WHICH IS THE AFRICA’S BIGGEST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BY LONGEST RUNWAY?

Airports all across Africa are modernizing their infrastructures. Whether constructed out of asphalt or concrete, runways are getting longer. With fast growing traffic announced, they are set to be at capacity.

NewsAero.info has compiled runway specifications from all international and commercial airports which are operational around the continent.

Data is for April 2017 and sources either from national civil aviation authority database or airport operator information.

The results have crowned Harare International Airport in Zimbabwe as the biggest Africa International airport by longest runway. With a length of 4725 meters, it’s even among the longest in the world.

Here are the top 20 biggest airports in Africa.

1.  Harare International Airport  (  Harare ,  Zimbabwe) : 4725 m
2. N'djili  International Airport ( Kinshasa , Congo ) :  4700 m
3. Hosea Kutako International Airport ( Windhoek , Namibia)  : 4,532 m
4.  O. R. Tambo International Airport (  Johannesburg , South Africa)  4,418 m
5.   Jomo Kenyatta International Airport ( Nairobi ,  Kenya ) : 4117m
6.  Cairo International Airport (Cairo, Egypt) : 4000 m
7. Seretse Khama International Airport ( Gaborone , Botswana) : 4000 m
8. Taba International Airport (Taba, Egypt) : 4000 m
9.  Victoria Falls International  Airport (Victoria, Zimbabwe) :   4000m
10.   Hurghada International Airport (Hurghana, Egypt) : 4000 m
11. Murtala-Muhammed  international Airport (Lagos, Nigeria) : 3900 m
12. Bole  International Airport (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) : 3800 m
13. Mohammed V International Airport (Casablanca, Maroc) : 3720 m
14. Quatro de Fevereiro  International Airport (Luanda, Angola) : 3716 m
15.  King Shaka International Airport ( Durban , South Africa) : 3700m
16. Maputo  international  Airport (Maputo, Mozambique) : 3660 m
17. Entebbe International Airport (Entebbe, Uganda) : 3658 m
18. Kilimanjaro international Airport (Kilimanjaro , Tanzania) : 3607m
19. Nouakchott-Oumtounsy International Airport (Nouakchott, Mauritania) : 3600 m
20. Bujumbura International Airport ( Bujumbura , Burundi) : 3600 m

RANK PER REGION : TOP 5

              Central Africa 

1. N'djili  International Airport ( Kinshasa , RDC) :  4700 m
2. Yaoundé international Airport ( Yaoundé , Cameroun ): 3400 m
3. Maya Maya International Airport ( Brazzaville , Congo ) : 3300 m
4. Lubumbashi International Airport (Lubumbashi, RDC) : 3207 m
5. Léon MBA International Airport (Libreville,  Gabon) : 3000m 

             East Africa

1. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport ( Nairobi ,  Kenya ) : 4117m
2. Bole International Airport (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) : 3800 m
3. Entebbe International Airport (Entebbe, Uganda) : 3658 m
4. Kilimanjaro international Airport (Kilimanjaro , Tanzania) : 3607m
5. Bujumbura International Airport ( Bujumbura , Burundi) : 3600 m 

           North Africa

1

1. Cairo International Airport (Cairo, Egypt) : 4000 m
2. Taba International Airport (Taba, Egypt) : 4000 m
3. Hurghada International Airport (Hurghana, Egypt) : 4000 m
4. Mohammed V International Airport (Casablanca, Maroc) : 3720 m
5. Tamanrasset International Airport (Tamanrasset, Algeria) : 3600 m

          South Africa

1. Harare International Airport  (  Harare ,  Zimbabwe) : 4725 m
2. Hosea Kutako International Airport ( Windhoek , Namibia)  : 4,532 m
3. O. R. Tambo International Airport (  Johannesburg , South Africa)  4,418 m
4. Seretse Khama International Airport ( Gaborone , Botswana) : 4000 m
5. Victoria Falls International  Airport (Victoria, Zimbabwe) :   4000m

          West Africa

1. Murtala-Muhammed  international Airport (Lagos, Nigeria) : 3900 m
2. Nouakchott-Oumtounsy International Airport (Nouakchott, Mauritania) : 3600 m
3. Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (Abuja , Nigeria ) :  3600 m
4. Banjul International Airport  ( Banjul , Gambia) : 3600 m
5. Leopold Sedar Senghor  International Airport (Dakar, Senegal)  3490 m 

With a length of 4206 meters, Bugesera International Airport, in construction in the south east of Rwanda will soon join the Top 5 in Africa.

Blaise Diagne international airport in Senegal is planned to be operational by the end of 2017. 3500 meters being its runway length, it will be among the longest runway in the West Africa.