Overview
The airport is operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe and is the hub of Air Zimbabwe. The airport's runway, at 4,725 metres (15,502 ft), is one of the longest in Africa. It compares with OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, whose longest runway measures 4,418 metres (14,495 ft). The reason for this is that both are "hot and high" airports requiring long take-off runs.
Because of a decline in tourism numbers, due to internal political conflicts since 2000, few major airlines now use the airport. In the early 1990s when many foreign airlines refused to fly to South Africa for political reasons, Harare airport was served by many major airlines. It was possible to fly non-stop to Australia and the United Kingdom as well as many European destinations.
The runway is used by both the civilian airport and the Air Force of Zimbabwe whose base is on the southern side of the runway.
Read more about this topic: Harare International Airport