Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport ( ar, مطار نواكشوط الدولي - أم التونسي, french: Aéroport International de Nouakchott-Oumtounsy) is an

international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer ...

serving

Nouakchott , image_skyline = Nouakchott.jpg , image_caption = City view of Nouakchott , pushpin_map = Mauritania#Arab world#Africa , pushpin_relief = 1 , mapsize = , map_caption ...

, the capital of

Mauritania Mauritania (; ar, موريتانيا, ', french: Mauritanie; Berber: ''Agawej'' or ''Cengit''; Pulaar: ''Moritani''; Wolof: ''Gànnaar''; Soninke:), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania ( ar, الجمهورية الإسلامية ...

. It is located north of the city. The airport opened in June 2016 as the replacement for Nouakchott International Airport.

History

The airport is designed by Omer Houessou, it is the largest project in Mauritania since 1960. The Government of Mauritania approved the plan on 13 October 2011, and local company Najah for Major Works (NMW) started construction the following month. Oumtounsy Airport opened on 23 June 2016, in time for the 27th

Arab League The Arab League ( ar, الجامعة العربية, ' ), formally the League of Arab States ( ar, جامعة الدول العربية, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world, which is located in Northern Africa, Western Africa, E ...

summit in late July. It replaces Nouakchott International Airport, which is located to the south in the city centre. A Mauritania Airlines International flight from

Zouérat Zouérat ( ar, الزويرات) is the largest town in northern Mauritania and the capital of Tiris Zemmour region, with an approximate population of 44,649 (2013). It lies at the eastern end of the Mauritania Railway to Nouadhibou. History ...

arrived at 12:00, becoming the first to land at the airport. President

Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz ( ar, محمد ولد عبد العزيز ''Muḥammad Wald 'Abd al-'Azīz''; born 20 December 1956) is a former Mauritanian politician who was the 8th List of heads of state of Mauritania, President of Mauritania, in of ...

arrived in the afternoon to inaugurate the airport amid the landing of the first international flight, that of

Turkish Airlines Turkish Airlines ( Turkish: ''Türk Hava Yolları'') is the national flag carrier airline of Turkey. , it operates scheduled services to 340 destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, making it the largest mainline carrier in the w ...

from Istanbul–Atatürk. Egis Group put in place the airport transfer program, which saw the simultaneous shut down of the previous airport and opening of the new airport to the public on the same day
The new Nouakchott International Airport, Mauritania

Infrastructure

The passenger terminal has 6

jet bridge A jet bridge (also termed jetway, jetwalk, airgate, gangway, aerobridge/airbridge, skybridge, finger, airtube, expedited suspended passenger entry system (E-SPES), or its official industry name passenger boarding bridge (PBB)) is an enclosed, ...

s and can handle 2 million passengers per year. There is also a dedicated terminal for

air cargo Air cargo is any property carried or to be carried in an aircraft. Air cargo comprises air freight, air express and airmail. Aircraft types Different cargo can be transported by passenger, cargo or combi aircraft: * Passenger aircraft use the ...

and a VIP reception area.

Runways

The airport has two runways: * Runway 06/24: * Runway 16/34:

Airlines and destinations

Access

Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport is connected to the city of Nouakchott by Sheikh Zayed Road.

References