Mitiga International Airport

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Mellaha Field)

Template:Short description

Page Module:Message box/ambox.css has no content.

Page Module:Infobox/styles.css has no content.Page Template:Infobox airport/styles.css has no content.

Mitiga International Airport
Script error: No such module "Lang".
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:InfoboxImage/data' not found.
Page Template:Hlist/styles.css has no content.
Summary
Airport typeJoint (Public and military)
LocationTripoli, Libya
Built1995 (established as public airport)
Elevation AMSL36 ft / 11 m
CoordinatesLua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found.
Websitehttps://www.mitiga-airport.ly
Map
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 526: Unable to find the specified location map definition: "Module:Location map/data/Libya" does not exist.
Script error: No such module "Infobox mapframe".
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
03/21 1,829 6,000 Asphalt
11/29 3,376 11,076 Asphalt

Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".

Mitiga International Airport (IATA: MJI, ICAO: HLLM) (Script error: No such module "Lang".) is an airport that serves Tripoli, Libya, located about 8 kilometres (5 miles) east of Tripoli's city centre. Since 2018 it has been the sole international airport serving Tripoli following the closure of Tripoli International Airport after it was severely damaged in the second Libyan civil war.

The airport has a diverse international history and has been known by a variety of names. It was originally built in 1923 as a Royal Italian Air Force base called Script error: No such module "Lang".. It became a German air base during World War II. The airbase was captured by the British 8th Army in January 1943 and transferred to the control of the US Army Air Forces, who called it Mellaha AAF until 1945, when they renamed it Wheelus Air Base for a US airman killed that year. American use continued until the 1969 Libyan coup d'état and the subsequent expiration of the lease. When the Americans left, the base was renamed Okba Ben Nafi Air Base (Script error: No such module "Lang".) after the Islamic general who conquered North Africa. It was used by both the Libyan and Soviet air forces. The United States bombed the base in 1986 during Operation El Dorado Canyon. In 1995, the air base was converted to a second civilian airport for Tripoli, and was given its current name.

History

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". The airport was originally built in 1923 by the Italian Air Force as Mellaha Air Base (Script error: No such module "Lang".). A motor racing circuit was subsequently built around the airport and Mellaha Lake began hosting the popular Tripoli Grand Prix in 1933.[1]

Mellaha was used by the German Luftwaffe during the North African Campaign,[2] with the Germans using it for short range recon units, as well as coastal and naval recon units. Special weather recon units also existed at Mehalla. The main Luftwaffe unit stationed at the base was the 2nd Staffel of the Aufklärungsgruppe (H) 14 or 2.(H)/14. The squadron was equipped with twelve single-engine Henschel Hs 126, an aircraft with a 2-man crew, which could cover approx 710 km, with a maximum speed of 360 km/h, as well as three Fieseler Fi 156 Storch liaison aircraft, and a Junkers Ju 52 for transport of men and materiel.[citation needed]

The airbase was captured by the British 8th Army in January 1943. The US Army Air Force began using Mellaha as a base in January 1943. It was used by the 376th Bombardment Group (Heavy) of the 12th Air Force for Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomb missions into Italy and southern parts of Germany. In addition, Mellaha Field was used by Air Transport Command. It functioned as a stopover en route to Benina Airport near Benghazi or to Tunis Airport, Tunisia on the North African Cairo-Dakar transport route for cargo, transiting aircraft and personnel.[3]

On 15 April 1945, Mellaha AAF was taken over by USAAF's Air Training Command. It was renamed Wheelus Army Air Field (AAF) on 17 May 1945 in honor of USAAF Lieutenant Richard Wheelus who had died earlier that year in a plane crash in Iran. During the USAFs tenure, the base was extended, demolishing the derelict motor-racing buildings. A 1954 agreement with Libya extended use of the base until 1971, but changing needs led the United States to withdraw completely by 1970, handing the facility over to the new Libyan government that had taken power a year earlier in the 1969 Libyan coup d'état. [4]

Libyan/Soviet use

Script error: No such module "labelled list hatnote". After the US Air Force left in 1970, the base was renamed Okba Ben Nafi Air Base (seemingly after the legendary hero Uqba ibn Nafi) and served as a Libyan People's Air Force (LPAF) installation. The base housed the LPAF's headquarters and a large share of its major training facilities. In addition, aircraft and personnel of the Soviet Air Force took up residence at the base.[citation needed]

LPAF Soviet-made MiG-17/19/25 fighters and Tu-22 bombers were based at Okba Ben Nafi Air Base. Of the combat aircraft, the US State Department estimated in 1983 that fifty percent remained in storage, including most of the MiG fighters and Tu-22 bombers.

