Boosting tourism: Cape Town International Airport increases immigration capacity

Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) will see a smoother international arrivals experience due to a near-doubling of Border Management Authority (BMA) immigration officials.

It is a partnership between the BMA, Western Cape Government, and the City of Cape Town. 

The move was launched on Monday and involves seconding 48 assistant port control officers from the City and province, boosting processing capacity from 66 to 114.

Home Affairs Minister, Leon Schreiber, together with Premier Alan Winde and Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis were present at the launch.

“This visionary partnership is a vote of confidence in the BMA, which continues to make meaningful strides in improving border management despite severe resource constraints and a budget shortfall of R4.3 billion,” Schreiber said.

“In the face of these constraints, the Western Cape Government and City of Cape Town have stepped up to boost immigration capacity at the airport to enhance national security while driving tourism growth and job creation in the city and province. 

“This is a great example of government leaders working together to resolve long-standing challenges for the benefit of all.”

Winde said the Western Cape Government is proud to contribute 24 officials to boost operations at CTIA. 

“This is in line with our regional economic strategy to grow tourist arrivals through various initiatives, including the Air Access programme, supporting small businesses and job creation, as well as increasing capacity at this key port of entry,” he said.

“These young women and men will not only help give operations a boost, they will also serve as ambassadors for our province, welcoming visitors and adding to their positive experience of Cape Town and the Western Cape.”

The mayor said everyone would benefit from it, including local businesses.

“A smoother, faster experience at the airport means tourists get to Table Mountain before sunset, and the tour guide in Langa does not lose business due to airport delays,” he said.

“When we all pull together, the whole tourism economy benefits. That’s why we are glad to support this initiative to improve visitor experience, which is a key part of boosting tourism and job creation over time.”   

The City and province will each contribute 24 personnel.

Assistant port control officers will perform various duties including customs processing.

The City's law enforcement officers are among these trained personnel who will also be able to offer various safety functions such as search, seizure, arrest, and detention where illegal activity is detected.

Meanwhile, CTIA has been ranked the best airport in the world in the newly released AirHelp Score 2025, marking a major milestone for South Africa’s tourism and aviation sectors.

It achieved an overall score of 8.57, with 8.6 for on-time performance and 8.7 for customer experience, surpassing leading international airports.

The AirHelp Score is a global ranking based on passenger feedback and independent metrics, evaluating airports on on-time performance, customer experience, and quality of service.

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