Wilson Airport

Last updated

Wilson Airport
Aerial view of Wilson Airport Nairobi.jpg
Aerial view of Wilson Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner Kenya Airports Authority
Serves Nairobi
Location Lang'ata, Nairobi, Kenya
Opened1929;95 years ago (1929)
Hub for
Elevation  AMSL 1,690 m / 5,546 ft
Coordinates 01°19′12″S36°48′54″E / 1.32000°S 36.81500°E / -1.32000; 36.81500 (Wilson Airport)
Map
Kenya adm location map.svg
Airplane silhouette.svg
WIL
Location of Wilson Airport in Kenya
Placement on map is approximate
Runways
Direction LengthSurface
mft
07/251,4634,798 Asphalt
14/321,5605,052 Asphalt
Statistics (2017)
Passenger numbers528,000 [1]

Wilson Airport( IATA : WIL, ICAO : HKNW) is an airport in Nairobi, Kenya. It has flights to many regional airports in Kenya while Nairobi's main airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, serves domestic and many international destinations.

Contents

Location

Wilson Airport, is in Nairobi County, in the city of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya and the largest metropolitan centre in that country. It lies approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi), by road, south of the central business district. [2] Nearby suburbs include Langata, South C, and Kibera.

This location is approximately 18 kilometres (11 mi), by road, west of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the largest civilian airport in the country. [3]

Overview

The airport serves domestic and international traffic. It is used mostly by general aviation traffic. Industries that use Wilson Airport extensively include tourism, health care and agriculture. Wilson 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. Missionary aviation operators AMREF, Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) and AIM AIR use Wilson Airport as their airport base on the African continent. It is used also for flight training. The airport is under the supervision of Kenya Airports Authority (KAA).

De Havilland Chipmunk trainers of the Kenya Air Force at Wilson Aerodrome in April 1973 DHC-1 Chipmunk T.10 WP829 Kenya AF Wilson 26.04.73.jpg
De Havilland Chipmunk trainers of the Kenya Air Force at Wilson Aerodrome in April 1973

As a result of faster check-in times and fewer flight delays, as compared to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Wilson Airport is commonly used by business executive aircraft for domestic and international travel. Common domestic destinations from Wilson Airport include Kisumu Airport, Mombasa International Airport and Eldoret International Airport.

At 5,546 feet (1,690 m) above sea level, [4] Wilson Airport has two asphalt runways: Runway 1 (heading 07/25) measures 4,798 feet (1,462 m) long and 72 feet (22 m) wide; Runway 2 (heading 14/32) measures 5,052 feet (1,540 m) long and 76 feet (23 m) wide. [5]

History

The airport was established as Nairobi West Aerodrome in 1929 by Florence Kerr Wilson, a wealthy widow. Built at a cost of £50,000 (£3.2 million in 2020), Mrs Wilson hired pilot Tom Campbell Black to run the airport. After the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the airport, its aircraft fleet and its pilots were taken over by the then colonial government and made a Royal Air Force base until after the war when it continued functioning as a civilian airport. In 1962, it was named Wilson Airport in honour of its founder who died in 1968. [6]

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
Airkenya Express Amboseli, Kilimanjaro, Lamu, Lewa Downs, Maasai Mara, Malindi, Meru, Nanyuki, Samburu, Ukunda/Diani Beach
Fly Tristar Eldoret, Lodwar, Malindi, Mombasa, Ukunda/Diani Beach
Renegade Air Kisumu
Safarilink Amboseli, Kilaguni, Kilimanjaro, Kiwayu, Lamu, Lewa Downs, Maasai Mara, Mombasa, Naivasha, Nanyuki, Samburu, Ukunda/Diani Beach, Zanzibar
Skyward Express Eldoret, Kakamega, Kitale, Lamu, Lodwar, Malindi, Mombasa, Ukunda/Diani Beach

Accidents and incidents

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jomo Kenyatta International Airport</span> International airport in Nairobi, Kenya

