Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (IATA: MRU, ICAO: FIMP) (French: Aéroport International Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam) is the primary international airport serving the island nation of Mauritius. It is located at Plaine Magnien, 48 km (30 mi) southeast of the capital city of Port Louis. The airport was previously known as the Plaisance Airport, and has direct flights to several destinations in Africa, Asia and Europe, and is home to the country's national airline, Air Mauritius. Airports of Mauritius Co. Ltd (AML) is the owner and operator of the airport, and the Government of Mauritius is the major shareholder of AML. It is named after Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, the first Prime Minister of Mauritius.
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport Aéroport International Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam | |||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
Owner/Operator | Airports of Mauritius Co. Ltd. | ||||||||||
Serves | Mauritius | ||||||||||
Location | Plaine Magnien | ||||||||||
Hub for | Air Mauritius | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 57 m / 186 ft | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 20°25′48.10″S 57°40′58.88″E | ||||||||||
Website | mauritius-airport.atol.aero | ||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||
MRU/FIMP Location in Plaine Magnien, Mauritius MRU/FIMP MRU/FIMP (Indian Ocean) MRU/FIMP MRU/FIMP (Africa) | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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Statistics (2019) | |||||||||||
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History
As a part of the defence of Mauritius, in 1942, when Mauritius was a Crown colony, the government started construction of a Royal Naval Air Station at Plaisance near Mahébourg. This was subsequently handed over to the Royal Air Force at the end of World War II and civilian operations started shortly afterwards. The operations of the civil airport started just after the Second World War which gave a boost to the Mauritian economy.[2]
The first flight to Rodrigues island was made on 10 September 1972, an Air Mauritius flight from Plaisance Airport to the Plaine Corail Airport (now Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport) at Rodrigues using a Twin Otter (3B-NAB). Later the Twin Otters were replaced by ATR 42-300 and ATR 42-500 twin turboprops.
Later in 1986, infrastructure works were undertaken to accommodate larger aircraft. Thus, a new terminal was built including airbridges to meet the expected increase in traffic growth, and a car park attached to the new building and customs service for international routes. The new terminal consisted of two floors and could accommodate up to four aircraft simultaneously via airbridges.
Facilities
A new passenger terminal was inaugurated on 30 August 2013, and became fully operational in September 2013.[3] The structure of the New Airport Terminal is designed after the "Traveller's palm", a tropical plant that grows on Mauritius. It is connected to the existing terminal (refurbishment began in 2014) and has a capacity of 4 million passengers. Airport Terminal Operations Ltd (ATOL) is responsible for the design, building and operation of the new terminal building.[4]
The new terminal, which cost US$306 million, is in line with the "Maurice Ile Durable" concept. Environmental and ecological aspects taken into consideration include using solar energy collected by photovoltaic cells, recovering rain water, integrating nature to the heart of the building, and including thermo-insulated facades to reduce heat gain.[5] The terminal covers an area of 57,000 square meters and is equipped with five boarding gates with airbridges, including one compatible with the large Airbus A380, check-in desks for departing passengers, immigration counters, and baggage carousels.[6]
Airlines and destinations
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Mauritius Airport:
- Notes
- ^1 : Turkish Airlines' flight from Istanbul Airport to Mauritius continues on to Antananarivo. However, Turkish Airlines does not have traffic rights to transport passengers solely between Mauritius and Antananarivo.
Statistics
References
- "Facts & Figures - Airports of Mauritius (AML)".
- "History". Airports of Mauritius Co. Ltd. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
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: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - "AÉROPORT SSR : Nouveau terminal, ouverture confirmée pour mars 2013" (in French). Le Mauricien. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
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: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - "Corporate Profile". Airports of Mauritius Co. Ltd. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
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: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - "Aéroports de Paris subsidiaries to build and operate new Mauritius airport terminal". The Moodie Report. 27 May 2009. Archived from the original on 25 June 2013. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
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: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - "New airport terminal on time and on budget, says Prime Minister". Government of Mauritius. Archived from the original on 15 November 2013. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
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(help) - "Aeroflot Resumes Mauritius Service From Dec 2023". AeroRoutes. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- "AIR MAURITIUS RESUMES DELHI SERVICE FROM MAY 2023". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- "AIR MAURITIUS INCREASES ITS CAPACITY TO LONDON". Air Mauritius (Press release). 17 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- "AIR MAURITIUS INCREASES ITS CAPACITY TO LONDON". Air Mauritius (Press release). 17 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- "Air Mauritius to resume Mauritius-Perth service in Nov-2022". Corporate Travel Community. 7 April 2022.
- "AIR MAURITIUS RESUMES ITS DIRECT OPERATIONS TO GENEVA". Air Mauritius (Press release). 6 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- "Austrian Airlines Targets Winter Tourism With New Cancun Route". Simple Flying. 26 March 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- "Bulgaria Air completed the first direct flight from Sofia to Mauritius". Bulgaria Air (in Bulgarian). 12 January 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- condor.com - Flugplan Sommer 2020 (German) retrieved 8 June 2020
- "Corsair reliera Bordeaux à la Guadeloupe, Lyon et Marseille à l'île Maurice | Air Journal". 29 July 2021.
- "Corsair reliera Bordeaux à la Guadeloupe, Lyon et Marseille à l'île Maurice | Air Journal". 29 July 2021.
- "German airline launches direct flights between Munich and Mauritius". Southern & East African Tourism Update. 25 April 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- "Timetable Mauritius". www.flyedelweiss.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
- "Emirates resumes flights to South Africa, Mauritius and Zimbabwe". The National. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- "Pack your bags, Flysafair is heading to Mauritius".
- "Kenya Airways launches flights to Mauritius :: Kenya – The Standard". Standardmedia.co.ke. 6 February 2018. Archived from the original on 6 February 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- "Mahan Air appoints APG as GSA representative in France – APG Network". Apg-ga.com. 19 July 2017. Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- "Finalmente Mauritius, volo diretto targato Neos". 12 July 2022.
- "Saudia updates proposed Mauritius launch in Sep 2017". Routesonline. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- "Only Flight". tui.dk. Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- "Only Flight". tui.fi. Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- Ltd. 2019, UBM (UK). "TUI Nordic adds Oslo – Mauritius flights in 1Q19". Routesonline. Archived from the original on 31 December 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
- "Only Flight". tui.se. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- "VISTARA ADDS MAURITIUS SERVICE FROM LATE-MARCH 2023". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
External links
Media related to Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport at Wikimedia Commons
- Airports of Mauritius
- Civil Aviation Department Archived 10 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- Current weather for FIMP at NOAA/NWS
- Accident history for MRU at Aviation Safety Network