U.S. bombing raid in 1986

File:Il-76 destroyed Operation El Dorado Canyon.jpg
Ilyushin Il-76 targeted in the bombing of 1986.

The base was a primary target of the 1986 United States bombing of Libya (Operation "El Dorado Canyon"), launched against Libya due to missile attacks on US aircraft and Libyan involvement in terrorist attacks against US servicemen in Europe.[5] At 2 a.m. on 16 April 1986, Okba Ben Nafi AB, various Libyan government buildings, and three alleged Libyan terrorist training camps were bombed by General Dynamics F-111 Aardvarks from the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing, flying from the United Kingdom, to Libya.

The raid included eighteen F-111 fighter-bombers, five General Dynamics–Grumman EF-111A Raven from the 66th Electronic Combat Wing/42nd Electronic Combat Squadron, and carrier-based Navy F-14 Tomcats and A-6E Intruders. The EF-111s formed up with the attack force to provide electronic defense during the attack. One 48 TFW F-111F was lost presumably to a surface-to-air missile or AAA hit. The 48 TFW that bombed the base had practiced for years with F-100s at this very same air base when it was Wheelus Air Base and later at Zaragoza AB Spain with F-4D Phantoms and F-111s for similar missions.

Post–Cold War

Okba Ben Nafi AB was converted for civilian use and became Mitiga Airport in 1995.[6] The airport also housed the headquarters of Buraq Air.[7]

2011 Libyan civil war

During the 2011 Libyan civil war, the Times of Malta and The Guardian reported claims that the airport had been taken over by protesters opposed to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.[8][9] On 13 March 2011, Ali Atiyya, a colonel of the Libyan Air Force at the airport, defected and joined the anti-Gaddafi forces.[10] On 21 August 2011, rebels launched an assault on Mitiga as part of a bid to battle loyalist forces in Tripoli, sustaining a number of casualties in the process.[11] On 25 October 2011 Google Earth released multispectral imagery from GeoEye taken on 28 August 2011 which showed the airfield as well as the highly capable MiG-25 aircraft with no visible damage. This imagery helped corroborate reporting which suggested that the airfield had been taken over early on by opposition protesters; moreover, NATO and US air forces would have wanted to avoid collateral damage to the opposition movement.[12]

2014 Libyan civil war

Script error: No such module "labelled list hatnote".

During the 2019–20 Western Libya campaign, the airport, held by military units loyal to the Government of National Accord, was repeatedly targeted with airstrikes from the opposing Libyan National Army[13] in order to enforce a no-fly zone declared by the LNA several days prior.[14] On 8 April 2019, an airport spokesman announced that the airport was forced to close due to airstrikes.[15][16]

TunisAir was the first foreign carrier to resume flights to the airport, in May 2021.[17]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Afriqiyah Airways Alexandria,[18] Amman,[18] Benghazi,[18] Cairo,[19] Istanbul,[18] Kufra,[18] Port Sudan,[20] Sfax,[21] Tunis[18]
Hajj & Umrah: Jeddah[21]
Air Cairo Cairo[22]
Air Libya Benghazi[23]
Berniq Airways Benghazi,[24] Cairo,[25] Istanbul[26]
Hajj & Umrah: Jeddah,[27] Medina[27]
Buraq Air Benghazi,[28] Tunis[29]
Crown Airlines Benghazi,[30] Cairo,[30] Istanbul[31]
Egyptair Cairo[32]
Fly Cham Damascus[33]
Fly Oya Alexandria,[34] Beida,[citation needed] Benghazi,[citation needed] Cairo,[34] Dubai–International,[citation needed] Ghat,[citation needed], Istanbul,[citation needed] Niamey,[citation needed] Sabha[citation needed]
Hajj & Umrah: Jeddah,[citation needed] Medina[citation needed]
Ghadames Air Transport Istanbul,[35] Tunis[36]
Global Air Beida,[citation needed] Benghazi,[citation needed] Ghat,[citation needed] Ubari[citation needed]
ITA Airways Rome–Fiumicino (resumes 3 September 2026)[37]
Libyan Airlines Alexandria,[38] Benghazi,[39] Cairo,[40] Istanbul,[41] Niamey,[citation needed] Tunis[42]
Hajj & Umrah: Jeddah,[43] Medina[44] Ghadames East
Libyan Wings Amman–Queen Alia,[45] Benghazi,[46] Istanbul,[47] Sabha,[citation needed] Tunis[47]
MedSky Airways Athens,[48] Benghazi,[49] Istanbul, Malta,[50] Milan–Malpensa,[51] Rome–Fiumicino,[52] Sabha[53]
Royal Air Maroc Casablanca[54]
Royal Jordanian Amman–Queen Alia[55]
Tunisair Tunis[56]
Turkish Airlines Istanbul[57]

