South Africa: ATNS restored instrument flight procedures (IFPs) at two airports!

Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) of South Africa has announced that the instrument flight procedures (IFPs) at Bram Fischer International Airport (BFN) in in Bloemfontein and Kimberley Airport (KIM) in Kimberley are officially approved and operational again since 27 November 2025.

The IFPs for both airports’ Runway 02 had been temporarily suspended as part of ATNS’s ongoing instrument procedure maintenance programme, which ensures full compliance with international aviation safety standards and alignment with ATNS’s own safety management systems. Their reinstatement marks another important step in stabilising operations and rebuilding critical capacity within South Africa's airspace management infrastructure.

ATNS also reaffirmed its previously published timeline for additional reinstatements:

• Polokwane International Airport (PTG) in Polokwane is expected to resume instrument flight procedures on 25 December 2025.
• Upington International Airport (UTN) in Upington is set to follow on 22 January 2026.

Once these procedures are restored, all major South African airports will once again have operational instrument flight procedures for at least one primary runway - a significant milestone for the country’s aviation sector.

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South Africa: CemAir launches flights between Cape Town <> Kimberley!

South African domestic and regional carrier CemAir is set to launch flights between Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town and Kimberley Airport (KIM) in Kimberley. Effective 17 February 2023, the airline will operate four weekly returm flights on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays to the capital and largest city of the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The flight duration will be 90 minutes. Flights on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays will depart Cape Town at 15:45 and arrive in Kimberley at 17:15, while on Mondays flights will depart Cape Town at 06:00 and arrive in Kimberley at 07:30. On Mondays, flights from Kimberley will depart for Cape Town at 08:00, while on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays flights will depart Kimberley at 17:45 and arrive in Cape Town at 19:15.

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South Africa: Airlink launches three additional domestic routes!

South African regional carrier Airlink is set to introduce three new domestic routes and increase frequency on five of the routes it is currently operating. Effective 17 August 2020, the airline will introduce an early morning and late afternoon service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg and Kimberley Airport (KIM) in Kimberley. On 18 August 2020, Airlink will launch an afternoon scheduled service on Tuesdays and Thursdays between Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town and Kimberley. Effective 24 August 2020, the airline will introduce daily (Monday through Friday and Sundays) early morning and late afternoon flights between Johannesburg and East London Airport (ELS) in East London.

From 17 August 2020, Airlink will enhance its flight services on the following routes:

• Johannesburg <> Cape Town
• the additional mid-morning flight will depart Johannesburg at 10:00 arriving in Cape Town at 12:30.  The lunch time flight will depart Cape Town at 13:30 arriving in Johannesburg at 15:40, operating on Monday through to Fridays and Sundays
• Johannesburg <> Nelspruit
• the additional early morning flight will depart Johannesburg at 07:00 arriving in Nelspruit at 07:50.  The flight will depart Nelspruit at 08:25 arriving in Johannesburg at 09:15, operating on Mondays to Fridays.
• Johannesburg <> Port Elizabeth
• the additional mid-morning flight will depart Johannesburg at 10:15 arriving in Port Elizabeth at 12:00. The midday flight will depart Port Elizabeth at 12:30 arriving in Johannesburg at 14:10. Mondays to Fridays and Sundays.
• Johannesburg <> Bloemfontein
• the additional early morning flight will depart Johannesburg at 06:40 arriving in Bloemfontein at 07h55. The flight will depart Bloemfontein at 08:20 arriving in Johannesburg at 09:35. Mondays to Fridays.
• Cape Town <> Bloemfontein
• With the additional flights on Tuesdays and Thursdays commencing on 18 August 2020, travelers will have the freedom to connect daily between Cape Town and Bloemfontein.

All international passenger flights in South Africa remain prohibited except those flights authorised by the Minister of Transport. Domestic passenger air travel remains not permitted for recreational, leisure or tourism purposes.

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South Africa: Airlink to introduce two new routes from Cape Town!

