Mihail Kogalniceanu International Airport
Encyclopedia
Mihail Kogălniceanu
Airport is situated in south-east Romania
, in the commune of Mihail Kogălniceanu
, 14 NM north northwest of Constanţa
. It is the main airport of Dobrogea region and it provides access to the Constanţa County
, the Constanţa city port and Black Sea Romanian resorts. The airport's maximum traffic capacity was reached in 1979, when the Romanian Riviera reached its highest number of foreign tourists; at that time CND served 778,766 passengers. It has been used as a base by US Military Forces since 1999, which has recently been allegedly exposed as the site of clandestine CIA interrogations.
, its 3500 metre concrete runway also making it suitable for heavy cargo flights.
Constanta-Harsova.
The airport is also linked to A2 (Autostrada Soarelui) by county road DJ 222 passing through town of Cuza Voda and DN 22C from Medgidia to Cernavoda.There are also car rentals available.
57th Air Base
, which was the only unit operating the Mikoyan MiG-29
fighter aircraft
. The base was disbanded in April 2004 and all the 18 MiG-29s remain in open storage at the airport. It has been used by the United States Military since 1999. In 2003, it became one of four Romanian military facilities that have been used by U.S. military forces as a staging area for the invasion of and ongoing counter-insurgency efforts in Iraq, operated by the 458th Air Expeditionary Group
, and it is intended to become one of the main operating bases of U.S. Army Europe's Joint Task Force East, a rotating task force initially to be provided by the U.S. 2nd Cavalry Regiment
, which will eventually grow to a brigade sized force.
As of October 2009 the US has spent $48 million modernizing the base. Plans are for the base to initially host 1,700 US and Romanian military personnel.
According to Eurocontrol data, it has been the site of four landings and two stopovers by aircraft identified as probably belonging to the CIA's fleet of rendition planes, including at least one widely used executive jet N379P (later registered, and more commonly cited, as N44982
). European (but not U.S.) media have widely distributed reports of a faxintercepted by Swiss intelligence, datelined November 10, 2005, 8.24pm, that "was sent by the Egypt
ian foreign minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit
, in Cairo
, to his ambassador in London
. It revealed that the US had detained at least 23 Iraq
i and Afghani
captives at a military base called Mihail Kogalniceanu in Romania, and added that similar secret prisons were also to be found in Poland
, Ukraine
, Kosovo
, Macedonia
and Bulgaria
."
Mihail Kogalniceanu
Mihail Kogălniceanu was a Moldavian-born Romanian liberal statesman, lawyer, historian and publicist; he became Prime Minister of Romania October 11, 1863, after the 1859 union of the Danubian Principalities under Domnitor Alexander John Cuza, and later served as Foreign Minister under Carol I. He...
Airport is situated in south-east Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, in the commune of Mihail Kogălniceanu
Mihail Kogalniceanu, Constanta
Mihail Kogălniceanu is a commune in Constanţa County, Romania, and is located 25 km northwest of Constanţa proper. The commune includes three villages:* Mihail Kogălniceanu - historical names: Kara Murat , Bulgari and Ferdinand I* Palazu Mic...
, 14 NM north northwest of Constanţa
Constanta
Constanța is the oldest extant city in Romania, founded around 600 BC. The city is located in the Dobruja region of Romania, on the Black Sea coast. It is the capital of Constanța County and the largest city in the region....
. It is the main airport of Dobrogea region and it provides access to the Constanţa County
Constanta County
Constanța is the name of a county in the Dobruja region of Romania. Its capital city is also named Constanța.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 715,151 and the population density was 101/km². The degree of urbanization is much higher than the Romanian average. In recent years the...
, the Constanţa city port and Black Sea Romanian resorts. The airport's maximum traffic capacity was reached in 1979, when the Romanian Riviera reached its highest number of foreign tourists; at that time CND served 778,766 passengers. It has been used as a base by US Military Forces since 1999, which has recently been allegedly exposed as the site of clandestine CIA interrogations.
