Gibraltar International Airport. Features of the geographical location

In the south of the Iberian Peninsula are the overseas possessions of Great Britain - Gibraltar. This is a small area - the Rock of Gibraltar itself and the narrow isthmus of sand that connects the rock with the peninsula - have an area of ​​​​only 6.5 square kilometers. The width of the isthmus is only about one and a half kilometers.

Features of the geographical location

Gibraltar's North Front Airport is located at the foot of the Rock of Gibraltar. Its owner is the British Ministry of Defense, so the airport is also used for military purposes. The airport receives and sends flights civil aviation to neighboring Spain and the UK. The small area of ​​Gibraltar requires special solutions. Therefore, North Front Airport has one runway 1829 meters long, covered with asphalt.

Attentive readers most likely noticed that the length of the runway is greater than the width of the isthmus. Indeed, part of the strip is located on an embankment protruding into the sea. In fact, the airport's runway crosses the territory of Gibraltar from edge to edge. The airport itself is only half a kilometer from the city center, and this distance does not save from the noise of aircraft engines at all. Passenger traffic at the airport is not too large - about 300-400 thousand passengers and about 400 tons of cargo per year. Very large planes cannot land here - neither the coverage nor the length of the runway will allow.

North Front Airport North Front has one interesting feature, however, not unique, because there are several other airports in the world with this feature. Its runway crosses a busy highway. The geography of the territory does not allow it to be located in any other way. We have to block the road to cars every time a plane takes off or lands. This procedure takes about 10 minutes.

Motorists have nowhere to go - they patiently stand the required 10 minutes in front of the barrier, but this does not happen too often - about 30 times a week. This is how many flights of several airlines the airport receives and sends. This intersection looks like a regular intersection: both routes are for aircraft and for cars - located on the same level, both have road markings. Only standing cars they pass not a cross flow, but a landing or taking off aircraft.

On the other hand, the number of cars is growing, and in our age of high speeds, time counts by seconds, and for someone, 10 minutes of downtime waiting for the opening of the track is an unaffordable luxury. Therefore, the decision was made to build a tunnel under the North Front airport runway, and this project is currently being implemented at a leisurely pace.


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About the history of the airport

The history of North Front Airport is interesting in its own way. It was built during World War II for emergency landings military aircraft. It is known that before the runway was shorter and landing required remarkable pilot skill. Later, the runway was lengthened, but the airport is still considered, and quite rightly, one of the most dangerous in the world.

    What to do if the flight is canceled

    If the flight was canceled more than 24 hours before departure, then passengers are transferred to similar flights of the airline. The costs are borne by the carrier, the service is free for the passenger. If none of the options offered by the airline suits you, most airlines can issue a " forced return". After confirmation by the airline, the money will be returned to your account. Sometimes this may take several weeks.

    How to check in at the airport

    Online check-in is available on the websites of most airlines. Most often, it opens 23 hours before the start of the flight. You can go through it no later than 1 hour before the departure of the aircraft.

    To check in at the airport you will need:

    • the identity card specified in the order,
    • birth certificate when traveling with children,
    • printed itinerary receipt (optional).
  • What can you take on a plane

    Hand luggage is the items that you take with you on the plane. Weight norm hand luggage can vary from 5 to 10 kg, and its size most often should not exceed the sum of three dimensions (length, width and height) from 115 to 203 cm (depending on the airline). A handbag is not considered hand luggage and is carried freely.

    The bag that you take with you on the plane should not contain knives, scissors, medicines, aerosols, cosmetics. Alcohol from stores duty free can only be carried in sealed bags.

    How to pay for luggage at the airport

    If the baggage weight exceeds the norms established by the airline (most often - 20-23 kg), you need to pay for each kilogram of excess. In addition, many Russian and foreign airlines, as well as low-cost airlines, have tariffs that do not include free baggage allowance and must be paid separately as an additional service.

    Baggage must be checked in at the airport at a separate drop-off check-in desk. If you are unable to print boarding pass, you can get it at the usual check-in counter of the airline, and check in and check in your luggage there.

    Where to find out the arrival time if you are a greeter

    You can find out the time of arrival of the aircraft on the online scoreboard of the airport. The Tutu.ru website has an online scoreboard of the main Russian and foreign airports.

    You can find out the exit (gate) number on the arrivals board at the airport. This number is located next to the arrival flight information.

Gibraltar Airport called North Front is a civil airport owned by the UK. It is located on a tiny peninsula with an area of ​​6.8 square kilometers. The lack of space on this peninsula is simply catastrophic, because the only airport runway crosses the busiest highway called Winston Churchill Avenue, leading to the land border with Spain. This is the only airport of this type in the world and this is its uniqueness.

Traffic lights block the road every time a plane lands here or takes off. Fortunately for local residents, the airport is not very busy, and receives no more than 30 flights a week, all of them from the UK. All drivers patiently wait in front of traffic lights for another huge airliner to take off or land.


Here is such a view of the intersection of the runway and the highway from the rock of the same name called Gibraltar


When flights are not expected, vehicles can safely and without restrictions drive on the road

The photo below shows a small plane, and cars dutifully waiting in a traffic jam





Continuing the theme of interesting airports, I advise you to also read about the international