Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) has confirmed its intention to become an aerotropolis, as it shares its ten-year strategic plan at its stakeholder planning session today.

CTIA advised that it would be holding the session this morning and when asked about the possibility of aerotropolis development, told GlobalAirportCities.com that: “It is our intention to move towards an aerotropolis however we need to partner with a variety of stakeholders to realise this.”

Owned by the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), CTIA is the continent's third largest airport processing over 8 million passengers annually. If realised, CTIA could become one of seven aerotropoli under development in Africa. The charge is led by neighbouring Ekurhuleni, also in South Africa, but there are also aerotropoli in production in Cairo, Dube TradePort in KwaZulu-Natal and four in Nigeria.

The idea for a Cape Town aerotropolis was first mooted in 2012 by Guy Lundy - then CEO of Accelerate Cape Town, a business think-tank representing 48 major corporations in the Cape Town city region - and Deon Cleote, general manager of CTIA. In an open letter to South Africa's Business Day Live they said: “A unique opportunity exists for Cape Town International Airport to become a thriving aerotropolis and a key player in Cape Town becoming a global transport hub.

“International trade has become more important as a factor in the global economy over the past six decades. Since 1950, world trade by value has increased by 2000 per cent, far outstripping global population and gross domestic product growth rates. Since 1970, seaborne trade has grown 4 per cent a year, while air cargo has increased by 9 per cent a year...

“More and more trade is taking place between the developing countries of the south and east, putting us in the middle of it, more or less equidistant from just about every location that is seeing major economic growth.”

This article was reproduced and edited from an original story that appeared on our sister site Global Airport Cities.

COMING SOON… Aerotropolis Americas

The Aerotropolis Americas Conference and Exhibition (AACE) is the new annual event for the global airport development and real estate communities, conceived and organised by the same team behind the Airport Cities World Conference and Exhibition (ACE). This new three-day conference and exhibition will build on the concept of the airport city and go further to explore how the broader aerotropolis can drive the economic development of a whole region up to 40 miles from the airport. The inaugural event will be held on October 29-31, 2013 in Dallas, Texas, and will be hosted by the Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport. Click here for more information