Alula Aba Nega Airport (IATA: MQX, ICAO: HAMK), also known as Mekelle Airport, is a public airport serving Mekelle, the capital city of the Tigray Region in northern Ethiopia. The airport is located 10 km (6 miles) southeast of the city.[4]
Alula Aba Nega Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Ethiopian Airports Enterprise | ||||||||||
| Serves | Mekelle, Ethiopia | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 7,403 ft / 2,256 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 13°28′02″N 039°32′00″E / 13.46722°N 39.53333°E | ||||||||||
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  HAMK Location in Ethiopia (Tigray region in red) | |||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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History
editThis airport was built in the late 1990s, to replace an older one located 7 km (4 miles) from Mekelle. The airport was named after the 19th century Ethiopian military leader Ras Alula, also known as Alula Aba Nega.[4] He is well known for his battles against Italy, the Ottoman Turks, Egypt and the Battle of Adwa. When the airport first opened, it had one unpaved runway that was 3,000 metres (9,843 feet) long, with 21 flights to Addis Ababa, 4 to Shire and 2 to Humera.[5]
Facilities
editThe airport lies at an elevation of 7,406 feet (2,257 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 11/29 with an asphalt surface measuring 3,604 by 43 metres (11,824 ft × 141 ft).[1]
Airlines and destinations
edit| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Ethiopian Airlines | Addis Ababa, Axum, Humera, Shire[6] |
Accidents and incidents
edit- On 22 August 1982, a Douglas DC-3 ET-AHP of Ethiopian Airlines was damaged beyond repair in a take-off accident.[7]
- On 18 January 2024, an Ethiopian Airlines Dash-8 crash-landed at the airport, with its left main landing gear collapsing and the left engine prop striking the runway.[8][9]
References
edit- ^ a b Airport information for HAMK[usurped] from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
- ^ Airport information for MQX at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
- ^ List of the busiest airports in Africa
- ^ a b "Mekele Alula Aba Nega International Airport". Ethiopian Airports Enterprise. Archived from the original on 4 June 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Local History in Ethiopia" (PDF). The Nordic Africa Institute. Retrieved 23 January 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Domestic route map". Ethiopian Airlines. Archived from the original on 2012-12-04. Retrieved 2012-07-21.
- ^ "ET-AHP Accident report". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ "Accident: Ethiopian DH8D at Makale on Jan 18th 2024, gear problem and runway excursion". avherald.com. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
- ^ Varley, Len (2024-01-18). "Ethiopian Dash 8 suffers substantial damage during landing at Mekele". AviationSource News. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
