Soroti Airport is an airport

Airport

An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...

 in Soroti

Soroti

Soroti is the main municipal, commercial and administrative centre of Soroti District in Eastern Uganda, lying near Lake Kyoga. It is known for the rock formation near the town as well as a variety of Muslim mosques, Hindu temples, Sikh gurdwaras as well as several churches that meet in various...

 in eastern Uganda

Uganda

Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

. It is one of the forty-six (46) airports in the country.

Location

The airport is located in the town of Soroti

Soroti

Soroti is the main municipal, commercial and administrative centre of Soroti District in Eastern Uganda, lying near Lake Kyoga. It is known for the rock formation near the town as well as a variety of Muslim mosques, Hindu temples, Sikh gurdwaras as well as several churches that meet in various...

, Soroti District

Soroti District

Soroti District is a district in Eastern Uganda. It is named after its chief municipal, administrative and commercial headquarters, Soroti, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...

, Teso sub-region

Teso sub-region

Teso sub-region is a region in Uganda that consists of:* Amuria District* Bukedea District* Kaberamaido District* Katakwi District* Kumi District* Ngora District* Serere District* Soroti District...

, Eastern Uganda

Eastern Region, Uganda

Eastern Region is a region of Uganda. It is divided into the following districts:...

. Soroti Airport sits to the immediate northeast of the town's central business district

Central business district

A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...

. (See Google Map). Its location is approximately 229 kilometres (142.3 mi), by air, northeast of Entebbe International Airport

Entebbe International Airport

Entebbe International Airport is the principal international airport of Uganda.-Location:It is located near the town of Entebbe, on the shores of Lake Victoria, and about from the capital, Kampala...

, Uganda's largest civilian

Civilian

A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...

 and military

Military

A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...

 airport

Airport

An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...

. The coordinates of the airport are 1°43′30"N 33°37′16"E.

Overview

Soroti Airport has two runways. Its longest runway (05/23), is the third longest tarmac runway in Uganda

Uganda

Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

, at 1860 metres (6,102.4 ft). The longest paved runway in Uganda, measuring 3700 metres (12,139.1 ft), is found at Entebbe International Airport

Entebbe International Airport

Entebbe International Airport is the principal international airport of Uganda.-Location:It is located near the town of Entebbe, on the shores of Lake Victoria, and about from the capital, Kampala...

. The second longest paved runway in Uganda, which measures 3100 metres (10,170.6 ft) is located at Gulu Airport

Gulu Airport

Gulu Airport is a civilian and military airport in Northern Uganda.-Location:The airport is located , by road, northwest of the central business district of the city of Gulu, the largest metropolitan area in Northern Uganda. This location is approximately , by air, north of Entebbe International...

.

The second runway has a laterite

Laterite

Laterites are soil types rich in iron and aluminium, formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are rusty-red because of iron oxides. They develop by intensive and long-lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock...

 surface (09/27) and measures 769.5 metres (2,524.6 ft) long. Both runways are 30 metres (98.4 ft) wide. The main runway and apron are tarmac

Tarmac

Tarmac is a type of road surface. Tarmac refers to a material patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1901...

 and can support aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 737

Boeing 737

The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...

, without damage to the surface. The airport sits at an elevation of 1110 metres (3,641.7 ft) above sea level.

History

The airport was originally built as a training school for the British Overseas Airways Corporation

British Overseas Airways Corporation

The British Overseas Airways Corporation was the British state airline from 1939 until 1946 and the long-haul British state airline from 1946 to 1974. The company started life with a merger between Imperial Airways Ltd. and British Airways Ltd...

 to train their pilots in tropical flying techniques. It was later used by the East African Flying Academy to train pilots from the East African Community

East African Community

The East African Community is an intergovernmental organisation comprising the five east African countries Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Pierre Nkurunziza, the President of the Republic of Burundi, is the current Chairman of the East African Community. The EAC was originally...

. Today, the airport is home Soroti Flying School, which has various aircraft, including a Cessna 310. The flying school provides training through instrument and multi-engine ratings. The flying school has dormitories, food service, and classrooms.

Renovations

After a twenty seven (27) year period of neglect and mismanagement , the East African Flying Academy, commonly known as the Soroti Flying School is to undergo a US$900,000 renovation. The upgrade includes repairs to the buildings, acquisition of new computers and software and the purchase of up to six training aircraft.

External links

• Location of Soroti Airport at Google Maps

See also

• Soroti
  Soroti
  Soroti is the main municipal, commercial and administrative centre of Soroti District in Eastern Uganda, lying near Lake Kyoga. It is known for the rock formation near the town as well as a variety of Muslim mosques, Hindu temples, Sikh gurdwaras as well as several churches that meet in various...
  
  
• Soroti District
  Soroti District
  Soroti District is a district in Eastern Uganda. It is named after its chief municipal, administrative and commercial headquarters, Soroti, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
  
  
• Eastern Region, Uganda
  Eastern Region, Uganda
  Eastern Region is a region of Uganda. It is divided into the following districts:...
  
  
• List of airports in Uganda