Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport (IATA: HRE, ICAO: FVRG, formerly FVHA), (known colloquially as RGM or Harare Airport) and formerly known as Harare International Airport and Salisbury Airport, is an international airport serving Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. It is the largest airport in the country and serves as the base of Air Zimbabwe, the national flag carrier. It is operated by the Airports Company of Zimbabwe.
History
Commissioned in 1956 and officially opened on 5 February 1957, Salisbury Airport cost £924,000 to build. According to the 1950 report of the Director of Civil Aviation, the city's original aerodrome, Belvedere Airport, had proved to be inadequate and had to be abandoned for the following reasons:
the runway was some 45° out of alignment, given that approaching aircraft had to enter through a gap in Warren Hills;
because of the skewed align, aircraft were forced to take-off over the city centre, which posed a real danger of accidents;
the growing number of high-rise buildings in the city, particularly Milton Building, posed a risk to aircraft;
Belvedere Airport had been built to accommodate the RAF Elementary Flying Training School, so the layout and design of the buildings were not particularly suitable for commercial aviation.
A site therefore had to be found for the construction of an airport that would be safer and more suitable for commercial activities.[citation needed]
Originally, it was anticipated that the airport would be completed by 1954. It was, however, not completed until two years later, because the government ran out of funds in October 1952 and had to suspend the project temporarily. The new Salisbury Airport was finally commissioned on 1 July 1956 by the Government of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The cost of building the airport was £924,000.
On 18 April 1980, South Rhodesia was officially renamed as Zimbabwe, following its internationally recognised independence from the United Kingdom.[citation needed]
As a result of internal political conflicts since 2000, there has been a decline in tourists to Zimbabwe prior to the country's withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Nations three years later. Consequently, there are only two non-African airlines that serve the country: Emirates and Qatar Airways. Formerly British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, Swissair, Qantas and Air France all served Harare International Airport for many years.[citation needed]
On 9 November 2017, Harare International Airport was officially, and controversially, renamed after the second President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe (1924–2019), to Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, a decision that was announced earlier in September 2017 and sparked a controversy, as many Zimbabweans felt that too many places in the country had already been renamed after Mugabe.
Facilities
Air Rhodesia established its headquarters at the airport in 1967, and since Zimbabwean independence in 1980, Air Rhodesia's successor, Air Zimbabwe, has maintained the status quo with its head office located at the airport as well. The regulatory authority the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe has its head office on level 3 of the new International Terminal.
In August 2018, Boeing announced that it was in negotiations with Zimbabwean authorities to establish a regional hub for Boeing aeroplanes for providing training and expert technical services at the airport.
↑This flight operates via Lusaka. However, this carrier does not have rights to transport passengers solely between Harare and Lusaka.
↑This flight operates via Lusaka or continues to Lusaka on the same flight number. However, this carrier does not have rights to transport passengers solely between Harare and Lusaka or vice versa.
In July 1984, Vickers Viscount Z-YNI of Air Zimbabwe was damaged beyond economic repair in an accident on the ground. It was withdrawn from use as a result and passed to the airport's fire department for use as a training aid.
On 20 September 1987, Douglas C-47A Z-WRJ of Crest Breeders crashed shortly after take-off following a loss of power from the starboard engine. The aircraft was on a cargo flight. All three crew survived.
On 3 November 2009, Air ZimbabweXian MA60 performing flight UM-239 hit five warthogs on take-off. The take-off was rejected but the undercarriage collapsed, causing substantial damage to the aircraft.
↑World Airline Directory. Flight International. 16–22 March 2004. "78Archived 4 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 3 October 2009. "PO Box AP1, Harare Airport, Harare, Zimbabwe"
↑"Contact UsArchived 22 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine." Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe. Retrieved on 13 February 2011. "Physical Address: Level 3, Harare International Airport."
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