Bram Fischer International Airport

2025-10-26T21:17:45Z

197.93.127.242:

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2019}}
{{Use South African English|date=June 2019}}
{{Infobox airport
| name = Bram Fischer International Airport<br/>{{nativename|af|Bram Fischer Internasionale Lughawe}}
| image = File:Braam Fischer International Airport.jpg
| image-width = 250
| IATA = BFN
| ICAO = FABL
| type = Public / Military
| owner =
| operator = [[Airports Company South Africa|ACSA]]<br />[[South African Air Force]]
| location = [[Bloemfontein]], [[Free State (South African province)|Free State]], [[South Africa]]
| focus_city = [[CemAir]]
| elevation-f = 4,457
| elevation-m = 1,358
| coordinates = {{coord|29|05|38|S|26|18|14|E|region:ZA-FS|display=inline,title}}
| image_map =
| image_mapsize =
| image_map_alt =
| image_map_caption =
| pushpin_map = South Africa Free State#South Africa#Africa
| pushpin_label = BFN
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_mapsize =
| pushpin_image =
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in the Free State
| website = {{url|https://sa-airports.co.za/bram-fischer-airport}}
| metric-rwy = y
| r1-number = 02/20
| r1-length-m = 2,563
| r1-surface = [[Asphalt concrete|Asphalt]]
| r2-number = 12/30
| r2-length-m = 2,194
| r2-surface = Asphalt
| footnotes = Sources:[[DAFIF]]<ref name="FABL aeronautical chart">{{citation | url=https://caasanwebsitestorage.blob.core.windows.net/aeronautical-charts/FABL_AERODROME%20CHART_AD-01.pdf| title = FABL aeronautical-chart}}</ref><ref name=GCM>{{GCM|BFN|source=[[DAFIF]]}}</ref>
| stat1-header = Passenger traffic
| stat1-data = 346,373
| stat-year = 2023
}}

'''Bram Fischer International Airport''' {{Airport codes|BFN|FABL}} ({{langx|af|Bram Fischer Internasionale Lughawe}}) is a primary airport located in [[Bloemfontein]], the capital city of the [[Free State (South African province)|Free State]] province of [[South Africa]]. The runways are shared with [[AFB Bloemspruit]].

== History ==
The airport was opened in November 1961 and the runways were completed before the terminal buildings so that the [[South African Air Force|South African Airforce]] could make use of them.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About the Airport |url=https://www.airports.co.za/airports/bram-fischer-international-airport/the-airport/about-bram-fischer |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=www.airports.co.za}}</ref>

Bloemfontein Airport, like many others in [[South Africa]], underwent R46 million's worth of construction and upgrading of the whole airport in preparation for the [[2010 FIFA World Cup]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=shine2010.co.za |url=http://www.shine2010.co.za/Community/blogs/goodnews/archive/2009/10/05/bloemfontein-airport-terminal-open-for-2010-world-cup.aspx |access-date=2018-08-24 |website=www.shine2010.co.za |language=en}}</ref>

In November 2012, the South African government announced that the airport's name was to be changed to [[Bram Fischer]] International Airport; the official renaming was performed by Pres. [[Jacob Zuma]] on Thursday, 13 December 2012.<ref name="Polity.org.za">{{Cite news|url=http://www.polity.org.za/article/sa-statement-by-free-state-sport-arts-culture-and-recreation-bloemfontein-international-airport-renamed-bram-fischer-international-airport-and-petrus-steyn-renamed-mamafubedu-13112012-2012-11-13|title=SA: Statement by Free State Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Bloemfontein International Airport renamed Bram Fischer International Airport and Petrus Steyn renamed Mamafubedu (13/11/2012)|work=Polity.org.za|access-date=2017-09-08}}</ref>

==Facilities==
The main terminal building is used for both international and domestic flights. In 2023, the airport served 346,373 passengers.

[[File:Braam Fischer International Airport 2.jpg|thumb|Braam Fischer International Airport Gate 2]]

==Airlines and destinations==

{{Airport-dest-list

|[[Airlink]] | [[Cape Town International Airport|Cape Town]], [[King Shaka International Airport|Durban]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Airlink Schedules Durban – Bloemfontein Service From late-Feb 2024 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230804-4z1q24durbfn |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=4 August 2023}}</ref> [[O. R. Tambo International Airport|Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo]]

|[[CemAir]] | [[King Shaka International Airport|Durban]], [[George Airport|George]], [[O. R. Tambo International Airport|Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo]]<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.cemair.co.za/fly/destinations/dest_bloemfontein.php | title = CemAir Bloemfontein Destinations}}</ref>

|[[FlySafair]] | [[Cape Town International Airport|Cape Town]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iol.co.za/travel/travel-news/new-sa-route-alert-flysafair-launches-flights-between-bloemfontein-and-cape-town-372c885b-e839-40bb-8304-8f32bea345fc|title = New SA route alert: FlySafair launches flights between Bloemfontein and Cape Town}}</ref> [[O. R. Tambo International Airport|Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo]]

}}

==Traffic statistics==
{{Airport-Statistics|iata=BFN}}
{| class="toccolours sortable" border="1" cellpadding="5" style="border-collapse:collapse"
|+ '''Annual passenger traffic''' <ref name="Statistics">{{cite web | url = http://www.airports.co.za/home.asp?pid=148 | title = ACSA Passenger Statistics | publisher = [[Airports Company South Africa]] | accessdate = 23 October 2013 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131029192659/http://www.airports.co.za/home.asp?pid=148 | archivedate = 29 October 2013 }}</ref><ref name="Stats">{{citation| url= https://www.airports.co.za/StatisticsLib/BFN%20PASSENGER.pdf|title=BFN Passenger Stats}}</ref>
! Year || Passengers || % Change
|-
! 2006
| 305,701 || {{increase}}23.8%
|-
! 2007
| 424,924 || {{increase}}39.0%
|-
! 2008
| 411,683 || {{decrease}}3.1%
|-
! 2009
| 399,666 || {{decrease}}2.9%
|-
! 2010
| 403,766 || {{increase}}1.0%
|-
! 2011
| 437,996 || {{increase}}8.5%
|-
! 2012
| 411,655 || {{decrease}}6.0%
|-
! 2013
| 382,155 || {{decrease}}7.2%
|-
! 2014
| 363,895 || {{decrease}}4.8%
|-
! 2015
| 393,471 || {{increase}}8.1%
|-
! 2016
| 395,452 || {{increase}}0.5%
|-
! 2017
| 396,725 || {{increase}}0.3%
|-
! 2018
| 355,052 || {{decrease}}10.5%
|-
! 2019
| 357,391 || {{increase}}0.7%
|-
! 2020
| 73,071 || {{decrease}}79.6%
|-
! 2021
| 204,692 || {{increase}}180.1%
|-
! 2022
| 318,135 || {{increase}}55.4%
|-
! 2023
| 346,373 || {{increase}}8.9%
|}

==See also==

* [[List of airports in South Africa]]
* [[List of South African airports by passenger movements]]

==References==
<references />

==External links==
{{commonscat-inline}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060207221754/http://africa.cwsurf.de/Bloemfontein.htm Bloemfontein Airport information] - Plane spotting, road transport, airlines...
* {{NWS-current|FABL}}
* {{ASN|BFN}}

{{Portalbar|South Africa|Aviation}}
{{Passenger airports of South Africa}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Transport in the Free State (province)]]
[[Category:Airports in South Africa]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in the Free State (province)]]
[[Category:Bloemfontein]]

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Bram Fischer International Airport