📌413 Control Tower, RAF Gibraltar, Winston Churchill Avenue, Gibraltar.

Gibraltar International Airport, previously known as North Front Airport, (IATA: GIB, ICAO: LXGB) is the civilian airport that serves the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The runway and aerodrome is owned by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), and operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) as RAF Gibraltar. Civilian operators use the civilian-operated terminal. National Air Traffic Services (NATS) hold the contract for provision of air navigation services at the airport.

In 2017, the civilian airport handled 571,184 passengers and 666,003 pounds of cargo on 4,888 total flights. Winston Churchill Avenue (the main road heading towards the land border with Spain) intersects the airport runway, and consequently has to be closed every time an aircraft lands or departs. The History Channel programme Most Extreme Airports ranked the airport the fifth most extreme airport in the world, ahead of the now-defunct Kai Tak Airport with its infamous right-hand turn approach over central Hong Kong before landing, but behind Princess Juliana International Airport, famous for its low-altitude approaches over a public beach. It is exposed to strong cross winds around the ''Rock'' and across the Bay of Gibraltar, making landings in winter particularly challenging.

Prior to its bankruptcy, Monarch Airlines was the largest operator at Gibraltar, but entered administration and ceased operations in October 2017. As of 2021 easyJet is the largest airline operator, with the airport also being served by British Airways. Although located in Gibraltar, the airport is also used by people travelling to or from neighbouring parts of southern Spain such as the Costa del Sol or the Campo de Gibraltar.

The first attempt of passenger air traffic from Gibraltar was made in 1931 by Gibraltar Airways Ltd, using the territory's race course on the North Frontier, however the service closed after only three and a half months. The actual airport was constructed during World War Two upon the former race track, when Gibraltar was an important naval base for the British. Opened in 1936, at first it was only an emergency airfield for the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA). In 1940, a landing strip was made and the airfield was used by the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm, mostly for anti-U-boat patrols and convoy protection.

However, the runway was extended in 1942-1943 by reclaiming some land from the Bay of Gibraltar using rock blasted from the Rock of Gibraltar while carrying out works on military tunnels. By April 1942, the runway was extended to 3,450 feet, by November 1942 to 4,650 feet, and by July 1943 to 5,400 feet. This last major extension of the runway allowed larger aircraft to land at Gibraltar.

Information sourced from en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibraltar_International_Airport

Taken in: Spain / Gibraltar-Spain neutral zone (show map)

Taken on: October 24, 2017

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1939-1945

WWIl

Second World War

1940's

Control Tower

413 Control Tower

Airfield

Emergency Airfield

Runway

Aerodrome

MOD

Ministry of Defence

NATS

National Air Traffic Services

Royal Navy

FAA

Fleet Air Arm

RAF

Royal Air Force

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British Overseas Territory

The Rock

Rock of Gibraltar

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Camera: samsung SM-N910F, f/2.2, 1/1348 sec, 4.8mm, ISO 40 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	samsung SM-N910F
Aperture:	f/2.2
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/1348)
Focal Length:	4.8mm
ISO:	40
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	N910FXXS1DQG5
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