Kamembe Airport

Kamembe International Airport
Kamembe airport terminal seen from the runway, 2017
IATA: KME ICAO: HRZA
Summary
Airport type	Civil
Owner	Rwandan Government
Operator	Rwanda Airports Authority
Serves	Cyangugu
Location	Kamembe, Rwanda
Elevation  AMSL	5,192 ft / 1,583 m
Coordinates	02°27′23″S28°54′35″E / 2.45639°S 28.90972°E / -2.45639; 28.90972
Map
KME Location of the airport in Rwanda
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 02/20 4,921 1,500 Asphalt

Kamembe International Airport, ( IATA : KME, ICAO : HRZA), is an airport in Rwanda. RwandAir operates a Dash 8-Q400 with seven flights per week to and from Kigali International Airport. The airport receives charter flights from Tanzania, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, though not on a regular schedule. During the Rwandan Civil War, Kamembe airport was suggested as a site for transiting French arms to the interim government after April 1994. ^[1]

Kamembe Airport from the outside, 2017 1

Location

Kamembe Airport is located approximately 5 kilometres (3 mi), by road, north of Cyangugu's central business district, Rusizi District, in the Western Province of Rwanda. ^[2] The airport is located approximately 147.5 kilometres (92 mi), by air, southwest of Kigali International Airport, the largest airport in the country. ^[3] It sits at an altitude of 5,192 feet (1,583 m) above mean sea level. ^[4] The geographical coordinates of Kamembe Airport are: 02°27'23.0"S, 28°54'35.0"E (Latitude:-2.456389; Longitude:28.909722). ^[5]

Overview

Kamembe is a medium airport with one paved runway 02/20 that measures 4,921 feet (1,500 m) long and 148 feet (45 m) wide. ^[4]

History

The airport terminal building was heavily damaged by a 2008 earthquake, ^[6] and early in 2010 the Rwanda government announced that Kamembe Airport would be repaired and modernized. ^[7]

By the end of 2012 a new terminal was completed, a new control tower was opened, and Techno Sky, a branch of the Italian publicly owned ENAV corporation, had installed new navigation systems. ^[8]

During a May 2013 visit, Infrastructure Minister Albert Nsengiyumva announced that the runway would be widened and lengthened from 1.5 kilometres (4,900 ft) to  2 kilometres (6,600 ft) by 2015. ^[9] The airport re-opened in June 2015 and RwandAir began scheduled flights from the airport. ^[10]

References

1. Alison Des Forges (March 1999). Leave None to Tell the Story: Genocide in Rwanda – Acknowledging Genocide. New York City: Human Rights Watch. ISBN   1-56432-171-1 . Retrieved 31 May 2020.
2. "Road Distance Between Rusizi Taxi Park, Cyangugu and Kamembe Airport in Rwanda" (Map). Google Maps . Retrieved 31 May 2020.
3. Globefeed.com (31 May 2020). "Distance between Kigali International Airport KGL and Kamembe Airport KME, Flight Time/Duration". Globefeed.com. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
4. Great Circle Mapper (31 May 2020), Kamembe Airport (HRZA/KME), Greatcirclemapper.net, retrieved 31 May 2020
5. "Location of Kamembe Airport, Rwanda" (Map). Google Maps . Retrieved 31 May 2020.
6. Church Mission Society (4 February 2008). "Earthquake hits Rwanda and Congo". Oxford, United Kingdom: Churchmissionsociety.org. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
7. Gérard Rugambwa (31 May 2010). "Kamembe Airport Will Be Rehabilitated". Kigali: Rwanda Information Office (ORINFOR). Archived from the original (Archived from the original on 16 March 2012) on 16 March 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
8. Ndahiro, A; Rwagatare, J., eds. (2 December 2015). Rwanda: Rebuilding of a Nation. African Books Collective. p. 161. ISBN   9791092401035 . Retrieved 31 May 2020.
9. "Kamembe airport upgrade to boost tourism industry". New Times . Kigali. 29 September 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
10. Wolfgang Thome (15 June 2015). "Kamembe Airport ready to open new runway". eTurboNews.com. Retrieved 31 May 2020.

External links

• Rwandair resumes Nairobi flights after two weeks lapse As of 8 December 2009.