Ceuta Heliport
Ceuta Heliport Helipuerto de Ceuta | |||||||||||
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 View of the Ceuta Heliport from the park of San Amaro | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner/Operator | AENA | ||||||||||
| Serves | Ceuta | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 2 m / 6.6 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 35°53′33″N 005°18′21″W / 35.89250°N 5.30583°W | ||||||||||
| Website | www.aena.es/... | ||||||||||
| Helipads | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2013) | |||||||||||
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Ceuta Heliport (Spanish: Helipuerto de Ceuta) (IATA: JCU, ICAO: GECE) is the heliport, and only air transport facility, serving the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta, in North Africa.
Since 9 January 2004, it has been possible to fly to Ceuta from Málaga by helicopter. This heliport is the first in Spain to be constructed and managed by AENA in order to secure accessibility to the autonomous city by air. A rapid connection with the mainland is considered vital for the development of the Ceutan economy.
The heliport is situated in the port of Ceuta, between the cargo dock and the fishing port, on land reclaimed from the sea in the north of the city. The heliport consists of three helipads, a short runway, a two-storey terminal building, a power station and a fire station.
This infrastructure is key to Ceuta because it allows passengers to connect in minutes through Malaga (peninsular Spain's third airport), giving Ceuta access to almost all cities served from Andalucia. Destinations include more than one hundred cities in Europe (mainly in the United Kingdom, Central Europe and the Nordic countries) but also the main cities of Eastern Europe: Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Budapest, Sofia, Warsaw, Riga and Bucharest), North Africa, the Middle East (Riyadh, Jeddah and Kuwait) and North America (New York, Toronto and Montreal).
The former ICAO code of Ceuta is GECT. It has changed in mid-2009.[2]
Statistics
In its second year of operation, the heliport served 20,233 passengers, handled 2,656 operations and 4.6 tonnes of cargo.
Routes and services
The route is covered by Helicópteros del Sureste, a transport company based in Mutxamel, Alicante. The regular service operates since 1996, linking the city of Ceuta with Malaga Airport in thirty minutes. This route serves more than 20,000 annually, in approximately 2,600 flights. The helicopters used are the most recent versions of the AW139 which have a capacity of up to 15 passengers. It is due to become the main destination for helicopters leaving Algeciras Heliport.
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Helicópteros del Sureste | Algeciras, Málaga |
See also
- Melilla Airport - the only airport in Spanish territory on the African coast
- Sania Ramel Airport - the closest airport to Ceuta
References
- ^ "Ceuta Heliport". AENA. Retrieved 15 May 2010.
- ^ "GECE Changes". OurAirports. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
