Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport

Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport (Arabic: مطار جيبوتي الدولي‎, French: Aéroport international Ambouli) (IATA: JIB, ICAO: HDAM) is a joint civilian/military-use airport situated in the town of Ambouli, Djibouti. It serves the national capital, Djibouti City. The airport is located approximately 6 kilometres (4 miles) from the city centre. It occupies an area of 10 square kilometers.

Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport
Summary
Airport typeJoint (Civil and Military)
OperatorDjibouti Airports Authority
ServesDjibouti City
LocationAmbouli, Djibouti
Hub forAir Djibouti
Elevation AMSL49 ft / 15 m
Coordinates11°32′46.53″N 43°09′33.14″E
Websiteaeroport-jib.com
Map
JIB
Location in Djibouti City, Djibouti
JIB
JIB (Africa)
JIB
JIB (Asia)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
09/27 10,335 3,150 Asphalt
Statistics (2009)
Passengers258,877
Source:

History
U.S. Air Force, C-130 Hercules at Djibouti International Airport
An Air Djibouti aircraft at the Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport.

The airport was opened in 1948. Originally modest-sized, the facility grew in the post-independence period after a series of renovation projects.[1]

In the mid-1970s, the airport was enlarged to accommodate more international carriers, with the state-owned Air Djibouti providing regular trips to its various destinations.[1]

Civilian use

Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport has a single terminal building, with one departure gate and one baggage carousel.

As the airport is located south of Djibouti City and its runways run east–west, an airliner's landing approach is usually directly over the conurbation of the capital, when the wind is from the west.[2]

In 2010, the airport served 176,861 passengers.[3]

Military use

In addition to its use as a civilian airport, the airport hosts a military presence from a number of countries. Military traffic makes up approximately 75% of the airport's total traffic volume.[4][3]

Air-traffic controllers controversy
Apron View

According to military officials, US military flights comprised over 50 percent of the 30,000 departures and arrivals in 2014. Civilian air-traffic controllers hired by the Djiboutian government monitor the airspace over Camp Lemonnier's runways, unlike other major US military bases. US consultants stationed at the base reported that over a three-month period, the controllers made an average of 2,378 errors per 100,000 aircraft operations, an error rate reportedly 1,700 times greater than the US standard. US federal aviation experts suggested that an unprofessional attitude on the part of the controllers potentially imperiled American military and civilian flights to and from the airport. FAA officials asserted that the controllers' lax attitude, which allegedly included barring drones from taking off or landing, stemmed from a belief on their part that the US drones were unreliable aircraft and dangerous weapons aimed at killing Muslims.

The Djibouti government dismissed the air controller safety allegations as exaggerations or fabrications. US Ambassador to Djibouti Tom Kelly likewise indicated that, after asking for further improvements in aviation, progress was being registered at the airport. U.S. Navy Captain Kevin Bertelsen, the commanding officer at Camp Lemonnier, described work at the air base as challenging, but similarly indicated that conditions there had been ameliorated. In 2014, the US government also signed a new twenty-year lease with the Djibouti authorities to maintain its military base at the airport.[9]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger
AirlinesDestinations
Air Djibouti[10] Addis Ababa, Aden, Dire Dawa, Hargeisa, Mogadishu
Air France Paris–Charles de Gaulle
Ethiopian Airlines Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa
flydubai Dubai–International
Felix Airways Aden, Khartoum
Kenya Airways Addis Ababa, Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta
Qatar Airways Doha,[11] Mogadishu[12]
Turkish Airlines Istanbul,[13] Mogadishu

Cargo
AirlinesDestinations
Air Djibouti[14] Addis Ababa, Dubai–Al Maktoum, Hargeisa, Mogadishu
Coyne Airways Dubai–International
Emirates SkyCargoDubai–Al Maktoum
Ethiopian Airlines CargoAddis Ababa, Nanjing

References
  1. "AID". www.aeroport-jib.com. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  2. "airport information" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  3. "2.2.1 Djibouti-Ambouli International Airport – Logistics Capacity Assessment – Digital Logistics Capacity Assessments". dlca.logcluster.org. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  4. Oladipo, Tomi (16 June 2015). "Why are there so many military bases in Djibouti?". BBC News. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  5. "Les forces françaises stationnées à Djibouti". www.defense.gouv.fr. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  6. "Chiffres clés de l'Armée de l'air - L'Armée de l'air en chiffres : 2019-2020 (FR)". French Air and Space Force. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  7. "防衛省、ジブチの自衛隊拠点を来年度拡張　基地建設の中国に対抗". Newsweek日本版 (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  8. AirForces Monthly. Stamford, Lincolnshire, England: Key Publishing Ltd. November 2014. p. 26.
  9. "Chaos in tower, danger in skies at base in Africa". Washington Post. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  10. "Home – Air Djibouti". air-djibouti.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  11. http://www.qatarairways.com/english_india/press-release.page?pr_id=pressrelease_230314_djibouti_launch
  12. "Qatar Airways schedules additional 5 destinations launch in S19". RoutesOnline. 7 March 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  13. "Istanbul's New Airport Is A Hot Beautiful Mess". One Mile at a Time. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  14. "Air Djibouti - Cargo". air-djibouti.com. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
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