Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport

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Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport

میدان هوائی مزار شریف

مزار شریف نړیوال هوايي ډګر
MAZAR-E SHARIF INT. AIRPORT - panoramio.jpg
Summary
Airport typeCivilian/Military
Owner Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
(de facto)
OperatorIslamic Emirate of Afghanistan Islamic Air Force of Afghanistan
ServesNorthern Afghanistan
LocationMazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan
Built1960s[1]
Elevation AMSL1,287 ft / 392 m
Coordinates36°42′25″N 67°12′34″E / 36.70694°N 67.20944°E / 36.70694; 67.20944 (Mazar-i-Sharif Airport (Mazar-i-Sharif))Coordinates: 36°42′25″N 67°12′34″E / 36.70694°N 67.20944°E / 36.70694; 67.20944 (Mazar-i-Sharif Airport (Mazar-i-Sharif))
Websitemazaresharifinternational.com
Map
MZR is located in Afghanistan
MZR
MZR
Location of airport in Afghanistan
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
06/24 9,836 2,998 Asphalt
Sources: Landings.com,[2] AIP Afghanistan[3]

Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport (Dari: میدان هوائی مزار شریف‎, Meydâne Havâyeye Mazâre Šarif; Pashto: مزار شریف نړیوال هوايي ډګر‎) (IATA: MZR, ICAO: OAMS),[4] also known as Mawlānā Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī International Airport, is located 9 km east of Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan, a journey of 15 minutes by taxi from the center of the city. It has a dual-runway capable of handling large aircraft such as Boeing 747, Boeing C-17 Globemaster III and Antonov An-225. The airport has facilities for up to 1,000 passengers,[5] making it one of the largest airports in Afghanistan.[6][7]

Originally built by engineers from the United States in the 1960s,[1] the airport serves the Afghan population in the north of the country. A new 60 million euro terminal was added to the airport in recent years while the older terminal is now used for domestic flights.[8][9][10]

The airport was also home to the Afghan Air Force 4th (304th) Wing.[11]

On August 2021, the air base fell to the Taliban after a surrender by government forces. The Taliban does not yet have an air force which can be deployed from the airfield, although it has captured weaponry and vehicles from the Afghan National Army and Afghan Air Force.[12]

History[]

Early years[]

Americans at Mazar-i-Sharif Airport in 1969

Mazar-i-Sharif Airport was built in the 1960s by the United States during the Cold War,[1] when the Soviets and the Americans were engaged in spreading their influences in the Middle East and South Asia.[13] Between the 1960s and late 1970s, for the first time large number of tourists began arriving to see historical places in the city.

The airport was heavily used in the 1980s by the Soviet forces from which they launched daily flight missions to hit targets in the Mujahideen controlled territories of Afghanistan. It also served as one of the main hubs for deploying troops from the neighboring former Soviet Union.

21st century[]

An American Lockheed C-5 Galaxy at Camp Marmal in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan.

Germany took command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)'s Regional Area North at the end of March 2006. The airfield functioned as a main hub for the exchange of personnel as well as air cargo for the international stabilisation and peace support forces in northern Afghanistan. From September 2007 a TACAN installation for an instrument landing system was available for bad weather operation.[14] Camp Marmal was built next to the airport in 2005, which gradually expanded to one of the largest military bases in Afghanistan. It served all ISAF personnel, including U.S. and Afghan Armed Forces.

On 30 June 2014 the Royal Netherlands Air Force detachment of General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon's ended.[15]

Work on a new international terminal began in 2010 and was completed in 2013. A special inauguration ceremony was held in June 2013, which was attended by German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, Afghanistan's Transport and Aviation Minister Daoud Ali Najafi, Balkh's Governor Atta Muhammad Nur and some parliamentarians. After the inauguration, the airport was named Maulana Jalaluddin Balkhi International Airport. The expansion of the airport was a joint venture of Germany and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), cost 60 million euros and took about three years to complete. The project was overseen by a Turkish company.[5][6][16] The airport's new international terminal takes its name from Maulana Jalaluddin Balkhi, also known as Rumi.[17]

Airlines and destinations[]

AirlinesDestinationsRefs
Ariana Afghan Airlines Ankara (suspended), Istanbul (suspended), Kabul, Moscow–Sheremetyevo (suspended) [18]
Kam Air Delhi (suspended), Kabul, Mashhad (suspended), Peshawar (suspended), Tehran–Imam Khomeini (suspended) [19]
Turkish Airlines Istanbul (suspended) [20]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Smith, Harvey Henry (1969). Area Handbook for Afghanistan (fourth ed.). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 36. The airports at Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif and Kunduz were built with United States assistance.
  2. ^ Airport record for Mazar-e-Sharif Airport at Landings.com. Retrieved 2013-8-1
  3. ^ "AIP - Important Information - Civil Aviation Authority". Archived from the original on 17 June 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  4. ^ Flightradar24. "Live Flight Tracker - Real-Time Flight Tracker Map". Flightradar24. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "Balkh airport terminal inaugurated". Pajhwok Afghan News. 9 June 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-09.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "Willkommen bei der KfW Entwicklungsbank". Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  7. ^ images of Mazar-i-Sharif Airport Archived 2012-04-24 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan's biggest international airport". BBC News. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  9. ^ "Skyscanner". www.skyscanner.net. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  10. ^ "Mazar-I-Sharif Airport, Afghanistan - Wegoreise.de". www.wegoreise.de. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  11. ^ "METAR TAF : Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport, Mazar-i-Sharif Afghanistan". en.allmetsat.com. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  12. ^ "Huge blow for Afghan gov't as Taliban seizes northern stronghold". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  13. ^ Richard (27 November 2009). "Defence of the Realm: The forgotten country". Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  14. ^ "Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum". Archived from the original on 27 July 2006. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  15. ^ AirForces Monthly. Stamford, Lincolnshire, England: Key Publishing Ltd. October 2014. p. 33.
  16. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-06-12. Retrieved 2013-11-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. ^ "Handy Mazar-I-Sharif airport information from Skyscanner". www.skyscanner.net. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  18. ^ "Flight Schedule". www.flyariana.com.
  19. ^ "Live Flight Tracker - Real-Time Flight Tracker Map".
  20. ^ "Istanbul New Airport Transition Delayed Until April 5, 2019 (At The Earliest)". 9 April 2019.

External links[]

Media related to Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

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