South African regional carrier Airlink is set to introduce two new services from Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town in August 2020. Effective 17 August 2020, the airline will launch three weekly return flights from Cape Town to East London Airport (ELS) in East London in South Africa's Eastern Cape. One day later, on 18 August 2020), Airlink will introduce a new two-weekly service connecting Cape Town with Kimberley Airport (KIM) in Kimberley in the Northern Cape.

• Cape Town 10:30 > 11:55 East London on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
• East London 12:30 > 14:10 Cape Town on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 
• Cape Town 15:35 > 17:05 Kimberley on Tuesdays and Thursdays
• Kimberley 17:30 > 19:05 Cape Town on Tuesdays and Thursdays

All international passenger flights in South Africa remain prohibited except those flights authorised by the Minister of Transport. Domestic passenger air travel remains not permitted for recreational, leisure or tourism purposes.

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South Africa reopens three additional domestic airports!

South Africa's Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula, today (16 July 2020) announced that  in addition to the 11 airports in South Africa that are currently operating in alert level three of the country's risk-adjusted strategy to manage the spread of COVID-19, the following three domestic airports have met all the requirements and will resume operations on 21 July 2020:

• East London Airport (ELS) in East London
• George Airport (GRJ) in George
• Kimberley Airport (KIM) in Kimberley

All international passenger flights in South Africa remain prohibited except those flights authorised by the Minister of Transport. Domestic passenger air travel remains not permitted for recreational, leisure or tourism purposes.

   
The following 11 airports are currently operating in South Africa:

• OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg 
• King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban 
• Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town 
• Lanseria International Airport (HLA) in Johannesburg
• Bram Fischer International Airport (BFN) in Bloemfontein
• Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP) in Nelspruit
• Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB) in Pietermaritzburg
• Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) in Port Elizabeth
• Richards Bay Airport (RCB) in Richards Bay
• Skukuza Airport (SZK) in Kruger National Park
• Upington Airport (UTN) in Upington

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Survey: King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban named best airport in Africa!

Airports Council International (ACI) World, the only global trade representative of the world's airport authorities, has announced the winners of the prestigious 2019 Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards. The awards recognize those airports around the world that deliver the best customer experience in the opinion of their own passengers. King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban has been named "Best Airport in Africa" (between 5 and 15 million passengers) followed by Mohammed V International Airport (CMN) in Casablanca, Marocco. George Airport (GRJ) in George scooped the award for "Best Airport in Africa" (under 2 million passengers per year), followed by Kimberley Airport (KIM) in Kimberley and Upington International Airport (UTN) in Upington.

The annual Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards are based on the globally-established Airport Service Quality (ASQ) programme, which measures passengers' satisfaction across 34 key performance indicators. In 2019, more than half of the world’s 8.8 billion travellers passed through an ASQ airport.

Survey: King Shaka International Airport in Durban named best airport in Africa!

Airports Council International (ACI), the only global trade representative of the world's airport authorities, has announced the winners of the prestigious 2018 Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards. King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban has been named "Best Airport in Africa" (between 5 and 15 million passengers) followed by Mohammed V International Airport (CMN) in Casablanca, Marocco. Kimberley Airport (KIM) in Kimberley scooped the award for "Best Airport in Africa" (under 2 million passengers per year), followed by Port Elizabeth National Airport (PLZ) in Port Elizabeth and Upington Airport (UTN) in Upington.
The annual Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards are based on the globally-established Airport Service Quality (ASQ) programme, which measures passengers' satisfaction across 34 key performance indicators. Three quarters of the world's 100 busiest airports are part of the ASQ programme which means that, in 2018, more than half of the world’s 8.3 billion travellers passed through an ASQ airport. 

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Mokala National Park: Access roads are in a very bad condition!

According to South African National Parks (SANParks), the access roads to Mokala National Park's Mosu Gate and Lilydale Gate are currently in a very bad condition. Both roads are not recommended for normal caravans. Although both access roads are in very bad state, SANParks advises visitors rather to make use of the Lilydale Gate as the access road from the N12 to the Mosu Gate is in an even worse condition following a recent cloud burst. SANParks also recommends to contact Mokala National Park prior to a trip for up to date information with regards to the accessibility of the roads as sedan vehicles might not be suitable for all roads within the park when there has been rain in the area.

