Herat International Airport[1] (IATA: HEA, ICAO: OAHR) is located 6.5 miles (10.5 km) southeast of the city of Herat in western Afghanistan, east of the Herat-Farah road, close to Guzara in the Guzara District of the Herat Province. It is believed to be the second largest after Afghanistan's Kabul International Airport.[1]
The airport was originally built by engineers from the United States in the late 1950s. During the 1980s Soviet war, it was heavily used by the Soviets to launch bombardment missions on Mujahideen rebel forces. During the late 2001 Operation Enduring Freedom, it was bombed by US-British planes. Prior to the arrival of NATO's forces, the airport was a military base for fighters and transport aircraft (likely Antonov An-26, Antonov An-32 and Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21).
It has been used by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the last decade as well as by the military of Afghanistan and the Afghan National Police. In recent years the runway was extended and newly paved. A new international terminal was added in 2011 and the airport became known as Herat International Airport in early 2012 in which direct flight service will begin between Herat and Iran, Pakistan, Dubai, Tajikistan and other destinations. The new terminal was funded by Italy and named after Captain Massimo Ranzani, a fallen Italian officer in 2008.[2] Italy has pledged 137 million Euros for the expansion of the airport.[1]
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Afghanistan
