Port Said Airport

Port Said International Airport El Gamil Airport RAF El Gamil
IATA: PSD ICAO: HEPS
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Government
Serves	Port Said, Egypt
Opened	1941
Elevation AMSL	8 ft / 2 m
Coordinates	31°16′46″N 32°14′24″E
Map
PSD Location of airport in Sinai Show map of Sinai PSD PSD (Egypt) Show map of Egypt
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 10/28 2,349 7,707 Asphalt
Source: DAFIF[1][2]

Port Said Airport (IATA: PSD, ICAO: HEPS) serves the city of Port Said, Egypt, at the north end of the Suez Canal. In 2011, the airport served 36,962 passengers (-5.5% vs. 2010).

History

The airport was previously RAF El Gamil a Royal Air Force station operational during Second World War.

The following units were here at some point:

• Detachment from No. 33 Squadron RAF between June and September 1941 with the Hawker Hurricane I[3]
• No. 73 Squadron RAF between 6 September 1941 and 3 February 1942 with the Hurricane I, IIB & IIC along with the Curtiss Tomahawk IIB[4]
• Detachment from No. 80 Squadron RAF between May and July 1943 with the Supermarine Spitfire VC[5]
• Detachment from No. 89 Squadron RAF between December 1941 and August 1942 with the Bristol Beaufighter IF[6]
• No. 94 Squadron RAF between 1 June 1942 and 14 January 1943 with the Hurricane I & IIC and the Spitfire VC[7]
• No. 213 (Ceylon) Squadron RAF between 25 February and 6 May 1944 with the Hurricane IIC, Spitfire VC and IX[8]
• No. 238 Squadron RAF between 13 January 1943 and 29 January 1944 with the Spitfire VB, VC & IX[9]
• No. 250 (Sudan) Squadron RAF between 3 February and 16 April 1942 with the Tomahawk IIB and Hurricane I & IIC[10]
• No. 451 Squadron RAAF between 4 February and 18 April 1944 with the Spitfire VC & IX[11]

After being handed over to Egyptian authorities, El Gamil Airfield was attacked by the British Armed Forces during November 1956 as part of Operation Telescope, Suez Crisis.

Modernisation

The airport underwent a modernisation program with a partial inauguration in February 2011. The airport is seen to be vital for the coastal city and to sustain its industrial expansion plans.[12]

Airlines and destinations

There are currently no scheduled services to and from the airport.

Accidents and incidents

• During a training flight on 15 January 2008, a Beech C90B King Air operated by the Nuclear Centre Survey crashed 500 meters from the airport while performing circuits, killing both the pilot and training pilot.[13]

References

1. "Airport information for HEPS". World Aero Data. Archived from the original on 2019-03-05. Data current as of October 2006. Source: DAFIF.
2. Airport information for PSD at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
3. Jefford 1988, p. 36.
4. Jefford 1988, p. 47.
5. Jefford 1988, p. 49.
6. Jefford 1988, p. 51.
7. Jefford 1988, p. 52.
8. Jefford 1988, p. 71.
9. Jefford 1988, p. 76.
10. Jefford 1988, p. 78.
11. Jefford 1988, p. 92.
12. "Port Said Airport to be inaugurated in February - Economy - Business - Ahram Online". english.ahram.org.eg. Retrieved 2018-08-20.
13. Accident Report from National Transportation Safety Board

• Jefford, C. G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.

External links

• Current weather for HEPS at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for PSD at Aviation Safety Network