Taba International Airport (Arabic: مطار طابا الدولي) (IATA: TCP, ICAO: HETB) is an international airport located on the Sinai Plateau,[3] with an elevation of 2,470 ft,[4] and serves Taba, Egypt. It has only one gate from which mainly charter flights operate.
Taba International Airport مطار طابا الدولي | |||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | Government | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Taba, Egypt | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Taba | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 2,415 ft / 736 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 29°35′16″N 34°46′41″E / 29.58778°N 34.77806°E | ||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||
  TCP Location of airport in Sinai | |||||||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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History
editThe airport was constructed by Israel in 1972 during its occupation of Sinai following the Six-Day War. Known as the Etzion Air Force Base,[5] it was demilitarized in 1979 with the Egypt–Israel peace treaty. Then Israel's "Golden Eagle", "Phoenix", and "Smashing Parrot" squadrons moved out and the land there was restored to Egyptian control.[6]
A condition of that peace treaty allows tourists to visit certain areas in Egypt, near Taba, for up to 14 days, without a visa. So from Israel and Jordan, travelers and tourists cross the border at Taba, in buses to visit resorts.[7] Egyptian taxis can take fares up to the Israel border but no further.[8]
The airport is located 13 kilometers from Taba and 30 kilometers from Taba Heights, near El Nakb, and adjacent to Eilat, Israel. The airport was named El Nakb Airport. A new terminal building and night lighting[9] was added and the airport was then renamed Taba International Airport in November 2000.[3]
The airport receives charter flights.[10] Traffic at the airport declined considerably. In 2014, the airport served 41,142 and in 2015, only 13,488 (a 67.2% decline).[11] In 2016, it was announced that Thales Group would be modernizing Air Traffic Management at Taba International Airport.[12]
In May 2018, it was announced that charter flights to the airport would resume, initially with flights from Poland and then from the Czech Republic.[13][14]
As of 2023, Taba Airport is served by charter flights from Katowice, Prague, Brno and Bratislava.
Airlines and destinations
edit| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Egyptair | Charter: Cairo[15] |
| Mayfair Jets | Seasonal charter: České Budějovice[16] |
| Smartwings | Seasonal charter: Brno, Katowice, Prague[17], Warsaw-Chopin[18] |
| LOT Polish Airlines | Seasonal charter: Warsaw-Chopin |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Airport information for HETB". World Aero Data. Archived from the original on 5 March 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) Data current as of October 2006. - ^ Airport information for TCP at Great Circle Mapper.
- ^ a b "Tours in Egypt- Discover Taba". Always Egypt. Archived from the original on 13 November 2016.
- ^ "Israel Air Force". Aeroflight. Archived from the original on 23 May 2009.
- ^ Schubert, Frank N. Building Air Bases in the Negev: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Israel 1979–1982 (PDF). p. 13. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 December 2016.
- ^ "Bases". The Israeli Air Force. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013.
- ^ DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Egypt. DK. 2 February 2016. ISBN 9781465453204.
- ^ "Taba International Airport". Airport Authority. Archived from the original on 4 January 2017.
- ^ DGS Heathrow Reference Catalogue Idman AFL (PDF). Safe Gate. p. 24. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 November 2016.
- ^ Smith, Oliver (4 May 2011). "Taba Heights, Egypt: the perfect break". No. Travel. Telegraph (UK). Archived from the original on 30 September 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
- ^ "Egypt: air travel's sensitivity to geopolitical events shows in falling international seat numbers". Centre for Aviation. 5 April 2016. Archived from the original on 13 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
- ^ "Thales Modernises Air Traffic Management at Egypt's Hurghada and Taba International Airports". Thales Group. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
- ^ Al-Aees, Shaimaa (15 May 2018). "Tourism investors present recommendations to parliament's tourism, civil aviation committee to develop sector". Daily News Egypt. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- ^ "Taba, Egypt, to resume charter flights in mid-4Q18". ch-aviation.com. 11 October 2018.
- ^ "EgyptAir's first flight to Taba code shared with private carrier lands on Wednesday". arabianbusiness.com. 18 August 2020.
- ^ "Čedok nabídne v zimě chartery z Českých Budějovic do egyptské Taby | Airways.cz".
- ^ "Smartwings NS24 Prague – North Africa Charter Additions".
- ^ "Smartwings Poland Adds Warsaw – Taba Service From late-Dec 2023". AeroRoutes. 7 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
