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{{short description|Airport in Northern Cape, South Africa}}
{{use South African English|date=May 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox airport
| name                = Upington International Airport
| nativename          = {{lang|af|Upington Internasionale Lughawe}}
| nativename-a        = 
| nativename-r        = 
| image               =
| image-width         = 
| caption             = 
| IATA                = UTN
| ICAO                = FAUP
| pushpin_map         = South Africa Northern Cape
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Airport in Northern Cape
| pushpin_label       = UTN
| type                = Public (International for Cargo only)
| owner               = [[Airports Company South Africa]]
| operator            = [[Airports Company South Africa]]
| city-served         = [[Upington]], [[Dawid Kruiper Local Municipality]], [[Northern Cape]]
| location            = 
| elevation-f         = 2791
| elevation-m         = 851
| coordinates         = {{Coord|28|24|04|S|21|15|35|E|type:airport}}
| website             = {{url|https://www.airports.co.za/airports/upington-international-airport|airports.co.za}}
| metric-elev         = yes
| metric-rwy          = yes
| r1-number           = 17/35
| r1-length-f         = 16,076
| r1-length-m         = 4,900
| r1-surface          = Asphalt
| r2-number           = 01/19
| r2-length-f         = 7,998
| r2-length-m         = 2,438
| r2-surface          = Asphalt
| r3-number           = 08/26
| r3-length-m         = 834
| r3-surface          = Asphalt
| stat-year           = April–March 2024
| stat1-header        = Passengers
| stat1-data          = 53,740
| stat2-header        = Aircraft movements
| stat2-data          = 5,965
| footnotes           = Source<ref name=utn-statistics-passengers></ref><ref name=utn-aircraft>{{cite web |url=https://www.airports.co.za/StatisticsLib/UTN%20AIRCRAFT.pdf|title=Upington International Airport – Aircraft Statistics |publisher=Airports Company South Africa}}</ref>
}}

'''Upington International Airport''' {{Airport codes|UTN|FAUP}} is an airport located in [[Upington]], Northern Cape, South Africa. At {{convert|4900|m|ft}}, runway 17/35 is one of the [[List of longest runways|longest runways in the world]]. The high elevation of the airport, extremely high summer temperatures and the fact that it was designed for the [[Boeing 747]] necessitated the extreme length of the main runway.

==History==
With the fall of the [[Portuguese West Africa|Portuguese regime]] in [[Angola]], [[South African Airways]] lost its landing rights in [[Luanda]]. In addition to restrictions to overflying African states, there was concern that the country would lose its landing rights at the [[Ivory Coast]] and [[Sal, Cape Verde|Ilha do Sal]], Cape Verde.

Upington Airport's runway was built to accommodate a [[Boeing 747]] with a full load of passengers, cargo and fuel, so that it could take off for Europe without having to stop along the way. Upington was chosen because of its strategic position, availability of land and comparatively lower height [[above sea level]] than [[Johannesburg]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Geocaching |title=Geocaching - The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site |url=https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC5KT26 |access-date=2024-12-27 |website=www.geocaching.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

Upington Airport was opened in 1968 as [[Pierre van Ryneveld]] Airport. In 1974, a corrugated iron fire station was erected but this structure was converted into administrative offices for airport management and other administrative staff in 1996 and the fire station was relocated.

From August 1976 to December 1982, South African Airways made use of Upington as a refuelling station for two weekly scheduled [[Boeing 747]] flights to [[London]] and [[Zürich]].

[[Concorde|The Concorde]] did flight testing at Upington Airport in June 1976.

{{As of |2006}}, Upington Airport was to be developed into a major cargo hub that will serve [[sub-Saharan Africa]] directly from South Africa's [[Northern Cape]] Province.<ref name="Jade Davenport">{{cite web |url=http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/study-finds-that-a-cargo-hub-at-upington-would-boost-northern-cape-economy-2006-06-02 |title= Study finds that a cargo hub at Upington would boost Northern Cape economy |access-date=2006-06-02 |publisher=Engineering News }}</ref><ref name="Kagisho David Molusi">{{cite web |url=http://www.info.gov.za/speeches/2008/09021016451001.htm |title= Address by Northern Cape MEC for Transport, Roads and Public Works, Kagisho David Molusi, at the Upington Cargo Hub Workshop, Upington Ground Handling Warehouse, Upington |access-date=2008-10-16 |publisher=Kagisho David Molusi }}</ref>

As of 2009, planning was also under way at Upington Airport to construct a facility for the long-term parking of ''mothballed'' (decommissioned) aircraft.<ref name="ACSA Website – Upington">{{cite web |url=http://www.acsa.co.za/home.asp?pid=3815 |title= ACSA Website |access-date=2009-05-08 |publisher=Airport Company of South Africa }}</ref><ref name="ACSA Website 4 – Upington">{{cite web |url=http://www.acsa.co.za/home.asp?PID=94&ToolID=2&ItemID=5585 |title= Aircraft Storage and Parking Program at Upington Airport |access-date=2009-03-02 |publisher=Airport Company of South Africa }}</ref>

As well as improvements to the airport itself, [[Airports Company South Africa|ACSA]] has built a [[Photovoltaic power station|solar farm]] located on 0.66 hectares of land within the airport precinct, capable of producing 500 [[Watt|kW]] during peak production each year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PICS: SA launches third solar powered airport |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/pics-sa-launches-third-solar-powered-airport-20160722 |access-date=2024-12-27 |website=News24 |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Airlines and destinations==
[[File:Upington-Airport.jpg|thumb|Aircraft at Upington Airport]]
{{airport-dest-list
|[[Airlink]] | [[Cape Town International Airport|Cape Town]], [[O. R. Tambo International Airport|Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo]]<ref name="Airlink">{{cite web |url=http://www.innovata-llc.com/saa/SAA_Search.asp?HitId=67D23248D43642EC9F18B0577DDE091F |title=SA Airlink Flight Status Website |access-date=2009-05-08 |publisher=South African Airlink |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426005501/http://www.innovata-llc.com/saa/SAA_Search.asp?HitId=67D23248D43642EC9F18B0577DDE091F |archive-date=26 April 2009 }}</ref>
}}

