Billionaire to build ‘the Lanseria airport of Cape Town’

South African billionaire Rob Hersov has recently purchased Fisantekraal Airport and has plans to build a new world-class airport offering passengers additional choice when travelling to and from Cape Town and would be a boost to local tourism. Fisantekraal Airport is located 13km northeast of Durbanville and surrounded by wheat and wine farms – therefore perfectly situated to serve the Cape Town aviation sector. “We want to build the Lanseria Airport of Cape Town,” Hersov said.

The airport was built on a 150-hectare site by the South African Air Force in 1943 to operate Lockheed Ventura bombers. The airfield was transferred to the local municipality in the sixties and was sold to a private owner in 1993. Hersov and business partner Nick Ferguson bought the Fisantekraal Airport in November 2020 and renamed it Cape Winelands Airport. Of the four original runways, two remain operational while there are numerous aircraft hangars on the property which are used for the storage and maintenance of private aircraft and helicopters. The location makes it a favourite for flight training, grow operations at the Cape Winelands Airport and provide an alternative to the Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) for some aviation services.

About: After 31 years abroad Hersov has returned to South Africa where he is now focused on expanding investments opportunities in Africa. Hersov is the chairman and chief executive of Invest Africa – a leading pan-African business platform that promotes trade and investment in Africa with members in New York, Washington, London, Dubai, Geneva, and Johannesburg. He is also a successful international entrepreneur in his own right and has built a successful private jet business which he sold to Warren Buffett.