O.R. Tambo International Airport

Compiled by Bill Gao

Johannesburg, Gauteng (South Africa)

IATA: JNB ICAO: FAOR

Longest Active Runway

14,495 ft

4,418 meters

Field Elevation

5,558 ft

1,694 m MSL

Runway Inventory

2 active

Lighted / Paved

Coordinates & Class

-26.1401°, 28.2468°

LARGE AIRPORT

🏆

Multi-Universe Rankings & Statistical Standing

How ranks work →

RunwayFacts Published Dataset

#18 of 650

In curated primary commercial index

Global Commercial Universe

#33 of 7558

Top 0.4% percentile worldwide

National Standing (South Africa)

#1 of 6 in ZA

#3 of 68 in full national registry

vs Large Airport Median

+45%

Compared to 10,000 ft baseline

💡 JNB in numbers: 14,495 ft longest runway · #18 of 650 published · #33 of 7,558 worldwide (top 0.4%) · #1 in South Africa.

🔬 Operational & Aerodrome Engineering Comparative Analysis

Longest runway ≥10,500 ft

⛰️

Elevation & National Context

High-Altitude Aerodrome (≥5,000 ft)

JNB lies at 1,694 m (5,558 ft), #33 of 650 published airports by elevation and 94.2 percentile among 7,558 worldwide. It is 2,168 ft above the South Africa median (3,390 ft, 6 airports) and the highest published airport in the country.

🧭

Regional Density & Alternates (100 NM)

1 Qualifying Aerodrome in Vicinity

Closest of 1 paved-runway (≥5,000 ft) neighbour within 100 NM: Lanseria International Airport (HLA), 21.1 NM, 9,996 ft. JNB has the longest runway in this radius, 4,499 ft over HLA.

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Runway Inventory & National Standing

Primary Runway: 14,495 ft (4,418 m)

JNB runways: 03L/21R 14,495 × 200 ft asphalt (asp); 03R/21L 11,155 × 197 ft asphalt (asp). National standing: #1 of 6 in South Africa; 2,356 ft ahead of DUR (12,139 ft). +45% vs the 10,000 ft baseline.

🛫 Physical Runway Inventory & Surface Engineering

Runway Designator	Length (ft / m)	Width (ft / m)	Surface Material	Lighting	Status
03L/21R	14,495 ft (4418 m / 4.418 km)	200 ft (61m)	`Asphalt (ASP)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active
03R/21L	11,155 ft (3400 m / 3.400 km)	197 ft (60m)	`Asphalt (ASP)`	✅ Lighted	✅ Active

🧭 Comparative Aerodromes (100 NM Radius, ≥5,000 ft Paved)

Great-circle Haversine spatial proximity matching for commercial facilities with paved runway capacity within 100 NM.

Aerodrome Name	IATA	Distance	Longest Runway	Lighting
Lanseria International Airport (Johannesburg)	`HLA`	21.1 NM (39.1 km)	9,996 ft	✅ Lighted

🛡️ Source: OurAirports Open Aviation Database, snapshot 2026-09-01 · Provenance →