Tripoli International Airport

This article is about the airport in Tripoli, Libya. For the airport in Tripoli, Greece, seeTripolis Airport.

Tripoli International Airport مطار طرابلس العالمي
IATA:TIP ICAO:HLLT
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Civil Aviation and Meteorology Bureau
Serves	Tripoli,Libya
Location	Qasr bin Ghashir
Opened	1934(1934)
Closed	July 2014(2014-07)
Passenger services ceased	July 2014(2014-07)
Hubfor	Afriqiyah Airways Buraq Air Libyan Airlines
ElevationAMSL	263 ft / 80 m
Coordinates	32°40′10″N13°09′24″E
Map
TIP Location within Libya
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 09/27 3,600 11,811 Asphalt/Concrete 18/36 2,524 8,281 Asphalt
Statistics (2008)
Passengers 3,070,200
Source: GCMSkyVector

Tripoli International Airport(IATA:TIP,ICAO:HLLT) (Arabic:مطار طرابلس العالمي) is a closedinternational airportbuilt to serveTripoli,the capital city ofLibya.The airport is located in the area ofQasr bin Ghashir,24 kilometres (15 mi) from central Tripoli. It used to be thehubforLibyan Airlines,Afriqiyah Airways,andBuraq Air.

The airport has been closed intermittently since 2011 and as of early 2018,flights to and from Tripoli have been usingMitiga International Airportinstead.

During the2014 Libyan Civil War,the airport was heavily damaged in theBattle of Tripoli Airport.The airport reopened for limited commercial use in July 2017.In April 2019, however, it was reported that Mitiga had become the last functioning airport in Tripoli during the2019–20 Western Libya campaign.It was soon acknowledged that the rulingGovernment of National Accord(GNA) had bombed the airport in order to recapture it from theLibyan National Army(LNA).Mitiga was soon shut down as well after being bombed by the LNA,thus makingMisrata Airport,located approximately 200 km (125 miles) to the east down the coast, the nearest airport for Tripoli residents.

History

The airport was originally called Tripoli-Castel Benito Airport and was aRegia Aeronautica(Italian Air Force) airfield built in 1934 in the southern outskirts ofItalian Tripoli.

In 1938 the governor ofItalian Libya,Italo Balbo,enlarged the military airfield to create an international airport for civilians served byAla Littoria,the official Italian airline: theAeroporto di Tripoli-Castel Benito.The first international flights were toRome,Tunis,andMalta.In 1939, aflight from Rome to Ethiopia and Somaliawas one of the first intercontinental flights.

DuringWorld War IIthe airport was destroyed, but the airfield was later used by the BritishRoyal Air Forceand namedRAF Castel Benito,changing toRAF Idrisin 1952. In the 1950s and 1960s the airport was known as Tripoli Idris International Airport.It was renovated for national and international air travel in September 1978.The existing international terminal was designed and built from a masterplan developed bySir Alexander Gibb & Partners.

The airport closed from March 2011 to October 2011 as a result of theUnited Nations Security Councilestablishing ano-fly zone over Libya.TheZintan Brigadecaptured the airport during their advance on Tripoli on 21 August 2011. The airport was officially reopened on 11 October 2011.

On 14 July 2014, the airport was the site of fierce battle as militias from the city of Misrata attempted to take control of the airport. The airport has been closed to flights since the clashes.On 23 August 2014, after 40 days of clashes, Zintan forces, which controlled the airport, withdrew.TheLos Angeles Timesreported that at least 90% of the airport's facilities and 20 airplanes were destroyed in the fighting.

While still under the control of Misrata militias, the VIP terminal, which had not been not as badly damaged, was reopened on 16 February 2017. A new passenger terminal is in planning by thepolitical body representing the militias.

In April 2019, the airport was captured by forces loyal to theLibyan National Army(LNA) and its leaderKhalifa Haftarand was held for over a year, despite the control of the airport passing back to the GNA briefly in May 2019.Due to its location at the southern border of the Tripoli Metropolitan Area, it served as a part of the larger suburban stronghold ofQasr bin Ghashirvillage south of Tripoli City, used as a staging ground in attacks attempting to capture or weaken GNA's hold of the capital. As a result of ongoing clashes, it was acknowledged that the open terrain was subject to retaliatory and preliminary bombing by the GNA from Tripoli frontier, making it unusable as an airport.

The airport, along with the village of Qasr bin Ghashir, was retaken in June 2020 by the GNA as part of its 2020 offensive to push back the LNA and end the siege of the capital city.The taking of the airport signified that the GNA had regained control of the entire city and metropolitan area of Tripoli.

Facilities

The airport's existing terminals and runways in a satellite image

Terminals

The airport had one main passengerterminalthat served international and domestic departures and arrivals. The terminal hall was a five-story building with an area of 33,000 square metres (360,000 sq ft), and was capable of handling three million passengers annually. Check-in facilities were all located on the ground floor. The departure gates were located on the floor above as was theduty-free section.Beside this was a prayer room and a first-class lounge which served business class and above on almost all airlines operating from the airport. Seen on google maps, the entire passenger terminal is completely demolished, however the jet ways can still be seen sitting in the position relative to their formal gates.

The airport operated 24 hours a day. There was no overnight accommodation at the airport but there were plans to build an airport hotel to serve transit flyers. A restaurant was on the fourth floor of the international terminal. The head office of theLibyan Civil Aviation Authoritywas on the airport property.

