San Luis Airport (Menorca)
| Aerodromo de San Luis | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Characteristics | |
| ICAO code | LESL |
| Coordinates | |
| Height above MSL | 60 m (197 ft ) |
| Transport links | |
| Distance from the city center | 2.5 km south of Maó |
| Street | Me-6 |
| Basic data | |
| opening | 1949 |
| operator | Real Aero Club de Mahon |
| Terminals | 1 |
| Flight movements |
around 3000 annually |
| Start-and runway | |
| 02/20 | 1850 m × 45 m asphalt |
The airport San Luis (until 1965 airport San Luis , 1965-1969 airport Mahón , Spanish Aeródromo de San Luis ) was until 1969 the international airport of the Balearic island of Menorca . Due to the increasing volume of traffic, the airport reached its capacity limits and was replaced by today 's Menorca Airport .
Today the San Luis airfield is used for general aviation and recreational aviation . Around 3,000 aircraft movements are recorded every year.
history
The Aerodromo de San Luis was built in 1936 and was used as a field airfield by the Spanish military Ejército del Aire during the Spanish Civil War . The first aircraft to land was a Fiat CR.42 Falco, a biplane coming from Palma de Mallorca .
At the end of the civil war, the runway was 850 meters long and unpaved. In the late 1940s, the Aeródromo de San Luis was sporadically used by some aircraft from the military base of San Juan de Mallorca and served mainly as an alternative airport for machines that had been damaged by sea or were forced to land due to technical problems.
In July 1949, by decree of the Spanish Defense Minister, the airport was expanded, the runway was fortified and opened for civil aviation. In August of the same year, the airline company Aviaco opened the first scheduled service Barcelona - Mahon with a Bristol Type 170 . In 1959 and 1961, terminal buildings were built and the runway was extended to 1,850 meters, as the Aviaco airline was now using DC-4 machines .
In 1965 the official name was changed to Mahón Airport . Due to the increase in tourism on the island of Menorca and thus also in air traffic, it was foreseeable that the existing airport would no longer be able to cope with the traffic from 1968 at the latest. That is why the local authorities decided to build a new airport. After four years of planning, construction of the new airport began in 1967 around 3 km west of the old location. After the inauguration and commissioning of the new airport, from March 1969 international flights were diverted to today's airport on the island and the old Aeròdrom de Sant Lluís airport was handed over to the private aviation club Real Aeroclub de Maó , which is responsible for the maintenance and care of the facilities and the Is in operation and also operates today's flying school. The aviation club was founded in 1965 under the name Aeroclub de Sant Lluís and changed to Real Aeroclub de Maó ( Castilian spelling: Real Aeroclub de Mahón ) when the site was taken over .
Incidents
In the history of the airfield, there were three total write-offs of aircraft. This included a fatal incident. Extracts:
- On November 24, 1949, a Bristol 170 Freighter Mk.21E of the Spanish airline Aviaco ( aircraft registration EC-ADK ) rolled over the end of the runway at Mahon-Menorca Airport (San Luis) and was irreparably damaged. All 26 occupants, 22 passengers and 4 crew members survived.
- On March 13, 1959, a Bristol 170 Freighter Mk.21E of Aviaco ( EC-ADH ) made a sharp right turn on the final approach to Mahon-Menorca Airport (San Luis) at a height of about 120 meters and then fell to the ground, possibly triggered by a strong gust of wind . One of the passengers was killed, the other 17 occupants, 14 passengers and 3 crew members survived.
Others
The old terminal building from the Wilhelminian era now houses a bar, a restaurant and meeting rooms with an adjoining visitor terrace. In addition to the actual airfield, there is also a trotting track for equestrian sports and a kart track. In 2006, a small asphalt runway for model airplanes was built.
formula 1
The Formula 1 teams such as Ferrari , Renault , McLaren and Toyota use the runway during the preseason to test drive and test the aerodynamics of their racing cars. The track length of 1850 meters, the asphalt surface, the weather conditions and the proximity to Menorca Airport are considered ideal by the Formula 1 team bosses. Due to the high level of noise pollution, there are only a few places in Europe that are approved for this type of test. During this time, the airfield will be closed to flight operations and rented to the teams and will not be accessible to visitors either.
Web link
- Website of the airport operator (span.)
Individual evidence
- ↑ aena.es ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. History of the airports in Menorca
- ↑ Source: Berta Martínez y Luis Utrilla: Historia l'aeròdrom de Menorca ISBN 84-95135-17-5 (Spanish)
- ↑ Accident statistics Menorca-Mahón , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on December 11, 2018.
- ^ Accident report Bristol 170 EC-ADK , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on December 11, 2018.
- ^ Accident report Bristol 170 EC-ADH , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on December 11, 2018.
- ^ Derek A. King: The Bristol 170 . Air-Britain (Historians), Staplefield, 2011, ISBN 978 0 85130 405 2 , p. 209.
- ↑ Information page of the model building department of the Aero Club
- ↑ Motorsport-Total.com Ferrari also flies to Menorca
- ↑ [Source: http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2008/02/28/baleares/1204193464.html Newspaper report in El Mundo Formula 1 on the grounds of Menorca-San Luis Airport (Spanish)]
- ↑ List of Formula 1 teams in Menorca