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
Egyptair Cargo Cairo, Ostend[58]
MNG Airlines Istanbul[59]
Turkish Cargo Istanbul[60]
ULS Airlines Cargo Istanbul

Accidents and incidents

See also

References

Page Template:Reflist/styles.css has no content.

  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Liesemeijer, Herman (25 April 2019). "Tripoli". Circuits of the past.
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Italian company to build control tower at Libya's Mitiga airport". 15 December 2020.
  3. ^ File:Atcroutes-1sep1945.jpg
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Wheelus Air Base". Atlas Obscura.
  5. ^ Flashback: The Berlin disco bombing. BBC on 13 November 2001.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Here Mittiga base where Gaddafi celebrates 40 years of resistance". Il Foglio. 17 June 2011. Archived from the original on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  7. ^ "Company Profile." Buraq Air. Retrieved 14 May 2010. "The company headquarters are located at Mittiga International Airport in Tripoli – Libya."
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Fresh reports of Tripoli fighting - air base may have fallen to rebels". Times of Malta. 25 February 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Libya in turmoil - Friday 25 February". The Guardian. 25 February 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."BREAKING: Body of Al Jazeera Cameraman Ali Al Jabir arrives in Doha | Libya February 17th – Archive site". archive.libyafeb17.com. Archived from the original on 2013-07-20. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Heavens, Andrew, ed. (20 August 2011). "Libyan rebels in fight for Tripoli airbase-activist". Reuters. Archived from the original on September 26, 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."After Action Report: Umm Aitiqah Airfield, Libya". OSGEOINT. 28 October 2011.
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.عربية-الآن, سكاي نيوز (2019-04-08). "طائرات الجيش الوطني الليبي تشن 3 غارات على مطار معيتيقة وسط طرابلس". @SkyNewsArabia_B (in العربية). Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Haftar forces announce no-fly zone after being targeted by air strike". english.alarabiya.net. 6 April 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Libyan authorities close only functioning Tripoli airport after air strike - official". Ynetnews. 8 April 2019. Retrieved Apr 10, 2019.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Tripoli's sole functioning airport bombed by fighter jets". The National. 9 April 2019. Retrieved Apr 10, 2019.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."TunisAir first foreign carrier to resume Libya flights".
  18. ^ a b c d e f Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Benghazi airport reopens after three-year closure during war". MTV Lebanon. 16 July 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Egyptian delegation to inspect Libyan airports ahead of flight resumption: Official - Politics - Egypt". Ahram Online. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Afriqiyah Airways resumes flights from Tripoli to Sudan Airports | the Libya Observer". 15 April 2024.
  21. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Nadalet, Ivan (17 July 2014). "Libyan Airlines, Afriqiyah cooperate on repatriation flights". Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Air Cairo Set to Resume Flights to Libya in December". libyareview.com. 15 December 2024.
  23. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Sipinski, Dominik (15 July 2024). "Air Libya adds first Challenger 850". ch-aviation. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  24. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Nadalet, Ivan (20 May 2024). "Libya's Berniq Airways orders six A320/1neo". ch-aviation. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  25. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Berniq Airways flight from Tripoli to Cairo makes emergency landing after bird strike". Alwasat News. 20 December 2025. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  26. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Turkey and Morocco plan flights to Libya | Travelnews". 26 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  27. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Turkish Airlines Schedules Benghazi Return". Tinnews. 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  28. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Alharathy, Safa (17 April 2018). "Video: Severe turbulence causes mid-air panic on Buraq Air flight en route to Tripoli | The Libya Observer". libyaobserver. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  29. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."شركة طيران البراق تعلن عن إستئناف رحلاتها بين طرابلس وتونس". Histoire de Sfax (in العربية). 2024-06-03. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
  30. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Birns, Hilka (14 July 2025). "Libyan Airlines teeters as fleet shrinks, staff protest". ch-aviation. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  31. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Istanbul Airport (IST) - All PYRENEES". 9 November 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  32. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."EgyptAir launches Cairo-Tripoli Mitiga service". aaco.org. 10 August 2022.
  33. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Syria's Fly Cham to launch route to Tripoli Mitiga, Libya". ch-aviation.com. 28 April 2025.
