Totegegie Airport
| Totegegie Airport | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| IATA: GMR – ICAO: NTGJ | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Serves |
Gambier Islands, French Polynesia Is the closest airport to the Pitcairn Islands | ||||||||||
| Location | Rikitea | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 7 ft / 2 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 23°05′04″S 134°53′07″W / 23.08444°S 134.88528°W | ||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Sources: French AIP[1] | |||||||||||
Totegegie Airport is an airport on Totegegie Island (in the Gambier Islands) French Polynesia (IATA: GMR, ICAO: NTGJ). It is 9 km northeast of the village of Rikitea.
Totegegie's name consists of the combination of two Mangarevan words (the local language, which takes its name from Mangareva, the main island of the archipelago): tote, which means a sandy islet on a reef (the equivalent of motu in Polynesian) and gegie (pronounced gniégnié) which is the name of a small shrub typical of atolls that looks much like a juniper bush without berries.
The airport is found on Totegegie, which is one of Mangareva island's reefs approximately 9 km (5.6 mi) from Rikitea, the island's administrative settlement. It has the only building on the reef. The airport is 1,652 km (1,027 mi) from Tahiti and is classified as a territorial aerodrome. Its only commercial service is to Tahiti's Faaa International Airport on Tuesdays.[2][3]
Totegegie Airport is crucial in its role as the outside world's link to the more famous Pitcairn Island. One of the only ways a traveler can reach Pitcairn is to fly to Tahiti, then to Totegegie. From there, a 32-hour boat ride will take one to Pitcairn.[4]
History
- 1967
- Construction of a runway of 3,500 m by the 115th running of the Society of the Pacific Experimentation Centre Pacific (CEP).
- 1968
- Landing of the first aircraft at Totegegie, a Piper Aztec, followed by a Breguet Deux-Ponts. The same year, a DC-6 performed weekly service between Totegegie, Mururoa and Papeete.
- 1978
- First commercial air link Totegegie-Papeete.[5]
- 1998
- Decommissioning of the French army, including the shed and wharf metal. At the end of operations 50 tons of scrap metal had been collected.[6]
- 2008
- Expansion and modernization of existing terminal.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air Tahiti | Hao, Papeete, Tureia |
Ground transportation
To go to Mangareva and its city Rikitea, travel is by boat.
From Mangareva there are boats going to Pitcairn Island, the main way of getting there.
Passengers
The increase in passenger numbers is shown below.[7]
| Years | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers | 5,319 | 5,129 | 4,937 | 5,609 | 5,922 | 6,598 | 6,938 | 7,155 | 7,409 |
Gallery
 Totegegie Airport |
 GMR Terminal |
 Totegegie runway, looking out at Mangareva |
 Air Tahiti ATR |
Wildlife
This shrub, Pemphis acidula, is widespread on Polynesian atolls and is best known as the 'miki miki'.
References
- ↑ NTGJ – TOTEGEGIE. AIP from French Service d'information aéronautique, effective 8 December 2016.
- ↑ http://www.ispf.pf/ISPF/Chiffres/Transports/TrMaritAeri.aspx
- ↑ http://www.visitpitcairn.pn/visitpitcairn.html
- ↑ http://www.visitpitcairn.pn/visitpitcairn.html
- ↑ http://gadper.free.fr/public/Polynesie/les_anciens_racontent/Construction%20de%20la%20piste%20de%20Totegegie%20en%201967-1.pdf
- ↑ http://www.moruroa.org/medias/pdf/T%C3%A9moignage%20Gambier%201967.pdf
- ↑ http://www.aeroport.fr/les-aeroports-de-l-uaf/stats-totegegie.php
Coordinates: 23°5′4″S 134°53′7″W / 23.08444°S 134.88528°W