Johannesburg G20 Road Closures Hit Airport Trips

Published on Nov 24, 2025, 3:41 pm CST

9 min read

Key points

Johannesburg G20 road closures from November 18 to 24, 2025 are disrupting access to O R Tambo International Airport, Lanseria, and summit hotel areas
Rolling blocks and full closures affect the N1, M1, N12, R21, R24, and key streets in Sandton, Rosebank, Melrose Arch, and Nasrec, with delays of 30 to 60 minutes when convoys move
Authorities have confirmed specific operation windows around November 22 and 23, but security convoys can halt traffic at almost any time through November 24
O R Tambo has warned that Cargo Road and some access spurs are restricted during the G20 period, and drivers must follow signed diversions and airport staff instructions
Travelers should add at least one extra hour for airport transfers, consider the Gautrain where practical, and avoid self driving across core routes during peak convoy hours

Impact

Where Impacts Are Most Likely: Expect the longest delays on the R21 and R24 corridors into O R Tambo, the N14 toward Lanseria, and N1 and M1 approaches through Sandton, Rosebank, Melrose Arch, and Nasrec
Best Times To Travel: Early morning and late evening outside the main 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. convoy windows are less risky, but travelers should still allow generous buffer
Onward Travel And Changes: Keep at least three hours between landing and onward domestic flights or same day long haul departures, and avoid tight separate ticket connections through Johannesburg during the summit departure phase
What Travelers Should Do Now: Reconfirm transfer plans with hotels or drivers, aim to arrive at the airport at least one hour earlier than usual, and monitor local traffic and G20 advisories on the day of travel
Health And Safety Factors: Stay patient and alert in congestion, keep valuables out of sight in slow traffic, and avoid walking along closed or heavily policed highway verges when roadblocks are active

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Johannesburg G20 road closures are now a concrete problem for airport travelers, because security convoys and rolling blocks from November 18 through November 24, 2025 are affecting routes to O R Tambo International Airport (JNB), Lanseria International Airport (HLA), and the main summit hotel districts. Same day flyers, airport hotel guests, and drivers between Sandton, Rosebank, Melrose Arch, and the Nasrec precinct are most exposed to sudden 30 to 60 minute stops as heads of state and delegations move to and from venues. To stay ahead, travelers should add at least an extra hour, lean on the Gautrain where it fits, and avoid self driving across the core closure corridors during likely convoy periods.

In practical terms, the Johannesburg G20 road closures mean disrupted highway and arterial access to O R Tambo, Lanseria, and Waterkloof, with intermittent public transport impacts that can turn normal transfer times into missed flights if travelers do not adjust their plans.

Background: How The G20 Security Plan Works In Gauteng

South Africa is hosting the G20 Leaders Summit at the Johannesburg Expo Centre in the Nasrec area on November 22 and 23, 2025, with related "social summit" meetings earlier in the week at Birchwood Hotel and O R Tambo Conference Centre in Ekurhuleni. The security plan covers not only the summit campus but also the wider Gauteng road network and three main airports, O R Tambo, Lanseria, and Waterkloof Air Force Base, which share approach corridors with commuter traffic.

Joint operations led by the Road Traffic Management Corporation, RTMC, Gauteng Traffic Police, the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department, and the South African Police Service have mapped "high security routes" that can be partially or fully closed when convoys move. Official notices list large sections of the N1, N3, N12, N14, R21, and R24, plus the M1 and urban arterials through Sandton, Melrose Arch, Rosebank, Parktown, Fourways, Roodepoort, and the Nasrec area as subject to rolling disruption.

Authorities have also designated full closure zones, including Grayston Drive for a six hour block on November 22 and extended restrictions on Golden Highway, Rand Show Road, Booysens Reserve Road, and Nasrec Road around the Expo Centre on November 22 and 23. When motorcades are active, roads are closed to all regular users, including pedestrians and cyclists, and are reopened only after the convoy has cleared, with officials warning that some areas may experience 30 to 60 minute delays at a time.

Where Airport Access Is Tightest

For air travelers, the most important pinch points are the corridors into O R Tambo, Lanseria, and Waterkloof. RTMC and SAnews briefings highlight the R21 south and its key off ramps, the R24 west and its junction with the N12 west, and the intertwined N1 and N3 as priority routes where rolling closures and lane restrictions are expected.

O R Tambo itself has issued its own advisory, warning that Cargo Road and some internal access spurs would be fully or partially closed between November 18 and November 24, and instructing drivers to follow marked detours and allow extra time. Combined with highway disruptions, this means that both the long approach on the R21 and the final few hundred meters around the terminal can jam suddenly, even if flight operations remain relatively normal.

Lanseria sits off the N14 northwest of Johannesburg, which is also on the list of high security routes. Convoys between Pretoria, Waterkloof, and summit venues can trigger short, sharp closures that ripple into airport access, especially for travelers coming from Fourways and northern suburbs that share the same interchanges.

