Upington Airport

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Upington International Airport (IATA: UTN, ICAO: FAUP) is a public airport in Upington, Northern Cape, South Africa. It is owned and operated by Airports Company South Africa and mainly serves cargo flights. The airport sits at 851 meters above sea level. Its main runway, 17/35, is 4,900 meters long, making it one of the longest in the world, built to allow a fully loaded Boeing 747 to fly to Europe in hot, high conditions. Additional runways are 01/19 (2,438 m) and 08/26 (834 m). In the 2023/24 year, it handled about 53,740 passengers and 5,965 aircraft movements.

Open since 1968 (originally named Pierre van Ryneveld Airport), Upington has a history of supporting long-haul flights. From 1976 to 1982 South African Airways used it as a refuelling stop for 747s to London and Zürich, and the Concorde did flight testing there in 1976. In the 2000s the airport was planned to become a major cargo hub for sub-Saharan Africa, and a solar farm on site produces about 500 kW at peak.

Today, Upington is known as an international cargo hub. Most flights are non-scheduled charter services, especially from November to January to export grapes to Europe and other markets, with about one million tonnes of grapes shipped each year. The airport also serves as a base for car manufacturers to test vehicles in Upington’s hot, sunny conditions, with test teams and cars flown in on chartered flights.