Cape Town International Airport has once again won the prestigious award for best airport in Africa.

The announcement was made at the Skytrax, World Airport Awards held in Stockholm, Sweden on Wednesday.

This is the third consecutive year that Cape Town has won this award, often referred to as the "Oscars of the aviation industry".

The airport was also ranked number 21 in the top 100 airports in the awards, amidst excellent competition such as Sydney, Copenhagen, Brisbane and Dubai.

MEC of Economic Opportunities Alan Winde said "the fact that these awards are voted for by thousands of travellers who have experienced what Cape Town airport has to offer, makes this award so much more special."

MEC Winde said the award would boost the efforts of the Cape Town Air Access team, which has already notched up some major new routes and route expansions into Cape Town International Airport, helping to grow the tourism and hospitality industry in the Western Cape.

The Skytrax awards ask travellers to rank their experiences of airports based on categories such as check-in, arrivals, shopping, immigration and transfers.

MEC Winde said "this is proof that travellers are offered a world class service from the moment they set foot off the plane in Cape Town. This is a testament to the hard work of the staff and management at the airport, who work hard every day to ensure travellers are treated with respect and care."

Wesgro CEO Tim Harris said: "On behalf of the Cape Town Air Access initiative, I would like to extend our congratulations to Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) for this major achievement. Having the best airport in Africa not only helps position Cape Town and the Western Cape as a world-class business destination, but also makes it easier to attract more routes, thereby boosting tourism and inclusive economic growth. The Cape Town Air Access initiative's 13 new routes and 14 route expansions has already helped add R4.5 billion to the Cape economy, through the addition of 1.5 million two-way seats. We are confident that we will grow this even further, especially with the outstanding work being done by CTIA."