Buffalo Range Airport

IATA: none ICAO: none
Summary

Buffalo Range Airport is an airport situated in the South Eastern Lowveld of Zimbabwe. Buffalo Range Airport is almost centrally located between the two sugar towns, Triangle and Chiredzi which are just thirty kilometres (30km) apart. Buffalo Range Airport is situated to serve as the main gateway to the three main Conservancies; Save Valley, Malilangwe and Bubiana and the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Parks on the Zimbabwean side. ^[1]

• See Airports In Zimbabwe.

Background

Buffalo Range Airport was constructed from an airstrip formerly owned by the Styles family who were operating as Buffalo Range Pvt Ltd which was into cattle ranching and cane farming. They donated their piece of land to the government for the construction of the airport which was then commissioned in 1965 to cater for the Mauritian communities working in the sugar estates who used to travel back home to Port Louis via the then Salisbury Airport (Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport). Scheduled air services were introduced between Harare and [[Chiredzi] via Masvingo using some Viscount aircraft on that lucrative route. Additional scheduled charter flights were made available during beginning and closing of schools to cater for the school children from Triangle, Mkwasine, Hippo Valley Estates and the surrounding game ranches in the South Eastern Lowveld. International flights were later introduced when customs and immigration were made available.

The runway is 1578 metres long and 30 metres wide and can accommodate aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 737-700. Executive series have been accommodated with no constraints. As a high profile tourist niche market area, Buffalo Range Airport is frequented by high flying and long-range aircraft like Falcons, Lear jets, Citations, Challengers, Global Expresses, Gulf Streams, Beech jets and Pilatuses. They all bring some world celebrities to enjoy the best wilderness experience in the Gonarezhou National Park and the Conservancies.