Rabat–Salé Airport
| Rabat–Salé Airport مطار الرباط سلا | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
IATA: RBA – ICAO: GMME
  RBA | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public / Military | ||
| Operator | ONDA | ||
| Location | Rabat, Morocco | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 276 ft / 84 m | ||
| Coordinates | 34°03′05″N 006°45′05″W / 34.05139°N 6.75139°W | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 03/21 | 3,500 | 11,483 | Asphalt |
| Source: DAFIF[1][2] | |||
Salé Airport or Rabat–Salé Airport (IATA: RBA, ICAO: GMME) is an international airport serving Rabat,[1] the capital city of Morocco and of the Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer region. It is a joint use public and military airport, also known as the First Royal Air Force Base.[1] The airport is located about 8 kilometres (5 mi) east-northeast of Rabat and about 90 km (56 mi) northeast of Casablanca.
History
During World War II, the airport was used as a military airfield by the United States Army Air Forces. It was later used by the United States Air Force, and is now used by the Royal Moroccan Air Force.
Facilities
Terminals
On 20 January 2012 the new Terminal 1 building was inaugurated, and the old terminal building (always called Terminal 2) closed. The terminal is 16,000 m² large and has a maximum capacity of 3.5 million passengers/year,[3] more than twice the capacity of the old terminal.[4]
The public area (arrivals exit and check-in) offers car rental agencies, banks (for Tax Free Shopping reimbursements only), ATM, café-bar with small kiosk, phone/fax service. The departure lounge offers a café-bar, duty-free shop, telephones, smoking lounge. Access to the airport is possible by taxi or Bus or private car; parking space is available.
Rabat–Salé is one of the six airports in Morocco where ONDA offers its special VIP service Salon Convives de Marque.[5]
The freight-terminal covers an area of 1360 m².
Apron
An area of 84.000 m² is available for passenger aircraft offering four jetways and 10 stands. The stands can receive 1 x Boeing 747, 3 x Boeing 737, 2 x Airbus A310 and 4 x Airbus A320.
Runway
The single runway lies in direction 03/21, and is 3,500 meters long and 45 meters wide. The airport has an ILS Class 1 certification and offers the following radionavigational aids: VOR – DME – NDB[4]
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air France | Paris-Charles de Gaulle |
| Buraq Air | Tripoli |
| Corendon Dutch Airlines | Amsterdam (begins 6 March 2014) |
| Iberia operated by Air Nostrum | Madrid |
| Jetairfly | Paris-Orly Seasonal: Brussels |
| Royal Air Maroc | Paris-Orly Seasonal: Agadir, Jeddah |
| Royal Air Maroc operated by RAM Express | Casablanca |
| Ryanair | Beauvais, Charleroi, Girona , London-Stansted, Madrid , Marseille |
| Saudia | Seasonal: Jeddah |
Ground transportation
To get from the airport to city center Rabat:
- by taxi for 150 Dh (MAD) about 15 euro.
- by airport bus shuttle: Express bus shuttle from the airport to the train station Rabat city, priced at 20 dhs (MAD), about 2 euros. Scheduled departures correspond with flight arrivals/departures. FROM the airport : 1 hour after flight arrival. TO the airport: 2 hours before flight departure.
- by private shuttle: Private shuttle from the airport to Rabat center, priced between 300 and 500 dhs (MAD), about 30 and 50 euros.
- by local bus: Line No. 2, but you have to walk outside, out of the airport, 5 minutes walk to the bus station next to supermarket ATACADAO Bus ticket price is 4 dh (MAD) about 0, 40 euro.
Incidents and accidents
- On July 12, 1961, a Czech Airlines (CSA) Ilyushin Il-18 en route from Zurich Airport to Rabat–Salé Airport diverted to Casablanca Anfa Airport (GMMC) after receiving weather info indicating ground fog at Rabat–Salé. As the conditions at GMMC were also poor the captain of the plane asked permission to land at Casablanca–Nouasseur (CMN), then a USAF base. While GMMC controllers contacted American authorities the plane crashed 13 km SSW of GMMC. All 72 on board (64 passengers, 8 crew) died. The exact reason for the crash was never discovered.[6]
- On September 12, 1961, an Air France Sud Aviation Caravelle was en route from Paris–Orly to Rabat–Salé Airport. The weather conditions at the time were non-favourable: thick fog and low visibility. The pilot informed traffic control it intended to land using the non-directional beacon (NDB). Traffic control warned the pilot that the NDB was not in-line with the runway, but this message received no response. The aircraft crashed 9 km SSW of the airport. All 77 on board (71 passengers, 6 crew) died. The exact reason was never discovered but investigators reported errors in instrument reading as the most likely reason.[7]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Airport information for GMME from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
- ↑ Airport information for RBA at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).
- ↑ Rabat–Sale Airport visited 22 January 2012
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Source ONDA website about Rabat–Sale Airport visited May 21, 2008
- ↑ ONDA website on the VIP service, visited 17 March 2012
- ↑ Accident facts taken from Aviation-safety.net website, visited on May 21, 2008
- ↑ Accident facts taken from Aviation-safety.net website, visited on May 21, 2008
External links
- Current weather for GMME at NOAA/NWS
- Accident history for RBA at Aviation Safety Network
- Aéro-Club Royal de Rabat (in French)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
