Khartoum International Airport facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Khartoum International Airport مطار الخرطوم الدولي Maṭār Al-Khurṭūm Al-Duwaliyy
IATA: KRT ICAO: HSSK
Summary
Airport type	Civil and Military (Joint)
Serves	Khartoum
Location	Khartoum, Sudan
Hub for	Badr Airlines, Sudan Airways, Tarco Aviation
Elevation AMSL	1,265 ft / 386 m
Coordinates	15°35′22″N 32°33′11″E / 15.58944°N 32.55306°E / 15.58944; 32.55306
Website	krtairport.gov.sd
Map
KRT Location in Sudan
Runway
Runway Length Surface ft m 18/36 9,777 2,980 Asphalt
Statistics (2017)
Passengers 3,563,181
Source: Khartoum International Airport

Khartoum International Airport (KRT) is the main airport in Khartoum, the capital city of Sudan. It's a very important place for people to travel in and out of Sudan. However, since April 15, 2023, the airport has been closed. This happened because of fighting during the Battle of Khartoum.

Access Road

History of the Airport

The airport you see today actually started as a military airfield. It was called Gordon's Tree during World War II. This was back when the Royal Air Force (RAF) used it. By 1940, a squadron of planes was based there. Later, this area became known as El Shajjara, which means "The Tree."

During the war, the airfield was a training ground for pilots. They used planes like the Curtiss Tomahawk and Vickers Wellesley. They even had many Harvard and Hurricane fighter planes for training!

Sudan became an independent country in January 1956. The last RAF flying unit left Khartoum in July 1956.

A New Airport is Coming

There are plans to replace the current airport with a brand new one. It will be called the New Khartoum International Airport. This new airport will be built about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Khartoum, near Omdourman.

The new airport is planned to have two very long runways, each about 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) long. It will also have a large passenger terminal and a hotel with 300 rooms. A company from China, China Harbour Engineering Co. (CHEC), is building it. In March 2021, the airport's special code (ICAO code) was changed from HSSS to HSSK.

Past Flights and Destinations

Departure Hall

Before it closed, Khartoum International Airport was a busy place. Many airlines flew there, connecting Khartoum to cities all over the world. These included places in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

Passenger Flights

Many airlines offered passenger flights to and from Khartoum. Some of these included:

• Afriqiyah Airways
• Badr Airlines
• Egyptair
• Emirates
• Ethiopian Airlines
• flydubai
• Kenya Airways
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Jordanian
• Saudia
• Sudan Airways
• Turkish Airlines

Cargo Flights

Besides passenger planes, cargo planes also used the airport. These planes carried goods and supplies to different countries. Some of the cargo airlines included:

• EgyptAir Cargo
• Emirates Sky Cargo
• Ethiopian Airlines Cargo
• Qatar Airways Cargo
• Saudia Cargo
• Turkish Cargo

Khartoum Air Base

The airport is also home to a major base for the Sudanese Air Force. They have different types of transport planes here, such as:

• Antonov An-12, An-26, An-30, An-32, An-72/74
• Lockheed C-130H
• Ilyushin Il-62M and Il-76TD

The Police Air Wing also uses the base for their helicopters, like the Mil Mi-8 and Mi-17.

Airport Incidents

Over the years, there have been a few incidents at or near the airport:

• In 1942, a Vickers Wellesley plane was badly damaged during takeoff.
• In 1952, a Vickers Viscount plane was damaged when its landing gear broke.
• In 1983, a Douglas C-47A plane crashed shortly after takeoff. Everyone on board survived.
• In June 2008, a Sudan Airways plane landed and went off the runway. A fire started, and some people were sadly lost.
• Later in June 2008, an Ilyushin Il-76 plane caught fire during takeoff, and all four crew members were lost.
• In 2018, two Sudanese Air Force planes, an Antonov An-32 and an Antonov An-30, collided.
• In April 2023, during fighting in Khartoum, several airliners at the airport were damaged or destroyed. Luckily, there were no known injuries from these planes.