Editing Transport in Mauritius (section)

== Air transport ==

=== History ===
The first recorded flight taking off from Mauritius was undertaken on 2 June 1922 by Major F.W. Honnet. The plane, a mono-engine biplane, christened ''Maurice'', had come by boat. For the inaugural flight, the land at the Gymkhana, Vacoas was converted into an improvised airport.<ref name="AN2010-138"/>

On 10 September 1933, two French pilots, Maurice Samat and Paul Louis Lemerle, flew from Reunion Island to Mauritius on a [[Potez 43]] plane called ''Monique''. The pilots landed in Mon-Choisy in the north of the island. On 4 October of the same year, a Mauritian pilot, Jean Hily, took off from Mon-Choisy for [[Réunion]] island. However, he never made it and was lost at sea.<ref name="AN2010-138" /> For some years that followed, the Mon-Choisy strip was used as an airport for the rare airplanes that landed on the island. However, in 1942, with the entry of Japan into the [[Second World War]], the island gained a strategic importance in the Indian Ocean and thus the British government hastily built a new airport in the south of the island at [[Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport|Plaisance]]. On 24 November 1943, the first military airplane, a [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain|Dakota]] of the [[Royal Air Force]] (R.A.F) coming from [[Nairobi]] with a stopover at [[Madagascar]], landed in Plaisance.

In 1945, with the end of the war, the airport was opened to the civil aviation. Thus, on 10 February of that year, a [[Junkers Ju 52|Junker 52]] of the Réseau des Liaisons Aériennes Francaises (R.L.A.F), later known as Air France, landed in Plaisance. Since 1945, the R.L.A.F operated the Paris-Mauritius line. The journey of 6 days and 7 stops included [[Antananarivo]] and Reunion island. In 1946, the R.A.F handed over the Plaisance airport to the Mauritian authorities.

[[Air France]] became the first commercial aviation company to come to Mauritius. As from 1947, its DC4, transporting 44 passengers, undertook the Paris-Mauritius in 3 days, including night time flight, with 12 stops in between. The following year, the British company [[Skyways Limited|SkyWays]] initiated a weekly flight on the Plaisance-Nairobi line. The introduction of Boeings as from 1961 sensibly reduced the travel time on this line. Even though Mauritius was a British colony, the [[British Overseas Airways Corporation]] (B.O.A.C) began to come to Mauritius only from 1962. The Mauritius-London itinerary took 26 hours, with 4 stops. In 1967, a [[Boeing 707]], capable of carrying 160 passengers was introduced on the Paris-Mauritius line, decreasing the travel time to 18 hours.<ref name="AN2010-138" />

Initially, Mauritian civil and commercial aviation developed under the impulsion of [[Rogers Group|Rogers & Co Company]]. The aviation department within Rogers was created by [[Amédée Maingard]] on his return from the Second World War. In June 1967, the national company, [[Air Mauritius]] was created. The Mauritian government, British Airways, Air France and [[Air India]] were the initial stakeholders in this initiative, with Rogers an active supporter. Amédée Maingard became the first president of Air Mauritius and Jean Ribet the general manager.<ref name="AN2010-153-154">{{cite book|last=Nagapen|first=Amédée|title=Histoire de la Colonie: Isle de France – Ile Maurice (1721-1968)|year=2010|publisher=Editions de L'Océan Indien|isbn=978-99903-0-619-4|pages=153–154}}</ref> In December 1972, Air Mauritius landed a [[Piper PA-31 Navajo|Piper-Navajo]] (twin-engined plane of 6 places), rented from Air Madagascar, in [[Rodrigues]]. Then, as from 1975, a [[de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter|Havilland Twin Otter]] of 16 places was used on the Mauritius-Rodrigues route.<ref>{{cite book|last=Nagapen|first=Amédée|title=Histoire de la Colonie: Isle de France – Ile Maurice (1721-1968)|year=2010|publisher=Editions de L'Océan Indien|isbn=978-99903-0-619-4|pages=187}}</ref>

=== Airports ===
As of 2014, there are 2 airports in Mauritius and its dependencies.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Runways and length
! Number
! Airport(s)
|-
| Paved, over 3,047 meters
| 1
|[[Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport]], [[Plaine Magnien]]
|-
| Paved, 914 to 1,523 meters
| 1
| [[Plaine Corail Airport]], [[Plaine Corail]], [[Rodrigues Island]]
|}