Flying to Skukuza (FASZ)
Notice: The following information provided for convenience and consideration, always follow official aerodrome and planning information. I do however only write about airfields that I have personally flown to.
NB: You have to obtain prior approval to land at Skukuza airport. If approved, you are allocated an arrival and departure slot that must be adhered to. There are strict rules concerning volume of traffic in the national park and general aviation cannot interfere with scheduled traffic.
What's there and why would you fly there?
If this airfield isn't on your bucket list, it should be! The Kruger National Park is world renowned, our national treasure and one of my favorite places on the planet to visit. When you add the ability / opportunity to fly yourself there, it is a love affair to remember! In 2018, the airport was dubbed "the prettiest airport in the world" by Forbes.
This was a wonderful application of general aviation; reducing the 7h+ trip from Johannesburg to a 1h30 / 1h45 general aviation flight directly into what I'd like to call "Jurassic Park". I can't overstate just how amazing it is to overfly the airfield and join downwind for runway 35 and spotting giraffe sticking out their long necks above the African savanna. All this while taking in the meandering Sabie river with the backdrop of the disused railway that is now the breathtaking Kruger Shalati Hotel.
Why and when did I fly there?
We had a four night stay booked with family at a resort just outside the Crocodile Bridge gate, in August 2024. I originally planned to fly my wife, son and I to Malelane airport which would be closer, but as we were traveling on a public holiday the car rental companies there were closed and I changed my plans to Skukuza instead. On the same day the other family drove down from Johannesburg which gave us a direct comparison between traveling by road and air. No surprise that it highly favored flying, but there was also big construction delays on the highway to Nelspruit from Johannesburg making it even more compelling.
Cross country flights that involve multiple days away is always tricky as it is impossible to accurately predict the weather in a few days time, but on our day of departure it was fairly clear and being winter in South Africa, it typically means fairly stable clear skies. It was however very smoggy around Johannesburg and just another reminder why it is so great to get away from the big city sometimes. Even moreso as Skukuza was about 30 degrees Celsius compared to a very chilly winters day in the City of Gold.
My experience flying to Skukuza Airport:
I planned our outbound eastwardly flight at flight level 9.5 (FL95) and we made good progress towards Nelspruit. Unfortunately the Kruger International Airport at Nelspruit has a big TMA right in our path and we had to descend to under 8500 and then under 6500 to remain clear of the TMA. Given the terrain (very hilly) and being ± 1 000 to 1 500 ft AGL that meant some turbulence, but from there it was only about 15 minutes to Skukuza.
I've visited Skukuza many times by road before, and getting this aerial perspective for the first time was actually quite disorienting as it instantly appeared unimaginably smaller than what my previous earth bound experience would let me believe. After parking my aircraft in the area they call 'the bunker', they sent a ranger to pick us up, as arranged via radio to the apron office upon landing.
The thatch roof airport itself is very well appointed and is a welcome gateway into the national park. It feels like your holiday starts the moment you set foot in it. Just like you need to do by road, you need to fill in a national parks visitors form and pay the respective conservation fees. Bluu Car Rental, Budget, Keddy By Europcar, Avis, and Europcar are available at the airport, and after picking up our rental car, our Jurassic Park adventure could continue in earnest.
This was a really fulfilling trip from two points of view: Firstly that owning an aircraft makes a long stay possible as there are no fees to be paid for the days not flying. Secondly the practical application of flying somewhere awesome and saving a ton of time.
A video of the landing on runway 35 at Skukuza Airport with ZS-DED.
My Skydemon flight stats from Rand Airport to Skukuza:
I took off at 06:40 Z and flew 236 nm before landing at Skukuza at 09 Aug 2024 08:17 Z after 1 hr 37 m. My maximum groundspeed during the flight was 175 kt and I reached a maximum altitude of 10,116 ft
My Skydemon flight stats from Skukuza to Rand:
I took off at 09:59 Z and flew 226 nm before landing at Johannesburg/Rand at 13 Aug 2024 11:57 Z after 1 hr 57 m. My maximum groundspeed during the flight was 143 kt and I reached a maximum altitude of 8,987 ft
The airfield
It is situated approximately 2kms to the north-east of the largest game reserve rest camp in the Kruger National Park, the small town of Skukuza.
ICAO Code: FASZ
Official AIP: https://www.caa.co.za/industry-information/aeronautical-information-aip/ - download the latest Aerodromes PDF. Currently FASZ is on page 513 of the AIP file dated 15 Oct 2024.
Aeronautical Charts: Yes, search for FASZ at: https://www.caa.co.za/industry-information/aeronautical-information-aeronautical-charts/ . You definitely want to download at least the "Aerodrome/Heliport Chart" (AD_01). Also print out the briefing notice from Airlink.
Elevation: 1040 feet
Runway: 17/35 1 550m x 30m asphalt - condition: excellent in Aug 2024.
Runway PAPI's: None
Radio: Sabi Sabi Special Rules - 128.35MHz, Skukuza Traffic - 124.8 MHz, Skukuza Airfield Apron - 125.5 MHz
Special instructions: Call Skukuza Apron, 125.5 MHz, 10 mins before arrival.
Tower: Unmanned
Fuel: JetA1 only, and only available through prior arrangement.
Restaurant: There are many options at Skukuza with the Cattle Baron being my favorite!
Overnight parking: Yes - secure parking outside at the 'bunker' - bays E1 to E4. Only E1 have tie downs though. I used E2 with my own chocks. When you contact Skukuza Apron (125.5 MHz) on arrival they will tell you where to park and ensure you are met by a staff member to transfer you to the terminal from the parking.
Overall charges: R 2199.74 (R 712.64 was parking for 4 nights and the rest handling and landing fees).
Caution on the frequencies: According to the briefing notice from Airlink, one is to transmit on 128.35 MHz (Sabi Sabi special rules) for Skukuza traffic, but there is also a listed frequency (on the CAA aerodrome chart) of 124.8 MHz for Skukuza. So perhaps good to monitor both and to adhere to the briefing notice and use 128.35 MHz as primary.
Circuit / approach
Runway 35: L/H. Runway 17: R/H.
Circuit altitude: Standard 1 000ft AGL / 2 000ft ALT
Risks
Be aware that traffic might be broadcasting 124.8MHz and not on 128.35MHz. Alao this is the Kruger National Park with abundant wildlife, the airfield is well fenced, but animals could potentially get onto the runway and there is a lot of birdlife. Be aware of the National Park restricted airspace - Surface to 2 500 AGL so get above that as soon as possible when you leave the airfield. Adhere to all the airspace rules in the surrounding area.
