Ras Al Khaimah International Airport (alternatively Ra's al-Khaymah, ar, مطار رأس الخيمة الدولي) 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 ...

located in the

Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah An emirate is a territory ruled by an emir, a title used by monarchs or high officeholders in the Muslim world. From a historical point of view, an emirate is a political-religious unit smaller than a caliphate. It can be considered equivalen ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

south of

Ras Al Khaimah Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) ( ar, رَأْس ٱلْخَيْمَة, historically Julfar) is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It is the sixth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain ...

, on the coast of the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

. The airport has two passenger terminal buildings as well as cargo, aircraft maintenance, and aviation training facilities.

History

In 1976, the airport was inaugurated by the long-time ruler, Sheikh

Saqr bin Mohammad Al Qasimi Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi ( ar, صقر بن محمد القاسمي; c. 1918–1920 – 27 October 2010) was the Ruler of Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah from 1948 to 2010. On 10 February 1972, under his leadership, Ras Al Khaimah become ...

. Unlike

Dubai International Airport Dubai International Airport ( ar, مطار دبي الدولي) is the primary international airport serving Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic. It is also the nineteenth-busies ...

, Ras Al Khaimah International Airport did not develop into an international or regional aviation hub. In 2007,

RAK Airways RAK Airways was an airline based in Ras Al Khaimah, one of the seven states in the United Arab Emirates.Air Arabia Air Arabia ( ar, العربية للطيران ''al-ʿArabiyya Lit-Ṭayarān'') is an Emirati low-cost airline with its head office in the A1 Building Sharjah Freight Center, Sharjah International Airport, UAE. The airline operates scheduled se ...

started its commercial flights to different destinations including Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh following the suspension of

RAK Airways RAK Airways was an airline based in Ras Al Khaimah, one of the seven states in the United Arab Emirates.Arab states of the Persian Gulf The Arab states of the Persian Gulf refers to a group of Arab states which border the Persian Gulf. There are seven member states of the Arab League in the region: Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. ...

to secure the ISO 9001: 2000 accreditation for quality management. Currently, Ras Al Khaimah International Airport is being refocused with efforts to attract cargo business, in particular from establishments under the

Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone (RAK FTZ) is a special economic zone in Ras Al Khaimah. RAK FTZ is around an hour's drive from Dubai. It has investments from more than 12,000 companies in over a hundred countries, representing more than 50 indust ...

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Ras Al Khaimah Airport:

Accidents and incidents

* In July 1998, a Ukrainian

Ilyushin Il-76 The Ilyushin Il-76 (russian: Илью́шин Ил-76; NATO reporting name: Candid) is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a comm ...

cargo plane took off from the airport and crash landed into the sea nearby. All 8 crew members on board died.

In popular culture

In 2015, Ras Al Khaimah Airport served as the set for the filming of the Hindi film ''

Airlift An airlift is the organized delivery of supplies or personnel primarily via military transport aircraft. Airlifting consists of two distinct types: strategic and tactical. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving material long distanc ...

'' starring

Akshay Kumar Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (born 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian-born naturalised Canadian Quote: "(Former prime minister Stephen) Harper campaigned in 2011 alongside one of Modi's biggest celebrity backer ...

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links

Official website
{{authority control 1976 establishments in the United Arab Emirates Airports in the United Arab Emirates Economy of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah Geography of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah Buildings and structures in Ras Al Khaimah