GRJFAGG
George Airport
Photo: Marcos Lana from Minas Gerais, Brazil, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
George is the fastest-growing airport in South Africa, up 12.7 per cent to 939,332 passengers in 2025/26. It is the gateway to the Garden Route, ten kilometres from the town, and it has no scheduled international flights at all.
From the operator’s monthly filings · FY2025/26
- 939,332passengers, FY2025/26
- +12.7%against the previous year
- 0%of them international
- Decemberbusiest month
- Junequietest month
- 10 kmto George
The Garden Route starts here
George is the reason the Garden Route is reachable in a weekend. Knysna is about an hour east, Plettenberg Bay a little beyond that, and the Tsitsikamma at the far end. Oudtshoorn and the Little Karoo lie over the Outeniqua Pass to the north.
Almost everyone arriving here picks up a hire car, and the desks are together in the arrivals hall. That is the honest reason to fly into George rather than drive from Cape Town: the N2 from Cape Town is a beautiful road and a four-to-five hour commitment each way.
Growing faster than anywhere else in the country
12.7 per cent year-on-year is the strongest growth of the nine state-operated airports, ahead of Bram Fischer at 11.5 and King Shaka at 11.4. On a base of under a million passengers that is easy to dismiss, but it is the clearest signal in the national figures that domestic leisure travel to the Garden Route is expanding.
A small airport, and what that means
One terminal, domestic only, and ninety minutes before departure is more than enough — two hours leaves you sitting in a near-empty hall. The check-in cut-off is 45 minutes. Parking is a short walk rather than a shuttle ride, and the food and lounge choice is a café and a single lounge rather than a concourse.
One thing George shares with Cape Town: it sits in the winter-rainfall belt, and low cloud over the Outeniqua mountains can affect approaches between May and August.
Distances from George, in driving time
The point of flying into George is that everything on the Garden Route is within a morning’s drive. Approximate times by road, in normal conditions:
- Wilderness — 20 minutes
- Knysna — about an hour
- Plettenberg Bay — about 90 minutes
- Oudtshoorn and the Cango Caves — about an hour over the Outeniqua Pass
- Tsitsikamma and Storms River — about two hours
- Cape Town — four to five hours, which is the whole reason to fly
Parking and hire cars
Parking is a short walk from the terminal in every tier, and the long-stay lot does not need a shuttle. For a week on the Garden Route, leaving a car here and flying home from George is usually cheaper and simpler than a one-way hire back to Cape Town.
Hire-car desks are in the arrivals hall. Book ahead in December and over the Easter holidays: George is a small fleet serving a destination with a sharp seasonal peak, and it does run out.
Month by month
Five years of traffic
South African financial years, 1 April to 31 March. Compiled from the operator’s own monthly passenger-movement statements. How we check these figures.
Common questions
What is the code for George airport?
GRJ is the IATA code and FAGG the ICAO code.
Is George airport the best way to reach Knysna?
Yes for most visitors. Knysna is roughly an hour east by road, and George is the only airport with scheduled flights anywhere near the Garden Route.
Does George have international flights?
No. It recorded no scheduled international passengers in 2025/26. Arrivals from abroad connect through Cape Town or Johannesburg.
How far is George airport from Knysna?
About an hour by road on the N2. Plettenberg Bay is roughly ninety minutes and Tsitsikamma about two hours.
Should I fly to George or drive from Cape Town?
Cape Town to George is four to five hours each way. For a trip of under a week, flying and hiring a car at George buys back most of a day in each direction.