Virginia Airport ICAO (FAVG) Virginia Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | eThekwini Municipality | ||||||||||
| Operator | Indiza Airport Management | ||||||||||
| Serves | Durban, South Africa | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 20 ft / 6 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 29°46′14″S 031°03′30″E / 29.77056°S 31.05833°E | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  VIR Durban North | |||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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Virginia Airport (IATA: VIR, ICAO: FAVG) is an airport serving Durban,[1] the largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. This general aviation airport is located 10 kilometres (5.4 nautical miles) north east of Durban.
This airport was the home of the Durban Airshow before it ran into problems by failing to meet new public safety standards.[3] The Durban Airshow was eventually permanently cancelled due to the close proximity of the crowd line to the runway.[3] In 2024, the airshow returned, although with a limited display of aircraft.[4] Virginia Airport primarily serves as a training ground for pilots of varying skills.
The airport was threatened to be closed down in December 2018. The plan was to replace it by a development which would have comprised a hotel, upmarket residential houses as well as leisure and related developments. It was planned to build a new airport in Scottburgh on the South Coast of Durban, what did not materialize because it was disliked by the current Virginia Airport users because it is too far away from the city.[5][6]
- ^ a b Airport information for FAVG[usurped] from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
- ^ Airport information for VIR at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
- ^ a b "Why the Virginia Airshow was cancelled | Northglen News". Northglen News. 12 April 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
- ^ Singh, Niyanta (30 August 2024). "Durban gears up for Virginia Airshow". DurbanLocal. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ Attwood, Vivian; Naidoo, Mervyn (10 May 2015). "Virginia Airport will close by December 2018". IOL News. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ Shiraz, Habbib (22 November 2017). "Virginia Airport development bid rejected". Northglen News. Retrieved 28 March 2018.