A fire at Cape Town International Airport brought operations to a halt on Tuesday, disrupting one of South Africa’s busiest travel hubs

A fire at Cape Town International Airport brought operations to a halt on Tuesday, disrupting one of South Africa’ s busiest travel hubs and delaying scores of passengers as flights were rerouted while the fire was being contained.

The disruption comes on the eve of Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s budget speech in the city, where he is expected to outline to parliament the government’s  spending priorities and economic projections for the year ahead. The event typically draws hundreds of business leaders, politicians and the media to Cape Town.

The airport functions as an essential connector for South Africa and overseas destinations, meaning interruptions can cascade into broader delays affecting airlines, logistics networks and the tourism sector in the Western Cape and beyond.

In a statement, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) group spokesperson Ofentse Dijoe said the fire, which occurred on the landside of the airport, had been extinguished and all passengers, staff and visitors were safe.

“We understand that this incident may have caused concern and we urge all passengers and visitors to follow security instructions and proceed to designated places of safety as directed by airport personnel,” Dijoe said.

“The fire affected network and IT services, including airport Wi-Fi and other essential systems. As a precautionary measure, international departures have been temporarily suspended and incoming international flights are being diverted.”

International flights that had already landed were being processed, Dijoe said, adding that passengers travelling domestically “are advised to check directly with their airlines and the ACSA mobile app for the latest flight information”.

Airlines began rerouting some international arrivals to alternative airports, while ground staff worked to restore affected systems. Departing passengers reported delays at check-in counters as manual processes were implemented to manage the backlog.

Airport management said technical teams were assessing the extent of the damage and working to restore full functionality as soon as possible. Emergency services remained on site as a precaution while preliminary investigations into the cause of the blaze began.

The extent of the damage and the cause of the fire were not immediately clear. Authorities said further updates would be provided as more information became available.