Cape Town International Airport (FACT · CPT) METAR & TAF
Live METAR, TAF & runway wind for Cape Town International Airport.
Get the current FACT (CPT) weather for Cape Town International Airport in Cape Town, South Africa. The decoder below pulls the live METAR and TAF, breaks them into plain language, and uses the published runway headings to show which runway end is best lined up with the reported wind. It is the same operational weather language tested across the EASA ATPL Meteorology and Flight Planning syllabus.
Other major airports in Africa with live SkyStudy weather pages include Durban (DUR), Nairobi (NBO) and Lagos (LOS).
Studying for the EASA ATPL? Practice Meteorology questions free.
Cape Town International Airport airport facts
- ICAO code
- FACT
- IATA code
- CPT
- Location
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Elevation
- 151 ft
- Runways
- 2
- Coordinates
- -33.965, 18.602
- Timezone
- Africa/Johannesburg
Cape Town International Airport runways
Cape Town International Airport has 2 published runways (01/19, 16/34). The longest runway, 01/19, is about 10,502 ft (3,201 m) long. SkyStudy uses these runway headings with the live METAR wind to show the best-aligned runway end.
| Runway | Length | Surface | Headings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01/19 | 10,502 ft | ASP | 01 (346°) / 19 (166°) |
| 16/34 | 5,581 ft | ASP | 16 (136°) / 34 (316°) |
Want to work a runway scenario by hand? Open the wind component calculator to get headwind, crosswind, and the gust case for any heading.
How to read the FACT METAR
A METAR always follows the same order, so once you know the pattern you can read any station, including FACT, at a glance:
- Station & time, the ICAO code (FACT) and the observation time in UTC (Zulu).
- Wind, direction in degrees true and speed in knots, with gusts after a G. This is what SkyStudy matches against the Cape Town International Airport runways above.
- Visibility & weather: prevailing visibility, then any precipitation or obscuration codes.
- Cloud, cover and base in hundreds of feet AGL (FEW, SCT, BKN, OVC).
- Temperature / dewpoint and the altimeter setting close out the report.
This is the same operational weather language tested across EASA ATPL Meteorology and Flight Planning. Prefer a guided walkthrough? Use the full METAR & TAF decoder.
FACT weather, frequently asked questions
What is the ICAO code for Cape Town International Airport?
The ICAO code for Cape Town International Airport in Cape Town, South Africa is FACT, and its IATA code is CPT. Pilots use the ICAO code FACT to request the METAR and TAF for this airport.
How do I read the FACT METAR?
Read the FACT METAR in order: station and time, then wind (direction in degrees true and speed in knots), visibility, weather and cloud, temperature and dewpoint, and finally the altimeter setting. The decoder above turns the raw FACT METAR into this plain-language order automatically.
Where does the FACT weather data come from?
The live METAR and TAF are pulled from the public NOAA Aviation Weather Center feed, the same authoritative source used in flight planning, and refreshed every few minutes. SkyStudy then layers its runway and wind logic on top.
How many runways does Cape Town International Airport have?
Cape Town International Airport has 2 published runways (01/19, 16/34). SkyStudy combines these runway headings with the live FACT wind to show which runway end is best aligned right now.
Is the FACT METAR and TAF decoder free?
Yes. SkyStudy publishes this FACT weather page as a free tool. If you are studying for EASA ATPL exams, the same METAR and TAF language appears in Meteorology, Flight Planning, and Operational Procedures, and SkyStudy turns it into practice questions and mock exams.
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