Cape Town International Airport, South Africa has emmerged the overall winner of the Routes Africa edition of the Routes 2016 Marketing Awards at a ceremony held in Finca Punta del Lomo, Tenerife.

The annual Routes Marketing Awards recognise excellence in airport and destination marketing. Airlines vote for the marketing services that support the successful launch of new routes or the development of existing ones, making them highly regarded in the aviation industry.

Cape Town Airport’s passenger numbers grew by 10 percent to just under 9.7million in 2015. The impressive growth is expected to continue this year and the airport is in a strong position to reach the 10 million passenger milestone.

The airport has a major capital investment programme (subject to regulatory approval) which includes the realignment of its runway at a cost of over R3 billion to allow it to handle larger aircraft. Other developments include a new domestic arrivals terminal and an extended international departure lounge.

The awards, which are voted for exclusively by airlines, are split into three categories. Cape Town Airport was also named the winner of the over 4 million passengers category; Abidjan Port Bouet Airport won the under 4 million passengers category; and Seychelles Tourism Board topped the Destination Marketing category.

As overall winner, Cape Town Airport will be automatically shortlisted for the World Routes Awards in Chengdu, China on 26 September 2016.