Waterkloof Air Force Base is not a commercial airport, but it is a major VIP arrival point for G20 delegations and lies close to busy commuter links in the City of Tshwane. When aircraft arrive or depart there, law enforcement can temporarily close sections of the N1, R21, and surrounding arterials to secure the route, which can trap civilian traffic and delay shuttles headed for either Pretoria hotels or onward connections at O R Tambo.

Operation Windows, But Real World Uncertainty

Official schedules focus on the summit weekend, with RTMC and government bulletins flagging rolling road closures between 700 and 1000 a.m. and again between 500 and 800 p.m. on Saturday, November 22, and Sunday, November 23. These windows are when the largest convoys are expected to move between airports, hotels in Sandton and Rosebank, and the Nasrec site.

However, the security message from both authorities and the U.S. Embassy is that travelers should be prepared for intermittent closures at almost any time between November 19 and November 24. Social and consular alerts emphasize that for security reasons exact convoy times will not be published, that access can be cut with little notice, and that major routes including the M1, N1, and N12, plus arterials in Sandton, Melrose Arch, Rosebank, and around O R Tambo, may see unplanned stops throughout the summit period.

In parallel, aviation and local news outlets have warned that airspace restrictions for VIP flights could cause occasional holding patterns, minor delays, or rescheduling into and out of O R Tambo, Lanseria, and Waterkloof, even if the main pinch for most travelers remains on the ground.

How Much Extra Time To Allow

For airport bound travelers through November 24, the conservative approach is to layer multiple cushions. Given the possibility of 30 to 60 minute stoppages on main highways, plus congestion on signposted detours and at airport access points, a realistic recommendation is to arrive at O R Tambo and Lanseria at least one full hour earlier than the airline minimum, especially for long haul departures, complex itineraries, and peak check in periods.

That means planning to reach the terminal three hours before a domestic departure and four hours before an international or multi segment long haul flight, instead of the more typical two and three. Travelers combining a Gauteng ground segment with the end of an overland safari, a regional hop from elsewhere in Southern Africa, or a same day connection from Cape Town or Durban should push operators and advisors to avoid tight connections and to move critical flights off the most congested periods where possible.

On arrival in Johannesburg, travelers should also be skeptical of normal transfer times quoted by ride hailing apps and hotel websites. Even if the map shows a 30 minute run from O R Tambo to Sandton or Rosebank, a single rolling closure on the R24 or N12 can turn that into an hour or more, and paid parking clocks, driver duty time limits, and checked baggage cutoffs will not adjust themselves.

Alternatives To Self Driving

The most robust alternative for many airport hotel and business district transfers remains the Gautrain, the regional rapid rail line that links O R Tambo, Sandton, Rosebank, Midrand, and central Pretoria. The airport service normally takes about 12 minutes between O R Tambo and Sandton, runs every 12 to 20 minutes depending on peak or off peak, and is designed specifically to bypass highway congestion along the Johannesburg to Pretoria corridor.

Authorities have not announced a blanket shutdown of Gautrain for the summit, and its stations sit inside secure zones rather than on the motorcade routes themselves. That said, travelers should still plan for possible brief holds at Sandton, Rosebank, or Marlboro if security checks are extended or if trains are paused while motorcades cross nearby streets, and should budget extra time when changing modes between Gautrain and road transfers.

For those who must drive or use taxis, official advisories and local media suggest specific workarounds. The M57 is recommended as an alternative north south route between Ekurhuleni and Tshwane when the R21 is under pressure, while regional roads via Germiston, Kempton Park, and Bedfordview can substitute for parts of the R24 and N12. Inside Johannesburg, side streets parallel to Jan Smuts Avenue, Oxford Road, and Rivonia Road, such as Corlett Drive, Sandton Drive, and 11th Avenue, can help bypass the most heavily policed intersections in Sandton and Rosebank.

In southern Johannesburg and around Nasrec, authorities point travelers toward Chris Hani Road, Main Reef Road, Crownwood Road, Soweto Highway, the N17, Aerodrome Road, and Adcock Ingram Road as alternatives when Rand Show Road, Booysens Reserve Road, Nasrec Road, and Golden Highway are fully or partially closed. These routes are not immune to congestion, but they at least keep travelers away from the most tightly controlled motorcade corridors.

What To Watch On November 24 And After

Although the main summit sessions officially closed on November 23, departure days are often when traffic feels worst. Government and media guidance suggests that Monday, November 24 is likely to see concentrated motorcade activity as delegations leave summit hotels and the Nasrec precinct for O R Tambo, Lanseria, and Waterkloof, which in turn raises the odds of abrupt full stops on R21 and R24 into O R Tambo, N14 toward Lanseria, and N1 and M1 approaches through Sandton and central Johannesburg.

Travelers with flights or airport hotel moves on November 24 should assume that real time navigation apps will not always see closures until they are in place, because many are human controlled and not scheduled like ordinary road works. The safest play is to pick conservative transfer times, use the Gautrain where it is practical, stick to official airport and government routing advice, and leave extra room in itineraries for delays that are annoying but predictable in a summit of this scale.