Gibraltar International Airport: Difference between revisions

Gibraltar Airport (IATA: GIB, ICAO: LXGB) is the main airport in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar on the Iberian Peninsula. It is owned by the Ministry Of Defence. Civilian operators use the airport, currently the only scheduled flights operate to the United Kingdom and Spain. Passengers depart and arrive through the civilian operated terminal

Gibraltar Airport has the accolade of being the closest international airport to the city that it serves, being only 500 metres from Gibraltar's city centre. In 2004 the airport handled 314,375 passengers and 380 tonnes of cargo.

History

The airport was constructed during World War II upon the colony's race course (introduced by the Maltese), when Gibraltar was an important naval base for the British. Originally opened in 1939, it was only an emergency airfield for the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. However, it was later extended by reclaiming some land, allowing larger aircraft to land.

Spain's continuing sovereignty dispute with the United Kingdom over the territory where the airport stands (different to the generic one on Gibraltar itself) has seriously affected the airport's operations. In December 2 1987, an agreement was signed between the governments of the United Kingdom and Spain to allow the joint civil use of the airport [1]. The agreement foresaw the building of a new terminal at La Línea de la Concepción, Cádiz, Spain, adjacent to the northern side of the existing frontier-fence. However, the agreement was blocked by the Government of Gibraltar, led from 1988, by Joe Bossano. As a result, the agreement was never implemented.

Gibraltar: airfield and border area

Since then, Spain successfully excluded Gibraltar from European wide de-regulation initiatives, preventing direct links from Gibraltar to the rest of the European Union (except the UK), on the grounds that no regulation that somehow recognizes the sovereignty of the United Kingdom over the isthmus may be implemented without a previous agreement on the airport.

By late 2005 and early 2006, the implementation of a new agreement, sort of a refurbished version of the 1987 agreement, is one of the main topics of the tri-partite talks being held between the Governments of Spain, Gibraltar and the United Kingdom.

A new Gibraltar based airline called Fly Gibraltar will be starting flights from April 2007 to a host of new destinations including London Stansted, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Dublin and Cork. The flights to the Irish cities of Dublin and Cork would be Gibraltar's first link with Ireland and it is hoped that the territory would be opened up by these new destinations.

On 18 September 2006, the Cordoba Accord was signed by the United Kingdom, the Kingdom of Spain and Gibraltar. This ended all discriminatory restrictions on civilian flights to Gibraltar Airport, including the prohibition of flights over Spanish soil, and exclusion of Gibraltar from all EU agreements on air transport, allowing civilian flights from all nations into Gibraltar Airport.

On 17 November 2006, Iberia announced that it will start flights from Madrid to Gibraltar using Airbus A319 aircraft. This is a landmark move as no Spanish airline has flown to Gibraltar since 1979, because of its disputed status.

The first Iberia flight landed at Gibraltar Airport December 16 2006 from Madrid with some members of the Spannish Government onboard. British Airways operated a one-off flight in the other direction, with a group of children from Gibraltar making up some of the passengers. BA's regular flight to Madrid is not due to start until May 2007.

Destinations

The following destinations are served from Gibraltar Airport:

• British Airways
  • Operated by GB Airways (London -Gatwick, Madrid - Barajas (As from May 2007))
• Fly Gibraltar (London-Stansted, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester-Ringway, Dublin,) [Start mid 2007 (projected)]
• Iberia (Madrid-Barajas)
• Monarch Airlines (London-Luton)
• Air Malta - An annual charter flight to Luqa/Gudja (Malta International Airport)

Some destinations in Morocco are also served by charter airlines.

Interesting facts

Due to the lack of land, Winston Churchill Avenue - the main road between Spain and Gibraltar - runs across the runway. The road is closed whenever there is a plane landing and/or departing.

References

• Gibraltar's Official Website
• Government of Gibraltar's Official Home Website
• Government of Gibraltar's Official London Website
• British Airways' Official Website
• Iberia's Official Website
• Monarch Airlines' Official Website

External links

• A to Z of World Airports- Gibraltar Airport
• Photo of gibraltar airport and the unique road.
• Template:WAD