 
Address & Contact:
Banjul International Airport (BIA)
PO Box 285, BJL
The Gambia
West Africa
Tel. no: (+220) 4473000 or 4473001
Fax: (+220) 4472190
Email:
aismgr.gcaa@qanet.gm
Website:
www.gambia.gm/gcaa
Arrivals Information:
The Banjul Airport procedure is that once your flight has landed on
the runway a bus will transfer you to the
main terminal building where you should queue at the rank for
non-Gambians if you are a tourist non-national. At the passport control they will put an entry
stamp in your passport. The next step is to pay a tourist tax of
D250 which is around £4.80 / €7 / $9.86 to the tourism authority which
is payable in any currency.
When you get to the luggage carousel you may have to wait a while so
ensure you have a little liquid refreshment in your hand-luggage as the
temperature can get a little uncomfortable at times. Trolleys are
provided free however should you decide to use the services of a porter
then be prepared to give a small tip of around £1 €1.50 / $2. The next step is that you
should
join the baggage security queue where your luggage may be searched but
will be scanned by an x-ray machine. From here you can proceed out of
the main building complex. NOTE: The airport is located 20 km
from the capital in the Yundum area hence its other name.
If you need to spend any length of time at the
airport & require refreshments you can visit the Sky Bar located
on the top floor where they serve cooked food and drinks. There is also a tourist help desk
directly to the left of your exit after you have finished with all
formalities.
If you have used a tour operator
then they should have airport transfers already arranged.
If you are
an independent traveller then you can either use a
car hire company
located at the terminal
or you can hire one of the tourist taxis waiting outside the main
gates. Please
note that taxi rates are fixed and the fares are posted just outside
the terminal gates on the right hand-side against the wall. Expect to
pay around £9 / €14 / $20 to take your to the main tourist resorts on
the coast.
The complex is managed by the Gambia Civil Aviation Authority.
Design:
The Banjul Airport was designed by
Pierre Goudiaby also known as Atepa who is a Jolla architect from
Senegal.
Martin L. King Building
Fann-Mermoz, BP 2191
Senegal
Tel: +221 (865) 11 11
Fax: +221 (824) 90 72
E-mail: atepa@atepa.com
Website: www.atepa.com
History:
The airport was originally
a World War II Allied airfield which served as a port of call for
Allied naval convoys and an air stopover for the U.S. Army Air Corps.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, the then US President stayed overnight in
Banjul en route to and from the Casablanca Conference in 1943, making
it the first visit to the African Continent by a sitting American
president.
The Gambia Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) was
established in July 1991 by the Government as an autonomous
institution by the Public Enterprise Act of 1989 (PEA). It was to put into effect the Chicago
Convention and to regulate, oversee and bring the aviation industry to International Standards.
The assets and liabilities of the former Dept. of Civil Aviation was
transferred to the GCAA.
Prior to the opening of the new
terminal building in October, 1997 the old airport was essentially a
few purpose build sheds which resembled barns and the runway was
perforated iron sheets laid on the grass.
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Quick Facts:
The airport is located 23 km from Banjul (capital) at Yundum & it is the Gambia's
only airport. It is one of the emergency landing sites for the NASA
shuttle. |
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Details: |
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| Airport Code: |
BJL / GBYD |
| Area |
1327 Hectares |
| Longitude: |
016° 39´08" W |
| Latitude: |
13° 20´17" N |
| Runway Length: |
3,600m (11,811ft) |
| Elevation: |
28.9 |
| Check-in desks: |
7 |
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Facilities:
Banking (Trust Bank Ltd.)
- no ATM
Bureau de Change
Business Centre
Car hire
Car parking (long & short-term)
Disabled access
Duty free shop
Help desk
Internet access
Porter service
Post Office
Public Telephone
Refreshments Bar
Restaurant
Taxi rank service
Shops
Travel agent
VIP lounge area |
Departures Information:
Banjul
Airport only handles international flights & there is no domestic
flights service to the up-country destinations.
On your date of departure your luggage will be taken to the
airport by your tourist bus. You usually get the labels that have to be fixed to your
suitcases in your hotel. The clearance takes place at the airport
itself. All suitcases are lined up on the platform, you pick out your
own suitcases and give them to the customs officer. In many cases you
will have to open them, so don't forget your keys. After customs have
checked your suitcases and have put a new chalk mark on them, porters
(tip!) will see to it that they are loaded onto the transport lorry to
the airplane.
NOTE: The information on this page should not be
relied upon for navigation purposes.
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