Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport

Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport (Dari: میدان هوائی مزار شریف, Meydâne Havâyeye Mazâre Šarif; Pashto: مزار شریف نړیوال هوايي ډګر) (IATA: MZR, ICAO: OAMS),[4] also known as Mawlānā Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī International Airport, is located 9 km east of Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan, a 15-minute drive from the center of the city. Though it was originally constructed with 2 parallel runways, the northernmost runway has since been converted into a Taxiway. The remaining runway is 9,836 feet (2,998 meters). The airport has facilities for up to 1,000 passengers,[5] making it one of the largest airports in Afghanistan.[6][7]

Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport

میدان هوائی مزار شریف

مزار شریف نړیوال هوايي ډګر
Summary
Airport typeCivilian/Military
OwnerGovernment of Afghanistan
OperatorIslamic Emirate Army
ServesNorthern Afghanistan
LocationMazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan
Built1960s[1]
Elevation AMSL1,287 ft / 392 m
Coordinates36°42′25″N 67°12′34″E
Websitemazaresharifinternational.com
Map
MZR
Location of airport in Afghanistan
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
06/24 9,836 2,998 Asphalt
Sources: Landings.com,[2] AIP Afghanistan[3]

Originally built in the 1960s in part by the United States,[1] the airport serves the northern Afghan population. In 2013, a 60 million euro terminal was added to the airport while the older terminal is now used for domestic flights.[8][9][10]

The airport was also home to the Afghan Air Force 4th (304th) Wing.[11]

In August 2021, the air base fell to the Taliban after a surrender by government forces. The Taliban does not yet have an air force which can be deployed from the airfield, although it has captured weaponry and vehicles from the Afghan National Army and Afghan Air Force.[12]

History

Early years
Americans at Mazar-i-Sharif Airport in 1969

Mazar-i-Sharif Airport was built in the 1960s by the United States during the Cold War,[1] when the Soviets and the Americans were engaged in spreading their influences in the Middle East and South Asia.[13] Between the 1960s and late 1970s, for the first time large number of tourists began arriving to see historical places in the city.

The airport was heavily used in the 1980s by the Soviet forces from which they launched daily flight missions to hit targets in the Mujahideen controlled territories of Afghanistan. It also served as one of the main hubs for deploying troops from the neighboring former Soviet Union.

21st century
An American Lockheed C-5 Galaxy at Camp Marmal in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan.

Germany took command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)'s Regional Area North at the end of March 2006. The airfield functioned as a main hub for the exchange of personnel as well as air cargo for the international stabilisation and peace support forces in northern Afghanistan. From September 2007 a TACAN installation for an instrument landing system was available for bad weather operation.[14] Camp Marmal was built next to the airport in 2005, which gradually expanded to one of the largest military bases in Afghanistan. It served all ISAF personnel, including U.S. and Afghan Armed Forces.

On 30 June 2014 the Royal Netherlands Air Force detachment of General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon's ended.[15]

Work on a new international terminal began in 2010 and was completed in 2013. A special inauguration ceremony was held in June 2013, which was attended by German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, Afghanistan's Transport and Aviation Minister Daoud Ali Najafi, Balkh's Governor Atta Muhammad Nur and some parliamentarians. After the inauguration, the airport was named Maulana Jalaluddin Balkhi International Airport. The expansion of the airport was a joint venture of Germany and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), cost 60 million euros and took about three years to complete. The project was overseen by a Turkish company.[5][6][16] The airport's new international terminal takes its name from Maulana Jalaluddin Balkhi, also known as Rumi.[17]

Airlines and destinations

As of December 2021, the following airlines serve Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport:[18]

AirlinesDestinations
Ariana Afghan Airlines Kabul

See also

References
  1. Smith, Harvey Henry (1969). Area Handbook for Afghanistan (fourth ed.). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 36. The airports at Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif and Kunduz were built with United States assistance.
  2. Airport record for Mazar-e-Sharif Airport at Landings.com. Retrieved 2013-8-1
  3. "AIP - Important Information - Civil Aviation Authority". Archived from the original on 17 June 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  4. Flightradar24. "Live Flight Tracker - Real-Time Flight Tracker Map". Flightradar24. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  5. "Balkh airport terminal inaugurated". Pajhwok Afghan News. 9 June 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-09.
  6. "Willkommen bei der KfW Entwicklungsbank". Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  7. images of Mazar-i-Sharif Airport Archived 2012-04-24 at the Wayback Machine
  8. "Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan's biggest international airport". BBC News. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  9. "Skyscanner". www.skyscanner.net. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  10. "Mazar-I-Sharif Airport, Afghanistan - Wegoreise.de". www.wegoreise.de. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  11. "METAR TAF : Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport, Mazar-i-Sharif Afghanistan". en.allmetsat.com. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  12. "Huge blow for Afghan gov't as Taliban seizes northern stronghold". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
  13. Richard (27 November 2009). "Defence of the Realm: The forgotten country". Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  14. "Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum". Archived from the original on 27 July 2006. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  15. AirForces Monthly. Stamford, Lincolnshire, England: Key Publishing Ltd. October 2014. p. 33.
  16. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-06-12. Retrieved 2013-11-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. "Handy Mazar-I-Sharif airport information from Skyscanner". www.skyscanner.net. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  18. "Kabul airport reopens to receive aid, domestic flights restart". Al Jazeera. 5 September 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.

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