- Aden Adde International Airport
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"HCMM" redirects here. For other uses, see HCMM (disambiguation).
Aden-Adde International Airport IATA: MGQ – ICAO: HCMM Location of airport in Somalia
MGQSummary Airport type Joint (Civil and Military) Coordinates 02°00′49″N 45°18′17″E / 2.01361°N 45.30472°E Runways Direction Length Surface ft m 05/23 9,901 3,018 Paved Aden Adde International Airport (IATA: MGQ, ICAO: HCMM), formerly known as Mogadishu International Airport, is the international airport for Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. It is named after Aden Abdullah Osman Daar, the first President of Somalia.
Originally a modest-sized airport, the facility grew considerably in size in the post-independence period after numerous successive renovation projects. With the outbreak of the civil war in the early 1990s, Aden Adde International's flight services experienced routine disruptions. However, with the security situation in Mogadishu greatly improved in the late 2010-2011 period, large-scale rehabilitation of the airport's grounds and services has once again resumed.
Contents
History
During the post-independence period, Mogadishu International Airport offered flights to numerous global destinations.[1] In the mid-1960s, the airport was enlarged to accommodate more international carriers, with the state-owned Somali Airlines providing regular trips to all major cities.[2] By 1969, the airport's many landing grounds could also host small jets and DC 6B-type aircraft.[1]
In the 1970s, Somalia's then ruling socialist government enlisted its Soviet allies for major renovations to the ground's facilities, in the process significantly enlarging the airport's capacity to cater to both civilian and military needs.[3]
Mogadishu International Airport was also patronized at the point by the Somali Air Corps (SAC), which had an airlift wing stationed in the capital. The SAC maintained a military academy at the airport that was used by all air force members.
In the 1980s, the Somalian federal government recruited the US Navy, its new Cold War partner, to further enlarge the Mogadishu airport. The project included the construction of a modern control tower equipped with state-of-the-art navigational technology.[4] The Somali Civil Aviation Authority, which then regulated the national aviation industry, also signed a contract with the Italian firm Selenia worth an estimated 17 billion Italian lire ($2.5 million). The agreement stipulated that the company would build a second terminal for international routes as well as a new control tower. The Italian firm was also tasked with supplying air traffic control equipment.[5]
With the collapse of the Siad Barre regime and the ensuing civil war, the airport's ongoing renovations came to a halt. Aviation operations also routinely experienced disruptions and the airport's grounds incurred significant damage. On August 3, 2006, African Express Airways became the first international airline to resume regular flights to Mogadishu International Airport.[6]
On June 8, 2007, the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) announced that the airport would be renamed in honor of the first President of Somalia, Aden Abdullah Osman Daar, who had died earlier in the day.
The following year, due to security risks brought on by the resumption of fighting in the wake of the Ethiopian intervention, most civilian aircraft opted to land and depart from K50 Airport, situated about 50 km from Mogadishu in Lower Shabelle.[7] However, in the late 2010 period, the security situation in Mogadishu had significantly improved, with the federal government eventually managing to assume full control of the capital by August of the following year.[8]
Renovations
In late 2010, SKA Air and Logistics, a Dubai-based aviation firm that specializes in conflict zones, was contracted by the TFG to manage operations over a period of ten years at the re-opened Aden Adde International Airport. With concurrent activities in Iraq and Afghanistan, among other complex areas, the company is expected to run security screening, passenger security and terminals. SKA staff has also begun re-training Somalian airport personnel for the purpose. Although flights and other airport operations are presently limited to daylight hours, the firm is working on expanding activities once runway lighting and other features have been restored.[9]
As of 2011, the largest services using Adden Adde International Airport include the Somali-owned private carriers Jubba Airways and Daallo Airlines, in addition to UN charter planes and African Express Airways.[9] The airport also offers flights to other Somalian cities such as Galkacyo, Berbera and Hargeisa, as well as international destinations like Djibouti and Jeddah.[10]
Airlines and destinations
Airlines Destinations African Express Airways Aden, Berbera, Bosaso (via GLK), Galkacyo, Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta, Wajir Daallo Airlines Djibouti, Hargeisa Jubba Airways Berbera, Djibouti, Dubai, Galkacyo, Hargeisa, Jeddah, Nairobi Accidents and incidents
- On 6 May 1970, Vickers Viscount 6O-AAJ of Somali Airlines caught fire on approach to Mogadishu International Airport. The nosewheel collapsed in a heavy landing and the aircraft was burnt out. Five of the 30 people on board were killed.[11]
- In October 1977, Mogadishu International Airport was also the site of the Landshut Hijacking. Lufthansa Flight 181 was a Lufthansa Boeing 737-230 Adv aircraft named "Landshut" that was hijacked on 13 October 1977 by four members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (P.F.L.P.). Calling themselves Commando Martyr Halime, the incident marked the last major event of the German Autumn of 1977. On 18 October, in a move carefully coordinated with the Barre administration, the besieged aircraft was stormed by the West German counter-terrorism group GSG 9. All 86 passengers were rescued in the operation, which was codenamed "Feuerzauber" ("Fire Magic") or "Zauberfeuer" ("Magic Fire").
See also
- War in Somalia (2006–2009).
References
- ^ a b Europa Publications Limited, The Middle East, (Europa Publications.: 1969), p.614.
- ^ Unione zoologica italiana, Società italiana di anatomia, Università di Firenze. Istituto di Zoologia, Italian Journal of Zoology, Volume 74, (Istituto di Zoologia, Università di Firenze: 1966), p.342.
- ^ Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Nigeria: bulletin on foreign affairs, Volume 10, Issue 9, (Nigerian Institute of International Affairs.: 1980), p.144.
- ^ Colin Legum, Africa contemporary record: annual survey and documents, Volume 13, (Africana Publing Company: 1985), p.B-267.
- ^ Africa Research, Ltd, Africa research bulletin: Economic series, Volumes 24-25, (Africa Research Ltd.: 1987), p.9302
- ^ timesnews.co.ke - Kenya News
- ^ Schmitz, Sebastain (2007). "By Ilyushin 18 to Mogadishu". Airways 14 (7): 12–17. ISSN 1074-4320.
- ^ Al-Shabaab ‘dug in like rats’
- ^ a b SKA will run airport operations in Mogadishu
- ^ Dubai’s SKA signs deal to manage Mogadishu airport
- ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19700506-0. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
Categories:- Airports in Somalia
- Mogadishu
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