Airlines and destinations
The airport is capable of handling wide-body aircraftWide-body aircraft
A wide-body aircraft is a large airliner with two passenger aisles, also known as a widebody aircraft or twin-aisle aircraft. The typical fuselage diameter is . In the typical wide-body economy cabin, passengers are seated seven to ten abreast, allowing a total capacity of 200 to 850 passengers...
, its 3500 metre concrete runway also making it suitable for heavy cargo flights.
Scheduled airlines
Bus
Several city bus lines link the airport to the Constanta Railway station. There are also few private bus lines operating buses to downtown Constanta or other Black Seaside resorts.A shuttle service is also available.Taxi
There are always cabs available outside airport terminal.The cost of a ride to Constanta is around $30 which is considerably higher than the bus rates which can be as low as $1.50.Car
MK Airport is easily accessible by car and is located in north-western part of Constanta,which can be accessed from the DN 2A/E60European route E60
European route E 60 is a E-road running from Brest, France , to Irkeshtam, Kyrgyzstan...
Constanta-Harsova.
The airport is also linked to A2 (Autostrada Soarelui) by county road DJ 222 passing through town of Cuza Voda and DN 22C from Medgidia to Cernavoda.There are also car rentals available.
Military uses
The airport was home of the former Romanian Air ForceRomanian Air Force
The Romanian Air Force is the air force branch of the Romanian Armed Forces. It has an air force headquarters, an operational command, four air bases and an air defense brigade...
57th Air Base
RoAF 57th Air Base
The Romanian Air Force 57th Air Base was an air base located near Constanţa, at the Mihail Kogălniceanu International Airport...
, which was the only unit operating the Mikoyan MiG-29
Mikoyan MiG-29
The Mikoyan MiG-29 is a fourth-generation jet fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union for an air superiority role. Developed in the 1970s by the Mikoyan design bureau, it entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983, and remains in use by the Russian Air Force as well as in many other...
fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
. The base was disbanded in April 2004 and all the 18 MiG-29s remain in open storage at the airport. It has been used by the United States Military since 1999. In 2003, it became one of four Romanian military facilities that have been used by U.S. military forces as a staging area for the invasion of and ongoing counter-insurgency efforts in Iraq, operated by the 458th Air Expeditionary Group
458th Air Expeditionary Group
The 458th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe. As a provisional unit, the 458 AEG may be activated or inactivated at any time....
, and it is intended to become one of the main operating bases of U.S. Army Europe's Joint Task Force East, a rotating task force initially to be provided by the U.S. 2nd Cavalry Regiment
U.S. 2nd Cavalry Regiment
The 2nd Cavalry Regiment , also known as the Second Dragoons, is an active mechanized infantry and cavalry regiment of the United States Army. The Second Dragoons is a component of V Corps and United States Army Europe, with its garrison at the Rose Barracks in Vilseck, Germany...
, which will eventually grow to a brigade sized force.
As of October 2009 the US has spent $48 million modernizing the base. Plans are for the base to initially host 1,700 US and Romanian military personnel.
Involvement in "extraordinary renditions"
It is also alleged to be one of the black sites involved in the CIA's network of "extraordinary renditions".According to Eurocontrol data, it has been the site of four landings and two stopovers by aircraft identified as probably belonging to the CIA's fleet of rendition planes, including at least one widely used executive jet N379P (later registered, and more commonly cited, as N44982
N44982
]Rendition aircraft are aircraft used by national governments to move prisoners internationally, a practice known as rendition, sometimes referred to as extraordinary rendition...
). European (but not U.S.) media have widely distributed reports of a faxintercepted by Swiss intelligence, datelined November 10, 2005, 8.24pm, that "was sent by the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian foreign minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit
Ahmed Aboul Gheit
Ahmed Aboul-Gheit is an Egyptian diplomat who was the Foreign Minister of Egypt from 11 July 2004 to 6 March 2011, since the government of Ahmed Nazif took office. Aboul-Gheit previously served as Egypt's ambassador to the United Nations. In December 2005 he began mediating the Chad-Sudan conflict...
, in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, to his ambassador in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It revealed that the US had detained at least 23 Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i and Afghani
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
captives at a military base called Mihail Kogalniceanu in Romania, and added that similar secret prisons were also to be found in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
, Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
and Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
."