Aqaba Airport
Encyclopedia
Aqaba Airport is an airport
located in the vicinity of Industrial City (Aqaba International Industrial Estate - ), northern suburb of Aqaba in Jordan
. The location of Aqaba is unusual, for within a 15 miles (24 km) radius there are three other countries, Egypt
, Saudi Arabia
and Israel
. The airport has a single runway equipped with category 1 instrument landing system
(ILS). Thanks to its normally excellent weather conditions, the airport is rarely closed, though strong southerly winds bring sandstorm
across the Red Sea
from Egypt.
The airport has a single 28,000 sq ft (2,600 m²) terminal building with just one departure gate and one baggage carousel, though the building is being extended. The facilities can cope when there is one aircraft to be handled, but on some occasions when there are three aircraft being turned around simultaneously things can become somewhat crowded. The capacity of the Terminal at present is 1.5 million passengers a year. There is also separate buildings for General Aviation and a Royal Pavilion - King Abdullah II owns a palace along the shoreline and regularly visits. The Royal Jordanian Air Academy are regular visitors on land-away cross country training exercises. Annual passenger figures have risen from around 20,000 per year in the early days to over 90,000 in the year 2000. There are currently around 3,000 aircraft movements a year. A significant proportion of these are training flights, including those of the Royal Jordanian Air Force
.
The largest operator at Aqaba is Royal Jordanian Airlines. It operates about ten flights a week to Amman
, though extras are frequently scheduled, sometimes to coincide with passenger changeover on cruise ships. The airline operate Embraer E175 Regional Jets that undertake the journey in 45 minutes These jets have replaced the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft used by the Royal Wings subsidiary and have a total of 72 seats, 10 of which are business class. The airline also undertakes about six charter flights to Europe, with European charter airlines adding a further dozen. German carriers are particularly well represented.
Aqaba is an airport that can handle the largest jets. Photography is not permitted at the airport. Even though it does have a viewing gallery it is almost impossible to see anything because of sand storms that cling to the windows.
Emergency Services: First Aid
Navigational Aids: DVOR/DME, 3NDBs
Airfield Restrictions: Maintain within the Jordanian Airspace
Runway 1: Heading 01/19, 3,000 m (9,842 ft), PCN 54/F/A/W/U, ICAO Cat. 4, Aircraft size max: All types, Lighting: simple approach CAT I
The airport has one baggage claim belt, 200 short term parking spaces, a Post Office, Bank, Cafeterias, VIP Lounge, Duty Free Shop, and Gift Shops, and a clinic.
The airport includes also buildings for the Ayla Aviation Academy, the Royal Jordanian
Academy, the Aero Wings for Industry’s assembly plant for light planes, the Jordan Private Jets Services (JPJets)’s private jet terminal, and the Al Baddad International Group’s maintenance centre.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
located in the vicinity of Industrial City (Aqaba International Industrial Estate - ), northern suburb of Aqaba in Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
. The location of Aqaba is unusual, for within a 15 miles (24 km) radius there are three other countries, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. The airport has a single runway equipped with category 1 instrument landing system
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
(ILS). Thanks to its normally excellent weather conditions, the airport is rarely closed, though strong southerly winds bring sandstorm
Dust storm
A dust / sand storm is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Particles are transported by saltation and suspension, causing soil to move from one place and deposition...
across the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
from Egypt.
The airport has a single 28,000 sq ft (2,600 m²) terminal building with just one departure gate and one baggage carousel, though the building is being extended. The facilities can cope when there is one aircraft to be handled, but on some occasions when there are three aircraft being turned around simultaneously things can become somewhat crowded. The capacity of the Terminal at present is 1.5 million passengers a year. There is also separate buildings for General Aviation and a Royal Pavilion - King Abdullah II owns a palace along the shoreline and regularly visits. The Royal Jordanian Air Academy are regular visitors on land-away cross country training exercises. Annual passenger figures have risen from around 20,000 per year in the early days to over 90,000 in the year 2000. There are currently around 3,000 aircraft movements a year. A significant proportion of these are training flights, including those of the Royal Jordanian Air Force
Royal Jordanian Air Force
The Royal Jordanian Air Force is the air force branch of the Jordanian Armed Forces.-Early days:...
.
The largest operator at Aqaba is Royal Jordanian Airlines. It operates about ten flights a week to Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
, though extras are frequently scheduled, sometimes to coincide with passenger changeover on cruise ships. The airline operate Embraer E175 Regional Jets that undertake the journey in 45 minutes These jets have replaced the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft used by the Royal Wings subsidiary and have a total of 72 seats, 10 of which are business class. The airline also undertakes about six charter flights to Europe, with European charter airlines adding a further dozen. German carriers are particularly well represented.
Aqaba is an airport that can handle the largest jets. Photography is not permitted at the airport. Even though it does have a viewing gallery it is almost impossible to see anything because of sand storms that cling to the windows.
Airport data
International, Heliport, Cargo Only, Aqaba 9 km (5miles), Position 29°36´43"N, 035°01´04"E, Elevation 53 m (173 ft), Operating hours 04:00-20:30 UTC, 2 Passenger Terminals, 1 Cargo terminal, 5 Aircraft StandsAirfield data
Fire Category 7Emergency Services: First Aid
Navigational Aids: DVOR/DME, 3NDBs
Airfield Restrictions: Maintain within the Jordanian Airspace
Runway 1: Heading 01/19, 3,000 m (9,842 ft), PCN 54/F/A/W/U, ICAO Cat. 4, Aircraft size max: All types, Lighting: simple approach CAT I
Statistics
| Year | Total Passengers | Cargo Handled (tons) | Total operations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 92,648 | 93,349 | 5,005 |
| 1999 | 126,600 | 9,224 | 5,407 |
| 2000 | 155,340 | 12,541 | 7,207 |
| 2001 | 75,118 | 39,548 | |
| 2002 | 47,683 | 244,726 | 8,415 |
| 2003 | 97,136 | 408,471 | 11,611 |
Passenger facilities
Annual Capacity 1,000,000, The airport has 4 check-in desks, 2 gates, a cargo building and a cargo apron together with a parallel taxiway.The airport has one baggage claim belt, 200 short term parking spaces, a Post Office, Bank, Cafeterias, VIP Lounge, Duty Free Shop, and Gift Shops, and a clinic.
The airport includes also buildings for the Ayla Aviation Academy, the Royal Jordanian
Royal Jordanian
Royal Jordanian Airlines is the flag carrier of Jordan with its head office in Amman, Jordan, operating scheduled international services over four continents from its main base at Queen Alia International Airport at Amman Jordan. Royal Jordanian is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization...
Academy, the Aero Wings for Industry’s assembly plant for light planes, the Jordan Private Jets Services (JPJets)’s private jet terminal, and the Al Baddad International Group’s maintenance centre.