Dakhla Airport

Dakhla Airport
IATA: VIL – ICAO: GMMH VIL Location of airport in Western Sahara
Summary
Airport type		Public / Military
Operator		Office National Des Aéroports (ONDA) / Forces Royales Air (FRA)
Serves		Dakhla
Location		Western Sahara
Elevation AMSL		36 ft / 11 m
Coordinates		23°43′05″N 015°55′55″W / 23.71806°N 15.93194°W / 23.71806; -15.93194
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
03/21	3,000	9,842	Asphalt
Statistics (2008)
Aircraft movements			1,574
Passengers			42,066
Cargo (tonnes)			34.43
Sources: ONDA,[1] DAFIF[2][3]

Dakhla Airport (IATA: VIL, ICAO: GMMH) is an airport serving Dakhla (also known as ad-Dakhla, formerly Villa Cisneros), a city in Western Sahara.

The airport is operated as a Moroccan airport, with public facilities managed by the Moroccan state-owned company ONDA.

The status of Western Sahara is disputed, see: Legal status of Western Sahara.

History

During World War II, the airport was used by the United States Army Air Force Air Transport Command as a stopover for cargo, transiting aircraft and personnel on the North African Cairo-Dakar transport route for cargo, transiting aircraft and personnel. It connected to Dakar Airport in the South and Agadir Airport to the north.^[4]

Airport and facilities

The Dakhla airport is used as public airport and by the Royal Moroccan Air Force. The 3 km (1.9 mi) long runway can receive a Boeing 737 or smaller planes. Parking space of 18,900 square metres (203,000 sq ft) or one Boeing 737.

The passenger terminal covers 670 square metres (7,200 sq ft) and is capable to handle up to 55,000 passengers per year. Public facilities available include a medical post and a prayer room.

The airport offers the following radio-navigation aids: VOR and DME.

Airlines and destinations

Traffic statistics

References

World War II portal

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

1. ^ Dakhla airport information from Office National Des Aéroports (ONDA)
2. ^ Airport information for GMMH from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
3. ^ Airport information for VIL at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).
4. ^ The airport was then paved over in the 1960s by Francoist Spain.File:Atcroutes-1sep1945.jpg
5. ^ Statistics until 2006 from Statistics Movements, PDF document
6. ^ Statistics until 2006 from Overview passengers stats MA, PDF document
7. ^ Statistics until 2006 from freight stats, PDF document

External links

• Current weather for GMMH at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for VIL at Aviation Safety Network