TownWingZA · KM
ELS ICAO FAELEastern Cape

King Phalo Airport

King Phalo Airport (ELS / FAEL) is the primary commercial passenger airport for East London, Buffalo City, and the central Eastern Cape coast. Located 8 km by straight line from East London, it is part of TownWing’s 18-airport passenger comparison—check live flights for your travel date.

SERVICE STATUS
Passenger flights — check your travel date
Serves: East London
Elevation: 435 ft (133 m)
Coords: -33.0356°, 27.8259°
Official airport website ↗
CLOSEST IN DATASET

Six closest towns to King Phalo Airport

Straight-line Haversine distances from ELS to the six nearest South African cities and towns in the 60-destination TownWing dataset.

East London
Eastern Cape
8 km→
Port Alfred
Eastern Cape
107 km→
Queenstown
Eastern Cape
155 km→
Mthatha
Eastern Cape
184 km→
Cradock
Eastern Cape
228 km→
Gqeberha
Eastern Cape
229 km→
ALL 60 DESTINATIONS

Check distance to another town

Select any of the 60 South African destinations to see its straight-line distance from King Phalo Airport (ELS).

ELS↔East London
8 km

Straight-line distance between King Phalo Airport and the East London reference coordinate in Eastern Cape.

Compare passenger airports near East London →

Where ELS fits into regional travel

Operated by ACSA and served by Airlink and FlySafair, King Phalo Airport (ELS) lies 8 km west of East London’s reference coordinate near the R72 coastal road. It is the #1 closest passenger airport in our comparison for East London (8 km), Port Alfred (107 km), and Queenstown (155 km).

Because the nearest alternative airport in our 18-airport passenger selection—K. D. Matanzima Airport (UTT)—lies 184 km away by straight line (airport-to-airport), ELS is the primary local commercial gateway for trips centred on East London and surrounding towns.

Checking flights, codes and onward road routes

For Port Alfred on the Sunshine Coast, ELS (107 km) is only 18 km closer by straight line than Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport in Gqeberha (PLZ, 125 km), so comparing flight times and car-hire availability at both coastal airports is worthwhile.

Airline routes and frequencies at ELS vary by day of the week and season. Use the three-letter code ELS to verify live flight availability with your carrier and confirm car-hire or shuttle hours before locking in onward road plans.

REGIONAL ALTERNATIVES

Other passenger airports in the region

The three closest passenger-comparison airports to King Phalo Airport (ELS) measured airport-to-airport by straight line.

UTT184 km

K. D. Matanzima Airport

Serves Mthatha · Eastern Cape
Passenger flights · check dates
PLZ231 km

Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport

Serves Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) · Eastern Cape
Passenger flights · check dates
PZB449 km

Pietermaritzburg Airport

Serves Pietermaritzburg · KwaZulu-Natal
Passenger flights · check dates
TECHNICAL REFERENCE

Airport facts

Airport name
King Phalo Airport
IATA / ICAO / Ident
ELS / FAEL / FAEL
GPS / Local code
FAEL / —
Municipality & province
East London, Eastern Cape (ZA-EC)
Passenger service status
Passenger flights — check your travel date
Airport role
Passenger airport
Elevation
435 ft (133 m)
Coordinates
-33.0356° S, 27.8259° E
Map reference
Open in Google Maps ↗
RUNWAY DATA

Runways at ELS

Recorded runway dimensions, surface codes, and lighting status from the OurAirports dataset. For general planning context only — not for flight operations.

2 runways recorded
RunwayLengthWidthSurfaceLighted
06/241,585 m (5,200 ft) 46 m (150 ft) ASPYes
11/291,939 m (6,362 ft) 46 m (150 ft) ASPYes
PROVENANCE & VERIFICATION

Updated & sources

Dataset snapshot: 2026-11-06 · Passenger service review: 2026-11-06 · Profile review: 2026-11-06