-off.

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Survey: FlySafair named Best Low-Cost Airline in Africa for the third consecutive year!

For the third year in a row, South African airline FlySafair has been named Best Low-Cost Airline in Africa in the 2023 Skytrax World Airline Awards. Fastjet (Zimbabwe) came in second in the ranking, followed by Nouvelair (Tunisia), Jambojet and fly540 (both Kenya). FlySafair was also named eigth Best Airline in Africa and its staff fourth Best in Africa 2023. South African Airways scooped the award for having the best Cabin Crew in Africa 2023, was named third Best Airline in Africa 2023, came in forth in the World’s Most Improved Airlines 2023 category and its staff was rated second Best in Africa 2023. Southern Africa’s largest independent airline measured by flight movements, Airlink, was named third Best Regional Airline in Africa 2023.

The Skytrax World Airline Awards 2023 are based on customer responses to an online survey which was operated from September 2022 to May 2023. Over 100 customer nationalities participated in the survey. All survey entries were screened to identify IP and user information, with duplicate, suspect or ineligible entries deleted. More than 325 airlines are featured in the final Award results.

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2022 Skytrax World Airline Awards: FlySafair named Best Low-Cost Airline in Africa

For the second year in a row, South African airline FlySafair has been named Best Low-Cost Airline in Africa in the 2022 Skytrax World Airline Awards. Fastjet (Zimbabwe) came in second in the ranking, followed by Jambojet, fly540 (both Kenya) and Lift, also from South Africa. FlySafair was also named eigth best airline in Africa, a category won by Ethiopian Airlines. South African Airways was awared third place in this ranking. Southern Africa’s largest independent airline measured by flight movements, Airlink, was named third best Regional Airline in Africa 2022, while the staff of South African Airways was voted second best in Africa 2022.

The Skytrax World Airline Awards 2022 are based on customer responses to an online survey which was operated from September 2021 to August 2022. Over 100 customer nationalities participated in the survey with 13.42 million eligible survey entries counted in the results. All survey entries were screened to identify IP and user information, with duplicate, suspect or ineligible entries deleted. Over 350 airlines are featured in the survey results.

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Skytrax World Airline Awards: Africa's Best Airlines 2019!

Ethiopia's flag carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, has been named Best Airline in Africa in the 2019 edition of the Skytrax World Airline Awards. South African Airways, the national carrier of South Africa, gained the second highest passenger satisfaction ratings on the continent, followed by Air Mauritius, Air Seychelles and Kenya's flag carrier Kenya Airways. Pan-African low-cost carrier Fastjet was named seventh best airline in Africa, South African budget carrier Mango eight best and Kulula, the low-cost airline subsidiary of British Airways franchise Comair in South Africa, was named 10th best airline in Africa 2019.

The Best Airlines in Africa 2019:

1. Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopia)
2. South African Airways (South Africa)
3. Air Mauritius (Mauritius)
4. Air Seychelles (Seychelles)
5. Kenya Airways (Kenya)
6. Royal Air Maroc (Marocco)
7. Fastjet (pan-African)
8. Mango (South Africa)
9. Egypt Air (Egypt)
10. Kulula (South Africa)

Best Cabin Crew in Africa 2019:

• South African Airways (South Africa)

Best Airline Cabin Cleanliness in Africa 2019:

• South African Airways (South Africa)

Best Airline Staff in Africa 2019:

1. South African Airways (South Africa)
2. Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopia)
3. RwandAir (Rwanda)
4. Fastjet (pan-African)
5. Kenya Airways (Kenya)
6. Air Mauritius (Mauritius)
7. Royal Air Maroc (Marocco)
8. Mango (South Africa)
9. Air Seychelles (Seychelles)
10. TAAG Angola Airlines (Angola)

Best Low-Cost Airlines in Africa 2019:

1. Fastjet (pan-African)
2. Mango (South Africa)
3. Kulula (South Africa)
4. Jambojet (Kenya)
5. fly540 (Kenya)

Best Regional Airlines in Africa 2019:

