George Airport
George Airport George Lughawe | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | Airports Company South Africa | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | George, Garden Route District Municipality, South Africa | ||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1977 | ||||||||||||||
| Hub for | |||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 195 m / 639 ft | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°00′24″S 22°22′51″E / 34.00667°S 22.38083°E | ||||||||||||||
| Website | https://www.airports.co.za/airports/george-airport | ||||||||||||||
| Maps | |||||||||||||||
  GRJ Location in the Western Cape  GRJ GRJ (South Africa)  GRJ GRJ (Africa) | |||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Statistics (FY2025–26) | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Source: Airports Company South Africa[1][2] | |||||||||||||||
George Airport (IATA: GRJ, ICAO: FAGG) (Afrikaans: George Lughawe) is an airport located in George, Western Cape, South Africa. It was formerly known as P. W. Botha Airport, named after the state president who lived in this part of the country.
The airport was originally built in 1977 as an exact replica of the Keetmanshoop Airport in Namibia, but since its expansion and renovation, it now looks completely different. George Airport has won the award for Africa's best airport in the category under two million passengers per year six times; the last time was in 2017. The award is given by Airports Council International (ACI).[3]
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Airlink | Cape Town, Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo |
| CemAir | Bloemfontein,[4] Durban,[5] Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo,[6] Hoedspruit (Launches 16 May 2026)[7] |
| FlySafair | Cape Town, Johannesburg–Lanseria,[8] Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo[9] |
Cargo
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| BidAir Cargo | Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo[10] |
Destination map
Destinations from GRJ.
Year-round
Future
Traffic statistics
| Fiscal year (Apr–Mar) |
Aircraft movements | Passenger traffic | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | 589,674(
 4.2%) | ||||||||
| 2007–08 | 652,031(
10.6%) | ||||||||
| 2008–09 | 630,385(
 3.3%) | ||||||||
| 2009–10 | 548,498(
13.0%) | ||||||||
| 2010–11 | 526,823(
4.0%) | ||||||||
| 2011–12 | 33,479( 1.6%) |
565,291(
7.3%) | |||||||
| 2012–13 | 39,664( 18.5%) |
544,306(
3.7%) | |||||||
| 2013–14 | 43,758( 10.3%) |
572,130(
5.1%) | |||||||
| 2014–15 | 55,432( 26.7%) |
615,688(
7.6%) | |||||||
| 2015–16 | 57,924( 4.5%) |
718,881(
16.8%) | |||||||
| 2016–17 | 51,405( 11.2%) |
738,641(
2.7%) | |||||||
| 2017–18 | 32,961( 35.9%) |
801,480(
8.5%) | |||||||
| 2018–19 | 43,016( 30.5%) |
835,906(
4.3%) | |||||||
| 2019–20 | 36,202( 15.8%) |
830,118(
0.7%) | |||||||
| 2020–21 | 18,486( 49.0%) |
267,816(
67.7%) | |||||||
| 2021–22 | 20,276( 9.7%) |
609,069(
127.4%) | |||||||
| 2022–23 | 28,695( 41.5%) |
757,567(
24.4%) | |||||||
| 2023–24 | 29,265( 2.0%) |
803,184(
6.0%) | |||||||
| 2024–25 | 31,265( 6.8%) |
833,455(
3.8%) | |||||||
| 2025–26 | 26,810( 14.3%) |
939,332(
12.7%) | |||||||
Accidents and incidents
- 7 December 2009 – An Embraer ERJ 135 (registration:ZS-SJW) operated by Airlink on a scheduled flight (SA-8625) overran the runway in wet conditions and ended up on a public road (the R404). There were no fatalities, but the plane suffered substantial damage.[14][15] The accident was caused by an incorrect sealant used on the runway, and the airline was cleared of all blame. Airlink's insurers took legal action against the state-owned Airports Company of South Africa.[16]
See also
- List of airports in South Africa
- List of South African airports by passenger movements
References
- ^ a b "GRJ Passenger Stats" (PDF).
- ^ a b "Aircraft Movements" (PDF).
- ^ "George Airport wins award". George Herald. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/flycemair/photos/a.1416817981867233/2776145309267820/
- ^ "Cemair 2Q23 Network Additions". AeroRoutes. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ "CemAir / Scheduled flights in South Africa".
- ^ "CemAir launches direct route between George and Hoedspruit". CemAir. CemAir (Pty) Ltd. 6 November 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
- ^ "Safair Adds Lanseria – George From March 2025". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
- ^ "FlySafair Flight Schedule".
- ^ bidaircargo.com – Network Archived 1 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 13 January 2021
- ^ "GRJ Aircraft Stats 2015" (PDF). airports.co.za. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
- ^ "ACSA Passenger Statistics". Airports Company South Africa. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
- ^ "GRJ George Airport schedules" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 January 2023.
- ^ Hradecky, Simon (7 December 2009). "Accident: SA Airlink E135 at George on Dec 7th 2009, overran runway". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
- ^ "Airlink plane overshoots George runway". Mail & Guardian. 7 December 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
- ^ Business Day – Airlink in clear, Acsa blamed for George near-disaster
External links
Media related to George Airport at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website
- Weather SA – George Airport webcam Archived 18 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine
