Misrata International Airport (IATA: MRA, ICAO: HLMS) is an international airport serving Misrata, a Mediterranean coastal city in the Misrata District of Libya. It also acts as an air base and training center for the Libyan Air Force.[3]
Misrata International Airport مطار مصراتة الدولي | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public/Military | ||||||||||
| Operator | Libyan Airports Authority | ||||||||||
| Location | Misrata, Libya | ||||||||||
| Opened | 1998 | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 60 ft / 18 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 32°19′32″N 15°3′35″E / 32.32556°N 15.05972°E | ||||||||||
| Website | www.misurataairport.ly [1] | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  MRA Location within Libya | |||||||||||
 | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
History
editThe airport was created in 1939 as a small landing site in the Misrata province of Italian Libya.
On 15 December 2011, the airport celebrated its first regularly scheduled international commercial flights by a non-Libyan airline (Turkish Airlines).
On 14 July 2014, the airport was closed to flights due to clashes at Tripoli International Airport, which Misrata International Airport is dependent on for its operations. Flights resumed on the night of 15 July.[4]
On 3 August 2020, a fire destroyed the airport's passenger terminal.[5]
Military use
editThe Libyan Air Force operates the Soko G-2 aircraft extensively at Misrata in both a training and counterinsurgency capacity.
The first Libyan warplane to challenge the no-fly zone during the Libyan Civil War was a G-2 taking off from Misrata on March 24, 2011. It was reported to have been promptly shot down by the French Air Force.[6][7] A few hours later an armed forces spokesman specified that the plane was destroyed on the runway with an AASM air-to-ground missile just after it had landed.[8]
Airlines and destinations
edit| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Afriqiyah Airways | Benghazi, Cairo, Istanbul, Sfax, Tunis Hajj&Umrah: Jeddah |
| Berniq Airways | Alexandria, Benghazi, Cairo, Istanbul, Tunis |
| Egyptair | Cairo[9] |
| Egyptair Cargo | Cairo |
| Fly Oya | Hajj&Umrah: Jeddah |
| Global Air | Benghazi |
| Libyan Airlines | Sfax, Tunis[10] |
| MedSky Airways | Istanbul, Malta Hajj&Umrah: Jeddah |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Airport information for Misrata International Airport at Great Circle Mapper.
- ^ "Misrata International Airport". SkyVector. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
- ^ "Libya Air Order of Battle". GlobalSecurity.org. 5 March 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
- ^ Tripoli airport under fire for fourth day Al Jazeera. 16 July 2014. Accessed 17 July 2014
- ^ "Misrata airport closed after fire, Mitiga to reopen on 9 August – as Maltese inspection delegation considers flight resumption |". 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Gadhafi's Warplane Destroyed By French Fighter Jets in Misrata". ABC News. 24 March 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
- ^ "French fighter shoots down Libyan jet". BBC News. 24 March 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
- ^ "Libya live (16:22)". The Telegraph. 24 March 2011. Archived from the original on 21 March 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
- ^ "EGYPTAIR Sep/Oct 2023 Africa Network Additions". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
- ^ "Misurata (MRA) flight index".