1. Royal Air Maroc (Marocco)
2. RwandAir (Rwanda)
3. Air Namibia (Namibia)
4. Tunisair (Tunisia)
5. Air Botswana (Botswana)
6. Sénégal Airlines (Senegal)
7. Air Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
8. Air Burkina (Burkina Faso)
9. ASKY Airlines (West Africa)
10. Libyan Airlines (Libya)

Best Business Class in Africa 2019:

• Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopia)

Best Business Class Lounge in Africa 2019:

• South African Airways (South Africa)

The Skytrax World Airline Awards 2019 are based on customer responses to an online survey which was operated from September 2018 to May 2019. Over 100 customer nationalities participated in the survey with 21.65 million eligible entries counted in the results. All survey entries were screened to identify IP and user information, with duplicate, suspect or ineligible entries deleted. Over 300 airlines are featured in the survey results.

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Skytrax World Airline Awards: Africa's Best Airlines 2018!

Ethiopia's flag carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, has been named Best Airline in Africa in the 2018 edition of the Skytrax World Airline Awards. South African Airways, the national carrier of South Africa, gained the second highest passenger satisfaction ratings on the continent. Air Mauritius was named third best airline in Africa, followed by Air Seychelles and Kenya's flag carrier Kenya Airways. South African budget carrier Mango was named eigth best airline in Africa, followed by pan-African low-cost carrier Fastjet and Kulula, the low-cost airline subsidiary of British Airways franchise Comair in South Africa.

The Best Airlines in Africa 2018:

1. Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopia)
2. South African Airways (South Africa)
3. Air Mauritius (Mauritius)
4. Air Seychelles (Seychelles)
5. Kenya Airways (Kenya)
6. Royal Air Maroc (Marocco)
7. Mango (South Africa)
8. Fastjet (pan-African)
9. Kulula (South Africa)
10. TAAG Angola Airlines (Angola)

South African carrier Mango was named Best Low-Cost Airlines in Africa 2018, followed by pan-African low-cost carrier Fastjet and Kulula, the low-cost airline subsidiary of British Airways franchise Comair in South Africa.

1. Mango (South Africa)
2. Fastjet (pan-African)
3. Kulula (South Africa)
4. Jambojet (Kenya)
5. fly540 (Kenya)

Namibia's flag carrier Air Namibia was awarded second Best Regional Airline in Africa 2018, followed by Rwandair, the flag carrier of Rwanda. Air Botswana, the national airline of Botswana, came in sixth in the regional ranking.

1. Royal Air Maroc (Marocco)
2. Air Namibia (Namibia)
3. RwandAir (Rwanda)
4. Tunisair (Tunisia)
5. Sénégal Airlines (Senegal)
6. Air Botswana (Botswana)
7. Air Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
8. Air Burkina (Burkina Faso)
9. Afriqiyah Airways (Libya)
10. ASKY Airlines (West Africa)

South African Airways was given the award for Best Airline Staff in Africa 2018, followed by Ethiopia's national airline Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways, the flag carrier of Kenya.

1. South African Airways (South Africa)
2. Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopia)
3. Kenya Airways (Kenya)
4. Air Mauritius (Mauritius)
5. Mango (South Africa)
6. Air Seychelles (Seychelles)
7. Royal Air Maroc (Marocco)
8. Fastjet (pan-African)
9. RwandAir (Rwanda)
10. Kulula (South Africa)

The Skytrax World Airline Awards 2018 are based on customer responses to an online survey which was operated from August 2017 to May 2018. Over 100 customer nationalities participated in the survey with 20.36 million eligible entries counted in the results. All survey entries were screened to identify IP and user information, with duplicate, suspect or ineligible entries deleted. 335 airlines are featured in the survey results.

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Cape Town International Airport named Best Airport in Africa!

Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town  was named Best Airport in Africa at the 2018 SKYTRAX World Airport Awards™. Durban's King Shaka International Airport (DUR) came in second in the continental category, followed by OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg. East London Airport (ELS) in East London was voted 6th best airport in Africa, Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) in Port Elizabeth was named 8th and Bram Fischer International Airport (BFN) in Bloomfontein 9th best Airport in Africa.King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban won the award for Best Regional Airport in Africa (3rd in global ranking!), followed by East London Airport (ELS), Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) and Bram Fischer International Airport (BFN). Kigali International Airport (KGL) in Rwanda's capital Kigali was voted 5th Best Regional Airport in Africa and Windhoek's Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) was voted 6th best African regional airport.

Best Airports in Africa

1. Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town
2. King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban
3. OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg 
4. Mauritius
5. Marrakech 
6. East London Airport (ELS) in East London 
7. Seychelles 
8. Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) in Port Elizabeth  
9. Bram Fischer International Airport (BFN) in Bloomfontein 
10. Cairo

Best Regional Airports in Africa

1. King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban
2. East London Airport (ELS) in East London  
3. Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) in Port Elizabeth   
4. Bram Fischer International Airport (BFN) in Bloomfontein 
5. Kigali International Airport (KGL) in Kigali 
6. Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) in Windhoek 
7. Tunis
8. Dakar
9. Luxor
10. Abidjan
    

Best Airport Hotels in Africa

1. InterContinental Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg 
2. Le Méridien Cairo Airport, Cairo 
3. Novotel Cairo Airport, Cairo
4. Radisson Blu Hotel Addis Ababa, Addis Ababa 
5. Hotel Verde Cape Tow, Cape Town

 
The 2018 SKYTRAX World Airport Awards™ are based on 13.73 million airport survey questionnaires completed by over 100 different nationalities of airline customers during the survey period. The survey operated from August 2017 to February 2018, covering 550 airports worldwide and evaluating traveller experiences across different airport service and product key performance indicators - from check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security and immigration through to departure at the gate.

Skytrax World Airline Awards: Africa's Best Airlines 2017!

Ethiopia's flag carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, has been named Best Airline in Africa in the 2017 edition of the Skytrax World Airline Awards. South African Airways, Africa's best airline for the previous 14 years (!), gained the second highest passenger satisfaction ratings on the continent. Air Mauritius was named third best airline in Africa, followed by Air Seychelles and Kenya's flag carrier Kenya Airways. Fastjet, the pan-Africa low-cost carrier, was named eigth best airline in Africa, followed by Kulula, the low-cost airline subsidiary of British Airways franchise Comair in South Africa, and budget carrier Mango, also from South Africa.

The Best Airlines in Africa 2017:

1. Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopia)
2. South African Airways (South Africa)
3. Air Mauritius (Mauritius)
4. Air Seychelles (Seychelles)
5. Kenya Airways (Kenya)
6. Royal Air Maroc (Marocco)
7. TAAG Angola Airlines (Angola)
8. Fastjet (pan-African)
9. Kulula (South Africa)
10. Mango (South Africa)

Fastjet was named best Low-Cost Airline in Africa 2017, followed by Kulula and Mango from South Africa, as well as Jambojet and fly540 from Kenya.

Best Low-Cost Airlines in Africa 2017:

1. fastjet (pan-African)
2. Kulula (South Africa)
3. Mango (South Africa)
4. Jambojet (Kenya)
5. fly540 (Kenya)

Namibia's flag carrier Air Namibia was awarded second Best Regional Airline in Africa 2017, while Rwandair, the flag carrier of Rwanda, was named fourth best and Air Botswana, national airline of Botswana, seventh best regional airline in Africa 2017.

Best Regional Airlines in Africa 2017:

1. Royal Air Maroc (Marocco)
2. Air Namibia (Namibia)
3. Tunisair (Tunisia)
4. RwandAir (Rwanda)
5. Sénégal Airlines (Senegal)
6. Afriqiyah Airways (Libya)
7. Air Botswana (Botswana)
8. Air Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
9. Air Burkina (Burkina Faso)
10. ASKY Airlines (West Africa)

South African Airways was given the award for Best Airline Staff in Africa 2017, followed by Africa's Most Improved Airline 2017, Ethiopian Airlines (global ranking #5).

