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Yasser Arafat International Airport ({{lang-ar|مطار ياسر عرفات الدولي}}
Maṭār Yāsir 'Arafāt ad-Dawli) {{airport codes|GZA|LVGZ}}, formerly
Gaza International Airport and
Dahaniya International Airport, is located in the
Gaza StripThe Gaza Strip lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Egypt on the south-west and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometers wide, with a total area of . The area is recognized internationally as part of the Palestinian territories...
, in
RafahRafah is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip, but also extends into the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. Located south of Gaza, Rafah's population of 71,000 is overwhelmingly made up of Palestinian refugees. It serves as the district capital of the Rafah Governorate...
close to the
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia...
ian border.
It is owned, and was operated, by the Palestinian Authority, and served as the home airport for
Palestinian AirlinesPalestinian Airlines is an airline based in Egypt that is wholly-owned by the Palestinian Authority.. It operates scheduled international services from El Arish, Egypt to Amman, Jordan and pilgrim charter services to Jeddah...
. The airport was able to handle 700,000 passengers per year and operated 24 hours and 364 days a year (closed on Yom Kippur). The airport opened in 1998, but it closed in 2001 after being severely damaged by
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
i military forces.
History
The airport was built with funding from
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
,
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia...
,
Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south...
,
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
, and
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
and designed by
MoroccanA Moroccan is something of, from, or related to Morocco, a country in North Africa.The term may also refer to:* A person from Morocco, or of Moroccan descent. For information about the Moroccan people, see Demographics of Morocco and Culture of Morocco...
architectAn architect is trained and licensed in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e. chief builder...
s (modeled after Casablanca airport) and engineers funded by Morocco's King Hassan II. The total cost was $86 million. After a year of construction, it opened on 24 November, 1998; attendees at the opening ceremony included
Yasser ArafatMohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority, and leader of the Fatah political...
and US President
Bill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was the third-youngest president; only Theodore Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy were younger when entering office...
. At the time, the opening of the airport was described as evidence of progress toward Palestinian statehood. The airport was
twinnedSister cities, also known as town twinning, is an agreement between towns, cities and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties...
with
Mohammed V International AirportMohammed V International Airport Mohammed V International Airport Mohammed V International Airport . Located in Province of Nouaceur, a suburb 30 km south-east of Casablanca, it is...
, in
CasablancaCasablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean...
,
MoroccoMorocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 32 million and an area just under . Its capital is Rabat, and its largest city is Casablanca. Morocco has a coast on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the...
.
The radar station and control tower were destroyed by
Israel Defense ForcesThe Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are Israel's military forces, comprising the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
aircraft in 2001 after the start of the
al-Aqsa IntifadaThe Second Intifada, also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada was the second Palestinian uprising, a period of intensified Palestinian-Israeli violence, which began in late September 2000...
, and bulldozers cut the runway apart in January 2002. Israel's attack on the airport was motivated by Israeli concerns that they could not control what the Palestinian Authority transported in or out of the Gaza Strip, such as weapons, and to end the Arafat government's support of terrorism.
From 2001 to 2006, airport staff still manned the ticket counters and baggage areas, although no aircraft flew into or out of the airport during that period. The closest airport in the area is
El Arish International AirportEl Arish International Airport is an airport near El Arish, Egypt. The airport is home to Palestinian Airlines and it is the closest airport to the Gaza Strip. The airline relocated to this airport after Yasser Arafat International Airport was rendered non-operational when the runway was...
in
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia...
.{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}
Runways
The airport has one runway of 3080 m x 60 m, but it is no longer operational due to extensive damage to the north and middle sections of the runway. Some of the taxiways are damaged, but the apron did not sustain heavy damage.
Buildings and Terminal
The total area of the airport is stated in local units as "2,350
dunamA dunam or dönüm, dunum, donum is a unit of area used in the Ottoman Empire and still used, in various standardized versions, in many countries formerly part of the Ottoman Empire...
s", or {{convert|235|ha|km2}}.
The main terminal building is a two-story {{convert|4000|m2|ha|sing=on}} Arab Islamic designed building which is decorated with
Moroccan tileZellige or Zellij is terra cotta tilework covered with enamel in the form of chips set into plaster. It is one of the main characteristics of the Moroccan architecture though it's also used in other North African and Muslim countries...
, features glass windows framed by arches, and has state-of-the-art equipment. A control tower faces the runway and apron.{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}
The airport was staffed by a total of 400 personnel.{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}
There were no ramps for passengers to disembark directly to the terminal. Stairs were brought out to the planes parked on the apron.{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}
Facilities within the terminal building included:{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}
- VIP Lounge
- Baggage Area
- Customs and Immigration
- Two Restaurants
- Medical Facilities
- First Aid Clinic
- Bank
- Post Office
- Tourist Office
- Security Office
The airport included 19 other buildings:{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}
- Fuel Stations - Palestinian Petroleum Corporation
- Aircraft Hangars
- ATS Communication Tower - destroyed
- Passenger Services
- Cargo Terminals
- Airline Operations (Ground Services)
- Fire and Rescue
- Parking Lot
- Maintenance Workshop
- ATC Watchtower/Control Tower ({{convert|28|m|ft}} in height)
Ground transportation
The airport was linked by buses and taxis to the rest of the
Gaza StripThe Gaza Strip lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Egypt on the south-west and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometers wide, with a total area of . The area is recognized internationally as part of the Palestinian territories...
.
Airlines
A list of airlines once operating at the airport:
- Egypt Air
- Palestinian Airlines
Palestinian Airlines is an airline based in Egypt that is wholly-owned by the Palestinian Authority.. It operates scheduled international services from El Arish, Egypt to Amman, Jordan and pilgrim charter services to Jeddah...
- Royal Air Maroc
Royal Air Maroc is the flag carrier airline of Morocco, headquartered on the grounds of Casablanca-Anfa Airport in Casablanca...
- Royal Jordanian
{{Refimprove|date=May 2009}}{{Refimprove|date=May 2009}}{{Refimprove|date=May 2009}}{{Refimprove|date=May 2009}}{{Refimprove|date=May 2009}}{{Refimprove|date=May 2009}}{{Infobox Airline|airline = Royal Jordanian
الملكية الأردنية...
- Royal Wings
Royal Wings is an airline based in Amman, Jordan operating regional scheduled and charter flights. Its main base is Queen Alia International Airport , Amman with a hub at King Hussein International Airport .-History:...
- Rusavia
- Tarom
TAROM - Romanian Air Transport, commonly known simply as TAROM, is the flag carrier airline of Romania. The brand name TAROM is an acronym for . Its main base is the Henri Coandă International Airport in Bucharest...
Air Traffic Control
Air Traffic Control at the airport was assumed{{When|date=October 2009}} by the Palestinian Civil Aviation Authority, but traffic to and from the airport was also under the jurisdiction of the Israel South Control.{{Clarify|date=October 2009}}{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}
External links
{{commons|Yasser Arafat International Airport}}