Rabat-Salé Airport
| Rabat-Salé Airport مطار الرباط سلا First Royal Air Force Base |
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IATA: RBA – ICAO: GMME
 RBA
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public / Military | ||
| Operator | ONDA | ||
| Location | Rabat, Morocco | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 276 ft / 84 m | ||
| Coordinates | 34°03′05″N 006°45′05″W / 34.05139°N 6.75139°W | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 03/21 | 3,500 | 11,483 | Asphalt |
| Source: DAFIF[1][2] | |||
Salé Airport or Rabat-Salé Airport (IATA: RBA, ICAO: GMME) is an airport serving Rabat,[1] the capital city of Morocco, and also the capital of the Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer region. It is a joint use public and military airport, also known as the First Royal Air Force Base.[1] The airport is located about 8 kilometres (5 mi) east-northeast of Rabat and about 90 km (56 mi) northeast of Casablanca.
In 2008 the airport handled over 333,000 passengers[3].
Contents |
[edit] History
During World War II, the airport was used as a military airfield by the United States Army Air Forces Twelfth Air Force during the North African campaign. The 319th Bombardment Group flew B-26 Marauders from the airfield between 25 Apr - 1 Jun 1943.
After the Americans moved out their active units in mid-1943, the airport was used as a stopover and landing field for Air Transport Command aircraft on the Casablanca-Algiers transport route. When the war ended, control of the airfield was returned to civil authorities.
During the early years of the Cold War, the United States Air Force's Strategic Air Command (SAC) used the airport as headquarters for its 5th and 316th Air Divisions. Various SAC aircraft, primarily B-47 Stratojets and KC-97 Stratotankers used the airport until the United States Air Force withdrew from Morocco in 1957.
[edit] Airport
- Passenger terminal and facilities
On 20 January 2012 the new Terminal 1 building was inaugurated, the old terminal building (always called Terminal 2) was closed at the same time. The terminal is 16,000 m² large and has a maximum capacity of 1.5 million passengers/year [4] thereby more than doubling the capacity of the old terminal.[5] The public area (arrivals exit and check-in) offers car rental agencies, banks (for Tax Free Shopping reimbursements only), ATM, café-bar with small kiosk, phone/fax service. The departure lounge offers: café-bar, duty-free shop, telephones, smoking-lounge. Access to the airport only possible by taxi or private car; parking space available.
The following airlines have a ticket-office/representation in the terminal:
- Air France (via Star Aviation Service)
- Aigle Azur
- Royal Air Maroc
The airport also features a VIP-terminal for state dignitaries and official ceremonies and hosts the Aéro-Club Royal de Rabat.
- Freight facilities
The freight-terminal covers an area of 1360 m².
[edit] Aircraft handling and runway
An area of 84.000 m² is available for passenger aircraft offering four jetways and 10 stands. The stands can receive 1 x Boeing 747, 3 x Boeing 737, 2 x Airbus A310 and 4 x Airbus A320 The single runway lies in direction 03/21, is 3,500 meters long and 45 meters wide. The airport has an ILS Class 1 certification and offers the following radionavigational aids: VOR – DME – NDB[5]
[edit] Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air France | Paris-Charles de Gaulle |
| Casa Air Service | Charter: Al-Hoceima, Dakhla, Errachidia, Essaouira, Guelmim, In-Salah, Ifrane, Laayoune, Nouadhibou, Ouarzazate, Sidi-Ifni, Smara, Tan-Tan, Tarfaya |
| Europe Airpost | Seasonal: Paris-Orly |
| Iberia operated by Air Nostrum |
Seasonal: Madrid [begins 28 May 2012] |
| Jet4you | Paris-Orly |
| Royal Air Maroc | Paris-Orly Seasonal: Agadir; Jeddah (during the period of the Hajj) |
[edit] Traffic statistics
| Item | 2008[6] | 2007[7] | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Movements[8] | 4051 | 3244 | 2743 | 2295 | 2300 | 2304 | 2117 |
| Passengers[9] | 334,675 | 260,992 | 203,527 | 178,222 | 155,857 | 161,077 | 161,865 |
| Cargo (Metric tons)[10] | 1230.06 | 1204.35 | 1459.79 | 1201.84 | 1265.79 | 1274.05 | 1322.50 |
[edit] Incidents/Accidents
On July 12, 1961, a Czech Airlines (CSA) Ilyushin Il-18 en route from Zurich Airport to Rabat-Salé Airport diverted to Casablanca Anfa Airport (GMMC) after receiving weather info indicating ground fog at Rabat-Salé. As the conditions at GMMC weren't good either the captain of the plane asked permission to land at Casablanca-Nouasseur (CMN), then a USAF base. While GMMC controllers contacted American authorities the plane crashed 13 kn. SSW of GMMC. All 72 on board (64 passengers, 8 crew) died. The exact reason for the crash was never discovered.[11]
On September 12, 1961, an Air France Sud Aviation Caravelle en route from Paris-Orly to Rabat-Salé Airport. The weather conditions at the time were non-favourable: thick fog and low visibility. The pilot informed traffic control it intended to land using the Non-directional beacon. Traffic control warned the pilot that the NDR was not in-line with the runway, but this message received no response. The aircraft crashed 9 km. SSW of the airport. All 77 on board (71 passengers, 6 crew) died. The exact reason was never discovered but investigators reported errors in instrument reading as the most likely reason.[12]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Airport information for GMME from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
- ^ Airport information for RBA at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).
- ^ Source details: Official ONDA REPORT
- ^ Rabat-Sale Airport visited 22 January 2012
- ^ a b Source ONDA website about Rabat-Sale Airport visited May 21, 2008
- ^ source details 2008:Official ONDA report 2007-2008
- ^ Source 2007 statistics: Presentation Rabat-Salé Airport on ONDA website, visited May 20, 2008
- ^ Statistics until 2006 from Statistics Movements, PDF document
- ^ Statistics until 2006 from Overview passengers stats MA, PDF document
- ^ Statistics until 2006 from freight stats, PDF document
- ^ Accident facts taken from Aviation-safety.net website, visited on May 21, 2008
- ^ Accident facts taken from Aviation-safety.net website, visited on May 21, 2008
[edit] External links
- Current weather for GMME at NOAA/NWS
- Accident history for RBA at Aviation Safety Network
- Aéro-Club Royal de Rabat (in french)
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