Wilson Airport (Kenya)
| Wilson Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
IATA: WIL – ICAO: HKNW
 WIL
Placement on map is approximate |
|||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public, Civilian | ||
| Owner | Kenya Airports Authority | ||
| Serves | Nairobi, Kenya | ||
| Location | Nairobi,  Kenya |
||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,690 m / 5,546 ft | ||
| Coordinates | 01°19′12″S 36°48′54″E / 1.32°S 36.815°E | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 07/25 | 1,462 | 4,798 | Asphalt |
| 14/32 | 1,540 | 5,052 | Asphalt |
Wilson Airport is an airport in Kenya.
Contents |
[edit] Location
Wilson Airport, (IATA: WIL, ICAO: HKNW), is located in Nairobi County, Nairobi District, in Nairobi Province, in the city of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya and the largest metropolitan center in that country. Its location lies approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi), by road, south of the central business district of the city.[1] Nearby suburbs include:Langata, South C and Kibera.
This location lies approximately 18 kilometres (11 mi), by road, west of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the largest ccivilian airport in the ccountry.[2] The coordinates of this airport are:1° 19' 12.00"S, 36° 48' 54.00"E (Latitude:-1.320000; Longitude:36.815000).
[edit] Overview
The airport serves both domestic and international traffic. It is used mostly by general aviation traffic. Industries that use Wilson Airport extensively include tourism, health care and agriculture. The airport averages traffic of around 120,000 landings and take-offs annually.
Airkenya and other small airlines use Wilson Airport for scheduled domestic passenger services, instead of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the main airport in Nairobi. Missionary aviation operators AMREF, Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) and AIM AIR use Wilson Airport as their airport base on the African continent. The airport is used also for flight training. The airport is under the supervision of Kenya Airports Authority (KAA).
As a result faster check-in times and fewer flight delays, as compared to Nairobi International Airport, Wilson Airport is commonly used by business executives for both domestic and International travel. Common domestic destinations from Wilson Airport include Kisumu Airport, Mombasa International Airport and Eldoret International Airport.
Situated at 5,546 feet (1,690 m) above sea level,[3] Wilson Airport has two asphalt runways: (a) Runway 1 measures 4,798 feet (1,462 m) long and 72 feet (22 m) wide; (b) Runway 2 measures 5,052 feet (1,540 m) long 76 feet (23 m) wide.[4]
[edit] History
The airport was established in 1933 as Nairobi Aerodrome, and was used for Air mail by Imperial Airways. The airport was later renamed Wilson Airport in 1962. It was named after Florence Kerr Wilson, a pioneer of aviation in Kenya.
[edit] Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aero Kenya | Eldoret |
| Airkenya Express | Amboseli, Kilimanjaro, Lamu, Lewa Downs, Malindi, Masai Mara, Meru, Mombasa, Nanyuki, Samburu |
| ALS - Aircraft Leasing Services | Loki, Rumbek, Juba |
| Blue Bird Aviation | |
| Delta Connection | Juba, Yei, Rumbek |
| fly540 | Kilimanjaro |
| Phoenix Aviation | |
| Safarilink Aviation | Amboseli, Masai Mara, Tsavo, Chyulus, Naivasha, Nanyuki, Lewa Downs, Samburu, Lamu, Kiwayu, Kilimanjaro |
| Yellow Wings Air Charter Services |
[edit] Accidents and incidents
- On 24 December 1968, Douglas C-47A 5Y-ADI of the Kenya Police Air Wing was damaged beyond economic repair. All three people on board were killed.[5]
[edit] External links
- Location of Nairobi Wilson Airport At Google Maps
- Kenya Airports Authority - Wilson Airport
- Wilson Airport live webcam
- Wilson Airport live webcam (Yellow Wings)
- Aero Club of East Africa
- Airport information for HKNW at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
- Airport information for HKNW at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).
- Current weather for HKNW at NOAA/NWS
- Accident history for WIL at Aviation Safety Network
[edit] See also
- Jomo Kenyatta Airport
- Nairobi
- Nairobi District
- Nairobi Province
- Kenya Airports Authority
- Kenya Civil Aviation Authority
- List of airports in Kenya
[edit] References
- ^ Estimated Road Distance Between Central Nairobi And Wilson Airport
- ^ Map Showing Wilson Airport And Jomo Kenyatta International Airporrt With Distance Marker
- ^ Elevation of Nairobi Wilson Airport
- ^ Runway Dimensions At Nairobi Wilson Airport
- ^ "5Y-ADI Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681224-2. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
Coordinates: 1°19′12″S 36°48′54″E / 1.320000°S 36.815000°E
