Ceuta Heliport Explained

Ceuta Heliport
Nativename:Helipuerto de Ceuta
Iata:JCU
Icao:GECE
Pushpin Map:Spain
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of airport in Spain
Pushpin Label:JCU
Pushpin Label Position:right
Type:Public
Owner-Oper:Aena
City-Served:Ceuta
Metric-Elev:y
Elevation-M:2
Elevation-F:6.6
Coordinates:35.8925°N -5.3058°W
Metric-Rwy:y
H1-Number:H07/H25
H1-Length-M:253x42
H1-Length-F:830x138
H1-Surface:Asphalt
Stat-Year:2019
Stat1-Header:Passengers
Stat1-Data:71,654
Stat2-Header:Passenger change 18-19
Stat2-Data:37.3%
Stat3-Header:Aircraft Movements
Stat3-Data:6,846
Stat4-Header:Movements change 18-19
Stat4-Data:31.3%
Footnotes:Source: AENA[1]

Ceuta Heliport (Spanish; Castilian: Helipuerto de Ceuta) is the heliport, and only air transport facility, serving the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta, in North Africa.

Overview

Since 9 January 2004, it has been possible to fly between Ceuta and Málaga by helicopter. This heliport is the first in Spain to be constructed and managed by AENA in order to secure accessibility to the autonomous city by air. A rapid connection with the mainland is considered vital for the development of the Ceutan economy.

The heliport is situated in the port of Ceuta, between the cargo dock and the fishing port, on land reclaimed from the sea in the north of the city. The heliport consists of three helipads, a short runway, a two-storey terminal building, a power station and a fire station.

This infrastructure is key to Ceuta because it allowed passengers to connect in minutes through Málaga (mainland Spain's fourth airport by number of passengers), giving Ceuta access to all cities served from Málaga. Destinations include more than one hundred cities in Europe (mainly in the United Kingdom, Central Europe and the Nordic countries, but also the main cities of Eastern Europe: Budapest, Sofia, Warsaw, Riga and Bucharest), North Africa, the Middle East (Riyadh, Jeddah and Kuwait) and North America (New York City, Montreal).

The former ICAO code of Ceuta was GECT. It was changed in mid-2009.[2]

Routes and services

The route was covered by Helicópteros del Sureste, a transport company based in Mutxamel, Alicante. The regular service operated since 1996, linking the city of Ceuta with Málaga Airport in thirty minutes. This route serves more than 20,000 annually, in approximately 2,600 flights. The helicopters used were the most recent versions of the AW139 which have a capacity of up to 15 passengers. It is due to become the main destination for helicopters leaving Algeciras Heliport.

Statistics

In its second year of operation, the heliport served 20,233 passengers, handled 2,656 operations and 4.6 tonnes of cargo.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ceuta Heliport . . 15 May 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100618211007/http://www.aena.es/csee/Satellite?pagename=subHome&Language=EN_GB&c=Page&SiteName=JCU&cid=1075113413724 . 18 June 2010 . http://www.aena.es/en/ceuta-heliport/introduction.html
  2. Web site: GECE Changes . OurAirports . 15 March 2012.