Skukuza Airport (IATA: SZK^[4], ICAO: FASZ) is the only commercial airport in Kruger National Park, located near Skukuza,^[2] in the Mpumalanga province in South Africa.^[2] The airport was established in 1958 and was named in honour of James Stevenson-Hamilton, the first warden of the Kruger national park. In 2018, the airport was dubbed "the prettiest airport in the world" by Forbes.^[5]

Quick Facts Summary, Airport type ...

Skukuza Airport
Sign at the entrance to the airport
IATA: SZK ICAO: FASZ
Summary
Airport type	Public
Serves	Kruger National Park
Location	Skukuza, Mpumalanga, South Africa
Hub for	Airlink
Elevation AMSL	1,020 ft / 311 m
Coordinates	24°57′39″S 31°35′19″E
Map
FASZ Location of airport in Mpumalanga province Location of Mpumalanga in South Africa
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 17/35 1,550 5,085 Asphalt
Sources: South African AIP,[1] DAFIF[2][3]

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The airport has a small retail gift shop as well as a coffee shop and bar for visitors waiting for their flights. Three check-in counters are available, and there are couches available as well.^[6][7]

Only daytime parking is available (no overnight).^[7]

The only commercial flights to Skukuza are offered by Airlink, with a single daily flight to Cape Town and two daily flights to O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. Private and charter flights are also available, but as Skukuza has a limit of 10 landings and 10 takeoffs per day between the hours of 09:00 and 15:00, slots are limited.^[13][14] Flights are also required to take specific paths in order to reduce noise in sensitive natural areas.

Skukuza Airport was established in 1958 and began operating in 1959. In 2001, commercial flights were discontinued due to the opening of Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport near Nelspruit. Charter flights were still accepted at the airport if scheduled ahead of time. Commercial flights were reopened in the second half of 2013, and management of the airport was handed from South African National Parks to a private operator, the Skukuza Airport Management Company, which is jointly owned by Lion Sands Reserve, Federal Air and Airlink. The airport is assigned to be able to handle a maximum of six scheduled flights a day, with a maximum of 30 per week. Up to four charter flights are allowed each day. In January 2014, construction commenced on a major renovation, and the airport reopened on 2 June 2014. The airport has also been continuously used by the South African Air Force for anti-poaching efforts.^{[15][16][17][18]}