Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport
This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2015) |
Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport Hoofman Dawid Stuurman Internasionale Lughawe | |||||||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
Owner/Operator | Airports Company South Africa | ||||||||||||||
Serves | Gqeberha, South Africa | ||||||||||||||
Location | Walmer, Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, South Africa | ||||||||||||||
Hub for | |||||||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 226 ft / 68 m | ||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 33°59′05″S 025°36′37″E / 33.98472°S 25.61028°E | ||||||||||||||
Website | acsa.co.za | ||||||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||||||
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Statistics (Jan-Dec 2019) | |||||||||||||||
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Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport
The name of the airport was changed from Port Elizabeth International Airport to Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport in February 2021.[6]
History
A historical highlight was the first flight from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth in 1917, made by Major Allister Mackintosh Miller. At that time, this was considered a long-distance flight, and it heralded the start of the civil aviation industry in Port Elizabeth. This flight and many more has been captured on canvas by Ron Belling and is on display at the Ron Belling Art Gallery.
Port Elizabeth Airport was established in 1929 in close proximity to the city. It was initially founded by Lieutenant Colonel Miller, who needed an airfield to operate his postal service between the city and Cape Town. It was only officially opened some nine years later, in 1936, boasting a single runway, one hangar and a concrete apron. However, the foundations of this infrastructure will be removed to make room for additional vehicle parking.
During World War II, the airfield was extended to accommodate 42 Air School of the Royal Air Force as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and 6 Squadron South African Air Force on the southern and eastern sides of the field. Commercial operations were conducted from the northern side. In 1954, it saw the landing of the first jet-propelled aircraft - five De Havilland Vampire FB9s.
Construction of the permanent terminal buildings, runways and an air traffic control building began in 1950. The commercial operation was moved to an airfield at St Albans, some 25 km from the city centre, for the construction period. The new buildings were officially opened in 1955. In 1973 the apron was extended to accommodate larger aircraft and a new departures terminal was opened in 1980.
These facilities served the community till 2000 when plans for a major terminal upgrade was drawn-up. The separate arrivals and departures buildings were consolidated into a single facility with a central retail area linking the departures with arrivals creating a light friendly atmosphere. This facility caters for domestic flights but can be screened off to operate a fully compliant International arrivals and departures section.
The airport's name change from Port Elizabeth International Airport to Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport was officially gazetted on 23 February 2021.[7]
Facilities
The airport resides at an
South African Air Force
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
Airlines | Destinations |
---|---|
BidAir Cargo | Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo[12] |
Traffic statistics
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Year | Passengers | % Change |
---|---|---|
2006 | 1,409,607 | 11.2% |
2007 | 1,491,551 | 5.8% |
2008 | 1,465,429 | 1.8% |
2009 | 1,342,859 | 8.4% |
2010 | 1,408,374 | 4.9% |
2011 | 1,368,334 | 2.8% |
2012 | 1,317,695 | 3.7% |
2013 | 1,269,634 | 3.6% |
2014 | 1,285,074 | 1.2% |
2015 | 1,584,966 | 23.3% |
2016 | 1,582,889 | 0.1% |
2017 | 1,620,705 | 2.4% |
See also
- List of airports in South Africa
- List of South African airports by passenger movements
- South African Air Force Museum
References
- ^ "ACSA – Durban Passenger Statistics". Airports Company South Africa. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
- ^ "ACSA – Durban Aircraft Statistics". Airports Company South Africa. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
- ^ a b c d "FAPE – PORT ELIZABETH INTL" (PDF). South African Civil Aviation Authority. 20 December 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 July 2018.
- ^ a b "Port Elizabeth International Airport". Airports Company South Africa. Archived from the original on 25 June 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
- ^ "IATA Airport Code Search (PLZ: Port Elizabeth)". International Air Transport Association. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
- ^ Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport
- ^ "It is official, Port Elizabeth has a new name — Gqeberha".
- ^ "Airlink to start Durban – Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) flights | Flyairlink".
- ^ "FlySafair | FlySafair Launches New Routes". Archived from the original on 5 June 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- ^ "FlySafair Adds New Domestic Routes from Dec 2014".
- ^ "SAA Adding New Routes Ahead Of Holidays". Routes Online. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
- ^ bidaircargo.com - Network retrieved 13 January 2021
- ^ "ACSA Passenger Statistics". Airports Company South Africa. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
External links
Media related to Port Elizabeth Airport at Wikimedia Commons
- Port Elizabeth International Airport, official site
- Operation Puff Adder, a simulated air disaster at PE Airport
- Aeronautical chart and airport information for FAPE at SkyVector
- Current weather for FAPE at NOAA/NWS
- Accident history for PLZ at Aviation Safety Network