View source for King Phalo Airport

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Use South African English|date=June 2012}}
{{Infobox airport
| name                = King Phalo Airport<br/>''Koning Phalo Lughawe''
| image               = East London Airport, South Africa.jpg
| image-width         = 250
| IATA                = ELS
| ICAO                = FAEL
| type                = Public
| hub                 = 
| owner               = 
| opened              = {{start date and age|1944}}
| operator            = [[Airports Company South Africa]]
| city-served         = [[East London, Eastern Cape|East London]], [[South Africa]]
| location            = <!--if different than above-->
| elevation-f         = 436
| elevation-m         = 133
| coordinates         = {{coord|33|02|06|S|027|49|17|E|region:ZA-EC|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map         = South Africa Eastern Cape#South Africa#Africa
| pushpin_relief      = yes
| pushpin_label       = '''FAEL'''
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| pushpin_map_caption = '''Location of airport in [[Eastern Cape]] province'''{{hidden begin|title=Location of Eastern Cape in South Africa}}[[File:Eastern Cape in South Africa.svg|220px|center]]{{hidden end}}
| website             = {{URL|https://www.airports.co.za/airports/King-Phalo-airport}}
| metric-rwy          = yes
| r1-number           = 11/29
| r1-length-m         = 1,939
| r1-length-f         = 6,362
| r1-surface          = Asphalt
| r2-number           = 06/24
| r2-length-m         = 1,585
| r2-length-f         = 5,200
| r2-surface          = Asphalt
| footnotes           = Sources: South African [[Aeronautical Information Publication|AIP]],<ref name="AIP">{{cite web | url = http://www.caa.co.za/resource%20center/Charts/AERONAUTICAL%20CHARTS/E/FAEL_EAST%20LONDON/AD_01/FAEL_AERODROME%20CHART_AD-01%2004APR2013.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180701122245/http://www.caa.co.za/resource%2520center/Charts/AERONAUTICAL%2520CHARTS/E/FAEL_EAST%2520LONDON/AD_01/FAEL_AERODROME%2520CHART_AD-01%252004APR2013.pdf | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2018-07-01 | title = FAEL – EAST LONDON  | publisher = [[South African Civil Aviation Authority]] | date = 4 April 2013 }}</ref> [[DAFIF]]<ref name="WAD">{{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130620005922/http://www.worldaerodata.com/wad.cgi?airport=FAEL Airport information for FAEL]}} from [[DAFIF]] (effective October 2006)</ref><ref name="GCM">{{GCM|ELS|source=DAFIF}}</ref>
| stat1-header        = Passenger traffic
| stat1-data          = 930,929
| stat-year           = Jan-Dec 2019
}}

'''King Phalo Airport''' {{Airport codes|ELS|FAEL}} ({{langx|af|Koning Phalo Lughawe}}; formerly '''East London Airport''' ({{langx|af|Oos-Londen Lughawe}}) until 23 February 2021)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Two SA airports – and Port Elizabeth – just got official new names |url=https://www.businessinsider.co.za/name-changes-for-pe-and-east-london-airports-plus-port-elizabeth-and-uitenhage-2021-2 |access-date=2021-02-24 |website=BusinessInsider}}</ref> is an [[airport]] serving [[East London, Eastern Cape|East London]], a city in the [[Eastern Cape]] province on the southeast coast of [[South Africa]].

The airport handles between 20 and 30 flights daily, which bring {{formatnum:946000}} people to East London each year. Of these, about {{formatnum:540000}} are holidaymakers, mostly local, and about 15% are foreign tourists. In 2013, the airport served 658,363 passengers. In 2016, King Phalo Airport was voted the fastest growing airport in South Africa, having accomplished an almost 19% increase in traffic over a 12-month-period.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.anna.aero/2017/01/30/east-london-fastest-growing-airport-south-africa/|title=East London is fastest growing airport in South Africa in 2016|date=30 January 2017|work=anna.aero|access-date=2018-08-24|language=en-GB}}</ref> The airport welcomed over 806,000 passengers in 2016, beating the 679,000 that passed through East London in 2015. The second best performing airport for growth in 2014 was Kimberley, with its traffic growing by 11%. Overall the top airports of South Africa witnessed nearly 39.7 million passengers in 2016, up 5.3% on the year before.

== History ==
The airport had an inauspicious beginning in 1927, when Lieut Colonel Alistair Miller asked the East London town council to help establish a municipal aerodrome at Woodbrook, west of the city.

Passenger flights were undertaken by two de Havilland Moth planes on Saturday afternoons and all day on Sundays, weather permitting. Flights could also be booked for weekdays, but only by special arrangement.  In 1931 it took 11 hours to fly from [[Windhoek]] in [[Namibia]] to King Phalo Airport.

