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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