George Airport
Airport
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
George Airport George Lughawe | |||||||||||||||
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| 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 (640 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°00′24″S 22°22′51″E | ||||||||||||||
| Website | https://www.airports.co.za/airports/george-airport | ||||||||||||||
| Maps | |||||||||||||||
 Interactive Map | |||||||||||||||
  GRJ Location in the Western Cape  GRJ GRJ (South Africa)  GRJ GRJ (Africa) | |||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (FY2025–26) | |||||||||||||||
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| Source: Airports Company South Africa[1][2] | |||||||||||||||
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
Cargo
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| BidAir Cargo | Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo[6] |
Destination map
Destinations from GRJ.
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.[10][11] 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.[12]