  34. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.News, Alwasat (21 January 2026). "Flights resume at Tripoli's Mitiga International Airport after weather conditions improve". Alwasat News. Retrieved 13 February 2026. {{cite news}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  35. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Nadalet, Ivan (22 August 2013). "Libya's Ghadames Air Transport deploys its A320 onto regional routes". Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  36. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Nadalet, Ivan (30 September 2015). "Libya's Ghadames Air Transport disposes of sole Fokker 100". Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  37. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."ITA Airways riprende su Tripoli in Libia". italiavola.com.
  38. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Libyan Airlines announces the resumption of operating its flights to Alexandria airport". 9 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  39. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Libyan airlines restarts flights between Tripoli and Benghazi". Africanews. 13 August 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  40. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Libyan Airlines resumes flights to Cairo". aaco.org. 21 September 2021.
  41. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Alharathy, Safa (20 September 2025). "Customs foil attempt to smuggle over €1m through Mitiga Airport | The Libya Observer". Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  42. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Najjair, Housam (19 October 2017). "Libyan Airlines cancels Tunisia flights after plane hit by bullets at Mitiga Airport | The Libya Observer". libyaobserver.
  43. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Flights resume in Mitiga airport in Libya capital after five days of closure". 20 January 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  44. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Flights suspended at Libya airport after rocket fire". 24 August 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  45. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."QAIA welcomes Libyan Wings commencing biweekly direct flights to Tripoli". Travel And Tour World. 28 February 2025. Retrieved 2025-08-08.
  46. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Cornwell, Alexander (16 September 2018). "Libyan start-up see's flights to Europe, North America". Gulf News: Latest UAE news, Dubai news, Business, travel news, Dubai Gold rate, prayer time, cinema. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  47. ^ a b libyanwings.ly retrieved 27 January 2021
  48. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Medsky Airways to commence services from Benghazi and Tripoli to Athens in Oct-2025". 21 October 2025.
  49. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Medsky Airlines of Libya to Operate Two New Destinations". 8 April 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  50. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Spanjevic, Aleksa (7 August 2025). "Libya's MedSky Airways moves only A320 to Maltese register". ch-aviation. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  51. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."MedSky Airways raddoppia in Italia. Apre su Milano" [MedSky Airways doubles. Milan to be opened]. italiavola.com (in Italian). 14 March 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  52. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ahmad, Hadi (9 October 2023). "Analyzing Airline Operations in War-Torn Countries: Libya and Yemen". Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  53. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Haddad, Mona (9 April 2023). "Medsky Airways makes its first flight to Sabha". Libya Update News. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  54. ^ [1] retrieved 15 December 2025
  55. ^ [2] retrieved 17 September 2024
  56. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."TunisAir first foreign carrier to resume Libya flights". Al Jazeera. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  57. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lassetter, Jon (2 April 2024). "New Route of the Day (28 March 2024): Turkish Airlines between Istanbul IST and Tripoli MJI". Air Service One. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  58. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Cargo flights return between Tripoli and Ostend".
  59. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."FLIGHT SCHEDULE".
  60. ^ "Cargo"
  61. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."5A-ONB Hijacking description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 23 December 2016.

Page Template:Sister-inline/styles.css has no content.Script error: No such module "Sister project logo". Media related to Script error: No such module "Commons link". at Wikimedia Commons

Lua error in mw.title.lua at line 404: bad argument #2 to 'title.new' (unrecognized namespace name 'Portal'). Template:Tripoli Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Navbox/configuration' not found. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Navbox/configuration' not found. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Authority control/config' not found.

Retrieved from "https://cosmopedia.co/index.php?title=Mitiga_International_Airport&oldid=1403526"