Khost Airport

Khost Airport
د خوست هوايي ډګر
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner  Afghanistan
Operator Afghan Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation
Afghan Ministry of Defense
Serves Loya Paktia region
Location Khost, Afghanistan
Elevation AMSL 3,775 ft / 1,151 m
Coordinates 33°20′01″N 069°57′09″E / 33.33361°N 69.95250°E / 33.33361; 69.95250 (Khost Airport (Khost))Coordinates: 33°20′01″N 069°57′09″E / 33.33361°N 69.95250°E / 33.33361; 69.95250 (Khost Airport (Khost))
Map
KHT
Location of airport in Afghanistan
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
06/24 8,858 1,859 Asphalt
Sources: Landings.com,[1] motca.gov.af[2]

Khost Airport (Pashto: د خوست هوايي ډګر‎; IATA: KHT, ICAO: OAKS) is located next to the city of Khost in eastern Afghanistan. The airport has been used historically for military purposes. It was developed and expanded in recent years for public use. It will be known as Khost International Airport in the near future.[3]

Airlines and destinations

As of September 2018, there are no scheduled services at the airport.

History

The airport was expanded by the Soviet Union during the 1980s Soviet war in Afghanistan.[4] It was further expanded during the 2001-2014 war. The United States built a military base there known as Forward Operating Base Chapman.

There had been three major reported accidents, all of them during the 1980s mujahideen fighting and involved Russian-made Antonov An-26 aircraft.[5]

In December 2009, seven CIA employees were killed in a suicide attack at the nearby Forward Operating Base Chapman (FOB Chapman). The bomber, Humam Balawi of Jordan, wore a suicide vest and blew himself up in the base, killing the base commander, CIA agents and civilian contractors.

Work to improve the Khost Airport began in late 2011.[6] Civilian passengers between Khost and Kabul were allowed to use NATO's Sehra Bagh Airport until Khost Airport was completed.[7] The airport will become international in the near future, taking passengers to and from Dubai.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Airport record for Khost Airport at Landings.com. Retrieved 2013-8-1
  2. ↑ Khost (OAKS)
  3. 1 2 "'Khost airport project work not up to standard'". Pajhwok Afghan News. 28 January 2017. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
  4. ↑ Warrick, Joby, The Triple Agent, New York: Doubleday, 2011. p. 26
  5. ↑ http://aviation-safety.net/database/airport/airport.php?id=KHT Aviation-Safety.net
  6. ↑ "Construction work on Khost airport launched". Pajhwok Afghan News. 21 September 2011. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
  7. ↑ "Kabul-Khost flights formally begin". Pajhwok Afghan News. 11 January 2014. Retrieved 2014-01-18.

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