Ras Al Khaimah International Airport
Ras Al Khaimah International Airport (Ra's al-Khaymah) مطار رأس الخيمة الدولي | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Department of Civil Aviation | ||||||||||
| Location | Ras al-Khaimah | ||||||||||
| Hub for | Air Arabia | ||||||||||
| Time zone | UAE Standard Time (UTC+04:00) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 94 ft / 29 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 25°36′48″N 055°56′20″E / 25.61333°N 55.93889°ECoordinates: 25°36′48″N 055°56′20″E / 25.61333°N 55.93889°E | ||||||||||
| Website | rakairport.com | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  RKT Location in the UAE | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Ras Al Khaimah International Airport (IATA: RKT, ICAO: OMRK) (alternatively Ra's al-Khaymah, Arabic: مطار رأس الخيمة الدولي) is an international airport located in the Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates 11 nautical miles (20 km; 13 mi) south[1] of Ras Al Khaimah, on the coast of the Persian Gulf. The airport has two passenger terminal buildings as well as cargo, aircraft maintenance, and aviation training facilities.[2]
History[edit]
In 1976, the airport was inaugurated by the long-time ruler, Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammad Al Qasimi. Unlike Dubai International Airport, Ras Al Khaimah International Airport did not develop into an international or regional aviation hub.
In 2007, RAK Airways started operating as the national airline with a hub at the airport. It suspended regular operations in 2008 due to the global economic crisis. It relaunched in 2010 with new branding and management, but suspended operations permanently in 2013.[3][4][5]
In 2014, Air Arabia started its commercial flights to different destinations including Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh following the suspension of RAK Airways. Ras-al-Khaimah has been designated as an hub for Air Arabia for a period of ten years, extendable thereafter. [6]
The airport was the second among Arab states of the Persian Gulf to secure the ISO 9001: 2000 accreditation for quality management.[7] Currently, Ras Al Khaimah International Airport is being refocused with efforts to attract cargo business, in particular from establishments under the Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone.
Airlines and destinations[edit]
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Ras Al Khaimah Airport:
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air Arabia | Cairo, Dhaka,[8] Islamabad, Jeddah,[9] Lahore, Peshawar |
| Air India Express | Kozhikode |
| Belavia | Minsk[10] |
| FlyEgypt | Cairo[11] |
| Gulf Air | Bahrain[12] |
| IndiGo | Hyderabad (begins 15 June 2023),[13] Mumbai[14] |
| Pakistan International Airlines | Peshawar |
| Pegasus Airlines | Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen[15] |
| Qatar Airways | Doha (resumes 1 November 2023)[16] |
| SCAT Airlines | Aktau,[17] Aktobe,[17] Almaty,[17] Astana,[17] Atyrau,[17] Karagandy,[17] Oral,[17] Shymkent[17] |
| SmartLynx Airlines | Seasonal charter: Munich (begins 11 October 2023)[18] |
Accidents and incidents[edit]
- In July 1998, a Ukrainian Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane took off from the airport and crash landed into the sea nearby. All 8 crew members on board died.[19]
In popular culture[edit]
In 2015, Ras Al Khaimah Airport served as the set for the filming of the Hindi film Airlift starring Akshay Kumar.[20]
References[edit]
Citations[edit]
- ^ a b United Arab Emirates AIP Archived 30 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine (login required)
- ^ "Ras Al Khaimah International Airport-Management Team". rakairport.com.
- ^ "RAK Airways takes to the skies at long last". Arabian Business.
- ^ "RAK Airways: A timeline". Arabian Supply Chain.
- ^ "RAK Airways Not Coming Back". Gulf News.
- ^ "Air Arabia to become official carrier of Ras Al Khaimah". Arabian Business.
- ^ "RAK airport woos European carriers".
- ^ "Air Arabia resumes Ras al Khaimah operations from mid-Oct 2020 | Routes".
- ^ "Air Arabia".
- ^ "Belavia will start flying to Arab Emirate Ras-al-Khaimah". belavia.by. 8 September 2021.
- ^ "flyEgypt launches flights to United Arab Emirates". flyegypt.com. 7 February 2021.
- ^ "Gulf Air to launch Ras al Khaimah flights on Oct 3".
- ^ "INDIGO ADDS HYDERABAD – RAS AL KHAIMAH SERVICE IN LATE-2Q23". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
- ^ Joshi, Gaurav (23 September 2022). "UAE Expansion: IndiGo Starts New Direct Mumbai-Ras Al Khaimah Flights". Simple Flying. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ^ "Pegasus schedules Ras al Khaimah launch in late-Oct 2019". routesonline.com. 23 July 2019.
- ^ "Qatar Airways confirms major network expansion and resumption of flights to 11 cities". Aviacionline.com. 7 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Direct flight to UAE". scat.kz. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ "SmartLynx connects Munich with Ras Al Khaimah for FTI" (in German).
- ^ "July 13, 1998: Cargo plane crashes off Ras Al Khaimah | Today History – Gulf News".
- ^ "Akshay Kumar shoots film in Ras Al Khaimah". Deccan Chronicle. 20 March 2015.
Bibliography[edit]
- "RKT Ra'sal-Khaymah Airport". FlightStats. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
External links[edit]
Media related to Ras Al Khaimah International Airport at Wikimedia Commons
