Wilson Airport
Template:Short description {{#invoke:other uses|otheruses}} Template:Use Kenyan English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox airport
Wilson Airport Template:Airport codes 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.
The airport serve domestic flights to Kenyan cities, and an international flight to Tanzania.
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 Template:Convert, by road, south of the central business district.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Nearby suburbs include Langata, South C, and Kibera.
This location is approximately Template:Convert, by road, west of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the largest civilian airport in the country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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 Template:Convert above sea level,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Wilson Airport has two asphalt runways: Runway 1 (heading 07/25) measures Template:Convert long and Template:Convert wide; Runway 2 (heading 14/32) measures Template:Convert long and Template:Convert wide.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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 Fleet Air Arm 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Airlines and destinations
Accidents and incidents
- On 24 December 1968, a Douglas C-47A 5Y-ADI of the Kenya Police Air Wing crashed shortly after takeoff. The incident was attributed to inadequately secured cargo. All three people on board were killed.<ref name=ASN241268>Template:Cite web</ref>
- On 11 October 2019, a Silverstone Air Services Fokker 50 registration 5Y-IZO operating flight 620 to Mombasa, Kenya, overran the runway on takeoff from Wilson. The aircraft was extensively damaged but there were no fatalities.<ref name=AVH4cde4ba0>Template:Cite web</ref>
- On 5 March 2024, a Safarilink Aviation de Havilland Dash 8-300, registration 5Y-SLK, shortly after takeoff from Wilson collided with a Cessna 172, registration 5Y-NNJ, operated by a local flying school. The Cessna crashed and the two occupants were killed. The Dash 8 had minor damage and landed back at Wilson with no casualties.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
References
External links
- 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) Template:Webarchive
- Aero Club of East Africa Template:Webarchive
- Dying wilson
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