Dalbandin Airport
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| Dalbandin Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: DBA - ICAO: OPDB | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority | ||
| Serves | Dalbandin | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 2,782 ft (848 m) | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| N/A | 5,000 | 1,524 | Paved |
Dalbandin Airport (IATA: DBA, ICAO: OPDB) is a small domestic airport located at Dalbandin, Balochistan, Pakistan. There are two weekly Fokker flights of PIA to/from Karachi.
Contents |
[edit] History
Dalbandin airstrip was constructed in 1935 to serve as a satellite of Samungli Air Base at Quetta. During the Second World War, it was made operationally ready by Royal Air Force to meet a possible Russian invasion through Iran. In the 1970s Dalbandin was a disused airfield. Although the airstrip is visible from high altitude, pilots making a landing approach sometimes found that the airstrip disappears, with sand dunes and sand collected on the runway obscuring it from view. Dust storms are frequent and cause delays in getting airborne.
The airfield was taken over by the Civil Aviation Administraiton [CAA] in 1985, it received a face lift, partially funded by Saudi Arabia, which provided modern navigational aids, air traffic control facilities, passenger terminals and a paved runway. There is twice a week scheduled Pakistan International Airlines service to and from Karachi. While not a military facility, this airfield is available to the Pakistan Air Force for emergency landing and recovery of aircraft during peacetime and wartime.
Currently the United States Marine Corps use Dalbandin as a base for operations into Afghanistan.
[edit] Airlines and destinations
- Pakistan International Airlines (Karachi) [1]
[edit] See also
- List of airports in Pakistan
- Airlines of Pakistan
- Transport in Pakistan
- Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority
