Mauritius Airport

MAURITIUS AIRPORT

The Royal Naval Air Station was built near Mahebourg at Plaine Magnien back in 1942. Used as a military-based during WW2. After the war, it became an operational civil airport and gave a boost to the economy. The flight to Rodrigues island was made on 10 September 1972, from Plaisance airport to the Plaine Corail Airport using an MK Twin Otter (3B-NAB). Later in 1986, a new terminal was built, consisted of 2 floors and airbridges which could accommodate up to four aircraft simultaneously.

A new passenger terminal was inaugurated on 30 August 2013 and became fully operational in September 2013. The structure of the New Airport Terminal is designed after the "Traveller's palm", a tropical plant that grows on Mauritius with a  capacity of 4 million passengers. The terminal covers an area of 57,000 square meters and is equipped with five boarding gates with airbridges.

The 3000m2 Renovated Boarding Lounge located in the old Terminal Building was inaugurated on 16 May 2019. This new lounge area offers innovative and convenient facilities for passengers and increases the annual passenger handling capacity of SSRIA to 4.5 million.

1922 - First aircraft was flown over Mauritius by Major F. W. Honnet

1933 - First flight to Mauritius from Reunion to Mon Choisy by Maurice Samat and Paul Louis

1943 - First landing at Plaisance airport

1945 - First commercial flight, Tananarive-Réunion-Mauritius by Le Réseau de Lignes Aériennes Françaises Libres

1947 - First flight from Paris

1948 - First flight from Australia by a Qantas Lancastrian

1957 - SAA used Mauritius as a stop on its route to Perth

1962 - First BOAC flight from London with a Bristol Britannia

1967 - First flight from India

1967 - Air Mauritius was formed

1972 - First MK flight

1987 - Plaisance became “SSRIA”

2013 - SSRIA new terminal

2019 - Renovated Boarding Lounge inaugurated at SSRIA