Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport
Facts on MRU
The site began in 1942 as a Royal Naval Air Station near Mahébourg, built while Mauritius was still a British Crown colony; it passed to the Royal Air Force at the end of World War II before civilian flights began.
Source: Wikipedia
The airport is named for Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (1900-1985), a Mauritian physician known affectionately as "Chacha" (Uncle), who served as the island's only chief minister and premier before becoming its first prime minister and leading it to independence in 1968; he is widely regarded as the nation's founding father.
Source: Wikipedia
The airport, once called Plaisance Airport after the estate it was built on, was renamed for Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam — Mauritius's first prime minister and founding father — in recognition of his role leading the country to independence.
Source: Wikipedia
The first flight to Mauritius's outlying Rodrigues Island departed Plaisance on 10 September 1972, an Air Mauritius Twin Otter that was later replaced on the route by ATR 42 turboprops.
Source: Wikipedia
The current passenger terminal, inaugurated in August 2013, was designed in the shape of the Traveller's Palm, a tropical plant native to Mauritius, and built around the "Maurice Ile Durable" sustainability concept with solar panels and rainwater recovery.
Source: Wikipedia
That 2013 terminal cost US$306 million, covers 57,000 square meters, and has five boarding gates with airbridges — including one built large enough for the Airbus A380.
Source: Wikipedia
In 1960 the airfield's lighting and telecommunications equipment were electrically refitted and a contract was placed to rebuild the runway, upgrades that preceded decades of further expansion.
Source: Wikipedia
In 1986, a two-floor terminal with airbridges was built at Plaisance able to serve up to four aircraft simultaneously, part of infrastructure works undertaken to accommodate the larger jets then entering service.
Source: Wikipedia