Chileka International Airport

Chileka International Airport (IATA: BLZ, ICAO: FWCL) is an international airport in Malawi. It is located approximately 13 km (7 nmi; 8 mi), by road, northwest of Blantyre, the second largest city in the Republic of Malawi and the country's commercial and financial capital.[3] Chileka is Malawi's second international airport, the other being Kamuzu International Airport, in Lilongwe, the nation's capital city.[4]

Chileka International Airport
The passenger terminal at Chileka
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerGovernment of Malawi
OperatorCivil Aviation Authority of Malawi
ServesBlantyre, Malawi
LocationNyambala, Chileka
Elevation AMSL2,555 ft / 779 m
Coordinates15°40′52″S 34°58′18″E
Map
BLZ is located in Malawi
BLZ
BLZ
Location within Malawi
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
10/28 2,325 7,628 Asphalt
15/33 1,372 4,501 Asphalt
Source: DAFIF[1][2]

Facilities

The airport's geographical coordinates are:15°40'52.0"S, 34°58'18.0"E (Latitude:-15.681111; Longitude:34.971667).[5] The airport is at an elevation of 2,555 feet (779 m) above mean sea level.[6]

The airport has two asphalt paved runways: 10/28 measures 2,325 by 30 metres (7,628 ft × 98 ft) and 15/33 measures 1,372 m × 30 m (4,501 ft × 98 ft).[1]

Renovations

In April 2019 scheduled renovations and extensions to the main runway were commenced, resulting in the temporary closure of runway 10/28. The renovations were initially scheduled to last for three months, with operations expected to resume in July 2019. However, several delays caused the project to take longer than anticipated, and the reopening date was pushed back at least three times.[7]

The airport continued to be operational during this time, handling arrivals and departures of smaller aircraft on runway 15/33. During the closure, all arrivals and departures on medium range and larger aircraft operated from Kamuzu International Airport, with onward transfers to and from Chileka International Airport, on smaller aircraft.[8]

The renovation works were finally completed in December 2019, and normal operations with both runways were resumed on 1 January 2020.[3][9]

Airlines and destinations
AirlinesDestinations
Airlink Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo[10]
Ethiopian Airlines Addis Ababa[11]
Malawi Airlines Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo, Lilongwe
South African Airways Johannesburg–O. R. Tambo[12]

References
  1. Airport information for FWCL Archived 6 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
  2. Airport information for BLZ at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
  3. Google (7 May 2020). "Distance Between Blantyre And Chileka International Airport" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  4. Duncan Mlanjira (2 January 2020). "Chileka International Airport Now Operational For Big Aircrafts [sic]". Nyasa Times. Blantyre. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  5. Google (7 May 2020). "Location of Chileka International Airport" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  6. "Elevation of Chileka International Airport". Business Air News. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  7. APTA News (13 May 2019). "Malawi's Blantyre Chileka Airport Runway Closed Through 23 July 2019". Association For The Promotion of Tourism To Africa (APTA). Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  8. Malawi Tourism (30 April 2019). "Blantyre Chileka Airport Runway Maintenance". United Kingdom: Malawitourism.com. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  9. Logistics Update Africa (3 January 2020). "Malawi's Chileka Airport Begins To Welcome Big Aircraft". New Bombay, India: Logupdateafrica.com. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  10. "Airlink Adds Two Malawian Flights From September".
  11. Jim Liu (28 June 2019). "Ethiopian Airlines Resumes Blantyre; Adds Beira Service From Late July 2019". Manchester, United Kingdom: Routes Online. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  12. "South African Airways March 2023 Network Additions". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
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