Wilson Airport
| Wilson Airport | |||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public, Civilian | ||||||||||||||
| Owner | Kenya Airports Authority | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Nairobi | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Nairobi, Kenya | ||||||||||||||
| Hub for |
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| Elevation AMSL | 1,690 m / 5,546 ft | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 01°19′12″S 36°48′54″E / 1.32000°S 36.81500°E | ||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||
  WIL Location of Wilson Airport in Kenya | |||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2013) | |||||||||||||||
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Wilson Airport 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.
Location
Wilson Airport, (IATA: WIL, ICAO: HKNW), 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] The coordinates of Wilson airport are:1° 19' 12.00"S, 36° 48' 54.00"E (Latitude:-1.320000; Longitude:36.815000).
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).
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 measures 4,798 feet (1,462 m) long and 72 feet (22 m) wide; Runway 2 measures 5,052 feet (1,540 m) long and 76 feet (23 m) wide.[5]
History
The airport was established in 1933 as Nairobi Aerodrome and was used by Imperial Airways Empire air mail services from the United Kingdom via Egypt and continuing in stages to South Africa. The airport was later renamed Wilson Airport in 1962. It was named after Florence Kerr Wilson, a pioneer of aviation in Kenya.
In 2012, Kiss TV did a 15-minute report called "Dying Wilson". The main aim was to bring to the public's attention the corruption that had taken land surrounding the airport which was now choking the airport as it had no place to expand. If aircraft ran off the runway with only 30 meters around runway 2, they would crash into illegal housing estates, which causes large concern although no action has of yet been taken by the KAA.
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Airkenya Express | Amboseli, Kilimanjaro, Lewa Downs, Lamu, Malindi, Maasai Mara, Meru, Nanyuki, Samburu, Ukunda/Diani Beach |
| Fly-SAX | Kitale, Lake Baringo, Lodwar, Lamu, Maasai Mara, Malindi, Nanyuki, Ukunda/Diani Beach, Wajir |
| Safarlink | Amboseli, Kilaguni, Kilimanjaro, Kiwayu, Lamu, Lewa Downs, Maasai Mara, Naivasha, Nanyuki, Samburu, Ukunda/Diani Beach |
Accidents and incidents
- On 24 December 1968, Douglas C-47A 5Y-ADI of the Kenya Police Air Wing was damaged beyond economic repair. All three people on board were killed.[6]
See also
References
- ↑ http://sadimsolutions.com/airports/kenyan-airport-passenger-traffic-decline-by-5-2013/
- ↑ Estimated Road Distance Between Central Nairobi and Wilson Airport
- ↑ Map Showing Wilson Airport And Jomo Kenyatta International Airport With Distance Marker
- ↑ Elevation of Nairobi Wilson Airport
- ↑ Runway Dimensions at Nairobi Wilson Airport
- ↑ "5Y-ADI Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wilson Airport. |
- Location of Nairobi Wilson Airport at Google Maps
- Kenya Airports Authority: Wilson Airport
- Wilson Airport live webcam
- Flight Training Centre, Wilson Airport, Nairobi: 'Soar Like Eagle'
- Wilson Airport live webcam (Yellow Wings)
- Aero Club of East Africa
- Dying wilson
- Airport information for HKNW at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
- Airport information for HKNW at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
- Current weather for HKNW at NOAA/NWS
- Accident history for WIL at Aviation Safety Network
Coordinates: 1°19′12″S 36°48′54″E / 1.320000°S 36.815000°E