The smallest state on the black continent, Gambia is an interesting tourist destination only for British fans of rest on its clean beaches - flying on vacation to the former colony is quite in the style of British subjects. The city where the only airport in Gambia is located is the capital, Banjul.
Gambia International Airport
Yundum-Banjul Airport and the city's business center are separated by 24 km, which can be covered by taxi or public transport. It is optimal to order a transfer at a hotel where a room is booked for the duration of your vacation, or in a travel company, since the Gambia is not the safest country for foreign tourists.
The passenger terminal building was commissioned in 1966. It was built by a joint project of local architects and specialists from the UK. The terminal has a cafe, currency exchange offices, duty-free shops.
Among the airlines whose aircraft land at the Gambia airport, there are both small and world famous:
- Arik Air flies to Accra in Ghana and Freetown in Sierra Leone.
- Binter Canarias fly to Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands.
- Brussels Airlines delivers passengers from the capital of Belgium.
- Royal Air Maroc operates regular flights to Casablanca.
- Senegal Airlines connects Gambia airport with Senegal.
- Thomas Cook Airlines brings tourists from Birmingham and Manchester.
- Small Planet Airlines operates seasonal charters from London Gatwick Airport.
- Vueling transports travelers to the Gambia from Barcelona.
Interesting Facts
Despite the small size of the state and not very popular among travelers, the Gambia airport serves at least a million passengers annually.
The length of the runway at Yundum-Banjul Airport is 3.6 km and meets the highest international standards. The third longest "take-off" on the black continent allows you to receive and send aircraft of any weight.
The American agency NASA took part in the construction and reconstruction of the Gambia airport, which was interested in creating an alternate airfield for landing reusable spacecraft. Thanks to American participation in the project, the runway was expanded to 45 meters, and dispatchers received modern electronic control and navigation systems.
Ufologists and researchers of ancient civilizations believe that the first airport in the territory of modern Gambia was built long before 1977, as is commonly believed. The opposite ends of the runway are made of sandy-brown stone slabs, which were not used in the construction practice of the last century, and the length of the asphalted runway, taking into account these extensions, looks completely beyond the realities of the last century. Locals saw these slabs even before World War II, which means that the version of the secret Nazi airfield also does not hold up to criticism.
