Characterization of Airfreight-Related Logistics Firms in the City of Cape Town, South Africa

Background: Airports are essential drivers of spatial development; hence the placement of logistics facilities relative to airports is a topical subject. Despite the wealth of the literature on the subject, relatively little is known about the airfreight catchment of airports. To contribute to the existing knowledge, the paper used the study area of the City of Cape Town municipality, South Africa, to address three research objectives, namely analysis of factors that influence the placement of logistics firms in the municipality, analysis of the linkages of the logistics firms with Cape Town International Airport (CTIA), and analysis of the association between airfreight-related firms and the general attributes of logistics firms in the municipality. Methods: The study hinged on a quantitative design, which included a survey and spatial analysis. A total of 110 logistics firms were sampled through a stratified random sampling technique, and 66 firms participated in the telephonic interviews conducted in October and November 2021. Survey data were analyzed using Stata, and spatial analysis was undertaken using ArcGIS 10.8 and QGIS 3.16. Results: It was discovered that a quarter of the respondent logistics firms utilized CTIA for airfreight purposes. At a municipal scale, the potential airfreight catchment of CTIA extended to about a 20 km radius of the airport. Conclusions: In formulating the spatial plans, the planning authorities are encouraged to take cognizance of the possible extent of the catchment, wherein airfreight-related firms do not necessarily locate near the airport.