Wonderboom Airport
| Wonderboom Airport | |||||||||||||||
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| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Owner | City of Pretoria | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Wonderboom, Pretoria, South Africa | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,248 m / 4,095 ft | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 25°39′13″S 28°13′27″E / 25.65361°S 28.22417°E | ||||||||||||||
| Website | www.wonderboomairport.co.za | ||||||||||||||
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Wonderboom Airport (IATA: PRY, ICAO: FAWB), is located north of Pretoria, South Africa.
The airport was opened in 1937, being built on the farm Wonderboom approximately 15 km north of Pretoria. Originally a civilian airstrip for light aircraft, it was used for military training purposes during the Second World War before returning to civilian control in 1945. The airport remains a light aircraft facility to this day.
In 1965, the airport was extensively extended, with a new terminal building and hangars being constructed as well as the runway being extended. This led to Wonderboom Airport being able to receive its first Boeing 737 in 1982. In 1993, the runway was again upgraded to its present length of 1,828 m.
Airport management passed to the Greater Pretoria Metropolitan Council in December 1994. Towards the end of 2000, ownership passed to Pretoria.
In 2007, plans were mooted by the city of Pretoria for scheduled passenger service from Wonderboom Airport. The municipality spent R165.5 million in order to upgrade the airport in anticipation of passenger flights. In July 2009, it was announced that scheduled passenger service to Cape Town and Durban was due to commence in October 2009.
The airport would initially be able to cope with 450 departing and 400 incoming passengers per hour. It is believed that there is a market for passenger service, mainly Pretoria residents that do not wish to commute to OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg; an estimated 25%-30% of passengers using O.R. Tambo are Pretoria residents.
Beginning 17 August 2015, Airlink started be offering direct flights to Cape Town from the airport.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
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