 
Mokala National Park is located in the Plooysburg area south-west of Kimberley in the Northern Cape. The National Park covers 28 414ha and is home to, amongst other species, Buffalo, Tsessebe, Roan Antelope, Sable Antelope, Giraffe, Gemsbok, Eland, Zebra, Red
Hartebeest, Blue Wildebeest, Black Wildebeest, Kudu, Ostrich, Steenbok, Duiker and Springbok.

South Africa: CemAir to launch flights to Kimberley & Richards Bay!

South African regional carrier CemAir has launched four daily flights between OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg and Kimberley Airport (KIM) in Kimberley today (28 May 2018) and is set to launch two daily flights between Johannesburg and Richards Bay Airport (RCB) in Richards Bay on 29 May 2018. Both routes were previously served by SA Express, which was grounded by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) last week.

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Badlands: BMX journey into Southwest Africa (Video)

Red Bull teamed up with BMX heavy hitters Sergio Layos, Kriss Kyle, Greg Illingworth, Russell Barone and Alex Kennedy to embark on a 4,000 km (2,500-mile) journey across South Africa and Namibia. Accompanied by filmer Rich Forne and photographer George Marshall, the five BMXers found what they came looking for - uncharted riding spots in Cape Town, Kimberley (South Africa), Swakopmund and Windhoek (Namibia). Kudos to the BMXers, Red Bull and, of course, the camera crew. Enjoy!

South Africa: Fly Blue Crane to launch operations on 01 Sept 2015!

New South African airline, Fly Blue Crane, has announced that it will commence operations on 01 September 2015. The airline will initially be offering daily flights from its hub at OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg to Bloemfontein‚ Kimberley and Nelspruit. During its launch phase, Fly Blue Crane will operate a modern and fuel-efficient 50-seater Embraer Regional Jet 145 (ERJ) aircraft in a single class configuration.

Fly Blue Crane's schedule during its initial launch phase:

• Johannesburg <> Bloemfontein 
• Mondays - Fridays: 5 flights/day
• Saturdays: 2 flights/day
• Sundays: 3 flights/day
• Johannesburg <> Kimberley 
• Mondays - Fridays: 3 flights/day
• Saturdays: 1 flight/day
• Sundays: 2 flights/day
• Johannesburg <> Nelspruit 
• Mondays - Fridays: 2 flights/day
• Saturdays: 1 flight/day
• Sundays: 1 flight/day

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Kimberley: Dates announced for the Skateboarding World Championships 2015!

World Skateboarding Grand Prix (WSGP), one of the world's leading skateboarding event management companies, has announced that Kimberley in South Africa will once again host the Skateboarding World Championships in 2015. The event will be held at the Kimberley Diamond Cup, which runs from 07 - 10 October 2015 at Kimberley's permanent, state-of-the-art Kumba Skate Plaza. Skaters from at least 50 countries expected to compete in five world championship events, including the Women's Street Championships, Vert Championships, Big Air Championships, Rider Cup Team Championships and Men's Street Championships. This year for the first time, the Skateboarding World Championships will extend invitations to the top finishers of notable international contests like the Mystic Cup, Copenhagen Pro, the Turkish Skateboarding Championships, Bryggeriet Malmo and others around the world. Top finishers from U.S. contests, including X Games, Dew Tour, U.S. Skateboarding Championships and Street League, will also earn spots in the Skateboarding World Championships.

South Africa: Airlink to introduce new domestic routes

South African airline Airlink announced the introduction of new services on the routes from Johannesburg to Bloemfontein, Kimberley and Richards Bay effective 18th November 2013. According to Airlink, the new routes are in response to demand and will be operated at times suitable to satisfy the requirements of same-day returning travellers in both directions. 
Airlink is the largest independent regional airline in southern Africa. The airline services more than 30 destinations in Southern Africa, utilising a fleet of Jetstream 41 aircraft, ERJ 135 jet aircraft and BAe RJ85 aircraft. Airlink has code-sharing and schedule co-ordination agreements with South African Airways and SA Express.

