View source for Rabah Bitat Airport

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox airport
| name                = Annaba Rabah Bitat Airport
| nativename          = {{nativename|ar|مطار عنابة - رابح بيطاط}}
| nativename-a        = 
| image               = Annaba (Argelia) (39792080482).jpg
| image-width         = 250
| IATA                = AAE
| ICAO                = DABB
| type                = Public
| owner               = 
| operator            = [http://www.egsa-constantine.dz EGSA-Constantine]
| city-served         = [[Annaba]], [[Algeria]]
| location            = 
| elevation-f         = 16
| elevation-m         = 5
| metric-elev         = y
| coordinates         = {{coord|36|49|45|N|7|48|50|E|type:airport|display=inline,title}}
| website             = 
| pushpin_map         = Algeria
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of airport in Algeria
| pushpin_label       = AAE
| pushpin_label_position = right
| r1-number           = 01/19
| r1-length-f         = 9,843
| r1-length-m         = 3,000
| r1-surface          = [[Asphalt concrete|Asphalt]]
| metric-rwy          = y
| r2-number           = 05/23
| r2-length-m         = 2,290
| r2-length-f         = 7,513
| r2-surface          = Asphalt
| stat-year           = 2020<ref name="egsa">{{cite web |url=http://www.egsa-constantine.dz/images/statistiques/statistiques-passagers.pdf |title=Statistiques des Passagers de 2011 à 2020|website=egsa-constantine.dz |publisher=EGSA Constantine |access-date=2023-01-29 |language=fr |format=PDF; 229&nbsp;KB}}</ref>
| stat2-header        = Passenger volume
| stat2-data          = 105,229
| footnotes           = Sources: [[Aeronautical Information Publication|AIP]]<ref name=AIP>[http://www.sia-enna.dz/PDF/AIP/AD/AD2/DABB/DABB.pdf AIP] and [http://www.sia-enna.dz/PDF/AIP/AD/AD2/DABB/AD.pdf Chart] from ''Service d'Information Aéronautique - Algerie'' {{in lang|fr}}</ref> [[DAFIF]],<ref name=WAD>{{cite web |url=http://worldaerodata.com/wad.cgi?airport=DABB |title=Airport information for DABB |website=World Aero Data |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190305143444/http://worldaerodata.com/wad.cgi?airport=DABB |archive-date=2019-03-05}} Data current as of October 2006. Source: [[DAFIF]]. Retrieved 2007-09-24.</ref><ref name=GCM>{{GCM|AAE|AAE / DABB|source=[[DAFIF]]}} Retrieved 2007-11-26.</ref> [[Airport Council International|ACI]]'s 2013 World Airport Traffic Report.
}}

'''Annaba Rabah Bitat Airport''' {{airport codes|AAE|DABB}}, formerly known as '''Les Salines Airport''', and popularly as '''El Mellah Airport''' is an international [[airport]] located {{convert|9|km|abbr=on}} south of [[Annaba]], a city in [[Algeria]].<ref name=AIP /> It is named after [[Rabah Bitat]], a president of [[Algeria]] (1978–1979).

==History==
During the era of French colonization in Algeria, the airport was named Bône-les-Salines, in reference to the [[Salt lake|salt lakes]] in the vicinity of the site.

It was put into operation in 1939, and a decree of 16 December 1958, entrusted the operation to the Chamber of Commerce of Bône.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000000620243 |title=Arrêté du 16 Décembre 1958: Concession d'Exploitation de l'Aeroport de Bone-Les-Salines a la Chambre de Commerce de Bone |trans-title=Order of 16 December 1958: Bône-Les-Salines Airport Operation Concession to the Bône Chamber of Commerce |language=fr |access-date=2021-08-27 |website=Legifrance.gouv.fr}}</ref> 

=== World War II ===
During World War II, the airport was known as '''Bone Airfield''', and was used by the German [[Luftwaffe]].  It was later captured by the [[United States Army]], the USAAF [[Twelfth Air Force]] in the [[Western Desert Campaign]] in 1942–1943.

In November 1942, the Allies invaded French Morocco and Algeria ([[Operation Torch]]). The British airborne operations in North Africa started on 12 November, when the [[3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment]] carried out the first battalion sized parachute drop on Bone airfield. The remainder of the [[1st Parachute Brigade (United Kingdom)|1st Parachute Brigade]] arrived by sea the next day. Bone Airfield was the base of [[No. 111 Squadron RAF]], a [[Supermarine Spitfire]] squadron under Squadron Leader Tony Bartley. One notable pilot to fly from Bone on occasion was Wing Commander [[Adrian Warburton]] who was an infrequent visitor after crash landing there on 15 November 1942. 81 Squadron were based at Bone from 16 November to 31 January 1942 with [https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/43816/Berry-Ronald-Ras.htm 'Ras' Berry DSO DFC] and then [[Colin Falkland Gray|Colin F Gray DSO DFC]] being Squadron Leaders. [[Alan Peart|Alan M Peart DFC]] also claimed his first aerial combat victory as well as two further aircraft damaged over Bone Harbour during this time.<ref>The National Archive reference TNA AIR-678-23</ref>

