Bhisho Airport
Bhisho Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Owner | Department of Transport, Eastern Cape | ||||||||||
| Serves | Bhisho Qonce (King William's Town) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,950 ft (590 m) | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 32°53′50″S 27°16′45″E / 32.89722°S 27.27917°E | ||||||||||
| Maps | |||||||||||
  BIY Location in the Eastern Cape  BIY BIY (South Africa) | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Source: CAA[1] | |||||||||||
Bhisho Airport (Afrikaans: Bhisho-lughawe; IATA: BIY, ICAO: FABE), also known as Bulembu Airport,[2] is a airport in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It serves the nearby towns of Bhisho and Qonce.
The airport lies of the west of the N2 national road towards Qonce. Historically, it was the hub of the short lived Ciskei International Airways from 1987 to 1989.
2023 visit by Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
In April 2023 the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), President Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, landed at the airport following a R20 million upgrade paid for by the UAE.[3][4] The landing was controversial as it followed the announcement that the UAE had released the Gupta family from custody and so would not be extraditing them to face charges for state capture in South Africa.[5][6]
References
- ↑ "Aeronautical Chart" (PDF).
- ↑ "FABE/Bhisho-Bulembu General Airport Information". acukwik.com. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- ↑ Dayimani, Malibongwe. "UAE president lands in Eastern Cape on R20m runway he built for himself and his entourage". News24. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- ↑ Ellis, Estelle (20 April 2023). "SHEIKH RATTLES THE GOLD: Generator included — how Eastern Cape government fixed up dilapidated airport for UAE royals". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- ↑ Nkanjeni, Unathi (24 April 2023). "'Did SA do everything required or is it another Gupta agreement?': Reactions to UAE president landing in Bhisho". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- ↑ "Bulembu Airport another Waterkloof moment? – Angel Khanyile - POLITICS | Politicsweb". www.politicsweb.co.za. Retrieved 13 May 2023.