Airport type Public Serves Annaba, Algeria 01/19 3,000 Code AAE Phone +213 38 52 01 59 Passenger count 466,053 | Operator EGSA-Constantine Elevation AMSL 5 m / 16 ft 3,000 9,843 Elevation 5 m Yearly aircraft movements 8,348 | |
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Address Les Salines, Annaba, Algeria Similar Lyes Tours, Ups, Consulat Général de France, Théatre Azzedine Medjoubi | ||
Rabah Bitat Airport (IATA: AAE, ICAO: DABB), formerly known as Les Salines Airport, and popularly as El Mellah Airport is an international airport located 9 km (5.6 mi) south of Annaba, a city in Algeria. It is named after Rabah Bitat, a president of Algeria (1978-1979).
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World War II
During World War II the airport was known as Bone Airfield, and was used by the German Luftwaffe. Later captured by the United States Army, the USAAF Twelfth Air Force in the Western Desert Campaign in 1942-1943.
In November 1942 the Allies invaded French Morocco and Algeria (Operation Torch). The British airborne operations in North Africa started on 12 November, when the 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment carried out the first battalion sized parachute drop, on Bone airfield between Algiers and Tunis. The remainder of the brigade arrived by sea the next day. Bone Airfield was the base of 111 Squadron RAF, a Spitfire squadron under Squadron Leader Tony Bartley. One notable pilot to fly from Bone on occasion was Wing Commander Adrian Warburton who was an infrequent visitor after crash landing there on the 15th of November 1942.
Facilities
The Old terminal had an annual capacity of 500,000 passengers. In January 2016, the new international terminal had been opened. The New Terminal, which commissioning generates 300 jobs, has an expandable capacity of 700,000 passengers per year.