Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport Of Mauritius

Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport Of Mauritius

After several hours of hovering around in a flying machine over the seemingly endless stretch of the ocean, welcome! You have now finally arrived at your eagerly awaited destination.

The first few things you will observe, as your aircraft makes it over Mauritian ground, are our exquisite azure blue waters and sandy beaches, just waiting to be graced by your presence. But you will still need to remain patient for a few minutes, you have to land after all.

Fear not! Mauritius possesses one of the best and most highly rewarded airports, equipped with just about everything to smoothen your arrival and give you a taste of our internationally popular trademark Mauritian hospitality. For all those (unfortunately) leaving us, the airport is equipped with the latest of technologies to ease your departure and make you yearn for the day you will return.

At EasyCab, we have been offering professional and reliable airport transfer service in Mauritius for more than five years now. So, we asked our chauffeur to tell you everything he knows about the airport. Ready for this? Let’s get started:

Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport is named after our first Prime Minister, also the man responsible for the independence of our nation. It is located in Plaine Magnien in the South East, just 48 km away from the capital and hence only a 45-minute drive away.

The only airport of the island is easily reached by means of many roads, of which one being the motorway, and therefore extremely quick to access. Owned and operated by the Government of Mauritius, the airport serves as the hub of Air Mauritius, the national airline.

History

Way back in 1942, when Mauritius was still under the rule of the British empire, the construction of a Royal Naval Air Station commenced in Mahebourg by the government of the time, to serve for defensive purposes. By the end of the 2nd World War however, the base was put in the hands of the Royal Air Force and civilian use came shortly afterwards, providing a much-needed boon to the local economy.

A few decades passed, and in 1986, infrastructural works for the construction of a larger airport were undertaken, to accommodate larger and more aircraft. A new terminal was created along with several air-bridges to make space for the boom in traffic Mauritius was starting to experience at the time. Customs services for international routes were introduced as well as a much-needed car park attached to the building. The terminal of that time was made up of 2 floors and could hold up to 4 aircraft at the same time.

The newest passenger Terminal was introduced in mid-2013 and came into use by September 2013. Boasting an intricate architecture depicting the leaves of a palm tree, it connects to the previous terminal and has the capacity of housing over 4 million passengers and offering 600 parking spots. Airport Terminal Operations Ltd, or ATOL for short, is the one taking the helm for the building and operation of this new terminal building.

Costing somewhere north of 300 Million USD, the project follows the rules and conditions laid down by the “Maurice Ile Durable” concept, literally translating into “Mauritius The Sustainable Island”. The harnessing of solar energy by means of photo-voltaic cells, collection of rainwater, heat transfer reducing thermo insulated facades and the integration of greeneries as part of the building are just some of the steps taken by the management to satisfy the environmental and ecological aspects.

The terminal, stretching over 57 000 m2, welcomes passengers at its main hall, bragging 54 check in desks, with 25 dedicated solely to the Air Mauritius airline. Several counters are available specially for those travelling as premium passengers and about 6 kiosks are provided for those travelling without luggage.

The formalities for immigration have been made extremely smooth and quick, with the larger number of checkpoints standing both during the departure and the arrival.

Large duty-free shops are accoutered with a myriad of both local and international products and a large area is completely dedicated to restaurants, to satisfy both your shopping and stomach needs. Over a thousand comfortable seats are also provided, for your legs tired after your extensive shopping spree. For those arriving, 6 conveyor belts are operated for only the most efficient and fast of baggage delivery.

The Lounges

We all know just too well how all airport procedures can be so taxing, leaving your feet aching and your body tired. Fortunately for travellers, ATOL too is aware of this problem and has the pleasure of welcoming all having a boarding pass into their posh lounges, equipped with every single detail to make your waiting time as relaxing and comfortable as possible.

A decent Wi-Fi connection, international and national newspapers as well as magazines, TV Programs and all flight information are made accessible to you. Much care has been taken by the management to produce an amazingly relaxing atmosphere for the travellers to sit back or work, as is needed.

·         Nenuphar Lounge

Just in front of Boarding Gate 9, on the left wing of the boarding area, lies Nenuphar Lounge, open to all kinds of passengers, regardless of airline or class of travel. The cozy ambience possessed by the lounge is rivalled by almost nothing else in the airport, and provides a calm setting for one to patiently await his flight.

Reclining chairs, free Wi-Fi, an open bar, a diverse buffet, showers, baby changing rooms and much more are provided.

The charges are as follows:

MUR 2000 for an adult

MUR 1000 for a child aged between 2 and 11 years

Free for infants less than 2 years old

Cash or credit cards are accepted as payments which are made at the entrance of the lounge.

·         The Amedee Maingard Lounge

Created for clients of Air Mauritius and its Codeshare partners, The Amedee Maingard Lounge is an internationally recognised lounge having been awarded numerous prizes over the years, attesting to the excellence of the service and comfort it proffers.

