Airport comments for Africa
Comments 1 to 50 of 1,394
Cape2Pole Start
I choose this airfield to start my Cape to North Pole MSFS2020 VR adventure. Next stop: FAWC
Warm welcome
Great little airport with the friendliest police you have ever seen
Customs
When hand baggage being checked be aware, that some might want to put a hand in your purse. Be loud in protesting because the officers around then will not let it happen.
Lost luggage
Not the airport's fault and it arrived the next day! Due to the crisis in Zimbabwe the officer had do hand write all the details, not very efficient but very friendly and helpful
re: airport staff
Actually quite friendly now (and punctual)
re: New Name
Reply to @Christian_Maclen_77:
Consultation of eAIPs
Explicative note
02/24/2022
Page 2 of 17
Distributing an AIP in electronic format (eAIP) is one way to achieve compliance with the
Regulation (EU) 2017/373 amended by RUE 2020/469 (Annex VI-Part AIS - point AIS.TR.305).
The eAIP is produced by the NOPIA tool of the SIA: it is based on the Eurocontrol specifications but configured
to adapt to the French context. It follows the standard structure GEN (General), ENR (EN Route) and
AD (AéroDromes) of an AIP.
The eAIP Metropolitan France, CAR-SAM-NAM (Antilles, Guyana and St Pierre and Miquelon), PAC-N
(New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna), PAC-P (French Polynesia) and RUN (Réunion, Mayotte and Iles
sparse) can be consulted in the online store, and on the home page of the SIA website as presented
below.
(no subject)
Here is the link.
https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/LEGIARTI000045541435/2022-04-10#LEGIARTI000045541435
"AERONAUTICAL INFORMATION PUBLICATION FRANCE contains aeronautical information concerning the territory of metropolitan France." Mayotte = Indian Ocean
Thank you for creating OurAirports that I am discovering.
Home to the greatest heavens on earth!
Fly-In Offer
Land on our Airstrip and stay over at Rogge Cloof.
View our website for more details www.roggecloof.com
A rare 10000+ ft runway in Central Africa
This airport was built to serve the hometown of then-Zairean President Mobutu Sese Seko, who had a palace here and would charter an Air France Concorde so his family could go shopping in Paris. Yes, you read that correctly.
Split between two Governorates
Part of this facility is in Suez Governorate, but most of it lies in Ismailia Governorate.
Re: Placename Translation
Putting these name convention notes here in lieu of a wiki.
Best practices when listing placenames and names of airports that are based on location are to leave those place names listed in the original language (for example, Puerto Vallarta and not "Port Vallarta", Ras Sedr and not "Cape Sedr", Kuala Lumpur and certainly not "Muddy Confluence").
Military ranks and titles used in the names of airports should be translated where feasible (ie. Colonel rather than Coronel, Marshal and not Marechal etc, but preserve culturally distinctive titles such as Chhatrapati or Shahid). Likewise, the words for airport, heliport, etc. should always be translated and written out (ie. "matar, kuukou, aerodromio, flyplats" etc should be translated); likewise, words like hospital, factory, etc should be translated unless the word is a brand name and familiar in English.
Visible in newer maps
Not visible in sat maps prior to 2022, newer sat maps show a three-slot heliport in this location adjacent to a new factory for Elsewedy Electric.
Small regional airport
It's not exciting, but it's not meant to be. Has about 2-3 departures per day for Dar and Comoros. Never really had any issues there - tiny, straightforward, does what it says on the tin. I think there was a small stand where you could buy water/crisps/cashew nuts after security, and some loos. As it's small you more or less see your plane land, the previous lot of passengers get off and their luggage, then watch your suitcase be put into the cargo hold and are shortly called to board. If you fly into this airport you'll be through baggage reclaim and outside in no time. Nice chilled out vibes. No bother no fuss.
Decent regional airport
If you arrive fairly early for your flight you may be sent to the waiting area, which is a sort of hangar in a separate building to the check-in building with the gates, etc. The waiting area has no loos but does have a stand selling local chocolate products and a food stand that does meat pies, drinks, ice cream, etc. The pies were quite nice but my colleague's croissant had mould on and the ice creams were a bit melted. Plenty of seating though.
When you get called through to clear security you're shown into the gate area, where there is a small and fascinatingly eclectic shop, selling everything from Monopoly games to history books and t-shirts, and there are loos. I think there was also wifi there. It only holds one plane-load of passengers and you don't spend long there before boarding.
As is fairly typical of small airports like this, you can pretty much see your plane arrive and watch your suitcase going onboard. On arrival, once you've collected your baggage you are basically on the tarmac outside in seconds. There is a small currency exchange but rates and staffing were...unclear. It's within Kumasi city though so not a long drive to in-city hotels.
(no subject)
good
(no subject)
nice
re: New Name
Reply to @Christian_Maclen_77: Can you provide a link? I cannot find any confirmation of a new name. The latest French AIP still lists it as "Dzaoudzi Pamandzi," and the airport's website link is broken.
New Name
Since 29-3-2022, new name is "Mayotte - Marcel Henry" airport
Runway length is estimated
I've added runway numbers and estimated length based on the satellite imagery. Unfortunately, this airport isn't covered by the ASECNA AIP, so I can't get exact numbers.
