This is a historic article about an airport which no longer exists or has been replaced.
West Nautilus International, originally and informally known as Desdemona Airfield, (ICAO: SLES) was a large single-runway public airport spanning the 'Desdemona' and 'Agrippa' regions of north-western Nautilus. It was the home of the SAREMS UK Desdemona Station.
Landing Advisories
- Elevation advisory: landing surface situated at 44m, minimum recommend approach at 55m.
- Runway intersects region crossing.
Background
Desdemona Airfield
Originally named Desdemona Airfield, construction on the intercontinental airport began in March 2014. Incrementally designed and redesigned several times, construction work on the first airport was effectively completed by September of 2014 and the Desdemona was officially opened on 13th September 2014 with a large celebratory event.
In its first major phase, the terminal was a long, multi-floored building spanning the western perimeter of the 'Desdemona' region. It featured three public gates (complete with animated jet bridges), a large lobby with rentable airline check-in counters, a long concourse with office/retail space and passenger waiting lounges, a monorail station, two public helipads, and an integrated ATC tower. Notably, the terminal also had a gate for departures to the separate continent of Sansara. It was the first airport to attempt to create a link between Sansara and Nautilus via an intercontinental teleporter system.
In the east of 'Desdemona', crossing into and across the adjoining 'Agrippa' region, ran the aerodrome's 242m x 25m asphalt runway. On either side of the landing surface was a large concrete apron leading off to several rental hangars of varying sizes and the airport's main cargo distribution area (which ran to an underground sorting area, operated by Grid Ex). Below 'Agrippa' lay a large and mysterious docks area. Also underground, there ran a complex network of monorail lines and roads, connecting the two regions together and to the Route 12 LDPW motorway.
West Nautilus International
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Exterior of the new SLES, terminal building, looking south-east (March 2015).
On 26th November 2014 it was announced by airport management that Desdemona Airfield would be restructured to improve user-friendliness. Although the 'Agrippa' region (containing SLES's runway and hangars) remained largely unaltered by the redesign, the 'Desdemona' region underwent major changes, which notably saw the demolition of the airport's original terminal building - a mere month after completing its construction.
In its place, a new two-storey building was constructed on the southern edge of 'Desdemona'. The new terminal had a simplified layout, intended to be easily navigated by passengers, whilst maintaining the realism of the original building. Gone was the original's labyrinthine corridors and security check areas, replaced by a check-in area which led directly through to a spacious lobby area - complete with passenger waiting areas, retail/office space and three public gates (two with animated jet bridges). Beneath, the lower floor was almost entirely dedicated to baggage handling and office space.
On July 1, 2015 The Airport Officially Closed because airport management began construction on White Star Airfield in East Nautilus which has now replaced West Nautilus International Airport.
Airlines
There are no longer scheduled services to and from West Nautilus International Airport, as of July 2015.
Facilities and services
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Terminal passenger lounge and gates, looking north (March 2015).
Pilots' facilities
- Public rez zone.
- Tri-color visual approach slope indicator (VASI).
- Automated ATC.
- x1 public helipad.
General facilities
- Large terminal building with:
- x3 public gates (x2 with jet bridges).
- x10 airline check-in desks.
- Passenger waiting lounge.
- Baggage claim area.
- Office and retail space.
- x6 rental hangars (x5 mid-sized hangars, x1 large).
- ATC tower.
- Internal monorail system.
- Shipping docks.
- Access to the Route 12 LDPW motorway.
Images
.png "West Nautilus International, looking SW (03-15).png (2.76 MB)")
.png "West Nautilus terminal exterior, looking NE (03-15).png (1.89 MB)")
.png "Desdemona Airfield, looking SE (10-14).png (2.43 MB)")
.png "Desdemona Airfield, looking NW (09-14).png (2.08 MB)")
.png "Desdemona Airfield, looking SE (08-14).png (2.11 MB)")
.png "Desdemona Airfield concourse, looking SW (08-14).png (2.46 MB)")
.png "Desdemona Airfield (WBA Map).png (18 KB)")
.png "Desdemona Airfield, looking NE (04-14).png (2.55 MB)")
.png "Desdemona Airfield, main entrance (04-14).png (1.73 MB)")
.png "Desdemona Airfield, Gate 1A (04-14).png (1.82 MB)")