Houari Boumediene Airport

Updated on Sep 24, 2024

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Airport type Public Serves Algiers, Algeria Elevation AMSL 25 m / 82 ft Elevation 16 m Yearly aircraft movements 72,676		Operator EGSA Alger Time zone CET (UTC+1) Code ALG Phone +213 21 50 91 91 Passenger count 5,919,685

Hub for Aigle AzurAir AlgérieTassili Airlines Address Dar El Beida, Algiers, Algeria Similar Siège Social Air Algérie, Avira Auto, Hotel ibis Alger Aéroport, Drive Car

Algiers houari boumediene airport takeoff mon 25 jan 2015

Houari Boumediene Airport (Arabic: مطار هواري بومدين الدولي‎‎, French: Aéroport d'Alger Houari Boumediene) (IATA: ALG, ICAO: DAAG), also known as Algiers Airport or Algiers International Airport, is an international airport serving Algiers, the capital of Algeria. It is located 9.1 NM (16.9 km; 10.5 mi) east southeast of the city.

The airport is named after Houari Boumediene, a former president of Algeria. Dar El Beïda, the area at which the airport is located, was known as Maison Blanche (White House), and the airport is called Maison Blanche Airport in much of the literature about the Algerian War of Independence. The Société de Gestion des Services et Infrastructures Aéroportuaires (SGSIA), more commonly known as "Airport of Algiers", is a Public Company established on 1 November 2006 to manage and operate the airport. The SGSIA has 2,100 employees.

Algiers houari boumediene airport

History

The airport was created in 1924 and named Maison Blanche Airport. During World War II, Maison Blanche Airport was a primary objective of the Allied Operation Torch Eastern Task Force on 8 November 1942 and was seized by a combination of United States Army units, British Commandos and elements of a British Infantry Division. Opposition by Vichy French forces who defended the airport ended that same day, as orders from Admiral Darlan in Algiers were issued to cease all hostilities in North Africa.

Once in Allied hands, the airport was used by the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command as a major transshipment hub for cargo, transiting aircraft and personnel. It functioned as a stopover en route to Tafarquay Airport, near Oran or to Tunis Airport, Tunisia on the North African Cairo-Dakar transport route. It also flew personnel and cargo to Marseille, Milan, Naples and Palermo, Sicily. In addition, Twelfth Air Force A3 SECTION under the command of Lt. Col Carter E. Duncan 1943/44, used the airport as a command and control facility, headquartering its XII Bomber Command; XXII Tactical Air Command, and the 51st Troop Carrier Wing to direct combat and support missions during the North African Campaign against the German Afrika Korps Known Allied air force combat units assigned to the airfield were:

51st Troop Carrier Wing, 23 November 1942 – 28 March 1943

63d Fighter Wing, May–August 1943

97th Bombardment Group, 13–22 November 1942, B-17 Flying Fortress

301st Bombardment Group, 5–16 December 1942, B-17 Flying Fortress

319th Bombardment Group, 24–12 November 1942, B-26 Marauder

14th Fighter Group, 18–22 November 1942, P-38 Lightning

350th Fighter Group, May–July 1943, P-38 Lightning

3d Reconnaissance Group, 25 December 1942 – 13 June 1943, (various photo reconnaissance aircraft)

Terminals

The International Terminal (Terminal 1) presents a capacity of 6 million passengers per year. It was inaugurated on 5 July 2006 by the President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. International traffic is 2.5 million passengers per year, and the terminal holds 5000 car parking spaces, a taxi stand, a boarding area of 27,000 m², and 16 passenger gates.

The Domestic Terminal (Terminal 2), renovated in 2007, has a capacity of 2.5 million passengers per year. It offers conditions of comfort and security comparable to those of Terminal 1. Its domestic traffic is 1.5 million passengers per year. Terminal 2 is equipped with 20 check-in desks with a cafeteria, tearoom and prayer room. The terminal also has a pharmacy, perfumery, a hairdresser, watch retailers, luggage shops, games and toys as well as a tobacco/newspaper shop. There are 900 car parking spaces, a taxi stand, a boarding area of 5,000 m², with 7 gates, a luggage delivery area, and lounges for premium passengers.

Prior to Terminal 2's opening, Terminal 3 was used for operating domestic flights. In 2007, the terminal's use changed to pilgrimage and charter flights.

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines have scheduled services to Houari Boumediene Airport as of April 2015:

Car

The distance to the center of Algiers is 20 km using the route N5 direct Bab Ezzouar. A1 also connects with N5 to the airport. Taxis service the airport to downtown Algiers.

Parking

The airport has a 7,000 capacity with two car parks located north of the terminals.

Bus

Buses link the airport to downtown Algiers every 30 minutes during the day.

Subway

The Algiers Metro Line L1 extension will connect the airport with the centre of Algiers.

Suburban rail

Suburban rail does not connect directly with the airport, but the closest station is at Dar El Baida.

Accidents and incidents

On 23 July 1968, three members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hijacked El Al Flight 426, a Boeing 707 with 48 other people on board and diverted it to the airport. They eventually released all 48 hostages unharmed.

On 20 January 1981, the 52 United States embassy hostages arrived at the airport after they departed Tehran, Iran.

On 26 August 1992, a bomb at the airport killed nine people and injured 128. Several people were arrested in connection with the bombing, including Hossein Abderrahim, a member of the Islamic FIS political party. He was executed in 1993. In 2002, Abdelghani Ait Haddad, sentenced to death in his absence, took refuge in the United Kingdom after residing in France for nine years.

On 24 December 1994, Air France Flight 8969, an Airbus A300 bound for Paris, was seized by four Islamic terrorists before take off; three passengers were killed before departure. In Marseille, France, a special operations team of the French Gendarmerie stormed the aircraft and killed all four hijackers; 25 passengers were injured.

On 24 July 2014, Air Algérie Flight 5017 en route from Ouagadougou Airport, Burkina Faso to Houari Boumediene Airport, Algeria crashed about 50 minutes after take-off. The McDonnell Douglas MD-83 was carrying 112 passenger and 6 crew from 15 nationalities. The aircraft crashed southeast of Gossi, Mali. There were no survivors. It was the third major aircraft accident in a one-week span and the second with no survivors.

References

Houari Boumediene Airport Wikipedia

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