East London Airport
Encyclopedia
East London Airport is located in East London, South Africa
.
East London's airport is a small but bustling one that plays an important role in the growing economy of the Eastern Cape
.
Every day it welcomes between 20 and 30 flights – which bring 346 000 people to East London each year. Of these, about 140 000 are holidaymakers, mostly local, and about 15% are foreign tourists.
In 2004, the airport served 422,672 passengers (+11.5% vs. '03).
Passenger flights were undertaken by two de Havilland Moth planes on Saturday afternoons and all day on Sundays, weather permitting. Flights could also be booked for weekdays, but only by special arrangement. In 1931 it took 11 hours to fly from Windhoek
in Namibia
to East London.
In 1944 a new airport was built at Collondale, about 2 km west of the present terminal building.
In 1965 the airport was again moved, this time to its present site, 9 km west of the city centre. Construction of the terminal buildings finished in 1966, and the airport was named after Ben Schoeman, the minister of transport at the time.
The airport was renamed in 1994. Since then, major alterations to the terminal building have been completed and a new first-floor office development for the airport management team has been added.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
East London's airport is a small but bustling one that plays an important role in the growing economy of the Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
.
Every day it welcomes between 20 and 30 flights – which bring 346 000 people to East London each year. Of these, about 140 000 are holidaymakers, mostly local, and about 15% are foreign tourists.
In 2004, the airport served 422,672 passengers (+11.5% vs. '03).
History
The airport had an inauspicious beginning in 1927, when Lieut Colonel Alistair Miller asked the East London town council to help establish a municipal aerodrome at Woodbrook, west of the city.Passenger flights were undertaken by two de Havilland Moth planes on Saturday afternoons and all day on Sundays, weather permitting. Flights could also be booked for weekdays, but only by special arrangement. In 1931 it took 11 hours to fly from Windhoek
Windhoek
Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...
in Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
to East London.
In 1944 a new airport was built at Collondale, about 2 km west of the present terminal building.
In 1965 the airport was again moved, this time to its present site, 9 km west of the city centre. Construction of the terminal buildings finished in 1966, and the airport was named after Ben Schoeman, the minister of transport at the time.
The airport was renamed in 1994. Since then, major alterations to the terminal building have been completed and a new first-floor office development for the airport management team has been added.
Airlines
Incidents
- On March 13, 1967, South African Airways Flight 406South African Airways Flight 406South African Airways Flight 406 was a scheduled passenger flight on 13 March 1967 that crashed into the sea on approach to East London, South Africa. All 25 passengers and crew on board were killed. The pilot of the plane suffered a heart attack while on approach and the co-pilot was unable to...
crashed into the Indian OceanIndian OceanThe Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
while on approach to East London Airport. All 25 passengers and crew on board were killed.
See also
External links
- East London Airport Homepage
- East London Airport Basic Details
- More useful information about East London Airport - History, pax, airlines, parking...
- Aerial Photograph on Google Maps