Douala International Airport Explained
| Douala International Airport |
| Nativename: | French: Aéroport international de MD-Douala |
| Iata: | DLA |
| Icao: | FKKD |
| Pushpin Map: | Cameroon |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Airport in Cameroon |
| Pushpin Label: | DLA |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Type: | Public / Military |
| Operator: | Aéroports du Cameroun (ADC) |
| City-Served: | Douala, Cameroon |
| Hub: | Camair-Co |
| Elevation-F: | 33 |
| Elevation-M: | 10 |
| Coordinates: | 4.0058°N 9.7194°W |
| Metric-Rwy: | y |
| R1-Number: | 12/30 |
| R1-Length-M: | 2,880 |
| R1-Length-F: | 9,448 |
| R1-Surface: | Asphalt |
| Stat1-Header: | Passengers (2014) |
| Stat1-Data: | 1,500,000 |
| Footnotes: | Source: DAFIF[1] |
Douala International Airport (French: link=no|Aéroport international de Douala) is an international airport located in Douala, the largest city in Cameroon and the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region. With its 4 terminals[2] and an average of 1.5 million passengers and 50,000 tonnes of freight per year,[3] it is the country's busiest airport. The airport is managed and partly owned (34%) by the company Aeroport du Cameroon (ADC) which also manages all other 13 airports on Cameroonian soil.[4]
Runway
Douala Airport has a single runway, 12/30, with a length of 2,880 m (9,448 ft). Between 1 and 21 March 2016, the runway was closed for upgrade works; all airlines switched operations to Yaoundé Airport during that period.[5] This formed part of a renovation plan of 20 billion CFA (US$36,363,636 million), financed by the French Agency of Development, which targeted a two-stage renovation: first the airport's runway, and then its terminals and interior.[6]
Airlines and destinations
Cargo
Accidents and incidents
- 4 March 1962: Caledonian Airways Flight 153 – all 111 people on board died
- On 30 August 1984, Cameroon Airlines Flight 786, a Boeing 737-200 registered as (TJ-CBD), experienced an engine malfunction when taxiing. A fire from the damaged fuel tank engulfed the aircraft causing it to burn out. Two passengers were trapped by the flames and died. The remaining 107 passengers and seven crew members were able to evacuate the plane safely.[7]
- 3 December 1995: Cameroon Airlines Flight 3701 – 71 out of 76 people on board died
- 5 May 2007: the Kenya Airways Flight 507 scheduled for Abidjan – Douala – Nairobi crashed in Mbanga Pongo near Douala international airport, two minutes after it took off from the airport. Although the weather was bad, the report from the Cameroonian civil aviation authority said the pilots were to blame for the crash.[8] There were 114 fatalities, including 37 Cameroonians, 15 Indians and one American.[9]
Notes and References
- Web site: usurped. Airport information for FKKD. https://web.archive.org/web/20190305143444/http://worldaerodata.com/wad.cgi?airport=FKKD. 2019-03-05. World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006. Source: DAFIF.
- News: Aéroport International MD-Douala. mbene. 2020-03-24. Aéroports Du Cameroun SA. 2018-09-18. fr.
- News: MD-Douala International Airport remains open authorities affirm. 2018-04-22. Cameroon Radio Television. 2018-09-18. fr-FR.
- Book: Privatizing Africa's Infrastructure: Promise and Challenge. Kerf. Michel. Smith. Warrick. 1996-01-01. World Bank Publications. 9780821337448. en.
- http://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/44111-airlines-to-use-yaound-for-duration-of-douala-closure "Airlines to use Yaoundé for duration of Douala closure"
- News: Douala International Airport remains open authorities affirm. 2018-04-22. Cameroon Radio Television. 2018-09-18. fr-FR.
- Web site: Ranter. Harro. ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 737-2H7C TJ-CBD Douala Airport (DLA). aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network.
- News: Kenya Airways Cameroon crash blamed on pilot actions: report. U.S.. 2018-09-18.
- News: Pilot error blamed for 2007 Kenya Airways crash. CNN. 2018-09-18.
