El Arish International Airport

مطار العريش الدولي
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorGovernment
ServesEl Arish, Egypt, Gaza, Palestine
Elevation AMSL121 ft / 37 m
Coordinates31°04′24″N 033°50′09″E / 31.07333°N 33.83583°E / 31.07333; 33.83583
Map
AAC is located in Sinai
AAC
AAC
Location of the airport in Egypt Sinai
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
16/34 3,019 9,905 Asphalt
Statistics (2011)
Passengers5,991
Source: DAFIF[1][2]

El Arish International Airport (Arabic: مطار العريش الدولي) (IATA: AAC, ICAO: HEAR) is an airport south of El Arish, Egypt.

Location and size

The site of the airport is 160 hectares (400 acres) in area.[3] Its terminal has the capacity for 200 passengers per hour.[3] The tarmac, which is 3,019 metres (9,905 ft) long, fits four aircraft.[3]

El Arish is one of the closest airports to the Gaza Strip. El Gora Airport is slightly closer, but smaller. El Arish International Airport is approximately 45 kilometres (28 mi) from the Rafah Border Crossing.[4][5]

Operations

Palestinian Airlines relocated to El Arish International Airport after Yasser Arafat International Airport was rendered non-operational when the runway was destroyed by Israeli forces in 2001.[6][7] All Palestinian Airlines flights were grounded from 2005 to 2012.[5]

In 2011 the airport served 5,991 passengers (-45.4% vs. 2010).

In May 2012, Palestinian Airlines restarted two weekly flights to Amman, with flights to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia planned to follow soon after.[5][8] The airport has been mainly used for Palestinian passengers from the Gaza Strip traveling to Saudi Arabia for hajj and umrah.[6]

Palestinian Airlines ceased operations in December 2020.[9] At the time of Palestinian Airlines' closure, its two Fokker 50 planes—both over 30 years old—operated flights between El Arish, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates.[6]

During the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, the airport was used as a staging ground for medical flights to the United Arab Emirates.[10]

Current Operations

Egyptair currently serves air transport to Ostend and Cairo. Egyptair uses MS521, an Airbus A330-243(P2F) to operate the route between El Arish and Ostend.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Airport information for HEAR". World Aero Data. Archived from the original on 5 March 2019.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) Data current as of October 2006. Source: DAFIF.
  2. ^ Airport information for AAC at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
  3. ^ a b c Galal, Rami (1 February 2018). "Securing Sinai airport comes at cost to locals". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023.
  4. ^ "More aid flights arrive in Egypt's Sinai, awaiting passage to Gaza". Reuters. 14 October 2023. Archived from the original on 25 October 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "Palestinian Airline resumes flights, with Amman route". AFP. 10 May 2012. Archived from the original on 30 October 2022 – via Al Arabiya.
  6. ^ a b c Abu Amer, Ahmad (6 January 2021). "PA shuts down Palestinian Airlines, shuttering hopes for airport". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021.
  7. ^ Humphries, Monica; Lakritz, Talia (12 October 2023). "An abandoned airport in Gaza once served as a symbol of peace. Now, its ruins remain frozen in time — take a look". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Palestinian airline resumes flights - Khaleej Times". www.khaleejtimes.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013.
  9. ^ ch-aviation.com - Palestinian Airlines goes into liquidation 30 December 2020
  10. ^ "On board an emergency evacuation flight from Gaza". CBS News. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.


Categories