Departure
98%
vs 95% ▲ 3
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Lanseria International Airport (FALA/HLA) is a privately-owned airport on the north-western edge of the Johannesburg metropolitan area, roughly midway between Randburg and the Hartbeespoort Dam. It serves as a busy secondary gateway to the city, handling scheduled, charter and corporate traffic on a single long ILS-equipped runway, making it a popular and well-equipped destination for visiting simulator pilots.
Lanseria is a privately-owned international airport situated to the northwest of Johannesburg, created originally to relieve pressure on the main Johannesburg gateway. It today handles everything from scheduled airline services to a large corporate and charter fleet, and its long, ILS-equipped runway and busy general aviation apron make it an interesting and accessible destination for VFR and IFR flights alike in the simulator.
The airfield lies at the north-western edge of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, north of Randburg and Sandton and to the south-west of Centurion and Pretoria. Its main entrance sits on the R512 (Pelindaba Road), which runs south towards Randburg and north towards the Hartbeespoort Dam. Traffic in the area is coordinated by Johannesburg Approach.
Lanseria has a single physical runway, 07/25, a hard-surfaced, lit strip of just over 9,800 feet: runway 07 is 9,819 feet long and equipped with an ILS, while the reciprocal runway 25 is 9,594 feet long. The runway has a 1.5% gradient rising towards the south-western (25) end; despite this, the preferred landing direction is onto runway 07 because prevailing winds are usually northerly.
Approach is provided by Johannesburg Approach on 123.7 MHz. On the ground, Lanseria Ground operates on 121.65 MHz and Apron on 122.85 MHz, with Tower on 124 MHz. A VOR/DME is available on 117.400 MHz, and an ATIS broadcast is provided on 127.650 MHz. Runway 07 is served by a Category I ILS.
The R512 (Pelindaba Road) running past the airport entrance is a useful lead-in feature, connecting south towards Randburg and Sandton and north towards the Hartbeespoort Dam. The airport's position on the north-western fringe of the Johannesburg conurbation, south-west of Centurion and Pretoria, gives pilots a broad frame of reference when inbound from those directions.
Lanseria began life as a grass airstrip in 1972, conceived by two Pretoria pilots, Fanie Haacke and Abe Sher, on land bought by the Krugersdorp and Roodepoort municipalities together with the Transvaal Peri-Urban Board and leased to the Lanseria Management Company on a 99-year term. The airport was officially opened by the Minister of Transport, Hannes Rall, on 16 August 1974, and shortly afterwards hosted the Air Africa '75 airshow. In 1990 it gained a moment of national significance when Nelson Mandela was flown to Johannesburg and landed at Lanseria following his release from prison. The airfield suffered two notable accidents: a Britten-Norman Trislander was written off during a wing-over manoeuvre at Airshow Africa '77, and in 1993 a South African Air Force Silver Falcons Impala Mk I crashed after a wing separated during a display at the Lanseria Airshow, killing the pilot. On 15 November 2012 the airport was sold to a consortium comprising Harith, the women's empowerment company Nozala, and the Government Employee Pension Fund via the Public Investment Corporation. A new, wider 07/25 runway opened on 11 November 2013, replacing the former 06/24 runway, with Kulula the first airline to use it. In 2025 the Mayor of Johannesburg proposed renaming the airport to strengthen its identity and brand, a plan that drew opposition from some coalition partners in the city government.
Lanseria serves as a hub for Solenta Aviation and FlySafair, with scheduled passenger services to Cape Town, Durban, East London, George and Port Elizabeth, and cargo flights operated by BidAir Cargo to Cape Town and Durban. The airport also supports a substantial maintenance and business-aviation sector, hosting companies such as Interjet Maintenance, MPT Maintenance, ExecuJet, Lanseria Jet Centre and NAC, which between them handle aircraft up to the size of a Bombardier CRJ700. National Airways has its head office on the airport property. Upgrade plans unveiled in 2024 include new Fixed Base Operator and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facilities and an upgraded taxiway to accommodate larger aircraft such as the Boeing 777 and Airbus A330, with completion expected by 2031 subject to approval.
