GIBRALTAR
must be barred well ahead of every
take-off and landing as the runway has
to be swept to remove any debris that
could damage aircraft tyres. This method
of dealing with the problem may seem
unusual, but there have been no major
incidents at the crossing in almost 80
years. In 2008 it was announced that
a 0.8-mile (1.24km) tunnel would be
built close to the eastern threshold of
Runway 27, which would be used by
traffi c needing to access Gibraltar’s
main thoroughfares. It would also
have separate paths for cyclists and
pedestrians. Work on the project began
in the same year but was terminated
in 2011 following contractual disputes.
The issues were resolved in 2016, and
construction is expected to be completed
in November.
The fairly short 5,840ft (1,780m)
airstrip has hosted Boeing 757s, but few
larger aircraft have used it. However,
there have been a few exceptions,
including a Royal Air Force Boeing
C-17A Globemaster III and a Saudi
Arabian Airbus A300. Widebody jets
are extremely rare and Airbus A319s
and A320s can be fl own in and out with
few restrictions, but larger variants of
the 737 (-900s in particular) and A321s
are subject to performance and payload
limitations. With both runway thresholds
being adjacent to the shoreline,
extensions would be expensive so use of
the airport will continue to be restricted
primarily to narrowbody jets.Challenging approach
The fi nal approach is also a li le unusual.
Most commercial fl ights originate in
the UK and they typically pass over the
northern Spanish coast near Santander.
Inbounds then let down southward to
the resort of Marbella, east of Gibraltar,
which they cross at around 10,000ft.
From there landings towards the west
make a wide right turn onto fi nal, while
the procedure for easterlies involves
fl ying further south and then making a
180 o right turn around the south of the
colony and the Rock to avoid overfl ying
Spain again. Positional accuracy is
required on the northerly right base to
Runway 09 due to its proximity of 2,500ft
hills on the mainland, and once an
aircraft is 3nm southwest of the airfi eld
it makes another 90o right turn onto a
short straight-in approach.
Surprisingly Gibraltar does not have
any instrument approaches. Inbound
traffi c is typically off ered a radar service
for the initial phase of the descent, and
then provided with an SRA (surveillance
radar approach) to a visual decision
point 3nm from touchdown. At that
point, pilots must be able to see the
runway or must execute a missed
approach. The typical lighting systems
found at many airfi elds are also absent.
However, there is illumination on the
extended centrelines, comprising a
DayGlo-painted fl ashing buoy 4,500ftABOVE AND
LEFT: Prior to
every take-off and
landing, Winston
Churchill Avenue
must be closed
to vehicles and
pedestrians. Also,
the carriageway
has to be swept
to remove debris
that could damage
aircra tyres.92 // Extreme AirportsLEFT: A British Air-
ways Airbus A320
crosses Winston
Churchill Avenue.BELOW: The Rock
dominates the air-
fi eld, even at night.LEFT: Security
guards ensure
no one gets onto
the runway when
fl ights arrive or
depart.LEFT: It is possible
to walk across the
airfi eld when there
are no aircra
movements due.90-93_Gibraltar.indd 92 11/05/2018 11:08