(no subject)
Best Tuna Melt in the Congo. Simply kengetastic!
Subantarctic research station
This research station is administratively part of Cape Town, despite the fact that it's over 2,100 km away.
Found it!
Evidently disused, but it exists.
DFEN
Gravel runway for the 'I am Gold' Goldmine in Burkina Faso
re: Not GMAR
Reply to @PapaOscar
I am supposed to fly at GMAR next november ifor the occasion of Rallye La Marche Verte organized by the royal aero club of Agadir:
Not GMAR
I removed the GMAR ICAO code from this strip, and created the real GMAR a couple of kilometers north.
re: QUESNA AIRPORT
Reply to @kazanova001: Thank you very much. I wish you the best of health and joy as well. If there is any new information you'd like to share about the airport, we'd be happy to add it to the website.
re: QUESNA AIRPORT
Reply to @kazanova001:
Your reply sir after 8 years since my comment.
Many things changed
God help you , give you health and joy
re: QUESNA AIRPORT
Reply to @kazanova001: I assume that's an autocorrect for "build new warehouses".
Permanently Closed
Closed
re: The Chileka Club
Maria, this is a very long shot as you left your blog a long time ago, but here goes...my name is Amit Som and I went to school with you in St Andrews in 1975. I would be so happy if you could make contact at asom62@yahoo.co.uk. I have a school photo dating from 1975 that has you in it, I remember you with great fondness and hope you get in touch, or some kind soul puts us in touch. All the best, Amit Som St Andrews Blantyre 1975. ps. I have just met our art teacher John Harris here in England! Fond memories of HE The Life President going by in his motorcade and waiting hours for him...great fun. Please get in touch Maria.
Runway 03 and 33 Right Hand Circuits
Stay to Northern/Eastern sides while Flying circuits.
Power lines on approach to RWY 03 and 33
re: Not yet visible in satellite imagery (2020-08-28)
Reply to @david: It is visible now.
re: Mistake in the airport position
Now correct.
Thanks!
Thanks for adding this, @Mrb13676
Opened in 2017
This airport opened in December 2017, and scheduled airline service moved here from Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport inside the city.
No more airline service
This was formerly Dakar's principal airport, but in December 2017, scheduled airline service moved to the newly-constructed Blaise Diagne International Airport, 43 km outside the city.
El Gamil
This appears to be the same airport that was involved in the 1956 Suez Crisis (as "El Gamil Airfield").
No runway visible
I'm assuming the road doubles as a landing strip, but with the curve, it would be challenging.
re: Need to delete rwy 10/28
Reply to @amirfl: Done.
re: Any verification on the ICAO ID?
Reply to @mforte: yes, it's problematic, because GMAR is a Moroccan ICAO code, and this airport is not within Morocco's internationally recognized borders (though they occupy and administer the territory).
re: (no subject)
Thanks for the comment. Our policy is to list the primary city served rather than the airport's actual location.
Barberton Airport updated info
Web site: https://www.barbertonairport.co.za
Uncertain status
The satellite imagery shows a possible clear landing area to the east of the location marker, but it's not at all clear that there is a real airport here, despite the fact that it appears in charts and Wikipedia and has an ICAO code.
Ghost airport?
No runway is visible in the satellite imagery. See problem report:
https://ourairports.com/airports/GQNH/problem-reports/3337.html
Base Aerienne 188 (France)
France's Base Aerienne 188 shares the north side of the field with the civilian terminal, while the US, Japan, and Djibouti itself have their military bases on the south side.
Japan Self-Defense Force Base Djibouti
Also located adjacent to the airport is Japan's only long-term overseas military base, dedicated to anti-piracy operations in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Self-Defense_Force_Base_Djibouti
Camp Lemonnier (U.S.)
Camp Lemonnier, the only long-term U.S. military base in Africa, is located on the south side of the airport and shares its facilities. More information here:
3 fields near El Wak?
I do not like to start a debate, but pls note following: When creating entries for the airfields around El Wak, I added a comment in the entry for the disused city airport that there were possibly two other fields nearby. One of them (a gravel strip) was clearly visible approx. 7.5 kms to the west of the city, for which I created a new entry (KE-0212). I also added a link to the newspaper article which shows people celebrating the opening of what looks like a gravel strip. It is not clear whether this is the same strip of entry KE-0212). Lastly, OpenAIP has an airport HKEW at a location to the S of El Wak city. Although nothing is visible in satellite pictures, this could indeed refer to a stretch of the main road. I therefore have absolutely no problem of HKEW being added to the database with these coordinates, as David has done.
What bothers me somewhat is that this was not done by actually adding a new airport to the database, but by taking the entry for the gravel strip located to the W of the city, and changing its coordinates and designation (KE-0212 is now HKEW). Through this change we may well have a correct HKEW entry, but we have completely lost the gravel strip to the W of El Wak city from the database. I would propose that we do not do this in future and instead preserve other entrie (unless clearly wrong).
Thx for your consideration, Frits
Hey
🔗 Sat, 21 Jan 2023
— @petergrewww at Khartoum International Airport, Sudan
wow