Ras Al Khaimah International Airport
Ras Al Khaimah International Airport (Ra's al-Khaymah) مطار رأس الخيمة الدولي | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Department of Civil Aviation | ||||||||||
| Location | Ras al-Khaimah | ||||||||||
| Hub for | Air Arabia | ||||||||||
| Time zone | UAE Standard Time (UTC+04:00) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 94 ft / 29 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 25°36′48″N 055°56′20″E / 25.61333°N 55.93889°ECoordinates: 25°36′48″N 055°56′20″E / 25.61333°N 55.93889°E | ||||||||||
| Website | rakairport.com | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  RKT Location in the UAE | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Ras Al Khaimah International Airport (IATA: RKT, ICAO: OMRK) (alternatively Ra's al-Khaymah, Arabic: مطار رأس الخيمة الدولي) is located in the sheikhdom of Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates 11 nautical miles (20 km; 13 mi) south[1] of the town of the same name, on the coast of the Persian Gulf. The airport has two passenger terminal buildings as well as cargo, aircraft maintenance, and aviation training facilities.[2]
History[]
In 1976, the airport was inaugurated by the long-time ruler, Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammad Al Qasimi. Unlike Dubai International Airport, Ras Al Khaimah International Airport did not develop into an international or regional aviation hub.
In 2007, RAK Airways started operating as the national airline with a hub at the airport. It suspended regular operations in 2008 due to the global economic crisis. It relaunched in 2010 with new branding and management, but suspended operations permanently in 2013.[3][4][5]
In 2014, Air Arabia started its commercial flights to different destinations including Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh following the suspension of RAK Airways. Ras-al-Khaimah has been designated as an hub for Air Arabia for a period of ten years, extendable thereafter. [6]
The airport was the second among Arab states of the Persian Gulf to secure the ISO 9001: 2000 accreditation for quality management.[7] Currently, Ras Al Khaimah International Airport is being refocused with efforts to attract cargo business, in particular from establishments under the Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone.
Airlines and destinations[]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air Arabia | Cairo, Dhaka,[8] Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar |
| Air India Express | Kozhikode |
| Belavia | Minsk[9] |
| FlyEgypt | Cairo[10] |
| Pegasus Airlines | Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen[11] |
| S7 Airlines | Seasonal: Novosibirsk[12][13] |
| SCAT Airlines | Aktau,[14] Aktobe,[14] Almaty,[14] Atyrau,[14] Karaganda,[14] Nur–Sultan,[14] Oral,[14] Shymkent[14] |
| SpiceJet | Delhi,[15] Kozhikode, Mumbai, Surat |
| Ukraine International Airlines | Kyiv–Boryspil[16] |
| Ural Airlines[17] | Moscow–Domodedovo, Moscow–Zhukovsky |
Accidents and incidents[]
- In July 1998, a Ukrainian Ilyushin-76 cargo plane took off from the airport and crash landed into the sea nearby. All crew members on board died.[18]
- In November 2010, a UAE Air Force trainer jet crashed in the midst of a training exercise. The crash killed the pilot.[19]
In popular culture[]
In 2015, Ras Al Khaimah Airport served as the set for the filming of the Hindi film Airlift starring Akshay Kumar.[20]
References[]
Citations[]
- ^ a b United Arab Emirates AIP Archived 30 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine (login required)
- ^ "Ras Al Khaimah International Airport-Management Team". rakairport.com.
- ^ "RAK Airways takes to the skies at long last". Arabian Business.
- ^ "RAK Airways: A timeline". Arabian Supply Chain.
- ^ "RAK Airways Not Coming Back". Gulf News.
- ^ "Air Arabia to become official carrier of Ras Al Khaimah". Arabian Business.
- ^ "RAK airport woos European carriers".
- ^ https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/294381/air-arabia-resumes-ras-al-khaimah-operations-from-mid-oct-2020/?highlight=Air%20arabia
- ^ "Belavia will start flying to Arab Emirate Ras-al-Khaimah". belavia.by. 8 September 2021.
- ^ "flyEgypt launches flights to United Arab Emirates". flyegypt.com. 7 February 2021.
- ^ "Pegasus schedules Ras al Khaimah launch in late-Oct 2019". routesonline.com. 23 July 2019.
- ^ https://centreforaviation.com/news/s7-airlines-to-launch-three-new-services-to-the-uae-in-nov-2021-1084646
- ^ https://www.routesonline.com/news/29/breaking-news/296494/s7-increases-uae-network-pegas-flyadds-german-routes/
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Direct flight to UAE". scat.kz. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ "SpiceJet to commence Delhi-Ras Al Khaimah service in Nov-2020". centreforaviation.com. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ "UIA confirms Ras Al Khaimah route". RoutesOnline. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
- ^ "Schedule". Uralairlines.ru.
- ^ https://gulfnews.com/today-history/july-13-1998-cargo-plane-crashes-off-ras-al-khaimah-1.2250512
- ^ https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/pilot-dead-in-ras-al-khaimah-air-crash-1.522726
- ^ "Akshay Kumar shoots film in Ras Al Khaimah". Deccan Chronicle.
Bibliography[]
- "RKT Ra'sal-Khaymah Airport". FlightStats. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
External links[]
Media related to Ras Al Khaimah International Airport at Wikimedia Commons
- 1976 establishments in the United Arab Emirates
- Airports in the United Arab Emirates
- Economy of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah
- Geography of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah
- Buildings and structures in Ras Al Khaimah