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, is an international airport serving Nairobi, the capital and largest city of Kenya. The other three important international airports in Kenya include Kisumu International Airport, Moi International Airport and Eldoret International Airport. JKIA is located in the Embakasi suburb 18 kilometres (11 mi) southeast of Nairobi's central business district, the airport has scheduled flights to destinations in over 50 countries. Originally named Embakasi Airport, the airport's name was changed in 1978 after Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya's first President and Prime Minister. The airport served over 7 million passengers in 2016, making it the seventh busiest airport in passenger traffic on the continent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East African Safari Air</span> Defunct Kenyan airline

East African Safari Air was an airline based in Kenya. Its international operations were suspended in September 2004, by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, but the airline still maintained scheduled regional and domestic services through its subsidiary East African Safari Air Express. In December 2010, East African Safari Air Express was ostensibly purchased by the parent company of another Kenyan airline Fly540 and was rebranded as Fly SAX..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moi International Airport</span> International airport in Mombasa

Moi International Airport is an international airport in Mombasa, the second-largest city in Kenya. In 2020, the airport was heralded as the "Best Airport in Africa" by Airports Council International.

Manda Airport, also called Lamu Airport, is an airport in Kenya.

Nanyuki Airfield is an airport in Nanyuki, Kenya.

Kiwayu Airport is an airport serving Kiwayu, a small island in the eastern part of the Lamu Archipelago off the coast of Kenya. The airstrip is located on the mainland, adjacent to the northern tip of Kiwayu Island. This location lies in Lamu District, Coast Province, on the western shores of the Indian Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eldoret International Airport</span> International airport in Eldoret

Eldoret Airport is an international airport in Kenya.

Diani Airport is a small airfield near Diani Beach in Kwale County, Kenya. The airport serves the local areas of Diani, Ukunda, Tiwi and Msambweni.

Bamburi Airport is an airport in Kenya.

Busia Airport is an airport in Kenya.

Nyeri Airport is an airport in Nyeri County, Kenya.

Nakuru Airport, also referred to as Lanet Military Airstrip, is an airport in the town of Nakuru, in Nakuru County, Kenya. Its location is approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi), by air, northwest of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the country's largest civilian airport. In 2020, the County Government of Nakuru announced a KES 3 billion upgrade of the facility which was to be carried out in two phases, beginning by the end of the year, in efforts to open up the region to increased tourism and horticultural exports.

Kakamega Airport is a small airport in Kenya. It serves the town of Kakamega. At 1,530 metres (5,020 ft) above sea level, the airport has a single asphalt runway which measures 4,200 feet (1,300 m) in length and 49 feet (15 m) in width.

Mandera Airport is an airport in Mandera, Kenya.

Kilaguni Airport is an airport in Kenya.

Makindu Airport is an airport in Makindu, Kenya.

Kitale Airport is an airport in Kitale, Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lodwar Airport</span> Airport in Lodwar, Kenya

Lodwar Airport is an airport in Kenya.

Lokitaung Airport is an airport in Lokitaung, Kenya.

Mackinnon Road Airport is an airport in Mackinnon Road, Kenya.

References

  1. ↑ "KAA to rehabilitate Wilson Airport – People Daily". 29 November 2019.
  2. ↑ "Distance between , and Hilton Nairobi (Nairobi Area) (Kenya)". distancecalculator.globefeed.com. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  3. ↑ "Distance between Nairobi / Wilson () (Airport) and Jomo Kenyatta Airport Nairobi (Nairobi Area) (Kenya)". distancecalculator.globefeed.com. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  4. ↑ "Nairobi Wilson Airport, Nairobi Kenya Flights, WIL, Wilson Airport". airgorilla.com. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  5. ↑ Charter, International Air. "Nairobi Wilson Airport, Kenya". internationalaircharter.com. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  6. ↑ "How woman's one-plane venture grew into modern Wilson Airport – Business Daily". 25 December 2020.
  7. ↑ "5Y-ADI Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  8. ↑ "Accident: Silverstone F50 at Nairobi on Oct 11th 2019, overran runway on rejected takeoff". AVHerald. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  9. ↑ "Accident: Safarilink DH8C at Nairobi on Mar 5th 2024, midair collision with light aircraft". The Aviation Herald. 5 March 2024.

1°19′12″S36°48′54″E / 1.320000°S 36.815000°E / -1.320000; 36.815000

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.