Best Airline Staff in Africa 2017:

1. South African Airways (South Africa)
2. Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopia)
3. Air Seychelles (Seychelles)
4. Royal Air Maroc (Marocco)
5. Kenya Airways (Kenya)
6. Air Austral (Réunion)
7. Air Mauritius (Mauritius)
8. Kulula (South Africa)
9. Mango (South Africa)
10. TAAG Angola Airlines (Angola)

World's Most Improved Airlines 2017:

1. Saudi Arabian Airlines
2. Iberia
3. Hainan Airlines
4. Ryanair
5. Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopia)
6. Philippine Airlines
7. Fiji Airways
8. Lufthansa
9. China Airlines
10. Hong Kong Airlines

The Skytrax World Airline Awards 2017 are based on customer responses to a survey which is run over a period of 10 months (August 2016 - May 2017). 19.87 million customer surveys were completed during that period. The survey, which covered over 325 airlines, measures passenger satisfaction across 41 key performance indicators of airline front-line product and service - including check-in, boarding, onboard seat comfort, cabin cleanliness, food, beverages, inflight entertainment and staff service.

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Cape Town International Airport named Best Airport in Africa!

Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town was named Best Airport in Africa at the 2017 SKYTRAX World Airport Awards™. Durban's King Shaka International Airport (DUR) came in second in the continental category, followed by OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg. East London Airport (ELS) in East London was voted 6th best airport in Africa, Bole International Airport (ADD) in Addis Ababa was named 7th and Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) in Port Elizabeth 10th best on the continent. King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban won the award for Best Regional Airport in Africa (6th in global ranking!), followed by East London Airport (ELS), Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) and Bram Fischer International Airport (BFN) in Bloomfontein. Kigali International Airport (KGL) in Rwanda's capital Kigali was voted 5th best regional Airport in Africa and Windhoek's Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) was voted 6th best African regional airport. King Shaka International Airport (DUR) not only scooped the award for Best Regional Airport in Africa, but also for Best Airport Staff in Africa. Cape Town International Airport (CPT) was named second best, OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) came in on 4th and East London Airport (ELS) on 5th. Hosea Kutako International Airport (7th), Port Elizabeth International Airport (9th) and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (10th) in Nairobi also made it into the Top 10 of the airports with the best staff in Africa 2017. Congtratulation!

Best Airports in Africa:

1. Cape Town International Airport (CPT), Cape Town
2. King Shaka International Airport (DUR), Durban
3. OR Tambo International Airport (JNB), Johannesburg
4. Mauritius
5. Marrakech
6. East London Airport (ELS), East London
7. Bole International Airport (ADD), Addis Ababa
8. Cairo
9. Seychelles
10. Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), Port Elizabeth

Best Regional Airports in Africa:

1. King Shaka International Airport (DUR), Durban
2. East London Airport (ELS), East London
3. Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), Port Elizabeth
4. Bram Fischer International Airport (BFN), Bloomfontein
5. Kigali International Airport (KGL), Kigali
6. Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH), Windhoek
7. Luxor
8. Hurghada
9. Dakar 
10. Abidjan

Best Airport Staff in Africa:

1. King Shaka International Airport (DUR), Durban
2. Cape Town International Airport (CPT), Cape Town
3. Seychelles
4. OR Tambo International Airport (JNB), Johannesburg
5. East London Airport (ELS), East London
6. Mauritius
7. Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH), Windhoek
8. La Réunion
9. Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), Port Elizabeth
10. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO), Nairobi

Best Airport Hotels in Africa:

1. InterContinental Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg
2. Novotel Cairo Airport, Cairo
3. Radisson Blu Hotel Addis Ababa, Addis Ababa
4. Southern Sun O.R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg
5. Hotel Verde Cape Tow, Cape Town

The 2017 SKYTRAX World Airport Awards™ are based on 13.82 million survey questionnaires completed by 105 different nationalities of airline customers during the survey period which operated from July 2016 to February 2017. The survey covers 550 airports worldwide and evaluates traveller experiences across different airport service and product key performance indicators - from check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security and immigration through to departure at the gate.