Nouakchott International Airport (ICAO: GQNN) (Arabic: مطار نواكشوط الدولي) was an airport located in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania. It closed in June 2016 upon the opening of Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport, 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of the city.[4] Until late 2010, the airport served as hub of Mauritania Airways.
Nouakchott International Airport مطار نواكشوط الدولي | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Defunct | ||||||||||
| Owner | Najah for Major Works (NMW)[1] | ||||||||||
| Serves | Nouakchott, Mauritania | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 7 ft / 2 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 18°05′43″N 015°56′58″W / 18.09528°N 15.94944°W | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  GQNN Location of airport in Mauritania | |||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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Mauritania Airlines International was based at the airport until the closure.
Accidents and incidents
edit- On July 6, 1965, a Douglas C-47-DL (6V-AAA) of Air Mauritanie was damaged beyond repair in a non-fatal landing mishap.[5]
- On March 14, 1979, a Fairchild F-27A (5T-CJY) of Air Mauritanie was damaged beyond repair in a non-fatal crash landing during a sandstorm.[6]
- On August 9, 1996, a Fokker F-28 Fellowship 4000 (5T-CLG) of Air Mauritanie was flying to Nouakchott from Las Palmas when a passenger, a policeman from Zouerate, attempted to hijack the plane to Morocco. The pilot disarmed him, leaving a bullet lodged in the ceiling. The plane landed safely at Nouakchott undamaged; the hijacker gave no motive.[7]
- On August 26, 2010, an Astraeus Boeing 757-200 registered G-STRY (operating for BMI) carrying 108 passengers was forced to land at the airport after experiencing vibrations in both its engines.[8] The plane was flying from Freetown to London when its pilot chose to divert to Nouakchott. There were no casualties.[9] The final report said that the cause of the incident was icing.[10]
- On 12 July 2012, a Harbin Y-12 aircraft belonging to the military crashed while attempting to take off from Nouakchott International Airport, killing all seven people on board. The plane had been chartered by Canadian gold miner Kinross Gold to carry gold from its Tasiast Gold Mine. The cause was not immediately known, but witnesses said the aircraft caught fire before it went down.[11]
- On September 27, 2013, a Boeing 747-428M (9M-ACM) of Nasair leased from Eaglexpress arrived from Jeddah on a ferry flight to pick of passengers headed to Madinah. While parking in position no. 6, the left-wing tip hit a mast and received minor damage.[12]
References
edit- ^ "Nouakchott, Mauritania's new airport opens to all traffic". ch-aviation. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
- ^ Airport information for GQNN[usurped] from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
- ^ Airport information for NKC at Great Circle Mapper.
- ^ "Mauritanie : inauguration du nouvel aéroport international de Nouakchott – Jeune Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-47-DL (DC-3) 6V-AAA Nouakchott Airport (NKC)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Fairchild F-27A 5T-CJY Nouakchott Airport (NKC)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Fokker F-28 Fellowship 4000 5T-CLG Nouakchott Airport (NKC)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ "Incident: Astraeus B752 near Nouakchott on Aug 25th 2010, problems with both engines". avherald.com. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ^ "British plane makes emergency landing in Mauritania". 26 August 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
- ^ "AAIB Bulletin: 6/2011" (PDF). Air Accident Investigation Board. June 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ^ "Chartered military aircraft crashes in Mauritania, killing 7". BNO News. 12 July 2012. Archived from the original on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
- ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 747-428(M) 9M-ACM Nouakchott-Oumtounsy International Airport (NKC)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
