Mahikeng Airport

Last updated

Mahikeng Airport

Mmabatho Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorGovernment
Serves Mahikeng, South Africa
Location Mmabatho
Elevation  AMSL 4,181 ft / 1,274 m
Coordinates 25°48′27″S025°32′40″E / 25.80750°S 25.54444°E / -25.80750; 25.54444 Coordinates: 25°48′27″S025°32′40″E / 25.80750°S 25.54444°E / -25.80750; 25.54444
Map
South Africa North West relief location map.svg
Airplane silhouette.svg
FAMM
Location of airport in North West province
Location of North West in South Africa
North West in South Africa.svg
Runways
Direction LengthSurface
mft
04/224,49914,760Asphalt
Sources: South African AIP, [1] DAFIF [2] [3]

Mahikeng Airport or Mmabatho Airport [4] ( IATA : MBD, ICAO : FAMM) is an airport serving Mahikeng and Mmabatho, the current and former capital cities of the North West province in South Africa. The airport is widely known as Mafikeng Airport after Mahikeng's former name. [5] The airport is managed by the North West Province Department of Transport and Roads. The airport is a former air force base of the Boputhatswana Defence Force [4] and was previously classified as an international airport. [5] As of 2014, discussions and construction was in progress in order for the airport to regain its status as an international airport. [6] [7]

Contents

History

The airport is home to a flying club called the Mafikeng Flying Club. The club was formed in 1971. [8] The air base was taken over and used as a base by members of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging during the Bophuthatswana coup d'état of 1994. [4]

The airport's international license was suspended by the South African Civil Aviation Authority on 16 April 2001 with immediate effect due to issues with security, fire and airport management. [9]

The airport is used by private aircraft operators as passenger flights stopped in 2009 due to the airport failing to comply with various regulations. [7] Scheduled commercial flights by South African Express resumed in 2015 and were suspended in June 2018. [10]

Facilities

The airport resides at an elevation of 4,181 feet (1,274 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 04/22 with an asphalt surface measuring 4,499 by 45 metres (14,760 ft × 148 ft) as well as asphalt taxiways. [5] [1]

As of 2014, the airport is undergoing an expansion that includes re-marking runways and taxiways as well as installing a new instrument landing system that should allow Mahikeng airport to regain its international status. [6] The cost of the expansion project was R15 million with a further R30 million being spent in order to ensure the project is completed within 2014. [11] The expansion is intended to make Mahikeng airport a major cargo hub in the North West province that can be used to export various agricultural products produced within the province. [7] Mahikeng airport has all the necessary facilities for customs control. The airport does not have international certification, however these facilities can be made operational again if needed. [5]

Airlines and destinations

Since South African Express terminated their flights to Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo, the airport no longer supports scheduled routes.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mafikeng</span> Capital city of the North-West Province, South Africa

Mafikeng, officially known as Mahikeng and previously Mafeking, is the capital city of the North West province of South Africa.

Mmabatho is the former capital of the North-West Province of South Africa. During the apartheid era, it was the capital of the former "Bantustan" of Bophuthatswana. Following the end of apartheid in 1994, Bophuthatswana was integrated into the newly established North-West Province and Mmabatho was proclaimed the provincial capital. However, Mmabatho's status as the provincial capital was short-lived. Later in 1994, the North West provincial legislature voted to rename the capital to Mahikeng, reducing Mmabatho to a suburb of Mafikeng.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bophuthatswana</span> 1977–1994 bantustan in South Africa

Bophuthatswana, officially the Republic of Bophuthatswana, was a Bantustan that was declared (nominally) independent by the apartheid regime of South Africa in 1977. However, its independence, like the other Bantustans was not recognized by any country other than South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pilanesberg International Airport</span> Airport

Pilanesberg International Airport is an airport serving Sun City in the North West province of South Africa. It is located adjacent to the Pilanesberg National Park.

Allama Iqbal International Airport is the third largest civilian airport by traffic in Pakistan, after Jinnah International Airport, Karachi and Islamabad International Airport. It serves Lahore, capital of Punjab and second-largest city of Pakistan. It also serves a large portion of the travellers from the other regions of Punjab province. Originally known as Lahore International Airport, it was renamed after the poet philosopher Allama Iqbal, one of the pioneers that led to the creation of Pakistan. The airport has three terminals: the Allama Iqbal terminal, the Hajj terminal and a cargo terminal. The airport is about 15 km from the centre of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North West (South African province)</span> Province in South Africa

North West is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Mahikeng. The province is located to the west of the major population centre of Gauteng and south of Botswana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Airport</span> Airport in Bristol, England

Bristol Airport, at Lulsgate Bottom, on the northern slopes of the Mendip Hills, in North Somerset, is the commercial airport serving the city of Bristol, England, and the surrounding area. It is 7 nautical miles southwest of Bristol city centre. Built on the site of a former RAF airfield, it opened in 1957 as Bristol (Lulsgate) Airport, replacing Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport as Bristol's municipal airport. From 1997 to 2010, it was known as Bristol International Airport. In 1997, a majority shareholding in the airport was sold to FirstGroup, and then in 2001 the airport was sold to a joint venture of Macquarie Bank and others. In September 2014, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan bought out Macquarie to become the sole owner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging</span> Paramilitary organisation in South Africa

The Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging, meaning "Afrikaner Resistance Movement", commonly known by its abbreviation AWB, is an Afrikaner nationalist, neo-Nazi, and white supremacist paramilitary organisation in South Africa. Since its founding in 1973 by Eugène Terre'Blanche and six other far-right Afrikaners, it has been dedicated to secessionist Afrikaner nationalism and the creation of an independent Boer-Afrikaner republic or "Volkstaat/Boerestaat" in part of South Africa. During bilateral negotiations to end apartheid in the early 1990s, the organisation terrorised and killed black South Africans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leeds Bradford Airport</span> Airport serving West Yorkshire, England

Leeds Bradford Airport is located in Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, about 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Leeds city centre, and about 9 miles (14 km) northeast from Bradford city centre. It serves Leeds and Bradford and the wider Yorkshire region including York, Wakefield and Harrogate, and is the largest airport in Yorkshire. The airport was in public ownership until May 2007, when it was bought by Bridgepoint Capital for £145.5 million. Bridgepoint sold it in 2017 to AMP Capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murtala Muhammed International Airport</span> International airport serving Lagos, Nigeria

Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) is an international airport located in Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria, and is the major airport serving the entire state. The airport was initially built during World war II and is named after Murtala Muhammed (1938–1976), the fourth military ruler of Nigeria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport</span> International airport serving Abuja, Nigeria

Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport is an international airport serving Abuja, in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria. It is the main airport serving the Nigerian capital city and was named after Nigeria's first President, Nnamdi Azikiwe (1904–1996). The airport is approximately 20 km (12 mi) west of Abuja, and has an international and a domestic terminal that share its single runway

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Fahd International Airport</span> Largest airport in the world by area

King Fahd International Airport, also known as Dammam International Airport or simply Dammam Airport or King Fahd Airport, is the international airport serving Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The airport is located 31 kilometres northwest of downtown Dammam and is named after the former King of Saudi Arabia, Fahd ibn Abdulaziz (1921–2005). The airport serves the entire Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and is one of the three primary international airports in the kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport</span> Airport in Basseterre

Robert L. Bradshaw Airport, formerly known as Golden Rock Airport, is an international airport located just northeast of Basseterre, on the island of Saint Kitts, serving the nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. It was named after the first Premier of St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla, Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw. In 2008, the airport handled 399,706 passengers.

Gwadar International Airport is an international airport situated 14 km north of the city centre of Gwadar, in the Balochistan province of Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mangalore International Airport</span> Airport in Mangalore, India

Mangalore International Airport, is an international airport serving the coastal city of Mangalore, India. It is one of the only two international airports in Karnataka, the other being Kempegowda International Airport, Bangalore. Mangalore International Airport is the second busiest airport in Karnataka. In addition to domestic destinations, flights depart daily for major cities in the Middle East. The airport was named Bajpe Aerodrome, when it opened on 25 December 1951 by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru arrived then on a Douglas DC-3 aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 Bophuthatswana crisis</span> Crisis in South Africa

The 1994 Bophuthatswana crisis was a major political crisis which began after Lucas Mangope, the president of Bophuthatswana, a South African bantustan created under apartheid, attempted to crush widespread labour unrest and popular demonstrations demanding the incorporation of the territory into South Africa pending non-racial elections later that year. Violent protests immediately broke out following President Mangope's announcement on 7 March that Bophuthatswana would boycott the South African general elections. These escalated into a civil service strike and a mutiny in the local armed forces, which was complicated by the arrival of right-wing Afrikaner extremists ostensibly seeking to preserve the Mangope government. The chaos lasted about four days before the president bowed to pressure and agreed to allow participation in the upcoming elections. However, Mangope once again reversed his decision. The South African Defence Force (SADF) responded by deposing him and restoring order on 12 March.

The North West Division of the High Court of South Africa is a superior court of law with general jurisdiction over the western part of North West province of South Africa. The division sits at Mahikeng.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juba International Airport</span> International airport serving Juba, South Sudan

Juba Airport is an airport serving Juba, the capital city of South Sudan. The airport is located 5 km (3 mi) northeast of the city's central business district, on the western banks of the White Nile. The city and airport are located in South Sudan's Central Equatoria State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bophuthatswana Defence Force</span> Defence force of the Republic of Bophuthatswana

The Bophuthatswana Defence Force was established on 6 December 1977 from trainees of the South African Defence Force. It was the defence force of the Republic of Bophuthatswana, a nominally independent bantustan during the Apartheid era of South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun Air (South Africa)</span>

Sun Air was a South African airline, originally owned by the Bantustan of Bophuthatswana, and later privatised. It ceased operations in 1999.

References

  1. 1 2 "Aerodrome chart for MAFIKENG - FAMM" (PDF). South African Civil Aviation Authority. 26 August 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2012.
  2. ↑ Airport information for FAMM from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
  3. ↑ Airport information for MBD at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
  4. 1 2 3 Dixon, Norm (23 March 1994). "Mandela: 'A lesson they will never forget'". Green Left Weekly . Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014. Mmabatho's Bophuthatswana Air Base
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Mahikeng Airport". Tourism North West. Archived from the original on 15 August 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  6. 1 2 "North West Government hosts Mahikeng Airport City Project stakeholders roundtable". South Africa Government Online. 28 January 2014. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 Torerai, ELFAS (23 June 2014). "We want an airport city to arise at Mahikeng". Africa News Network. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  8. ↑ "About Mafikeng Flying Club". Mafikeng Flying Club. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  9. ↑ "CAA Suspends Mafikeng Airport Licence". South African Civil Aviation Authority Online. South African Civil Aviation Authority. 16 April 2001. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  10. ↑ "Mafikeng Airport back in business". Independent Online. ANA. 4 September 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  11. ↑ "Freight hub in the pipeline for Mahikeng airport". South African Government News Agency. 12 September 2013. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.