Departure
97%
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MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Banjul International Airport, formerly Yundum International, is the sole paved airport in The Gambia, lying some 24 kilometres from the capital Banjul on the West Coast. It offers a single long, hard-surfaced runway equipped with ILS, making it a straightforward destination for both airliners and simulator pilots flying into West Africa.
Banjul International Airport (ICAO GBYD, IATA BJL), also known as Yundum International Airport, is the only paved airport in the Republic of The Gambia and serves as the country's principal gateway for international and domestic air traffic. It sits within the Yundum area of the Western Division/West Coast Region, roughly 24 kilometres from central Banjul. For a simulator pilot, it is notable for its very long single runway, full ILS approach, and a slice of unusual aviation history as a former NASA Space Shuttle emergency landing site.
The airport lies in the Western Division (West Coast Region) of The Gambia, about 24 kilometres from Banjul, the national capital. It is the country's only paved aerodrome and the hub for Gambian air traffic, positioned near the settlement of Yundum from which it took its earlier name.
Banjul International has a single physical runway, 14/32, aligned north-west to south-east. It is 11,802 feet long, has a hard paved surface, and is lit for night operations. Runway 32 is equipped with an ILS approach, while runway 14 serves as the reciprocal landing direction without a published instrument approach.
Pilots can expect the following frequencies at Banjul: Approach on 121.3 MHz, Ground on 121.9 MHz, and Tower on 118.3 MHz. The field is equipped with an ILS serving runway 32, supporting instrument approaches into the airport.
Banjul International Airport was built during the Second World War and was substantially rebuilt in 1963 under its later identity as Yundum International Airport. A modern passenger terminal, designed by the Senegalese architect Pierre Goudiaby Atepa, opened in 1997 and was noted by British journalist Rowan Moore as one of the world's most attractive airport buildings. From 1988 to 2002 the airport held special significance as a designated emergency landing site for NASA's Space Shuttle programme, chosen for its long runway and favourable location, before being removed from the list in 2001 when changes to shuttle launch inclinations favoured airfields in Spain and France instead. The airport also has a place in African aviation history: Zambia Airways briefly operated a Lusaka-Banjul-New York service with a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 in December 1990, and Ghana Airways began a Banjul-Baltimore route in February 2001 in cooperation with Gambia International Airlines.
Banjul International Airport remains the only international airport in The Gambia and continues to serve as the country's main air hub, with connections to destinations across Africa and Europe including Dakar, Accra, Lagos, Brussels, London and Barcelona. The head office of the Gambia Civil Aviation Authority is located on the airport property, reflecting its role as the centre of national aviation administration.
