Alula Aba Nega Airport

Alula Aba Nega Airport (IATA: MQX, ICAO: HAMK), also known as Mekelle Airport, is a public airport serving Mekelle, the capital city of the Tigray Region in northern Ethiopia. The airport is located 10 km (6 miles) southeast of the city.^[4]

Alula Aba Nega Airport ኣሉላ ኣባ ነጋ ዓለም ለኸ መዕረፍ ነፈርቲ (Tigrinya) አሉላ አባ ነጋ ዓለም አቀፍ የአየር ማረፊያ (Amharic)
IATA: MQX ICAO: HAMK
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Ethiopian Airports Enterprise
Serves	Mekelle, Ethiopia
Elevation AMSL	7,403 ft / 2,256 m
Coordinates	13°28′02″N 039°32′00″E
Map
HAMK Location in Ethiopia (Tigray region in red)
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 11/29 3,604 11,825 Asphalt
Statistics
Passengers (2009) 112,060
Sources:[1][2]List of the busiest airports in Africa[3]

History

This airport was built in the late 1990s, to replace an older one located 7 km (4 miles) from Mekelle. The airport was named after the 19th century Ethiopian military leader Ras Alula, also known as Alula Aba Nega.^[4] He is well known for his battles against Italy, the Ottoman Turks, Egypt and the Battle of Adwa. When the airport first opened, it had one unpaved runway that was 3,000 metres (9,843 feet) long, with 21 flights to Addis Ababa, 4 to Shire and 2 to Humera.^[5]

Facilities

The airport lies at an elevation of 7,406 feet (2,257 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 11/29 with an asphalt surface measuring 3,604 by 43 metres (11,824 ft × 141 ft).^[1]

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Ethiopian Airlines	Addis Ababa, Axum, Humera, Shire[6]

Accidents and incidents

• On 22 August 1982, a Douglas DC-3 ET-AHP of Ethiopian Airlines was damaged beyond repair in a take-off accident.^[7]
• On 18 January 2024, an Ethiopian Airlines Dash-8 crash-landed at the airport, with its left main landing gear collapsing and the left engine prop striking the runway.^[8][9]