Al-Bateen Airfield
| Al Bateen Executive Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
| Characteristics | |||
| ICAO code | OMAD | ||
| IATA code | AZI | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Height above MSL | 5 m (16 ft ) | ||
| Transport links | |||
| Distance from the city center | 12 km southeast of Abu Dhabi | ||
| Basic data | |||
| opening | 1969 | ||
| operator | Abu Dhabi Airports Company | ||
| Start-and runway | |||
| 13/31 | 3202 m × 45 m asphalt | ||
The airport Al-Bateen ( English Al Bateen Executive Airport ; Arabic مطار البطين للطيران الخاص) is an airport for business aviation in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) .
location
The airport is located in the southeast of the city of Abu Dhabi and is around 12 kilometers from the city center. The Abu Dhabi Exhibition Center (ADNEC) is around five minutes by car, the city center around 15 minutes by car and Dubai City around 50 minutes by car.
history
Al Bateen Executive Airport was built in the 1960s. When it opened in 1969, it was the first international airport in the emirate of Abu Dhabi and the first major airport in the capital of the United Arab Emirates. When the current Abu Dhabi International Airport opened 30.5 km outside the city in 1982 , the airfield was still used as a military airfield . Since 2008 the airport has been operated as a private business airport by the Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), which specializes in private jets with fast and efficient turnaround times.
Incidents
On July 21, 1984, Middle East Airlines MEA 149 flight with 147 passengers and crew was hijacked on its way from Al-Bateen to Beirut International Airport (BEY / OLBA). A man entered the cockpit of the Boeing 707-300 about 30 minutes after take-off and threatened the crew with a bottle wrapped in paper, claiming that it was a Molotov cocktail . The Lebanese , who had not received a visa for the United Arab Emirates, asked to return to Abu Dhabi. However, the captain of the machine was able to convince the man that the fuel would no longer be sufficient for a return to Al-Bateen. After hours of negotiations, the hijacker released all 138 passengers and nine crew members physically intact at Beirut airport .
Web links
- Website of Al Bateen Executive Airport (english)
- AIP United Arab Emirates AD 2.OMAD (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Location Map. In: albateenairport.ae. Al Bateen Executive Airport, 2014, accessed March 10, 2015 .
- ^ History. In: albateenairport.ae. Al Bateen Executive Airport, 2014, accessed March 10, 2015 .
- ^ Hijacking description. In: Aviation Safety Network (ASN). The Courier, July 22, 1984, accessed March 11, 2015 .