==Non-scheduled services==
Upington Airport serves as an international cargo hub. Most flights are non-scheduled chartered flights operating in the months of November to January to export grapes from the region directly to Europe and other countries. As much as 1,000,000 tonnes of grapes are exported every year.<ref name="ACSA 3">{{cite web |url=http://www.acsa.co.za/home.asp?pid=172 |title= ACSA Website |access-date=2009-05-08 |publisher=Airport Company of South Africa }}</ref>

Many major car manufacturers bring their cars and commercial vehicles to Upington to test them in the hot dry and sunny conditions, when there is winter in Europe. These cars and test teams are flown into and out of Upington Airport using chartered planes. Cars used the [[N14 (South Africa)|N14]] between [[Pofadder, Northern Cape|Pofadder]] and [[Kakamas]]. The road has a speed limit of {{convert|250|km/h}} for authorized vehicles<ref name="DWAF">{{cite web |url=http://www.dwaf.gov.za/orange/Low_Orange/upington.htm |title= Upington Overview |access-date=2009-05-08 |publisher=Department of Water and Forestry South Africa }}</ref>

==Airport services and capacity==
Services at Upington Airport include:
* One terminal building (combined arrival and departure hall)
* Information desk
* Conference room accommodating up to 12 persons
* Five different car rental companies
* Public parking for up to 58 cars
* Basic first aid facilities

Statistics for the 2023/24 financial year at Upington Airport:<ref name="ACSA Website">{{cite web |url=https://www.airports.co.za/airports/upington-international-airport |title=ACSA Website  |publisher=Airport Company of South Africa}}</ref>
* 53,740 passengers
* 5,965 air traffic movements
* Aircraft parking bays: 20

Flying services include:
* Control tower (frequency 121.30)
* Apron services (frequency 122.65)
* Refuelling service by Engen Aviation providing [[Avgas]] and [[Jet-A1]]
* General aviation area including parking
* VOR and RNAV instrument approach procedure for runway 35
* Runway centreline lights, end lights, edge lights and PAPI for runways 01/19 and 17/35
* Runway 08/26 only to be used for taxi purposes at night and during IMC
* Fire and rescue services (CAT 5), upgrade-able to CAT 8 with 7 days prior notice 
* Upington Weather Office
*The airport has cargo services to and from Leipzig with AirBridge Cargo(Boeing 747-8F)

==Statistics==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;margin:auto;
|+
|+Passenger traffic per fiscal year for Upington International Airport (April–March)<ref name="utn-statistics-passengers">{{cite web |title=Upington International Airport – Passenger Statistics |url=https://www.airports.co.za/StatisticsLib/UTN%20PASSENGER.pdf |publisher=Airports Company South Africa}}</ref>
! rowspan="2" |Year
! colspan="2" |International
! colspan="2" |Regional
! colspan="2" |Domestic
! colspan="2" |Unscheduled
! colspan="2" |Total
|-
|'''Passengers'''
|'''% change'''
|'''Passengers'''
|'''% change'''
|'''Passengers'''
|'''% change'''
|'''Passengers'''
|'''% change'''
|'''Passengers'''
|'''% change'''
|-
|'''2018-19'''
|0
|{{no change}}0.0%
|0
|{{no change}}0.0%
|58,505
|{{decrease}}6.0%
|3,994
|{{decrease}}15.5%
|62,499
|{{decrease}}6.7%
|-
|'''2019-20'''
|0
|{{no change}}0.0%
|0
|{{no change}}0.0%
|49,381
|{{decrease}}15.6%
|3,492
|{{decrease}}12.6%
|52,873
|{{decrease}}15.4%
|-
|'''2020-21'''
|0
|{{no change}}0.0%
|29
|{{increase}}100.0%
|9,104
|{{decrease}}81.6%
|1,761
|{{decrease}}49.6%
|10,894
|{{decrease}}79.4%
|-
|'''2021-22'''
|5
|{{increase}}100.0%
|11
|{{decrease}}62.1%
|27,478
|{{increase}}201.8%
|1,755
|{{decrease}}0.3%
|29,249
|{{increase}}168.5%
|-
|'''2022-23'''
|0
|{{decrease}}100.0%
|1,744
|{{increase}}15,754.6%
|45,464
|{{increase}}65.5%
|2,610
|{{increase}}48.7%
|49,818
|{{increase}}70.3%
|-
|'''2023-24'''
|0
|{{no change}}0.0%
|0
|{{decrease}}100.0%
|50,020
|{{increase}}10.0%
|3,720
|{{increase}}42.5%
|53,740
|{{increase}}7.9%
|}

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

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090617102304/http://www.caa.co.za/resource%20center/AIP%27s/2009/FAUP_AERODROME%20CHART_AD-01_dd%2012FEB2009.pdf Official aerodrome chart for FAUP] – SACAA Website
*[http://www.airports.co.za/airports/upington-international/the-airport Upington Airport Homepage] – ACSA Website
* [http://www.saairlink.co.za/ South African Airlink Homepage]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090501234711/http://www.upington.com/Transport/Walkers%20Flying%20Service.htm Walker Flying Services]

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

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Airports in South Africa]]
[[Category:Transport in the Northern Cape]]
[[Category:Dawid Kruiper Local Municipality]]