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South Africa: Mokala National Park got expanded

As part of its expansion plan, Mokala National Park in the Northern Cape has added another property. With the inclusion of the Kameeldoorns poperty, located in the west of the park, Mokala National Park is now 27,571 hectares.*
The expansion in the National Park will help realise the three prime objectives in the area, namely:

• The conservation of a representative sample of the regions prominent ecological patterns associated with the interface of two Biomes (Nama-Karoo & Savanna) and ecological processes (e.g., rocky hills and sandy plains interfaces, large herbivore, riverine etc) in a contiguous functional conservation area.
• The establishment of an economically sustainable park.
• Developing a park that is socially sustainable through the development of entrenched social linkages across the local area.

View Larger Map

The Mokala National Park was established in 2007 as an alternative to the Vaalbos National Park, which was subject of land claims and diamond prospecting rights. The National Park is located in the Plooysburg area approximately 70km south-southwest of Kimberley in the  Northern Cape. The landscape of the National Park boasts a variety of koppieveld (hills) and sandy plains. Mokala, a Setswana name for a Camel Thorn, is home to e.g. Black Rhino, Tsessebe, Roan antelope, White Rhino and Black Wildebeest. There are mosquitoes during summer, but the Mokala National Park is a malaria-free zone.

*For some unknown reasons, the current size of the Mokala National Park (27,571 hectares) is smaller than about 10 month ago. Does one know why?

South Africa: Mokala National Park expands

The Mokala National Park, South African National Parks (SANParks) newest National Park, has added two important properties, Lilydale and Valschfontein, as part of its park expansion programme. The National Park was established in 2007 as an alternative to the Vaalbos National Park, which was subject of land claims and diamond prospecting rights. With the inclusion of the two properties Mokala National Park is now covering 28,151 hectares.

View Larger Map

The Mokala National Park is located in the Plooysburg area approximately 80km south-southwest of Kimberley in South Africa's province Northern Cape. The landscape of the National Park boasts a variety of koppieveld (hills) and sandy plains. Mokala, a Setswana name for a Camel Thorn, is home to e.g. Black Rhino, Tsessebe, Roan antelope, White Rhino and Black Wildebeest. There are mosquitoes during summer, but the Mokala National Park is a malaria-free zone.

Skateboarding: The Maloof Money Cup is returning to South Africa (28 - 30 Sept 2012)

One of the world's greatest skateboarding events, the Maloof Money Cup, is returning to South Africa and will be will be held from 28 - 30 September 2012 in Kimberley in the Northern Cape. Last year, Kimberley became the 1st location outside of the United States to host the skateboarding event.
Some of the biggest names in international skateboarding, such as Greg Lutzka, Manny Santiago, Andrew Reynolds (all street), Alex Perelson, Adam Taylor and Bob Burnquist (all vert.), as well as locals skaters Christi Wiehahn, Moses Adams and Dlamini Dlamini (all street), will participate in the Maloof Money Cup VIII in Kimberley.



The Maloof Money Cup, which was founded by Gavin and Joe Maloof, is the world's largest skateboarding competition in terms of prize money. Individual skaters can take home as much as $160,000 for winning an event. The Maloof Money Cup's main goal is to raise the awareness of skateboarding all around the world.

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The greatest skateboarding competition is coming to South Africa

update (17 Oct 2011): Round up of the Pro Street Finals from the Maloof Money Cup South Africa hosted in Kimberley.



The world's greatest skateboarding event, the Maloof Money Cup, is coming to South Africa and will be will be staged from 29 September to 02 October 2011 in Kimberley in the Northern Cape.
The  Maloof Money Cup, which was founded by Gavin and Joe Maloof, is the world's largest skateboarding competition in terms of prize money, with more than $450 000 up for grabs in various categories, and will therefore be attracting the world's best professional skateboarders to come to South Africa.



The event in Kimberley will be the first MMC in South Africa and the first one out of the United States. The specially build skate park and the vert ramp will later on be donated to the Kimberley municipality. Kudos!