Tobruk Airport

Tobruk International Airport (IATA: TOB, ICAO: HLTQ) is an airport serving the Mediterranean port city of Tobruk, capital of the Butnan District of Libya. The airport is 23 kilometres (14 mi) south of Tobruk, at the town of Al Adm. The airport formerly had an ICAO code of HLGN. The Tobruk non-directional beacon (Ident: GN) is located 3.2 nautical miles (5.9 km) southeast of the airport. The Nasser VOR-DME (Ident: TBQ) is located on the field.[4]

Tobruk International Airport

مطار طبرق الدولي
Summary
Airport typePublic/Military
ServesTobruk, Libya
LocationAl Adm
Coordinates31°51′36″N 23°54′22″E
Map
TOB
Location within Libya
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
02/20 3,005 9,859 Concrete
Sources: SkyVector[1] GCM[2] Google Maps[3]

History

The airport was previously named Gamal Abdel Nasser Airport, after the president of the former United Arab Republic.

The airport was officially opened as Tobruk International Airport on 29 April 2013. The oldest airport in Libya, it had previously offered only internal flights. The first international passenger flight was to Alexandria, Egypt, operated by Libyan Airlines. The airport operates domestic flights to Benghazi and Tripoli.[5]

A new passenger terminal is currently under construction. The airport will have a duty-free zone. Plans are currently underway to establish cargo service to Tobruk's International Airport.

Historical background

At the beginning of World War II, Libya was an Italian colony and Tobruk became the site of important battles between the Allies and Axis powers. Tobruk was strategically important to the conquest of Eastern Libya, then called the province of Cyrenaica. The airfield was significant due to the importance of air power in desert warfare.

Airlines and destinations
AirlinesDestinations
Libyan AirlinesAlexandria, Benghazi, Tripoli–Mitiga, Tunis

Famous visitors
  • Queen Elizabeth II: Queen Elizabeth was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh and Admiral Sir Martin Dunbar Naismith, chairman of the War Graves Commission, during her tour of the Tobruk war cemetery.[6]
  • Benito Mussolini: Mussolini landed in Tobruk (Libya) during World War II amid artillery salvoes, hooting sirens, waving flags and the cheers of the multitude. Mussolini then toured through the streets of Tobruk, which were lined with troops.[7]

See also

References
  1. "Tobruk Airport". SkyVector. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  2. Airport information for Tobruk International Airport at Great Circle Mapper.
  3. "Tobruk International Airport". Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  4. "Tobruk navaids". SkyVector. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  5. "Turkish Airlines to launch Tobruk – Istanbul service -". www.libyaherald.com.
  6. "QUEEN VISITS WAR GRAVES AT TOBRUK". Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954). 1954-05-04. p. 1. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
  7. "MUSSOLINI LANDS AT TOBRUK". Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1950). 1937-03-13. p. 1. Retrieved 2018-08-21.


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