- South Africa’s Cape Town and Johannesburg airports rank first and second in Africa by Skytrax
- Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport fails to make the top 10 in latest rankings
- Skytrax Airports Awards evaluate over 575 airports based on traveller experiences across various key performance indicators
South Africa continues to dominate Africa’s airport ranking with its three facilities rated among the best on the continent.
Source: Getty Images
Skytrax, which commissions and funds the World Airport Awards, ranked South Africa’s Cape Town International Airport and Johannesburg OR Tambo as the top and second-best facilities in Africa, respectively.
The two are followed by Marrakesh Menara Airport in Morocco, which came in third position, ahead of Durban-based, Durban King Shaka.
Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), East Africa’s busiest aviation hub, missed out in the latest Skytrax World Airport Awards ranking as Kigali International Airport continues with its regional dominance.
How are airports ranked?
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The survey evaluates traveller experiences across different airport service and product key performance indicators – from check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security and immigration through to departure at the gate.
The customer survey questions revolve around the experience with the airport website, airport App, getting to and from the airport, public transport options, efficiency and prices, taxi availability and prices, availability of luggage trolleys (airside and landside), terminal comfort, ambience and design, terminal cleanliness, floors, seating and public areas, immigration staff attitude, queuing times among others.
The survey was conducted from August 2025 until February 2026, targeting over 100 customer nationalities who participated. Over 575 airports in the world were featured in the survey results.
Which are top 10 airports in Africa in 2026?
|
Airport |
Country |
|
1. Cape Town International Airport |
South Africa |
|
2. Johannesburg OR Tambo |
South Africa |
|
3. Marrakesh Menara Airport |
Morocco |
|
4. Durban King Shaka |
South Africa |
|
5. Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport |
Morocco |
|
6. Cairo International Airport |
Egypt |
|
7. Mauritius Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport |
Mauritius |
|
8. Kigali International Airport |
Rwanda |
|
9. Bole Addis Ababa International Airport |
Ethiopia |
|
10. Antananarivo Airport |
Mauritius |
The awards began in 1999, when Skytrax launched its first global, airport customer satisfaction survey.
They are regarded as a quality benchmark for the world airport industry, assessing customer service and facilities across over 500 airports.
There is no entry fee or any type of payment by an airport (or other third party) to be included in the survey or awards, with the survey and awards process fully funded by Skytrax.
Source: Getty Images
Will JKIA be modernised?
President William Ruto’s government plans to construct a world-class terminal complex at JKIA with a capacity of 10 million passengers in Phase I and an additional 5 million passengers in Phase II, bringing total ultimate capacity to 15 million passengers annually.
Under the JKIA’s Integrated Master Plan, the multi-billion facelift is expected to address limited runway capacity and terminal congestion.
The Ministry of Transport floated the tender on March 3.
Earlier attempts by the government to modenise the national gateway hit the snag following the cancellation of a deal that would have handed the airport to Adani Group.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
