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Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport

Coordinates: 11°32′46.53″N 43°09′33.14″E / 11.5462583°N 43.1592056°E / 11.5462583; 43.1592056
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Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport
Summary
Airport typeJoint (Civil and Military)
OperatorDjibouti Airports Authority
ServesDjibouti
LocationAmbouli, Djibouti
Hub forAir Djibouti
Elevation AMSL49 ft / 15 m
Coordinates11°32′46.53″N 43°09′33.14″E / 11.5462583°N 43.1592056°E / 11.5462583; 43.1592056
Websiteaeroport-jib.com
Map
JIB is located in Djibouti
JIB
JIB
Location in Djibouti, Djibouti
JIB is located in Africa
JIB
JIB
JIB (Africa)
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
09/27 10,335 3,150 Asphalt
Statistics (2009)
Passengers258,877
Source:

Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport (Arabic: مطار جيبوتي الدولي, French: Aéroport international Ambouli) (IATA: JIB, ICAO: HDAM) is a joint civilian/military-use airport situated in the town of Ambouli, Djibouti. It serves the national capital, Djibouti. The airport is located approximately 6 kilometres (4 miles) from the city centre. It occupies an area of 10 square kilometers.

History

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U.S. Air Force, C-130 Hercules at Djibouti International Airport
An Air Djibouti aircraft at the Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport (2016).

In 1948, a hard runway and an air terminal were built on the Ambouli site, marking the creation of air base 188 in 1948, which was made official in July 1949. The runway was lengthened in the sixties, the facility grew in the post-independence period after a series of renovation projects.[1]

In the mid-1970s, the airport was enlarged to accommodate more international carriers, with the state-owned Air Djibouti providing regular trips to its various destinations.[1]

Civilian use

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Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport has a single terminal building, with one departure gate and one baggage carousel.

As the airport is located south of Djibouti City and its runways run east–west, an airliner's landing approach is usually directly over the conurbation of the capital, when the wind is from the west.[2]

In 2010, the airport served 176,861 passengers.[3]

Military use

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In addition to its use as a civilian airport, the airport hosts a military presence from a number of countries. Military traffic makes up approximately 75% of the airport's total traffic volume.[4][3]

Air-traffic controllers controversy

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Apron View

According to military officials, US military flights comprised over 50 percent of the 30,000 departures and arrivals in 2014. Civilian air-traffic controllers hired by the Djiboutian government monitor the airspace over Camp Lemonnier's runways, unlike other major US military bases. US consultants stationed at the base reported that over a three-month period, the controllers made an average of 2,378 errors per 100,000 aircraft operations, an error rate reportedly 1,700 times greater than the US standard. US federal aviation experts suggested that an unprofessional attitude on the part of the controllers potentially imperiled American military and civilian flights to and from the airport. In 2013, FAA officials asserted that the controllers' lax attitude, which allegedly included barring drones from taking off or landing, stemmed from a belief on their part that the US drones were unreliable aircraft and dangerous weapons aimed at killing Muslims.

The Djibouti government dismissed the air controller safety allegations as exaggerations or fabrications. US Ambassador to Djibouti Tom Kelly likewise indicated that, after asking for further improvements in aviation, progress was being registered at the airport. U.S. Navy Captain Kevin Bertelsen, the commanding officer at Camp Lemonnier, described work at the air base as challenging, but similarly indicated that conditions there had been ameliorated. In 2014, the US government also signed a new twenty-year lease with the Djibouti authorities to maintain its military base at the airport.[9]

Since 2016, U.S. Navy air traffic controllers have been volunteering their time to teach English to new Djibouti controllers, and this collaborative initiative has seen tremendous safety improvements over the past few years.[10]

Airlines and destinations

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Passenger

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AirlinesDestinations
Air Djibouti[11] Addis Ababa, Aden, Dire Dawa, Hargeisa, Mogadishu
Air France Paris–Charles de Gaulle
Egyptair Cairo, Mogadishu[12]
Ethiopian Airlines Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa
flydubai Dubai–International
Flynas Jeddah (begins 8 January 2025)[13]
Jubba Airways[14] Bosaso, Hargeisa, Jeddah
Kenya Airways Addis Ababa, Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta
Qatar Airways Doha, Mogadishu[15]
Turkish Airlines Istanbul[16]
Yemenia Aden

Cargo

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AirlinesDestinations
Air Djibouti[17] Addis Ababa, Dubai–Al Maktoum, Hargeisa, Mogadishu
Coyne Airways[citation needed] Dubai–International
Emirates SkyCargo[citation needed] Dubai–Al Maktoum
Ethiopian Airlines Cargo[citation needed] Addis Ababa, Nanjing

Statistics

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Annual passenger traffic at JIB airport. See Wikidata query.

References

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  1. ^ a b "AID". www.aeroport-jib.com. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  2. ^ "airport information" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  3. ^ a b "2.2.1 Djibouti-Ambouli International Airport – Logistics Capacity Assessment – Digital Logistics Capacity Assessments". dlca.logcluster.org. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  4. ^ Oladipo, Tomi (16 June 2015). "Why are there so many military bases in Djibouti?". BBC News. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  5. ^ "Les forces françaises stationnées à Djibouti". www.defense.gouv.fr. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Chiffres clés de l'Armée de l'air - L'Armée de l'air en chiffres : 2019-2020 (FR)". French Air and Space Force. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  7. ^ "防衛省、ジブチの自衛隊拠点を来年度拡張 基地建設の中国に対抗". Newsweek日本版 (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  8. ^ AirForces Monthly. Stamford, Lincolnshire, England: Key Publishing Ltd. November 2014. p. 26.
  9. ^ "Chaos in tower, danger in skies at base in Africa". Washington Post. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  10. ^ "Navy air traffic controllers teach Djiboutians English". Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  11. ^ "Home – Air Djibouti". air-djibouti.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  12. ^ "EGYPTAIR Adds Djibouti / Mogadishu Service From July 2024". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  13. ^ "flynas Plans 1Q25 Jeddah – Djibouti Launch". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  14. ^ jubbaairways.com - Schedules Archived 25 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 13 February 2021
  15. ^ "Thrice-Weekly Flights To Djibouti-Ambouli International Airport Begin July 27". Qatar Airways. 23 March 2014. Archived from the original on 24 March 2014.
  16. ^ "Istanbul's New Airport Is A Hot Beautiful Mess". One Mile at a Time. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  17. ^ "Air Djibouti - Cargo". air-djibouti.com. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
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