| Rabat-Salé Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: RBA – ICAO: GMME | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Civil/Military | ||
| Operator | ONDA | ||
| Location | Rabat | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 276 ft / 81 m | ||
| Coordinates | 34°03′05″N 06°45′05″W / 34.05139°N 6.75139°WCoordinates: 34°03′05″N 06°45′05″W / 34.05139°N 6.75139°W | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 04/22 | 11,483 | 3,500 | Asphalt |
Rabat-Salé Airport (IATA: RBA, ICAO: GMME) is an airport about 8km east-northeast of Rabat, the administrative capital of Morocco; about 90km northeast of Casablanca.
In 2008 the airport handled over 333.000 passengers[1]
Contents |
Airport
Passenger terminal and facilities
Access to the airport only possible by taxi or private car; free parking space available.
- The public area (arrivals exit) offers kiosk/tobacconist, banks/ATM, café-bar, phone/fax service.
- The departure lounge offers: café-bar, duty-free shop, telephones, smoking-lounge
- A facility for praying is located outside the terminal building.
The following airlines have a ticket-office/representation in the terminal:
- Air France (via Star Aviation Service)
- Aigle Azur
- Royal Air Maroc
- Buraq Air
The terminal is 3.900 m2 large and has a maximum capacity of 700.000 passengers/year.[2]
Freight facilities
The freight-terminal covers an area of 1360 m2.
Parking/ramp for aircraft
An area of 84.000 m2 is available for passenger aircraft offering 10 stands. The stands can receive 1 x Boeing 747, 3 x Boeing 737, 2 x Airbus A310 and 4 x Airbus A320
Runway
The single runway lies in direction 04/22, is 3500 meter long and 45 meter wide.
The airport has an ILS Class 1 certification and offers the following radionavigational aids: VOR – DME – NDB[2]
Traffic statistics
| Item | 2008[3] | 2007[4] | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers[5] | 334.675 | 260.992 | 203.527 | 178.222 | 155.857 | 161.077 | 161.865 |
| Movements[6] | 4.051 | 3.244 | 2.743 | 2.295 | 2.300 | 2.304 | 2.117 |
| Cargo (Metric tons)[7] | 1.230,06 | 1.204,35 | 1.459.79 | 1.201,84 | 1.265,79 | 1.274,05 | 1.322,50 |
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air France | Paris-Charles de Gaulle |
| Buraq Air | Tripoli |
| Egypt Air | Cairo |
| Jet4you | Paris-Orly |
| Royal Air Maroc | Agadir, Paris-Orly |
World War II/USAF Use
During World War II, the airport was used as a military airfield by the United States Army Air Forces Twelfth Air Force during the North African campaign. The 319th Bombardment Group flew B-26 Marauders from the airfield between 25 Apr - 1 Jun 1943.
After the Americans moved out their active units in mid-1943, the airport was used as a stopover and landing field for Air Transport Command aircraft on the Casablanca-Algiers transport route. When the war ended, control of the airfield was returned to civil authorities.
During the early years of the Cold War, the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command used the airport as its headquarters for its 5th and 316th Air Divisions. Various SAC aircraft, primarily B-47 Stratojets and KC-97 Stratotankers used the airport until the United States Air Force withdrew from Morocco in 1957.
Accidents involving Rabat-Salé airport
Flights with destination RBA
July 12, 1961 - A Czech Airlines (CSA) Ilyushin Il-18 en route from Zürich-Kloten to Rabat-Salé Airport diverted to Casablanca Anfa Airport (GMMC) after receiving wheater info indicating ground fog at Rabat-Salé. As the conditions at GMMC weren't good either the captain of the plane asked permission to land on Casablanca-Nouasseur (CMN), then an USAF base. While GMMC controllers contacted American authorities the plane crashed 13 kn. SSW of GMMC. All 72 on board (64 passengers, 8 crew) died. Exact reason of crash never discovered.[8]
September 12, 1961 An Air France Sud Aviation Caravelle en route from Paris-Orly to Rabat-Salé Airport. The weather conditions at the time where non-favourable: thick fog and low visibility. The pilot informed traffic control it intended to land using the Non-directional beacon. Traffic control warned the pilot that the NDR was not in-line with the runway, but this message received no response. The aircraft crashed 9 km. SSW of the airport. All 77 on board (71 passengers, 6 crew) died. Exact reason was never discovered but investigators reported errors in instrument reading as the most likely reason.[9]
References
- ^ Source details:Official ONDA REPORT
- ^ a b Source ONDA website about Rabat-Sale Airport visited May 21, 2008
- ^ source details 2008:Official ONDA report 2007-2008
- ^ Source 2007 statistics: Presentation Rabat-Salé Airport on ONDA website, visited May 20, 2008
- ^ Statistics until 2006 from Overview passengers stats MA, PDF document
- ^ Statistics until 2006 from Statistics Movements, PDF document
- ^ Statistics until 2006 from freight stats, PDF document
- ^ Accident facts taken from Aviation-safety.net website, visited on May 21, 2008
- ^ Accident facts taken from Aviation-safety.net website, visited on May 21, 2008
External links
- Accident history for RBA at Aviation Safety Network
- Airport information for GMME at Great Circle Mapper.
- Current weather for GMME at NOAA/NWS
- Airport information for GMME at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.
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