Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport

Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport
Summary
Airport type Joint (civilian and military)
Serves Djibouti City
Location Ambouli, Djibouti
Hub for Air Djibouti
Elevation AMSL 49 ft / 15 m
Coordinates 11°32′46.53″N 43°09′33.14″E / 11.5462583°N 43.1592056°E / 11.5462583; 43.1592056Coordinates: 11°32′46.53″N 43°09′33.14″E / 11.5462583°N 43.1592056°E / 11.5462583; 43.1592056
Website Official Website
Map
JIB
Location of airport in Djibouti
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
09/27 10,335 3,150 Asphalt
Statistics (2009)
Passengers 258,877
Source:

Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport (Arabic: مطار جيبوتي الدولي‎, French: Aéroport international Ambouli) (IATA: JIB, ICAO: HDAM) is a joint civilian/military-use airport situated in the town of Ambouli, Djibouti. It serves the national capital, Djibouti City. The airport is located approximately 6 kilometres (4 miles) from the city centre. It occupies an area of 10 square kilometers. The airport includes a V.I.P terminal for prime ministers and presidents.

History

The airport was opened in 1948. Originally modest-sized, the facility grew in the post-independence period after numerous successive renovation projects.[1]

In the mid-1970s, the airport was enlarged to accommodate more international carriers, with the state-owned Air Djibouti providing regular trips to Air Djibouti's various destinations.[1]

Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport has a single terminal building, with one departure gate and one baggage carousel. The largest non-commercial operator using the facility is the Djibouti Air Force.

As the airport is located south of Djibouti City and its runways run east–west, an airliner's landing approach is usually directly over the conurbation of the capital, when the wind is from the west.[2]

In 2004, the airport served 182,641 passengers.[3]

Military

U.S. Air Force, C-130 Hercules at Djibouti International Airport

In addition to its use as a civilian airport, the following military establishments are located at the Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport:[4]

BA 188 is a joint forces support establishment, which has numerous support units based there and an anti-aircraft missile section of 8 double-barrelled 20 mm anti-aircraft guns and Mistral firing posts.

Air-traffic controllers controversy

Apron View

According to military officials, US military flights comprised over 50 per cent of the 30,000 departures and arrivals in 2014. Civilian air-traffic controllers hired by the Djiboutian government monitor the airspace over Camp Lemonnier's runways, unlike other major US military bases. US federal aviation experts suggested that an unprofessional attitude on the part of the controllers potentially imperiled American military and civilian flights to and from the airport. US consultants stationed at the base reported that over a three-month period, the controllers made an average of 2,378 errors per 100,000 aircraft operations, an error rate reportedly 1,700 times greater than the US standard. FAA officials asserted that the controllers' lax attitude, which allegedly included barring drones from taking off or landing, stemmed from a belief on their part that the US drones were unreliable aircraft and dangerous weapons aimed at killing Muslims. The Djibouti government dismissed the air controller safety allegations as exaggerations or fabrications. US Ambassador to Djibouti Tom Kelly likewise indicated that, after asking for further improvements in aviation, progress was being registered at the airport. U.S. Navy Captain Kevin Bertelsen, the commanding officer at Camp Lemonnier, described work at the air base as challenging, but similarly indicated that conditions there had ameliorated. In 2014, the US government also signed a new twenty-year lease with the Djibouti authorities to maintain its military base at the airport.[8]

Airlines and destinations

A Turkish Airlines aircraft at the Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport (2016).
An Air Djibouti aircraft at the Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport.

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Air Djibouti[9] Addis Ababa, Aden, Berbera, Dire Dawa, Hargeisa, Mogadishu
Air France Paris–Charles de Gaulle
Daallo Airlines Dubai–International, Hargeisa
Ethiopian Airlines Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa
flydubai Dubai–International
Jubba Airways Hargeisa, Mogadishu
Kenya Airways Addis Ababa, Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta
Qatar Airways Doha[10]
Turkish Airlines Istanbul–Atatürk, Mogadishu

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
Air Djibouti[11] Addis Ababa, Bangui, Berbera, Bujumbura, Dubai–Al Maktoum, Hargeisa, Juba, Khartoum, Kigali, Kinshasa, Kisangani, Lubumbashi, Mogadishu, Mwanza, Nairobi, N'Djamena, Pemba
Coyne Airways Dubai–International
Emirates SkyCargoDubai–Al Maktoum
Ethiopian Airlines CargoAddis Ababa, Nanjing

References

  1. 1 2 "AID". www.aeroport-jib.com. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  2. ↑ "airport information" (PDF). Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  3. ↑ "Djibouti Ambouli Airport". www.airports-worldwide.com. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  4. ↑ Oladipo, Tomi (2015-06-16). "Why are there so many military bases in Djibouti?". BBC News. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  5. 1 2 3 "Les forces françaises stationnées à Djibouti". www.defense.gouv.fr. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  6. ↑ "防衛省、ジブチの自衛隊拠点を来年度拡張　基地建設の中国に対抗". Newsweek日本版 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2017-04-26.
  7. ↑ AirForces Monthly. Stamford, Lincolnshire, England: Key Publishing Ltd. November 2014. p. 26.
  8. ↑ "Chaos in tower, danger in skies at base in Africa". Washington Post. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  9. ↑ "Home - Air Djibouti". air-djibouti.com. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  10. ↑ http://www.qatarairways.com/english_india/press-release.page?pr_id=pressrelease_230314_djibouti_launch
  11. ↑ "Home - Air Djibouti". air-djibouti.com. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
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