Popular Airport | Van Ferit Melen Airport |
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Popular Airlines | |
Approximate Flight Duration | 9 hour 30 min |
Approximate Travel Distance | 7693 Km |
Taking a taxi in the morning or evening outside of rush hours is probably the most reliable method of transport to the airport in densely populated Durban. It’s also possible to reach the airport with rented cars or shuttle company buses.
You can reach the airport by taxi from the city centre in around 30 to 50 minutes depending on traffic conditions. It might be a good idea to speak with the taxi driver beforehand and let them know your time of departure to not have any bad surprises for your journey.
The shuttle buses that leave for the airport depart from Durban Station in the city centre, depart once every day at 8:00, 11:00, and 16:00 and reach the airport in around half an hour.
The traffic flows on the left side in Durban, so if you come from a country where you drive on the right it might be a better idea to hire a car with a driver rather than getting behind the steering wheel yourself. If you come from country where cars drive on the left side, you might be more at home with this option.
There is only one terminal in King Shaka Airport where there is an ABSA bank, which opens half an hour before the first flight and closes half an hour after the last flight. In addition, you can find financial services from the ATMs of First National Bank, Nedbank, and Standard Bank. There is a prayer room for Muslims, and a post office that offers services depending on the first and last flights of the day. There are baby and childcare rooms that mothers can use.
In addition to these services, the airport has many lounges. The most exclusive ones are the South African Airways Business Class Lounge, found near the entrance of the terminal, and BIDVest Premier Lounge. In these lounges you can order some food and rest on comfortable seating areas to read books or newspapers.
Airport restaurants include; Cape Town Fish Market, Cosmic Candy, Big Five Duty Free, Fego Coffee Shop, Kauai, KFC, Milky Lane, Mugg&Bean, Panarottis, Rhapsody’s, Spur, Steers, Sweet Treat, The Airport Cellar, and Wimpy. There is also a Yemaya Nail Express, Woolworts, Vodashop, Tie Stop, The Urban Retreat, The Scoin Shop, NWJ Fine Jewellery, Sneakers, Sunglass Hunt, Nike, MTN, Moda Luggage&Leather, Khasav, Jeep, EM Native, and Electro Electronics for your shopping needs.
Van Ferit Melen Airport is 5 kilometers away from the city center. Transportation to the city center is provided by taxi, minibus or municipal buses.
It is also possible to reach the city center by renting a car from the car rental offices at the airport.
Taking a taxi is one of the easiest ways to reach the city center. Taxi option becomes attractive because there is not a long distance between the airport and the city center.
Another option is to take a municipal bus. You can get on the buses to reach the city center from the bus stops, which are 300 meters away from the terminal building.
You can also prefer to get on the minibus which is another transportation option. Yet, you should remember that you need to walk a little bit to get on the minibus. You can reach the city center by getting on the “İskele” (pier) minibus on the minibus lane which is 900 meters away from the terminal.
You can also reach the city center by renting a car from the car rental offices of the companies like Avis, Budget and Europcar at the airport. You can save time and avoid any possible difficulty by booking a rental car in advance online or by telephone.