 
Contact Address Details:
Banjul International Airport
Old Yundum - Website
(BIA), PO Box 285,
BJL
The Gambia, West Africa
Tel. no: +220 4473000 / 4473001
Fax no: +220 4472190
Email: aismgr.gcaa@qanet.gm |
Arrivals Information:
(Live
Updates) The Banjul
Airport procedure is that once your flight has landed
on the runway a bus will transfer you to the main terminal
 building
where you should queue at the rank for non-Gambians
if you are a tourist non-national. At the passport control
they will put an entry stamp in your passport. The next
step is to pay a tourist tax which is around £5.00 to
the tourism authority which is payable in any currency.
There is now an Airport Development Fee of €20 per person,
not including infants, to be paid to the local collecting
agency on all departures.
When you get to the luggage carousel you may have to
wait a while so ensure you have a little liquid refreshment
in your hand-luggage as the temperature can get a little
uncomfortable at times. Trolleys are provided free however
should you decide to use the services of a porter then
be prepared to give a small tip of around £1 €1.26 /
$1.83. The next step is that you should join the baggage
security queue where your luggage may be searched but
will be scanned by an x-ray machine. From here you can
proceed out of the main building complex.
If you have arrived with one of the main tour operators
then you will usually exit to the right of the main
gate where you will have you coach waiting to transfer
you to your resort. Drinks are served in this area while
you wait for the other passengers from your party to
finalise with formalities. NOTE: The airport
is located 20 km from the capital in the Old Yundum
district hence its alternative name.
 If
you need to spend any length of time at the airport
& require refreshments you can visit the Air View
Restaurant located on the top floor where they serve
cooked food and drinks as well as the ground floor snack
bar. After you have finished with all formalities there
is also a tourist help desk directly to the left of
the exit.
If you have used a tour operator then they should have
airport transfers already arranged.
If you are an independent traveller then you can either
use a car
hire company located at the terminal or you can
hire one of the tourist taxi waiting outside the main
gates. Please note that taxi rates are fixed and the
fares are posted just outside the terminal gates on
the right hand-side against the wall. Expect to pay
around £9 / €14 / $20 to take your to the main tourist
resorts on the coast.
The complex is managed by the Gambia Civil Aviation
Authority.
Design:
The Banjul
Airport was designed by Pierre Goudiaby also known
as Atepa who is a Jolla architect from Senegal.
Martin L. King Building
Fann-Mermoz, BP 2191
Senegal
Tel: +221 (865) 11 11
Fax: +221 (824) 90 72
E-mail: atepa@atepa.com
Website: www.atepa.com
History:
The airport was originally a World War II Allied airfield
which served as a port of call for Allied naval convoys
and an air stopover for the U.S. Army Air Corps. Franklin
D. Roosevelt, the then US President stayed overnight
in Banjul en route to and from the Casablanca Conference
in 1943, making it the first visit to the African Continent
by a sitting American president.
The Gambia Civil
Aviation Authority (GCAA) was established in July
1991 by the Government as an autonomous institution
by the Public Enterprise Act of 1989 (PEA). It was to
put into effect the Chicago Convention and to regulate,
oversee and bring the aviation industry to International
Standards. The assets and liabilities of the former
Dept. of Civil Aviation was transferred to the GCAA.
Prior to the opening of the new terminal building in
October, 1997 the old airport was essentially a few
purpose build sheds which resembled barns.
Quick Facts:
The airport is located 23 km from Banjul
(capital) at Yundum & it is the
Gambia's only airport. It used to be one of the
emergency landing sites for the NASA shuttle.
|
| Details: |
|
| Airport Code:
|
BJL / GBYD |
| Area |
1327 Hectares |
| Longitude:
|
016° 39´08"
W |
| Latitude: |
13° 20´17"
N |
| Runway Length: |
3,600m (11,811ft) |
| Elevation: |
28.9 |
| Check-in desks: |
7 |
|
Facilities:
Banking (Trust Bank Ltd.) with ATM
Biometric visa system
13 computer terminals
Bureau
de Change
Business Centre
Car
hire
Car parking (long & short-term) D15 per day
Disabled access
Duty
free shop
Help desk
Internet access
Police Station
Porter service
Post Office
Public Telephone
Refreshments Bar
Restaurant
Taxi rank service
Shops
Travel agent
VIP lounge area |
|
Departures Information:
Banjul
Airport only handles international flights
& there is no domestic flights service to
the up-country destinations.
On your date of departure your luggage will be
taken to the airport by your tourist bus. You
usually get the labels that have to be fixed to
your suitcases in your hotel. The clearance takes
place at the airport itself. All suitcases are
lined up on the platform, you pick out your own
suitcases and give them to the customs officer.
In many cases you will have to open them, so don't
forget your keys. After customs have checked your
suitcases and have put a new chalk mark on them,
porters (tip!) will see to it that they are loaded
onto the transport lorry to the airplane. |
| NOTE: The information on this
page should not be relied upon for any navigational
purposes. |
|
