Upington Airport – UTN Upington

Upington Airport (UTN) is a public airport located in Upington, South Africa nestled in the Northern Cape and is known for having one of the world’s longest runways. UTN-Upington is owned and operated by the Airports Company South Africa.

This airport was constructed to accommodate Boeing 747s and became a jump-off point for flights to Europe without any stopover. UTN’s elevation is lower than Johannesburg, which makes it an ideal location for an airport.

Best Time to Visit

This airport was opened in 1968 and was formerly known as Pierre van Ryneveld Airport. From 1976 to 1982, UTN-Upington was used by South African Airways as a refueling station with scheduled flights and routes to Zurich and London. The only airline operating in this airport is Airlink and offers passengers flights to Cape Town and Johannesburg.

UTN functions as an international cargo hub and the only international flights from Upington are intended for cargo shipments. The non-scheduled flights are used to transport grapes from the region to other countries from November to January. Meanwhile, car manufacturers fly their vehicles to and from Upington using chartered flights. This airport mainly serves the town of Upington.   

What to Do & Area Attractions

Visitors arriving in Upington are often on the lookout for airport hotels. The nearest hotels from UTN Airport are located just a couple of miles away. The Airport Bed & Breakfast can be reached 2.3 miles from UTN while the River Place Manor has a distance of 2.8 miles from the airport. This hotel has superb reviews from guests and gas stunning views of the Orange River.