Annaba Rabah Bitat Airport , formerly known as Les Salines Airport, and popularly as El Mellah Airport is an international
airport located south of
Annaba, a city in
Algeria.
It is named after
Rabah Bitat
Rabah Bitat ( ar, رابح بيطاط; ALA-LC: ''Rābaḥ Bīṭāṭ''; 19 December 1925 in Aïn Kerma – 10 April 2000) was an Algerian Nationalist and politician.
He served as interim President of Algeria from 1978 to 1979, after Houari ...
, a president of
Algeria (1978-1979).
History
Built at the time of
French Algeria
French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...
, the airport was named Bône-les-Salines, in reference to the
salt lakes
A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salt (chemistry), salts (typically sodium chloride) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of ...
in the vicinity of the site.
It was put into operation in 1939 and a decree of December 16, 1958 entrusted the operation to the Chamber of Commerce of Bône.
World war II
During World War II the airport was known as Bone Airfield, and was used by the German
Luftwaffe. Later captured by the
United States Army, the USAAF
Twelfth Air Force in the
Western Desert Campaign in 1942–1943.
In November 1942 the Allies invaded French Morocco and Algeria (
Operation Torch
Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...
). The British airborne operations in North Africa started on 12 November, when the
3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
The 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment (3 PARA), is a battalion sized formation of the British Army's Parachute Regiment and is a subordinate unit within 16 Air Assault Brigade.
Roled as an Airborne light infantry unit, the battalion is capable ...
carried out the first battalion sized parachute drop, on Bone airfield. The remainder of the
1st Parachute Brigade
The 1st Parachute Brigade was an airborne forces brigade formed by the British Army during the Second World War. As its name indicates, the unit was the first parachute infantry brigade formation in the British Army.
Formed from three parachute ...
arrived by sea the next day. Bone Airfield was the base of
No. 111 Squadron RAF, a
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...
squadron under Squadron Leader Tony Bartley. One notable pilot to fly from Bone on occasion was Wing Commander
Adrian Warburton who was an infrequent visitor after crash landing there on 15 November 1942. 81 Squadron were based at Bone from 16 November to 31 January 1942 wit
'Ras' Berry DSO DFCand then
Colin F Gray DSO DFC being Squadron Leaders.
Alan M Peart DFC also claimed his first aerial combat victory as well as two further aircraft damaged over Bone harbour during this time.
Algerian war
After the war, the air base 213 one of the air bases of the
French Air Force
The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army; ...
, was established on the site at that time. It was home to the 1/91 Gascogne Bombardment Group, a unit recreated on September 1, 1956 (and temporarily dissolved on September 17, 1962, after the
Algerian War
The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...
), which was equipped with
Douglas B-26 Invaders.
Post-war period
After
Algerian independence, and until 2000, Annaba airport was named El-Mellaha (meaning in Arabic "Les Salines").
Since then, the airport has been named in honor of Rabah Bitat, former head of the Algerian state.
Facilities
The Old terminal had an annual capacity of 500,000 passengers. In January 2016, the new international terminal had been opened. The New Terminal, which commissioning generates 300 jobs, has an expandable capacity of 700,000 passengers per year.
File:Annaba Rabah Bitat Airport.jpg, Terminal of the airport.
File:Aéroport d'Annaba.jpg, Terminal of the airport
Airlines and destinations
Statistics
The evolution of air traffic at Annaba airport between 2006 and 2020 is :
References
External links
Google Maps - Annaba Rabah Bitat*
*
{{authority control
Airports in Algeria
Buildings and structures in Annaba Province