Lanseria airport is an international airport that is privately owned by a company called Consortium. It is located at Randburg and Sandton of Johannesburg in South Africa. The airport was originally opened to ease the traffic congestion of the OR Tambo International Airport.
Lanseria airport wasn’t always owned by Consortium, it was originally bought and owned by Krugersdorp and Roodepoort in connection with the Transvaal Peri-Urban Board and finally contracted to Lanseria Management Company on a 99-year lease. Its existence dates way back to the year 1972 when it started off as a grass strip airfield, it is said to have been the brainchild of Fanie Haacke and Abe Sher two Pretoria Pilots.
It was officially opened on August 16, 1974, by the Minister of Transport at that time, Hannes Rall. This airport sees approximately 1.5 million passengers in a year, which means their services are widely sought among South Africans and other countries.
Fascinating Facts About Lanseria Airport
1. Nelson Mandela landed at the airport after his release from prison
The former late president of South Africa Nelson Mandela first landed at the Lanseria airport when he was released from prison in 1990.
2. It provides charter services
Lanseria airport has private jets which offer a lavish efficient, private, enjoyable, and convenient travel experience, it also has a wide range of charter companies and services to choose from.
3. The airport has the capacity to accommodate large aircraft
After the evaluation of all Airports in South Africa as of February 2001, Lanseria happened to be the only private airport to retain its international stature in the process, this might be because of the excellent structures it has in place and the different services they render.
The airport can accommodate aircraft as large as Boeing 757-3000, it also acts as a major hub for Mango and Fly Go- Air airlines, Kulula and Air Botswana among others.
4. Crashes involving the airport
In an Air show, Africa 77, in October 1977, a Britten Norman Trislander’s aircraft was damaged and written off when he performed a wing-over but wasn’t successful due to insufficient altitude to help recover and this made the aircraft come down the runway sending it to about 500meters to a side of the runway. This forceful landing disabled the flying controls and the main gears were dethatched, luckily nobody died.
Another accident happened on the 2nd of October 1993 when a pilot ejected from the aircraft outside the designed envelope of the ejection seat during a performance by the SAAF Silver Falcons, sadly the pilot was killed.
5. It was evacuated in 2013 due to a security threat
On the 23rd of June 2013, Lanseria airport received a fright when a travel bag was left unclaimed and unattended and so the attention of the West Rand Explosives Unit was called in to make sure there were no explosives in the bag and even if there were, to contain the situation.
Some flights were delayed and the airport was temporarily closed for about four hours. Luckily, after the unit inspected the bag, they found cigarettes, dates, business cards, and a suspicious 500g bag containing a white powder.
6. Lady Gaga once used the airport
It is no longer news that the airport has grown from a mere airstrip to a full brown international airport recognized by various celebrities and businessmen, it was therefore not a shock when the iconic American musician Lady Gaga landed at the airport to greet her ‘Little Monsters’ on the 12th of November 2012.
7. There was a crash at the airport in 2014
On the 3rd of February 2014, there was a plane crash at the Lanseria airport with three occupants in the aircraft, 1 pilot, and 2 passengers. The crash was caused by heavy rains on that day and eyewitnesses testified that they saw smoke billowing from the plane before it came crashing down ablaze. Frantic efforts were made by Emergency vehicles to put out the fire but it was too late for they couldn’t do much.
8. In 2014 it was temporarily closed
On the 13th of February 2014, a light plane landed at the airport without wheels after its undercarriage failed, this became one of the other disturbing incidents that happened in the airport around that time and so, therefore, the airport was forced to close for a while to sort out its problems.
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9. Lanseria Airport has great aerodrome information
This fabulous airport is fully equipped with ILA CAT I. It is also directed at 047 degrees East of True North. It has its Northerly winds blowing South of the airport which makes the preferred landing direction the South West, with its runway being 1.5 % gradient with a slope towards the southwest end of the runway.
10. A new runway was open in 2013
The airport opened its new Runway on the 11th of November 2013 this was possibly due to the insufficiency of its previous runway which was 30-meters wide 06/24. The new runway is now 45 meters wide 07/25. The Kulula airline became the first carrier to use the new improved runway.
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