Ras Al Khaimah International Airport

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Ras Al Khaimah International Airport
(Ra's al-Khaymah)
مطار رأس الخيمة الدولي
File:Ras Al Khaimah International Airport.jpg
IATA: RKT – ICAO: OMRK
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Department of Civil Aviation
Location Ras al-Khaimah
Time zone UAE Standard Time (UTC+04:00)
Elevation AMSL 94 ft / 29 m
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Website www.rakairport.com
Map
OMRK is located in United Arab Emirates
OMRK
OMRK
Location in the UAE
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
16/34 3,760 12,336 Asphalt
Sources: UAE AIP[1]

Ras Al Khaimah International Airport (IATA: RKT, ICAO: OMRK) (alternatively Ra's al-Khaymah, Arabic: مطار رأس الخيمة الدولي‎‎) is located in the Persian Gulf sheikhdom of Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates 11 nautical miles (20 km; 13 mi) south[1] of the town of the same name. The airport has two passenger terminal buildings as well as cargo, aircraft maintenance, and aviation training facilities.[2]

History

In 1976, the airport was inaugurated by the long-time ruler, Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammad Al Qassimi. Unlike Dubai International Airport, Ras Al Khaimah International Airport did not develop into an international or regional aviation hub.

RAK Airways started operating in 2007 but suspended regular operations in 2008 due to the economic crisis. As of 2009, the only passenger flights were a few weekly charter flights from Europe, bringing tourists to the emirate. Otherwise, the airport was mostly used for cargo services, mostly to and from Russia and other former Soviet countries, Central Asia, and Afghanistan, among other areas.

Among the users of Ras Al Khaimah International Airport was the Russian Victor Bout, convicted by a US court of arms trafficking in 2012. A cable from the Consulate General of the United States in Dubai dated 7 January 2010 published by The Guardian on 1 December 2010 reports that aircraft of Bout's Wing Air Services were at the time effectively abandoned at RAK Airport on their parking apron.[3]

The airport reported a 58.5 percent growth in the first quarter of 2012 compared with the same period of the previous year.[4]

The airport was the second in the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf to secure the ISO 9001: 2000 accreditation for quality management.[5] Currently, Ras Al Khaimah International Airport is being rebranded within efforts to attract legitimate cargo, in particular from establishments under the Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone.

It is re opened in 2014 for passengers. Air Arabia started its commercial flights to different destinations including Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh. Air Arabia PJSC became the designated carrier for Ras-al-Kaimah in February 2014 following the demise of Ras-al-Kaimah airways. The agreement with the government of Ras-al-Kaimah is for a period of ten years, extendable thereafter.

Airlines and destinations

Airlines Destinations
Air Arabia Cairo, Chittagong, Dhaka, Doha, Kathmandu, Islamabad, Jeddah, Lahore, Muscat, Peshawar
Air Arabia Charter: Bahrain
Qatar Airways Doha (begin 02 February 2016)[6]
Sun Express Deutschland Charter: Berlin-Tegel, Dresden, Frankfurt, Hanover, Leipzig, Munich, Stuttgart
Travel Service Polska Charter: Katowice
Ural Airlines Charter: Moscow-Domodedovo

Cargo

Airlines Destinations
Lynden Air Cargo Charter
SKA International Group Charter

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 United Arab Emirates AIP (login required)
  2. ↑ About Us
  3. ↑ US embassy cables: Bout's aircraft found 'rusting' in UAE
  4. ↑ RAK airport posts 58pc passenger growth
  5. ↑ RAK airport woos European carriers
  6. ↑ http://airlineroute.net/2015/10/20/qr-rkt-feb16/
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Ras_Al_Khaimah_International_Airport&oldid=1490369"