Osvaldo Vieira International Airport
| Osvaldo Vieira International Airport | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  OXB | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | N/A | ||||||||||
| Serves | Bissau | ||||||||||
| Location | Bissau, Guinea-Bissau | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 129 ft / 39 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 11°53′42″N 15°39′13″W / 11.89500°N 15.65361°W | ||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Osvaldo Vieira International Airport (IATA: OXB, ICAO: GGOV) is an airport that serves the city of Bissau, the capital city of Guinea-Bissau. It is the only international airport in the country.
Osvaldo Vieira International Airport has one runway, heading 03/21, with a length of 10,498 feet (3200 m). The altitude of this runway is 127 feet (39 m). This runway is also one of the three in Guinea-Bissau that are paved.
History
Previously known as Bissalanca, during the Guinea-Bissau War of Independence it was used as a base by the Portuguese Air Force.
The airport had to be closed on June 7, 1998 due to intense fighting in and around Bissau. It was officially reopened in July 1999 when a TAP Portugal plane carrying Prime Minister Francisco Fadul, along with numerous other dignitaries from both Portugal and Guinea-Bissau, landed at Osvaldo Vieira.[1]
On December 10, 2013, TAP Portugal suspended operations to Osvaldo Vieira International Airport after the local police forces under threatened the crew of Flight TP202 destined for Lisbon and forced the crew to board 74 Syrian refugees, who have arrived in Bissau via Morocco and Turkey and who were holding falsified Turkish passports.[2]
Airlines and destinations
Currently, Senegal Airlines has a daily flight to Dakar, which continues to Praia, Cape Verde capital, also a former Portuguese colony, twice a week. Royal Air Maroc offers service to Casablanca four times a week, with an inbound connection from Praia twice a week and an outbound connection once a week. ASKY Airlines has a twice weekly service to Lomé via Dakar. After TAP Portugal suspended flights to Bissau in late 2013, the airport remained without flights to Lisbon until in late October 2014 euroAtlantic Airways announced a once a week flight between Bissau and Lisbon.[3]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| ASKY Airlines | Dakar, Lomé[4] |
| euroAtlantic Airways | Lisbon |
| Royal Air Maroc | Casablanca, Praia |
| Senegal Airlines | Dakar, Praia[5] |
| TAP Portugal | Lisbon (suspended until further notice)[6] |
| TACV | Dakar (begins June 3,2015), Praia (begins June 3,2015) [7] |
Airlines that have served the airport in the past include Air Afrique, Air France, Aeroflot, Cubana, Air Senegal International, Air Bissau, Gambia Bird, TACV, TAAG, TAP Portugal, Halcyonair and Mauritania Airlines International.
See also
External links
- Airport information for GGOV at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.
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References
- ↑ http://www.bissautourism.com/tourism-information/airports.html
- ↑ "SEF despista eventuais radicais entre sírios que entraram em Portugal com passaportes falsos"
- ↑ http://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/32550-portugals-euroatlantic-secures-guinea-bissau-contract
- ↑ September, 2014 Timetable, http://www.flyasky.com/asky/horaires/oxb
- ↑ Sénégal Airlines Route Map, 2014, http://www.senegalairlines.aero/en/content/route-map
- ↑ http://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/32033-tap-portugal-postpones-resumption-of-guinea-bissau-flights
- ↑ http://airlineroute.net/2015/02/09/vr-jun15/