# Gweru - Thornhill Air Base (GWE)

> Gweru, ZW · IATA: GWE · ICAO: FVTL · Medium Airport

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IATA | `GWE` |
| ICAO | `FVTL` |
| City | Gweru |
| Country | ZW |
| Type | Medium Airport |
| Elevation | 1426 m |
| Cargo | ❌ |
| GPS | -19.43672, 29.86194 |

## Description

Unlike Zimbabwe's commercial airports, Gweru's Thornhill (GWE, ICAO FVTL) is one of the Air Force of Zimbabwe's two principal bases — officially renamed Josiah Tungamirai Air Force Base, though the old name remains in common use. There are no scheduled services and no commercial freight handling; occasional charter and air-ambulance movements do not amount to cargo infrastructure, and neither a cargo terminal nor an air-freight customs post is confirmed here. At roughly 4,680 ft (about 1,426 m) above sea level, payload is additionally constrained during the hot season. Midlands industry — steel and ferrochrome around Kwekwe and Redcliff, plus regional mining — therefore ships by road and rail. Air freight is consolidated at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare (HRE), some 275 road kilometres to the north-east and the country's principal cargo gateway. Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International in Bulawayo (BUQ) is the southern alternative, a good 160 kilometres away. For volume and heavy consignments the corridors run to the seaports of Beira in Mozambique and Durban in South Africa, which usually decides the case against air freight.

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*Freight Academy — Airport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/gweru-thornhill-air-base-airport-gwe](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/gweru-thornhill-air-base-airport-gwe)*

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*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/airports/gweru-thornhill-air-base-airport-gwe/llm-summary*