=== Algerian war ===
After the war, the air base 213 one of the air bases of the [[French Air and Space Force|French Air Force]], was established on the site at that time. It was home to the 1/91 Gascogne Bombardment Group, a unit recreated on 1 September 1956 (and temporarily dissolved on 17 September 1962, after the [[Algerian War]]), which was equipped with [[Douglas A-26 Invader|Douglas B-26 Invaders]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=d'Algérie|first=Avions de la Guerre |title=22 - Douglas A/B-26 "Invader" |url=http://avions-de-la-guerre-d-algerie.over-blog.com/article-26510100.html
|access-date=2021-08-27 |website=Le blog de Avions de la Guerre d'Algérie |language=fr}}</ref>

=== Post-war period ===
After [[Algerian independence]] and until 2000, Annaba airport was named El-Mellaha (meaning in Arabic "Les Salines").{{fact|date=November 2024}}

Since then, the airport has been named in honor of Rabah Bitat, former head of the Algerian state.{{fact|date=November 2024}}

==Facilities==
The old terminal had an annual capacity of 500,000 passengers. In January 2016, the new international terminal was opened. The new terminal, which on commissioning generated 300 jobs, has an expandable capacity of 700,000 passengers per year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aps.dz/en/regions/11348-sellal-inaugurates-new-terminal-of-annaba |title=Sellal inaugurates new terminal of Annaba |date=9 March 2016 |website=[[Algeria Press Service]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310100558/http://www.aps.dz/en/regions/11348-sellal-inaugurates-new-terminal-of-annaba |archive-date=10 March 2016}}</ref>
<gallery>
File:Annaba Rabah Bitat Airport.jpg|Terminal of the airport.
File:Aéroport d'Annaba.jpg|Terminal of the airport
</gallery>

==Airlines and destinations==
<!-- Please use only independent sources. The airport and airline itself are not independent sources. -->
{{Airport-dest-list
|[[Air Algérie]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.airalgerie.dz/routemap.jsp?lang= |title=Air Algérie Route Map |access-date=22 January 2011}}{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>|[[Houari Boumediene Airport|Algiers]], [[Istanbul Airport|Istanbul]], [[Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport|Lyon]], [[Marseille Provence Airport|Marseille]], [[Oran Es Sénia Airport|Oran]], [[Charles de Gaulle Airport|Paris–Charles de Gaulle]], [[Paris-Orly Airport|Paris–Orly]] 
|[[Tassili Airlines]]|[[Houari Boumediene Airport|Algiers]], [[Guemar Airport|El Oued]], [[Oued Irara – Krim Belkacem Airport|Hassi Messaoud]]
|[[Transavia]]|'''Seasonal:''' [[Marseille Provence Airport|Marseille]] (begins 8 July 2025)<ref>{{cite web |title=Transavia France NS25 Network Additions – 02MAR25 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/250306-tons25 |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=6 March 2025}}</ref>
|[[Volotea]]|'''Seasonal:''' [[Marseille Provence Airport|Marseille]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.algerie-eco.com/2022/07/27/volotea-vers-louverture-dune-nouvelle-liaison-entre-marseille-et-annaba/ | title=Volotea : Vers l'ouverture d'une nouvelle liaison entre Marseille et Annaba | date=27 July 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://volotea.com/en/ | title=VOLOTEA - Vuelos baratos, ofertas y billetes de avión a Europa }}</ref>
<!-- -->
}}

==Statistics==
The evolution of air traffic at Annaba airport between 2006 and 2020 is:<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.egsa-constantine.dz/index.php/exploitation/statistiques-du-trafic |title=Statistiques du Trafic aérien |language=fr |website=Etablissement de Gestion de Services Aéroportuaires de Constantine |access-date=2021-08-27}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
| rowspan="2" |Traffic
|Year
|2006
|2007
|2008
|2009
|2010
|2011
|2012
|2013
|2014
|2015
|2016
|2017
|2018
|2019
|2020
|-
|Total
|362 303
|372 244
|386 607
|416 435
|402 585
|421 547
|446 846
|462 003
|473 530
|489 739
|530 709
|553 349
|520 493
|515 481
|105 229
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category-inline|Annaba Rabah Bitat Airport}}
* [https://www.google.com/maps/@36.82919,7.81235,4045m/data=!3m1!1e3 Google Maps - Annaba Rabah Bitat]
*{{NWS-current|DABB}}
*{{ASN|AAE|AAE / DABB}}

{{Portalbar|Africa|Aviation}}
{{Airports in Algeria}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Airports in Algeria]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Annaba Province]]