Ras Al Khaimah International Airport

Ras Al Khaimah International Airport
(Ra's al-Khaymah)
مطار رأس الخيمة الدولي
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorDepartment of Civil Aviation
LocationRas al-Khaimah
Operating base forAir Arabia
Time zoneUAE Standard Time (UTC+04:00)
Elevation AMSL29 m / 94 ft
Coordinates25°36′48″N 055°56′20″E / 25.61333°N 55.93889°E / 25.61333; 55.93889
Websitewww.rakairport.com
Map
RKT/OMRK
Location in the UAE
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
16/34 3,760 12,336 Asphalt
Sources: UAE AIP[1]

Ras Al Khaimah International Airport (IATA: RKT, ICAO: OMRK) (Arabic: مطار رأس الخيمة الدولي) is an international airport located in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. 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 RAK ruler, Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammad Al Qasimi. 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 was designated as a hub for Air Arabia for a period of ten years, extendable thereafter.[6]

Growing at 25% year-on-year in 2013 (albeit from a low base),[7] the airport was refocused with efforts to attract cargo business, in particular from establishments under the Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone.[8]

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Ras Al Khaimah Airport:

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Air Arabia Cairo,[9] Jeddah, Kazan, Kozhikode,[10] Moscow–Domodedovo,[11] Tashkent,[12] Yekaterinburg
Air India Express Kannur,[13] Lucknow
IndiGo Hyderabad, Kochi

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
IndiGo Cargo Mumbai[14]

Accidents and incidents

  • In July 1998, a Ukrainian Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane (registration UR-76424) took off whilst heavily overloaded. After slowly climbing to 180 metres (590 ft) the pilot received a GPWS warning, but then responded by descending the aircraft into the sea (CFIT), four minutes after take-off, and approximately 4.5 kilometres (2.8 miles) offshore. All 8 crew members on board died.[15][16]

In 2015, Ras Al Khaimah Airport served as the set for the filming of the Hindi film Airlift starring Akshay Kumar.[17]

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ "United Arab Emirates AIP". Archived from the original on 30 December 2013.
  2. ^ "Ras Al Khaimah International Airport-Management Team". rakairport.com. Archived from the original on 10 July 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  3. ^ "RAK Airways takes to the skies at long last". Arabian Business. Archived from the original on 29 January 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  4. ^ "RAK Airways: A timeline". Arabian Supply Chain. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  5. ^ "RAK Airways Not Coming Back". Gulf News. 30 January 2014.
  6. ^ "Air Arabia to become official carrier of Ras Al Khaimah". Arabian Business. 2 February 2014.
  7. ^ "RAK airport woos European carriers". Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  8. ^ "Ras Al Khaimah International Airport - AirlinesHQ.com". airlineshq.com. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  9. ^ "Cairo, Egypt CAI". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 26 (11). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 198–201. May 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
  10. ^ "Air Arabia".
  11. ^ "Air Arabia expands Ras Al Khaimah network with the launch of new route to Moscow". Air Arabia. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  12. ^ Agency, Emirates News. "Air Arabia adds Tashkent to network from Ras Al Khaimah". Emirates News Agency.
  13. ^ Ameya (19 March 2024). "Air India Express adds international flights this summer, focus on Kannur". Network Thoughts. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  14. ^ @ArenaJet (12 April 2023). "A look at routes where IndiGo has deployed its freighters" (Tweet). Retrieved 12 April 2023 – via Twitter.
  15. ^ "July 13, 1998: Cargo plane crashes off Ras Al Khaimah". Today History – Gulf News. 12 July 2018.
  16. ^ "Accident Ilyushin Il-76MD, UR76424, Monday 13 July 1998". Aviation-Safety Network. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  17. ^ "Akshay Kumar shoots film in Ras Al Khaimah". Deccan Chronicle. 20 March 2015.

Bibliography

Media related to Ras Al Khaimah International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

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