Tobruk Airport

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Tobruk International Airport
مطار طبرق الدولي
IATA: TOB – ICAO: HLGN
Summary
Airport type Public/Military
Operator Civil Aviation, and Libyan Armed Forces
Serves Cyrenaica
Location Tobruk, Libya
Coordinates 32°5′46″N 23°50′15″E / 32.09611°N 23.83750°E / 32.09611; 23.83750Coordinates: 32°5′46″N 23°50′15″E / 32.09611°N 23.83750°E / 32.09611; 23.83750

Tobruk Airport is an airport in Tobruk, eastern Libya (IATA: TOB, ICAO: HLGN).

Tobruk International Airport was officially opened on 29 April 2013. Tobruk, the oldest airport in Libya, had previously only offered internal flights.

The first international passenger flight was to Alexandria in Egypt. The Alexandria - Tobruk route is operated by the Libyan Arab Airlines. Flights to Alexandria are twice a week. On 21 August 2013, Turkish Airlines has announced a new service between Tobruk and Istanbul. The Turkish Airlines is operating three weekly flights on this route. The flights are set to start in October 2013. In addition, the Airport operates internal flights to the cities of Benghazi and Tripoli throughout the week.[1] A new passenger terminal is currently under construction on the grounds of Tobruk's International Airport. The airport will have a duty free zone. Plans are currently underway to establish cargo service to Tobruk's International Airport.

Runways

Tobruk's international airport has three runways:

15 - 33 is currently out of service for operational reasons.

19 - 27 is scheduled for maintenance.

20 - 02 concrete runway and is currently the only operational runway in the airport.

Historical background

At the beginning of World War II, Libya was an Italian colony and Tobruk became the site of important battles between the Allies and Axis powers. Tobruk was strategically important to the conquest of Eastern Libya, then the province of Cyrenaica.

24 km (15 mi) south of Tobruk's famous natural port was the largest airfield in eastern Libya [now know as Tobruk International Airport]. The airfield was significant due to the importance of air power in desert warfare.[2]

Airlines and destinations

Airlines Destinations
Buraq AirTripoli
Libyan AirlinesAlexandria-Borg el Arab, Benghazi, Tripoli, Tunis

Famous visitors

1- Queen Elizabeth II: Queen Elizabeth was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh and Admiral Sir Martin Dunbar Naismith, chairman of the War Graves Commission, during her tour of the Tobruk war cemetery.[3]

2- Benito Mussolini: Mussolini landed in Tobruk (Libya) during world war II amid artillery salvoes, hooting sirens, waving flags and the cheers of the multitude. - Mussolini then toured through the streets of Tobruk, which were lined with troops.[4]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.libyaherald.com/2013/08/21/turkish-airlines-to-launch-tobruk-istanbul-service/
  2. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobruk
  3. ↑ http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/27219251
  4. ↑ http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/85592752

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tobruk.
Capital
Towns and villages
Administrative seats of the districts of Libya (since 2007)


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