Expansion plans

Apron with the halted construction of the planned new terminals visible

In September 2007, the Libyan government announced a project to upgrade and expand the airport. The eventual total cost of the project, contracted to a joint venture between Brazil's Odebrecht, TAV Construction of Turkey,Consolidated Contractors Companyof Greece and Vinci Construction of France, was LD2.54 billion ($2.1 billion).The project was to construct two new terminals at the airport (an East Terminal and a West Terminal) on either side of the existing International Terminal. Each of the new terminals would have been 162,000 square metres (1,740,000 sq ft) in size, and collectively they would have had a capacity of 20 million passengers and a parking lot for 4,400 vehicles. French companyAéroports de Parisdesigned the terminals, which were expected to serve 100 aircraft simultaneously.Work started in October 2007 on the first new terminal. The initial capacity will be 6 million passengers when the first module comes into operation.

Preparation was also underway for the second new terminal, which would eventually have brought the total capacity to 20 million passengers; the completed airport is expected to strengthen Libya's position as an African aviation hub.Although the government identified Tripoli airport as a "fast track" project in 2007, leading to construction work starting before the design was fully developed, the project was not finished until at least May 2011. The cost of the project had also been rising, leading to an intense round of renegotiations.The project has since been halted due to the ongoingcivil warthat led to further damages to the airport.

In February 2019 theLibyan Ministry of Transportationannounced that work at the airport had been resumed.In May 2021 theforeign minister of Italy,Luigi Di Maio,announced that Italian companies would begin construction work at the airport in a few months. It is expected to be completed in 2024

Airlines and destinations

As of July 2014, all passenger flights into Tripoli useMitiga International Airport;all scheduled cargo operations into Tripoli International Airport have also ceased.

Accidents and incidents

• On 9 May 1944, aDouglas Dakota III(KG548) of theRAFcrashed and burned on takeoff during its delivery flight when the undercarriage retracted. It is unknown if anyone died.
• On 1 February 1949, anAvro 685 York I(G-AGJD) ofBOACswung to the right during takeoff in a crosswind, overcorrected, and crashed. All 15 occupants survived; the plane was written off.
• On 4 February 1949, aDouglas C-54A-1-DO(G-AJPL) ofSkywaysthat was chartered by theUK War Officeto transport personnel back to the UK fromNairobicrashed after the no. 3 and no. 4 engines failed on approach fromKhartoumin heavy rain and low visibility, hitting trees at 700 feet. 1 crew member of the 53 occupants was killed.
• On 8 October 1949, a Douglas Dakota IV (KN435) of the RAF crashed on takeoff when engine power was lost and was damaged beyond repair. All 3 occupants survived.
• On 7 November 1949, anAvro 691 Lancastrian C.1(G-AGMM) of BOAC crashed here and was damaged beyond repair. it is unknown if anyone died.
• On 21 September 1955, aCanadair C-4 Argonaut(G-ALHL) of BOAC on a flight fromLondontoKanocrashed on approach here, striking trees 1200 feet short of runway 11 at 22:23UTCin strong winds and poor visibility. 15 of the 47 occupants were killed.
• On 1 June 1970, aTupolev Tu-104A(OK-NDD) ofCSA Ceskoslovenske Aeroliniecrashed on approach fromPrague,hitting the ground 5.5 km south of runway 36 at 350 km/h after 2 failed visual approaches to runway 18 at 03:12 UTC and catching fire. All 13 occupants were killed.
• On 2 January 1971, ade Havilland DH-106 Comet 4C(SU-ALC) ofUAAarriving fromAlgierscrashed on approach after hitting sand dunes at 395 feet during an ADF procedure turn for runway 18; all 16 occupants were killed.
• On 15 April 1986, an attack by 6F-111Fstrategic bombers at 02:10 on the airport destroyed 3Ilyushin Il-76transport planes, 2 ofJamahiriya Air Transport(5A-DNF and 5A-DNL) and one owned by theLibyan Arab Republic Air Force(5A-DLL), and ade Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300of the Libyan Ministry of Agriculture (5A-DCS).
• On 27 July 1989,Korean Air Flight 803was a scheduled International passenger service fromSeoul,South KoreatoTripoli,Libyawith intermediate stops inBangkok,ThailandandJeddah,Saudi Arabia.There were a total of 199 occupants. The weather at the time of the crash consisted ofheavy fogand visibility was between 100 and 800 feet (30 and 244 m). Nevertheless, in such circumstances, the flight crew decided to continue the approach. On approach to runway 27, theMcDonnell Douglas DC-10-30dropped below the glide path, then at 7:05 (according to other data - 7:30), it crashed into two buildings, broke into three sections, and burst into flames. The crash site was in an orchard 1.5 miles (2.4 km; 1.3 nmi) short of runway 27. 75 people (72 passengers and 3 crew members) died in the crash, in addition to four people on the ground.
• On 22 December 1992Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 1103was aBoeing 727-2L5with 10 crew and 147 passengers on board that collided with aLARAF Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23UBon 22 December 1992. All 157 people on board flight 1103 were killed, while the crew of the MiG-23 ejected and survived. It is the deadliest aviation disaster to occur in Libyan history.
• On 12 May 2010,Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771going fromO.R. Tambo International Airportto Tripoli International Airport crashed on approach. The cause isControlled flight into terraincaused byspatial disorientation,pilot errorand lack ofcrew resource management.Only 1 12 year old Dutch boy survived. It is the second deadliest airplane crash in Libyan history. The aircraft was anAirbus A330-202,registration5A-ONGwith approximately 1,600 hours total flying time and about 420 take-off and landing cycles.

See also

• Transport in Libya
• List of airports in Libya
• List of the busiest airports in Africa

External links

Media related toTripoli International Airportat Wikimedia Commons

• Accident history for Tripoli International AirportatAviation Safety Network