Cape Town Intl Airport (CPT) Flights & Information

Cape Town International Airport (CPT) is the main airport serving the Western Cape of South Africa. It’s located roughly 12 miles southeast of central Cape Town and is the biggest international airport in South Africa after Johannesburg.

Long-haul flights arrive direct from Atlanta, Newark/New York and Washington DC with Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, as well as from the major European connecting hubs like London, Paris and Frankfurt, plus several of the Middle Eastern hubs as well. You can also fly internationally from a number of other African cities, and there are many domestic destinations within South Africa.

Cape Town International Airport terminals and layout

Cape Town International Airport is helpfully very compact, stretching from north to south in a single building all under one roof. Within that building, the international gates are found to the north in the international terminal, with the domestic gates to the south in the domestic terminal, connected by the central terminal building.

All ground transportation, pick-ups and drop-offs, as well as check-in desks, are in the central terminal building. However, baggage reclaim is separated by terminal, with international passport control and customs checks also taking place in the international terminal. You’ll arrive into the central terminal building once you have your luggage (and have cleared customs if needed) to continue onwards.

There are 2 hotels near the airport, the Road Lodge and the Hotel Verde, but both require quite the walk to reach them from the terminal buildings. It’s very quick to get into the center of Cape Town in any case, so I recommend going there instead.

Arriving at CPT

Cape Town arrivals is pretty simple thanks to its single-building layout. Domestically, just head to baggage claim, pick up checked luggage if you have it and then continue on to ground transportation. Internationally, you’ll add arrivals passport control before collecting your bag and going to customs afterwards, but these are fairly standard procedures you’d find at most international airports.

You’ll probably want to complete the South African Traveller Declaration System paperwork online before leaving home rather than bothering with the old TC-01 paper form, although the online system is voluntary. I usually print a copy once done and fold it into my passport rather than trusting that my phone will still be charged and working when I arrive, but I can be a little old-school when it comes to official paperwork.

Whether you’re connecting at Johannesburg for Cape Town or connecting at Cape Town for somewhere else, note that in South Africa you will collect your luggage and go through customs at your first point of entry. If you have a checked bag and an onward flight, you’ll need to claim your bag at the first airport where you arrive, go through customs there and re-check it at your airline desk.

I got into the habit of checking the final airport listed on my bag tag many years ago, and I recommend it for every flight – especially to Cape Town, since I’ve heard of bags tagged incorrectly for CAP (an airport at Cap-Haïtien in Haiti) rather than CPT.

Getting to and from CPT by public transportation

Your public transportation options from Cape Town International Airport into the city are fairly limited at present. A couple of shuttle bus operators are authorized by the airport to run shared shuttles (check out the airport website for booking details) and more claim to be authorized on their websites but I’d be pretty careful about using any unauthorized service.

I’d usually go for an Uber or Bolt since those options are inexpensive, convenient and come in a variety of sizes for smaller or larger traveling parties and varying amounts of luggage.

How to get to and from Cape Town International Airport by car

Jumping in a taxi or summoning a ride via the Uber or Bolt rideshare apps is the easiest option to get into Cape Town – they’re usually called e-hailing here. I keep both apps on my phone because their surge pricing differs, and in case one has an unusually long wait.

The apps may ask you to choose from separate pickup areas for domestic and international arrivals, but may well take you to the same main pickup area in one of the Parkade car park buildings. Just be sure to follow the instructions in the app you choose.

If you prefer not to use the apps, there’s an authorized taxi service that’s clearly marked with a black-and-white checked logo. As you exit baggage claim into arrivals, you’ll likely run the usual gauntlet of people offering you an unauthorized taxi into town. Taking an unauthorized taxi anywhere in the world is not the best plan. Keep walking and look for the desk that’s marked “Authorised Airport Taxi.”

Whether you prefer the rideshare app or taxi way of getting yourself a ride, it should take you between 20 and 40 minutes to get to your destination, depending on how far you’re going in the city itself and on the time of day.

Security lines and departures at Cape Town International Airport

Since CPT is one big building, it’s pretty easy and convenient to get dropped off by taxi or rideshare car (or a friend or family member) and to find your way to check-in. Enter through the main building and all the check-in desks (and in some cases bag drops, if all you need to do is drop your checked luggage) are right there, with clear signage by airline.

You’ll then head through security and on to your gate, but if you’re hungry – or just very early arriving at the airport – there are a few options for food and drinks in the mezzanine level.

Liquid, aerosol and gel restrictions for hand luggage apply only to international flights in South Africa – on a domestic flight you can bring full-sized toiletries, drinks and so on with you. The international flight restrictions are the standard ones: all liquids, aerosols and gels must be in containers measuring no more than 100 milliliters (3.4 fluid ounces) each, all inside a resealable transparent plastic bag of 1 liter (slightly larger than 1 quart).

There is a security fast track for eligible passengers (your airline will tell you if that’s you) but I wouldn’t pay extra to use it. The general lines are not that long, so it’s rarely worth the expense. South Africa requires an exit passport control for international passengers, and this line can get quite long at peak times, so do arrive in plenty of time to avoid any stress in that situation.

Lounges and free Wi-Fi at CPT

Cape Town is pretty well served by airport lounges, both internationally and domestically. In the international terminal, third party operator Bidvest has 2 Premier Lounges, which it calls numbers 1 and 2. These are open to business/first class passengers (and some frequent flyers) from airlines that contract with them, as well as to passengers who book separately. Prices are pretty reasonable and both have showers.

Still on the international side, South African Airways, Emirates and British Airways all have their own dedicated airline lounges. Check with the airlines for the specific rules and requirements for getting in, but it tends to be their own business class passengers, business class passengers on partner airlines, their own frequent flyers and partner airline frequent flyers flying an eligible airline (their own flights or a partner’s).

In the domestic terminal, South African Airways has its own lounge and there are 2 independent lounges – Bidvest’s Premier Lounge and the SLOW Lounge. Both are available to business class passengers on airlines that have contracts with them, while anyone can book into the Premier Lounge for a fee.

I tend to feel like paying for entry to these lounges is less necessary before a short domestic flight, but it can be nice to freshen up with a shower on a hot day.

Priority Pass members have access to all 3 of the Bidvest Premier Lounges. Star Alliance (including Air Canada and United Airlines) and oneworld (including Alaska Airlines and American Airlines) frequent flyers should head to the South African Airways and British Airways lounges, respectively, but only if you’re flying on those airlines on the day.

Wi-Fi at Cape Town International Airport is free. Look for the "# AIRPORTS FREE Wi-Fi” network. The airport operator says that you’ll be cut off after 1GB or 4 hours, after which there’s a paid option – I’ve never burned through the limit, but it’s probably best to download movies for the flight from your hotel ahead of time so you don’t reach it yourself once you’re there.