Kigali International Airport
| Kigali International Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| IATA: KGL – ICAO: HRYR | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Civil aviation airport | ||
| Operator | Rwanda Airports Authority | ||
| Serves | Kigali | ||
| Location | Kigali, Rwanda | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 4,891 ft / 1,491 m | ||
| Coordinates | 01°57′59″S 030°07′59″E / 1.96639°S 30.13306°ECoordinates: 01°57′59″S 030°07′59″E / 1.96639°S 30.13306°E | ||
| Map | |||
 KGL
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| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 10/28 | 11,482 | 3,500 | Paved |
Kigali International Airport (IATA: KGL, ICAO: HRYR), formerly known as Gregoire Kayibanda International Airport, but sometimes referred to as Kanombe International Airport, is the primary airport serving Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. It is the main air gateway for all destinations in the country, and in addition serves as a transit airport for Goma and Bukavu in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Contents |
[edit] Location
The airport is located in the suburb of Kanombe, at the eastern edge of Kigali, approximately 14 kilometres (8.7 mi), by road, east of the central business district of the city of Kigali.[1]
[edit] Passenger traffic
In 2004, the airport served 135,189 passengers. In 2008, the airport served about 300 000 passengers [2] In May 2011, the Rwanda CAA announced, that Kigali airport will be upgraded to meet the strong demand.[3]
[edit] Facilities
There are three terminals at Kigali. The main two storey terminal was built to replace the single storey building, now housing the VIP terminal. The main terminal can handle 6 small to mid-size aircraft, but it can also handle up to a Boeing 747 jet. The south side of the runway has two helicopter pads with access to the main runway. The pads are used for military helicopters. A cargo terminal is also located at the airport. The latest upgrades to the tarmac and support systems were made in 2002. There is free WiFi in the airport waiting area.
Rwandair has its head office on the top floor of the airport's main building.[4][5] The airline previously had its head office in Centenary House in Kigali.[6] The airline began moving its operations from Centenary House to the airport on Friday 14 May 2010. The airline was scheduled to be moved in by Monday 17 May 2010.[5]
[edit] New Kigali (Bugesera) International Airport
There are plans to replace the current airport with a new one located south of Kigali on the south side of the Nyabarongo River in Bugesera. A new airport location is needed as the existing airport does not allow for growth (no room for additional runway and facilities). The new airport will have one runway, but it can allow a second one to be added later. The project should begin in 2013, and be ready for flights by 2016.[7]
[edit] Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air Burundi | Bujumbura |
| Air Uganda | Entebbe |
| Brussels Airlines | Brussels |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Addis Ababa, Entebbe |
| Kenya Airways | Bujumbura, Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta |
| KLM | Amsterdam |
| Qatar Airways | Doha [begins 21 March 2012] |
| RwandAir | Brazzaville, Bujumbura, Cyangugu, Dar es Salaam, Dubai, Entebbe, Gisenyi, Johannesburg, Kilimanjaro, Lagos, Libreville, Mombasa, Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta |
| South African Airways | Johannesburg |
[edit] Cargo airlines
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Astral Aviation | Nairobi |
| Ethiopian Airlines Cargo | Addis Ababa, Entebbe |
| Martinair Cargo | Amsterdam, Nairobi (operates flights in partnership with KLM Cargo)[8] |
| Silverback Cargo Freighters | Addis Ababa, Bujumbura, Dubai, Jeddah, Johannesburg |
[edit] Incidents and accidents
- 6 April 1994 – A Falcon 50 owned by and carrying then-president of Rwanda Juvenal Habyarimana was shot down while approaching the airport, killing all 12 aboard including Habyarimana and then-president of Burundi, Cyprien Ntaryamira, who were returning from a meeting to end Rwanda's civil war. Ironically the wreckage landed in front of the presidential palace. The attack was blamed on Tutsi rebels, and as a result within one hour of the crash Interahamwe militias had begun the Rwandan Genocide. There is no consensus on who actually shot down or ordered the attack on the plane.
- 1 June 2004 – An Antonov 32 owned by Sun Air (9XR-SN), reportedly suffered some problems with the left main undercarriage after takeoff from Beni (Congo Democratic Republic). The airplane was headed for Goma, Congo, but diverted to Kigali for an emergency landing. The aircraft crashed on landing, causing the Russian pilots and Congolese passengers to sustain serious injuries. The An-32 involved in the accident had been detained in Goma mid-July 2003 because it carried a shipment of armaments destined for a Rwanda-backed militia in the Congolese Kasai region.
- 12 November 2009, RwandAir Flight 205, a Bombardier CRJ-100 crashed into a VIP terminal shortly after an emergency landing; out of the 10 passengers and 5 crew, 1 passenger died.
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The old terminal, now used for VIP departures/arrivals
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Inside the passenger terminal
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The departures lounge
[edit] References
- ^ Road Distance Between Kigali And Kanombe With Map
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ "All RwandAir Offices & Branches." RwandAir. Retrieved on 24 May 2011. "Kigali Head Office Kigali International Airport Main Building (top floor)"
- ^ a b "Announcement on RwandAir Head Office shift from Centenary House to new airport office." RwandAir. Retrieved on 16 June 2010.
- ^ Flight International 12–18 April 2005
- ^ Bugesera Airport Expected To Be Operational By 2016
- ^ Martinair Services Kigali From Amsterdam
[edit] External links
Media related to Kigali International Airport at Wikimedia Commons
