Khost Airport
Khost Airport د خوست هوايي ډګر | |||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
Owner | Afghanistan | ||||||||||
Operator | Afghan Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation | ||||||||||
Serves | Loya Paktia-Waziristan region | ||||||||||
Location | Khost, Afghanistan | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 3,760 ft / 1,146 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 33°20′01″N 069°57′09″E / 33.33361°N 69.95250°ECoordinates: 33°20′01″N 069°57′09″E / 33.33361°N 69.95250°E | ||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||
![]() ![]() KHT Location of airport in Afghanistan | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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Khost Airport (Pashto: د خوست هوايي ډګر; IATA: KHT, ICAO: OAKS) is located next to the city of Khost in eastern Afghanistan.[3] It has been used historically for military purposes but in recent years it was developed and expanded to be used also for commercial flights.[4]
The airport is to be called Khost International Airport in the near future.[4] It will serve residents of Loya Paktia and the Waziristan region in neighboring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.[5]
In August 2021, security forces of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban) took control of the airport after the NATO-trained Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) surrendered.[6]
Airlines and destinations[]
As of October 2019, Kam Air scheduled its first domestic flight from KABUL>KHOST airport.[7]
Weekly flights take place, with a flight from Kabul > Khost every Thursday. Fares starting from $65, One way.
History[]
The airport was expanded by the Soviet Union during the 1980s Soviet–Afghan War.[8] It was further expanded during the U.S.-led war. The United States built a military base there known as Forward Operating Base Chapman.
There had been three major reported accidents, all of them during the 1980s mujahideen fighting and involved Russian-made Antonov An-26 aircraft.[9]
In December 2009, seven CIA employees were killed in a suicide attack at the nearby Forward Operating Base Chapman (FOB Chapman). The bomber, Humam Balawi of Jordan, wore a suicide vest and blew himself up in the base, killing the base commander, CIA agents and civilian contractors.
Work to improve the Khost Airport began in late 2011.[10] Civilian passengers between Khost and Kabul were allowed to use NATO's Sehra Bagh Airport until Khost Airport was completed.[11] The airport will become international in the near future, taking passengers to and from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).[4]
The airport was inaugurated officially on July 11, 2021 by Afghan president Mohammad Ashraf Ghani,[12] who was there to personally welcome passengers of a flight from Dubai in the UAE. On September 11, 2021, Pakistan and the UAE delivered food and medicine supplies at the airport.[13]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Airport record for Khost Airport at Landings.com. Retrieved 2013-8-1
- ^ Khost (OAKS)
- ^ "OAKS - Khost Airport | SkyVector". skyvector.com. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
- ^ a b c "'Khost airport project work not up to standard'". Pajhwok Afghan News. 28 January 2017. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
- ^ "Evaluation Delegation 'bypassed' in Khost Airport contract". Pajhwok Afghan News. February 27, 2019. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
- ^ "The Latest: US aims to secure Kabul airport for departures". AP NEWS. 2021-08-15. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
- ^ "Khost Chapman Airport Profile | CAPA". centreforaviation.com. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
- ^ Warrick, Joby, The Triple Agent, New York: Doubleday, 2011. p. 26
- ^ http://aviation-safety.net/database/airport/airport.php?id=KHT Aviation-Safety.net
- ^ "Construction work on Khost airport launched". Pajhwok Afghan News. 21 September 2011. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
- ^ "Kabul-Khost flights formally begin". Pajhwok Afghan News. 11 January 2014. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
- ^ "President Ghani Inaugurates Khost International Airport". Bakhtar News Agency. July 11, 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
- ^ "Pakistani plane brings food aid to Khost". Pakhwok Afghan News. September 11, 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
External links[]
- Evaluation Delegation ‘bypassed’ in Khost Airport contract (Pajhwok Afghan News, Feb. 27, 2019).
- President Ghani inaugurated a number of projects in Khost on YouTube, April 9, 2018, Zhman TV.
- Khost Airport on YouTube, November 26, 2017, BBC Pashto.
- User information
- Airport record for Khost Airport at Landings.com.
- Airports in Afghanistan
- Khost Province
- Afghanistan–Soviet Union relations
- Asian airport stubs
- Afghan building and structure stubs