avia.wikisort.org - Aerodrome

Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport (IATA: HRE, ICAO: FVRG), (known colloquially as "RGM", or Mugabe Airport)[1] formerly known as the Harare International Airport, is an international airport in Harare, Zimbabwe. It is the largest airport in the country and serves as the base of Air Zimbabwe. The airport is operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe. It was originally built as Salisbury Airport.

Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport
IATA: HRE ICAO: FVRG[1]
Summary
Airport type	Joint (Civil and Military)
Operator	Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe
Serves	Harare, Zimbabwe
Hub for	Air Zimbabwe Fastjet Zimbabwe
Elevation AMSL	4,887 ft / 1,490 m
Coordinates	17°55′54.5″S 31°05′34.25″E
Website	caaz.co.zw
Map
HRE Location of the airport in Zimbabwe
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 05/23 15,500 4,725 Asphalt
Statistics (2016)
Passengers 1 096 375

History

Commissioned in 1956, and officially opened on 5 February 1957; Salisbury Airport cost £924,000 to build. According to the 1950 report of the Director of Civil Aviation, the city's original aerodrome, Belvedere Airport, had proved to be inadequate and had to be abandoned for the following reasons:[2]

• the runway was some 45° out of alignment, given that approaching aircraft had to enter through a gap in Warren Hills;
• because of the skewed align, aircraft were forced to take-off over the city centre, which posed a real danger of accidents;
• the growing number of high-rise buildings in the city, particularly Milton Building, posed a risk to aircraft;
• Belvedere Airport had been built to accommodate the RAF Elementary Flying Training School, so the layout and design of the buildings were not particularly suitable for commercial aviation.

A site therefore had to be found for the construction of an airport that would be safer and more suitable for commercial activities.

The Southern Rhodesian government had appointed a Southern Rhodesia Aerodrome Board as early as January 1947, whose task was to advise the government on the selection, acquisition, construction and maintenance of government aerodromes and landing grounds in Southern Rhodesia. Later the same year, an Airfield Construction Unit was formed to undertake an extensive search for a suitable site for a national airport.^{[citation needed]}

In 1949, the government purchased Kentucky and Adair farms east of Salisbury (2,700 acres at a cost of £54,000) for the construction of the new airport. Also in 1949 the Minister of Mines and Transport set up an Airport Panel to co-ordinate the construction of the airport. The Panel comprised representatives of the interested government departments, the Municipality of Salisbury and Rhodesia Railways.^{[citation needed]}

In 1951 the government announced that the airport would be developed as a joint user aerodrome for both civil aviation and the Southern Rhodesian Air Force (SRAF). Construction of the airport began soon afterwards, and by September 1951, an 8,400 ft runway had been completed, enabling the first aircraft; an SRAF Anson- to land at the new airport.^{[citation needed]}

Originally, it was anticipated that the airport would be completed by 1954. It was, however, not completed until two years later, because the government ran out of funds in October 1952 and had to suspend the project temporarily. The new Salisbury Airport was finally commissioned on 1 July 1956 by the Government of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The cost of building the airport was £924,000.[3]

On 18 April 1980, South Rhodesia was officially renamed as Zimbabwe, following its independence from Britain.

As a result of internal political conflicts since 2000, there has been a decline in tourists to Zimbabwe. Consequently there are only two non-African airlines that serve the country: Emirates and Qatar Airways. Formerly British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, Swissair, Qantas and Air France all served Harare International Airport for many years.

On 9 November 2017, Harare International Airport was officially, and controversially, renamed after the second President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, to Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport,[4] a decision that was announced earlier in September 2017 and sparked a controversy, as many Zimbabweans felt that too many places in the country had already been renamed after Mugabe.[5]

Facilities

Air Rhodesia established its headquarters at the airport in 1967,[6] and since Zimbabwean independence in 1980, Air Rhodesia's successor, Air Zimbabwe, has maintained the status quo with its head office located at the airport as well.[7][8] Civil aviation regulatory authority, the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe has its head office on level 3 of the new International Terminal.[9]

In August 2018, Boeing announced that it is in negotiations with Zimbabwean authorities to establish a regional hub for Boeing aeroplanes for providing training and expert technical services at the airport.[10]

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Air Tanzania	Dar es Salaam
Air Zimbabwe	Bulawayo, Dar es Salaam,[11] Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo, Victoria Falls
Airlink	Cape Town,[12] Durban,[13] Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo
Emirates	Dubai–International, Lusaka
Ethiopian Airlines	Addis Ababa, Lusaka
Fastjet Zimbabwe	Bulawayo, Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo, Victoria Falls
Kenya Airways	Lusaka, Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta
Malawian Airlines	Lilongwe, Lusaka
Proflight Zambia	Lusaka
Qatar Airways	Doha, Lusaka[14]
RwandAir	Cape Town,a Kigali
South African Airways	Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo[15]
TAAG Angola Airlines	Luanda

^a Flights to and from Kigali have a stopover in Harare. The airline has full traffic rights to transport passengers between Harare and Cape Town.

Statistics

Accidents and incidents

• In July 1984, Vickers Viscount Z-YNI of Air Zimbabwe was damaged beyond economic repair in an accident on the ground. It was withdrawn from use as a result and passed to the airport's fire department for use as a training aid.[16][17]
• On 20 September 1987, Douglas C-47A Z-WRJ of Crest Breeders crashed shortly after take-off following a loss of power from the starboard engine. The aircraft was on a cargo flight. All three crew survived.[18]
• On 3 November 2009, Air Zimbabwe Xian MA60 performing flight UM-239 hit five warthogs on take-off. The take-off was rejected but the undercarriage collapsed, causing substantial damage to the aircraft.[19]

References

External links

Media related to Harare International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

• Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe Archived 29 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine

На других языках

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[de] Flughafen Harare International

Der RG Mugabe International Airport (IATA: HRE; ICAO: FVRG; vorm. FVHA), bis 9. November 2017 Harare International Airport, ist der internationale Verkehrsflughafen der Hauptstadt Simbabwes, Harare. Er wird von der Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) betrieben und dient als Heimatbasis der Air Zimbabwe. Er wurde am 9. November 2017 zu Ehren von Staatspräsident Robert Mugabe nach ihm benannt.[3]

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- [en] Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport

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[es] Aeropuerto Internacional de Harare

El Aeropuerto Internacional de Harare es un aeropuerto ubicado en Harare(IATA: HRE, OACI: FVHA), capital de Zimbabue. Este aeropuerto es operado por la Autoridad de Aviación Civil de Zimbabue y es el centro principal de operaciones de Air Zimbabwe. La pista del aeropuerto, de 4725 metros, es una de las más largas de África, que supera incluso a la pista del Aeropuerto Internacional OR Tambo en Johannesburgo, Sudáfrica, que posee una pista de 4418 metros.[1]

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[fr] Aéroport international d'Harare

L'Aéroport international d'Harare (code IATA : HRE • code OACI : FVRG) est un aéroport situé à Harare, au Zimbabwe. Cet aéroport est dirigé par les Autorités civiles de l'aviation du Zimbabwe et constitue la plate-forme de correspondance (hub) de la compagnie nationale du Zimbabwe, Air Zimbabwe. La piste de l'aéroport, qui mesure 4 725 m est l'une des plus longues du continent africain[1].

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[it] Aeroporto Internazionale di Harare

L'Aeroporto Internazionale di Harare (IATA: HRE, ICAO: FVRG) è un aeroporto zimbabwese che serve la città di Harare, capitale dello stato africano, situato a 15 km a sud dal suo centro.[1]

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