Aviation Specials – May 2018

GIBRALTAR

the south side of the airfi eld, and while

no fl ying assets are based locally it is not

uncommon for UK and NATO aircraft to

visit for transit stops, during exercises, or

while temporarily deployed to the region.

British Airways now serves the airport

with a daily fl ight from London Heathrow

in the morning, complemented by

a second frequency during the late

afternoon on four days per week. EasyJet

provides two links to Gatwick Airport

every day, and operates less regularly

from Bristol and Manchester while a

Royal Air Maroc ATR 72 plies the route to

Casablanca via Tangier on a twice-weekly

basis. British independent Monarch

Airlines was the largest user of GIB until

its collapse in October last year, which has

left some gaping holes in the schedule

that have yet to be fi lled.

Unusual runway

Runway 09/27 completely bisects the

narrow strip of land separating Spain

from the promontory on which the city

and The Rock sit. Winston Churchill

Avenue is the main thoroughfare used by

locals and visitors to access the border

post. It carries an almost continuous

procession of cars, lorries, bicycles and

pedestrians that must cross the airfi eld

near its midpoint. A public road on an

active runway is extremely unusual,

bizarre enough that many visitors take the

opportunity to witness the spectacle.

Access to the city is cut off whenever a

fl ight departs or lands and a typical road

closure lasts for around ten minutes,

though closely spaced inbound or outbound

fl ights can extend the prohibition. The

interruptions were not much of a problem

when the air traffi c comprised single daily

fl ights from London and Luton, but there are

now six or seven services most days (more

at weekends) and lengthy queues of cars

and pedestrians can build up on occasions.

Ahead of any inbound or outbound

movement, a well-choreographed

sequence of activities starts with barriers

being lowered across the road. Signals

and signs alert drivers, while security

guards ensure no one is tempted to fl out

the rules and check that those already

crossing are well clear. Surface access

LEFT: Legend has

it that while the

indigenous Barbary

macaques remain

in Gibraltar, so too

will the British.

LEFT: Royal Air

Maroc ATR 72s ply

the short route

to Tangiers on a

twice-weekly basis.

LEFT: The airfi eld

is owned by the

UK Ministry of

Defence, and

Royal Air Force

aircra still visit

from time to time.

Extreme Airports // 91

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