King Phalo Airport

King Phalo Airport is the main airport serving East London, in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is owned and operated by Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), which manages a network of the country's principal airports. The facility handles domestic passenger flights connecting East London to major hubs such as OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and Cape Town International Airport, along with limited cargo and general aviation activity. It serves as a gateway for the Eastern Cape's automotive manufacturing sector, tourism industry and surrounding agricultural region, supporting business travel and trade for the East London and Buffalo City metropolitan area. The airport was previously named East London Airport before being renamed to honour King Phalo, an ancestral leader of the amaXhosa people, reflecting a broader trend of renaming South African airports after historical and cultural figures. It features a single runway and terminal facilities suited to regional traffic volumes rather than long-haul international operations. ACSA continues to invest in South Africa's regional airports, including King Phalo, to improve efficiency, safety and capacity in support of tourism and economic development. The airport features periodically in coverage of aviation infrastructure investment, energy resilience initiatives such as backup power and trigeneration systems, and regional economic development plans linked to special economic zones in the Eastern Cape.