Guelma, DZ 🇩🇿 Closed Airport
ICAO
DZ-0006
IATA
-
Elevation
- ft
Region
DZ-24
Local Time
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 36.451942° N, 7.470961° E
Continent: Africa
Type: Closed Airport
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The exact date of official closure is not well-documented. However, the airport was gradually phased out of significant use following Algerian independence. It ceased to handle any meaningful air traffic by the 1980s, with the land being progressively repurposed for other uses throughout the 1990s and 2000s.
The closure was due to a combination of factors:
1. **Redundancy:** The development and modernization of the nearby Annaba Rabah Bitat Airport (IATA: AAE, ICAO: DABB), located approximately 50 km to the north, rendered the small Guelma airfield obsolete for passenger and significant cargo traffic. Annaba could handle larger aircraft and offered more extensive facilities.
2. **Economic Non-viability:** As a small regional airfield with limited traffic, it was not economically sustainable to maintain and operate, especially with a larger, more capable airport serving the wider region.
3. **Land Redevelopment:** The land occupied by the airport became more valuable for industrial and urban expansion for the growing Guelma-Belkheir area. There was no compelling economic or logistical reason to preserve it as an aviation facility.
The airport is permanently closed and the site has been completely redeveloped. Satellite imagery of the coordinates (36.451942, 7.470961) confirms this status:
- **Runway:** The faint outline of the single runway is still visible but is heavily degraded, partially covered by vegetation, and bisected by a public road.
- **Airport Infrastructure:** There are no remaining airport buildings such as a terminal, control tower, or hangars.
- **Current Land Use:** The former airport grounds are now occupied by an industrial zone. Various commercial and industrial buildings, including factories and depots, have been constructed directly on and adjacent to the old runway.
Guelma Belkheir Airport was a small, regional airfield originally constructed during the French colonial era. Its primary historical significance was serving as a local transportation link for the Guelma Province, an important agricultural and administrative center.
When active, its operations were limited to:
- **Light General Aviation:** Handling small, propeller-driven aircraft.
- **Government and Administrative Flights:** Used for official transport connecting Guelma to other regional centers.
- **Agricultural Aviation:** Supported the region's farming sector, likely used for crop dusting and aerial surveys.
- **Military Use (limited):** May have served as an auxiliary or emergency landing strip for the military, particularly during the colonial period.
It never functioned as a major commercial airport with scheduled passenger services from large airlines.
There are no known or credible plans or prospects for reopening Guelma Belkheir Airport. The site's complete redevelopment for industrial use, the degradation of the runway, and the region being adequately served by Annaba Rabah Bitat Airport make its revival logistically impractical and economically unnecessary.