Massawa International Airport

Massawa International Airport (IATA: MSW, ICAO: HHMS) is an airport in Massawa, a city in the Northern Red Sea region of Eritrea. It is considered to be the successor of the Otumlo Airport, also in Massawa, which was destroyed in 1941.

Massawa International Airport
A retired Antonov An-12BP near the Massawa airport's bus terminal.
IATA: MSW ICAO: HHMS
Summary
Airport type	Military/Public
Serves	Massawa
Location	Massawa, Eritrea
Elevation AMSL	206 ft / 63 m
Coordinates	15°41′0″N 39°22′5″E
Map
MSW Location of airport in Eritrea
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 07/25 11,483 3,500 Asphalt

It is one of Eritrea's major airports.^[1]

History

The airport was opened by the Italian authorities in 1935, when the Italian invasion of Ethiopia began, under the name Aeroporto internazionale di Massaua. It was initially used for military aircraft employed in the invasion, and for military transport into conflict areas. In 1936, Ala Littoria, a civilian service with postal service from Massaua toward Asmara and Mogadishu, began operation at the airport.^[2]

In the last colonial period in Italian Eritrea, a 1,970 km airway line was established between Massawa-Djibouti-Berbera-Galadi-Mogadishu.^[3]

After WW2 it was rebuilt at a nearby location and enlarged, under the name of Massawa International Airport.

As of 2014, the airport accommodated only domestic flights since the companies that formed it do not have international licenses.^[1]

The Eritrea Investment Centre has proposed a new $60 million development project at the airport. Additionally, it has offered incentives on taxation, provision of supplies that the market does not already provide, provision of heavy machinery, and easy access to government loans.^[1]

Airlines

There are no active airlines operating from Massawa. Only private jets.

• Nasair 2006–2014
• BurkinaUruka 2009–2011
• Eritrean Air Force still uses the airport as one of their three airbases.