Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport () is the second busiest and largest public airport in

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

. The airport is located 27 km (16 miles) south of the capital,

Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the Capital city, capital city of Cameroon. It has a population of more than 2.8 million which makes it the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region (Cameroon), Centre Region o ...

, near Nsimalen in Cameroon's Centre Region.

History

Starting operations in 1991, Nsimalen was built to supersede the old international airport in Yaoundé that was getting absorbed by the rapid growth of the city, it was also too close to the oil deposits of SCDP ("Société Camerounaise de Dépôts Pétroliers" or ''Cameroon Oil Storage Company''). This former international airport of Yaoundé, still known as Yaoundé Airport, now serves as an

airbase An airbase (stylised air base in American English), sometimes referred to as a military airbase, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base, is an aerodrome or airport used as a mi ...

for the Cameroon Air Force. In 2004, Nsimalen airport served 190,487 passengers. The airport has 14 direct flights to 11 countries. It is also the

focus city An airline hub or hub airport is an airport used by one or more airlines to concentrate passenger traffic and flight operations. Hubs serve as transfer (or stop-over) points to help get passengers to their final destination. It is part of the ...

for the most popular airline in Cameroon, Camair-Co, successor to the defunct Cameroon Airlines. The airport's growth of international traffic is 4% per year. The government has set a goal of servicing 1.5 million passengers and 50,000 tons of cargo per year.

Facilities

Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport covers 3,065 acres (1240 ha) at an elevation of 694 m (2,276 ft), and includes one passenger terminal, one cargo terminal and 6 aircraft stands. Nsimalen airport currently has one runway: heading 01/19, 3,400 m (11,154 ft) in length, with a width of 45 m (147 ft), which could accommodate a

Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a long-range wide-body aircraft, wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2023. After the introduction of the Boeing 707, 707 in October 1958, Pan Am ...

. The airport is equipped with modern facilities and can be accessed through four gates. It has six parking facilities, two of which are for long term use. Inside the terminal there are 10 check-in desks, currency exchange office, post office, restaurants, tourist information centre, business centre, banks and car rental
limousine services
and taxi services. Cargo facilities are equipped with a 1,839 m² (19,794 sq ft) warehouse, twelve 747 Freighter docks, a transit zone, animal quarantine, health office, X-ray/handling/mechanical equipment and refrigerated storage.

Airlines and destinations

;Notes : Brussels Airlines' flight to Brussels from Yaoundé stops in Douala, but the airline does not have eighth freedom rights on the Yaoundé and Douala sector.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport Airports in Cameroon Buildings and structures in Yaoundé