In 1944 a new airport was built at Collondale, about 2&nbsp;km west of the present terminal building.

In 1965 the airport was again moved, this time to its present site, 9&nbsp;km west of the city centre.  Construction of the terminal buildings finished in 1966, and the airport was named after [[Ben Schoeman]], the minister of transport at the time.

The airport was renamed in 1994. Since then, major alterations to the terminal building have been completed and a new first-floor office development for the airport management team has been added.

There have been frequent disruptions to this and other regional airports during 2024 caused by [https://www.travelnews.co.za/article/atns-failure-devastating-and-almost-irrecoverable failings at Air Traffic Navigation Services] (ATNS).

== Infrastructure ==

=== Runways ===
King Phalo Airport has two [[Asphalt concrete|asphalt]]  [[runway]]s: 11/29 is 1,939 by 46 meters and 06/24 is 1,585 by 46 meters.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Number
!Length
!Width
!ILS
!Notes
|-
|11/29
|1,939
|46m
|
|
|-
|06/24
|1,585
|46m
|
|
|}

== Facilities ==
King Phalo Airport is at an [[elevation]] of {{convert|435|ft|0}} above [[mean sea level]]. It has two [[Asphalt concrete|asphalt]] paved [[runway]]s: 11/29 is {{convert|1939|x|46|m|0}} and 06/24 is {{convert|1585|x|46|m|0}}.<ref name="AIP" />

==Airlines and destinations==
===Passenger===
<!-- Please use only independent sources, not the airport or airline as they are not independent. -->
{{Airport destination list
| [[Airlink]] | [[O. R. Tambo International Airport|Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo]]
| [[CemAir]]  |   [[O. R. Tambo International Airport|Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Cemair to introduce flights between Johannesburg and East London|url=https://www.sapeople.com/lifestyle/cemair-to-introduce-flights-between-johannesburg-and-east-london/ |website=SA People|access-date=12 February 2024}}</ref> [[Cape Town International Airport|Cape Town]]<ref>{{cite web |title=CemAir to launch new route |url=https://www.travelnews.co.za/article/cemair-to-launch-new-route |website=TravelNews |publisher=Now Media |date=2 October 2025 |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref>
| [[FlySafair]] | [[Cape Town International Airport|Cape Town]], [[King Shaka International Airport|Durban]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://blog.flysafair.co.za/flysafair-launches-new-routes/ |title=FlySafair &#124; FlySafair Launches New Routes |access-date=28 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170605132144/http://blog.flysafair.co.za/flysafair-launches-new-routes/ |archive-date=5 June 2017 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> [[Lanseria International Airport|Johannesburg–Lanseria]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Safair Expands Johannesburg Lanseria Network in Nov 2025 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/250819-fanov25hla |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref> [[O. R. Tambo International Airport|Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo]]
}}

===Cargo===
{{Airport destination list
| [[BidAir Cargo]]<ref>[http://www.bidaircargo.com/overnight/network/ bidaircargo.com - Network] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101162011/https://bidaircargo.com/overnight/network/ |date=1 November 2021 }} retrieved 13 January 2021</ref> | [[O. R. Tambo International Airport|Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo]]
}}

==Traffic statistics==
{{Airport-Statistics|iata=ELS}}
{| 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 2021 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131029192659/http://www.airports.co.za/home.asp?pid=148 | archivedate = 29 October 2013 | df = dmy-all }}</ref>
! Year || Passengers || % Change  
|-
! 2006
| 664,824      || {{increase}}19.2% 
|-
! 2007
| 744,949      || {{increase}}12.1% 
|-
! 2008
| 715,206      || {{decrease}}4.0% 
|-
! 2009
| 675,980      || {{decrease}}5.5% 
|-
! 2010
| 671,895      || {{decrease}}0.6%
|-
! 2011
| 681,741      || {{increase}}1.5%
|-
! 2012
| 663,115      || {{decrease}}2.7% 
|-
! 2013
| 658,363      || {{decrease}}0.7%
|-
! 2014
| 642,085      || {{decrease}}2.5%
|-
! 2015
| 678,989      || {{increase}}5.7%
|-
! 2016
| 806,437      || {{increase}}18.8%
|-
! 2017
| 804,741      || {{decrease}}0.2%
|}

==Incidents==
* On 13 March 1967, [[South African Airways Flight 406]] crashed into the [[Indian Ocean]] while on approach to King Phalo Airport. All 25 passengers and crew on board were killed.

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

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130411160010/http://www.airports.co.za/home.asp?pid=232 East London Airport], official site
* {{SkyVector|FAEL}}
* {{NWS-current|FAEL}}
* {{ASN|ELS}}

{{Portal bar|South Africa|Aviation}}
{{Passenger airports of South Africa}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Airports in South Africa]]
[[Category:Transport in the Eastern Cape]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in East London, South Africa]]