Not sure if this has been posted before, but couldn't find it.

About ten years ago when I did a short stint in South Africa, there was a crazy idea about building a new commercial airport out near Nigel-Springs. I guess they would've planned to use the grounds of the old Dunnottar Airforce Base.

Now, I just found this article. Seems someone is trying to revive the idea: Link

Quote: The City of Johannesburg plans to study the economic viability of the creation of a new specialist airport to cater for either cargo or passenger growth, and has issued a tender calling for bids from consultants interested in conducting the feasibility study. ... Details are sketchy, but the call for proposals suggests that the consultants will also be asked to consider the appropriate “functional specialisation” for a new airport, suggesting that the new facility could have a bias towards either airfreight or passengers. ... No mention, however, is made of South Africa’s prevailing power crisis, which could limit prospects for large-scale developments of the kind envisaged.

I doubt it will go ahead. Flight capacity at JNB has plenty of room for expansion, they've also plenty of room for new terminals around the site. Added to that, the emergence of Lanseria as an alternative airport for Gauteng.

Durban, on the other hand, is building a new airport  

signol

There will be no electricity for another airport....

From an ATC p.o.v FALA is in the worst possible place. Their ILS is decomissioned now for 18 months too...

The existing terminals may have plenty of room, but the layout SUCKS. Transferring between international and domestic flights is a PITA.

Isn't there an enormous amount of room between the two parallel runways?

There are big plans afoot at JNB that involve expropriating large amounts of land adjacent to the existing airport (including a house I once owned) but these have to get past the NIMBYs etc so will take time. Apart from that there is currently huge money being thrown at the existing airport so a move is unlikely.

Quoting MaverickM11 (Reply 4): Isn't there an enormous amount of room between the two parallel runways?

There is room, though enormous? That's all relative...

...But I am sure there is room for a mid-field terminal between 03L and 03R. And then they are planning to build another 2 runways at JNB anyway... One of which will eat into the space between the existing 03L/R runways.... Who knows - ACSA don't...

Wasn't HLA Lanseria already J'burg other airport? And, Isn't Pretoria close enough to be yet another J'burg airport?

There is plenty of room for expansion and the airport is in a good location with a lot of businesses in the east as well as the wealthier population.

Having said that, the airport should be upgraded. I am not holding my breath..

Quoting 2travel2know (Reply 7): Pretoria close enough to be yet another J'burg airport?

Pretoria? Don't think they have an airport. They have "Wonderboom" in the north of the city, which as far as I recall is GA.

Quoting CygnusChicago (Reply 9): Pretoria? Don't think they have an airport.

For domestic travel (Kulula operated) to Cape Town, PE and Durban, Lanseria is closer and more convenient for Pretoria inhabitants...