N'Djamena International Airport
Encyclopedia
N'Djamena International Airport , serves N'Djamena
, Chad
, and is the main international airport of Chad
.
The airport is dual use, with civilian and military installations on opposite sides of the single runway.
military base here since 1986, when Operation Epervier started, and was used as a French base during previous operations. In 2006 Epervier is composed of 1000 men, Mirage F-1 fighters, Puma helicopters
, and transport and reconnaissance aircraft.
The French base is also shared by the small Chad Air Force
.
N'Djamena
N'Djamena is the capital and largest city of Chad. A port on the Chari River, near the confluence with the Logone River, it directly faces the Cameroonian town of Kousséri, to which the city is connected by a bridge. It is also a special statute region, divided in 10 arrondissements. It is a...
, Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
, and is the main international airport of Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
.
The airport is dual use, with civilian and military installations on opposite sides of the single runway.
Military base
There has been a FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
military base here since 1986, when Operation Epervier started, and was used as a French base during previous operations. In 2006 Epervier is composed of 1000 men, Mirage F-1 fighters, Puma helicopters
Aérospatiale Puma
The Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma is a four-bladed, twin-engined medium transport/utility helicopter. The Puma was originally manufactured by Sud Aviation of France.-Development:...
, and transport and reconnaissance aircraft.
The French base is also shared by the small Chad Air Force
Chad Air Force
The Chadian Air Force, in French Force Aérienne Tchadienne, was formed in 1961 as the Escadrille Nationale Tchadienne , and was given its current name in 1973...
.
Airlines and destinations
Cargo airlines
Accidents and incidents
- On 28 January 1978, Douglas C-47 TT-EAB of Air Tchad was reportedly shot down by rebels near Tibesti. The damaged aircraft apparently landed at N'Djamena International Airport.
- On 19 September 1989 UTA flight 772UTA Flight 772UTA Flight 772 of the French airline Union des Transports Aériens was a scheduled flight operating from Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo, via N'Djamena in Chad, to Paris CDG airport in France....
, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 (registration N54629)http://aviation-safety.net/photos/displayphoto.php?id=19890919-1&vnr=1&kind=PC operating the Brazzaville-N'Djamena-Paris CDG sector, was bombed 46 minutes after take-off from N'Djamena causing the aircraft to crash while flying over NigerNigerNiger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
. All 156 passengers and 14 crew members on board perished. For nearly 20 years, this incident marked the deadliest air disaster involving a French-operated airlinerAirlinerAn airliner is a large fixed-wing aircraft for transporting passengers and cargo. Such aircraft are operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an aircraft intended for carrying multiple passengers in commercial...
, in terms of loss of life. As of June 2009, it ranks as the second-deadliest (see Air France flight 447Air France Flight 447Air France Flight 447 was a scheduled airline flight from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão to Paris-Roissy involving an Airbus A330-200 aircraft that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on 1 June 2009, killing all 216 passengers and 12 aircrew. The investigation is still ongoing, and the cause of the...
). - On 24 July 2001, Vickers ViscountVickers ViscountThe Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
3D-OHM of Transtel was damaged beyond economic repair in a take-off accident. Although written off by the insurers, the aircraft was repaired. Repairs were almost complete when a soldier accidentally discharged his gun, puncturing a fuel tank.