 The lounge is exclusively reserved for Business Class travellers and Kestrelflyer Gold members, however, depending on availability, it is possible for Economy Class passengers too to gain access. But the latter is required to pay:

MUR 2000 for an adult

MUR 1000 for a child aged between 2 and 11 and free for an infant below 2 years of age.

 

Duty Free Shopping

The Mauritius Duty Free Paradise is the company behind one of the most highly regarded duty free shops in the entire Indian Ocean. Armed with an array of merchandise, ranging from the most luxurious international brands to local ones, this duty free heaven is sure to send you into one of your most intense shopping sprees.

Spreading over an area of about 2000m2, the shops display a plethora of products, such as top brand perfumes, high end luxury items like watches and bags, cosmetics, jewelleries, clothing, confectionaries, local as well as overseas liquor and cigarettes. Many other local products such as tea, garments and souvenirs are also offered, so you don’t have to ever regret forgetting to purchase something during your vacation.

The duty free shopping is available both during the arrival and the departure.

 

General Information

It is always useful to have an idea of what to expect at the airport, so as to ensure not running into any kind of trouble and smoothen out your transit. Bearing this in mind, here are some general information and tips you might find resourceful.

• Security guidelines

Do’s:

Check with your flight provider for any allowed and prohibited items on your flight

Ensure that you reach the airport a minimum of 3 hours before the boarding time, so as to not encounter any inconveniences

If ever you suffer from a medical condition requiring the use of syringe or needle, inform the person during the flight check in for security purposes

Inform security officers of medical objects such as pacemakers, which might trigger the metal detectors

Batteries for essential equipments, for example wheelchairs, should meet any airline approval and be presented to an officer

 

Dont’s:

Threats and comments about possessing a weapon may result in the rejection of boarding an aircraft

Beverages are not be allowed in handbag and, when detected through screening, will be asked to be thrown away

Liquids, Aerosols and Gels (or simple LAGs) are allowed in a flight only if they are under 100ml, otherwise they will be detected during screening and thrown away

Sport equipments, like bats, golf clubs, raquets, should be stored in the luggage and are not allowed as hand baggage

 

• Airport Parking

The parking space of SSR International Airport is able to house about a thousand vehicles and is designed in such a way so as to provide efficient driving and parking space. The trolleys are thoughtfully placed close to the parkings to assist you in carrying your belongings.

Reserved parking for the physically impaired are clearly marked and controlled so as not to be abused. Moreover, the latter is located in proximity to the terminals to provide quick and hassle free access to them.

 

The parking tariffs are as follows

Drop off or less than 20 minutes – Free

Up to 1 hour – Rs 30

Up to 1 hour 30 minutes – Rs 45

Up to 2 hours – Rs 60

Up to 2 hours 30 – minutes Rs 75

Up to 3 hours – Rs 90

Up to 4 hours – Rs 105

Up to 6 hours – Rs 120

Up to 8 hours – Rs 135

Up to 12 hours – Rs 150

Up to 16 hours – Rs 165

Up to 24 hours – Rs 180

Each additional day – Rs 90

Lost Ticket – Rs 360

 

• Lost Baggage

To date, the airport possesses no baggage storage facilities, hence you should take complete responsibility for your stuff. You are strongly advised to never leave your bags unattended, as they might be taken and inspected for security reasons.

Services for lost baggage are offered by Air Mauritius and Ground2Air, with their respective counters being in the baggage reclaim hall.

 

• Foreign Exchanges Banking

Foreign exchange counters are available at both the arrival and departure check-in area. Most of the major currencies are accepted by the foreign exchange companies (Shibani Finance, Thomas Cook) and banks. ATMs of Absa, HSBC, MCB and SBM are present at the exit area of the arrival.

 

• Customs

Value added Tax Refund services are also provided at the airport, where passengers can claim back tax on items purchased on the island (VAT Refund). The counter is in Check In Hall B, level 1, close to Gate  15 in Hall B at level 1.

 

• Airlines operating 

Air Austral

Air France

Air Madagascar

Air Mauritius

Air Seychelles

British Airways

Comair

Condor Flugdienst

Corsairfly

EgyptAir

Emirates

Lufthansa

South African Airways

Turkish Airlines

 

• Some Interesting Trivia about the airport

A whopping 3, 197, 308 passengers passed through the airport in the year 2015, meaning an upscale of 9.6% from the previous year.

In the period between January and May 2016, the number of passengers increased by 10% compared to last year. Moreover, with the plethora of amenities being introduced, such as the Air Corridor, the passenger traffic is expected to attain a growth 5% annually for the forthcoming 5 years.

About 1500 people come to drop and pick travellers each day

About 4000 employees come to work in the airport everyday

 

• Airport Contact Details

Telephone: 230 603 8204 or 230 603 600

Fax: 230 637 8203 or 230 637 5306

Email address: info@atol.aero / airportinfo@airportofmauritius.aero

Website: http://mru.airport.aero

For Flight Information call: 8965

Arrival Schedule 

Departure Schedule

At EasyCab, we want to make sure you have the best experience on the island. If you have any questions about the SSR International Airport, please contact us or ask us in the comments section below.