Region
Egal International Airport, Hargeisa (HGA)
Egal International Airport (IATA HGA, ICAO HCMH) is the airport of Hargeisa, capital of Somaliland. The British RAF opened it in 1954. It sits 1,348 metres above sea level and has a 3,700-metre asphalt runway, extended with Kuwaiti funding and reopened on 17 August 2013. In 2002 it handled 85,800 passengers.
At a glance
- Codes: IATA HGA, ICAO HCMH (OurAirports, HCMH).
- Runway: one asphalt runway, 06/24, 12,139 feet (about 3,700 metres) long, with no instrument landing system (OurAirports; Wikipedia, Hargeisa Airport).
- Height: about 4,423 to 4,471 feet (1,348 to 1,363 metres) above sea level (same sources).
- Owner: the Somaliland Civil Aviation and Airports Authority (Wikipedia).
- Named after: Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal, Prime Minister of Somalia in the 1960s and later the second president of Somaliland.
- City: Hargeisa, in Maroodi Jeex (Woqooyi Galbeed).
From an RAF field to a national airport
The British Royal Air Force opened the airport in 1954, in the British Somaliland protectorate. An expansion followed, and by 1958 it had a taxiway, a parking area and a terminal building (Wikipedia, citing a European Commission Berbera corridor pre-feasibility study). In the 1980s the Siad Barre government modernised it for larger aircraft and more destinations (Economist Intelligence Unit, Country report: Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, 1986, p. 43, cited by Wikipedia). The airport was badly damaged during the events leading up to and during the civil war of the early 1990s and was rebuilt gradually over the following years (same Wikipedia article). For that period see The Isaaq genocide, 1987 to 1989.
Traffic
In 2002 the airport handled 85,800 passengers and 4,300 tonnes of cargo across 6,120 landings, according to the European Commission's Berbera corridor study (European Commission).
The 2012–2013 rebuild and wind power
In 2012 flights were suspended while the runway was rebuilt and extended, with money from the Somaliland government, the Kuwait Fund and USAID. The airport reopened on 17 August 2013 with larger arrival and departure halls and five new wind turbines (Wikipedia; Somaliland Live, "President Silanyo opens Kuwaiti-funded Egal Airport runway extension"). The president at the time was Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud (Silanyo).
In June 2014 the Somaliland government and USAID opened a wind energy project at the airport, managed by Somaliland's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources through a public-private partnership. It formed part of USAID's Partnership for Economic Growth, which put more than $14 million into Somaliland's energy, livestock and farming sectors and private business (Wikipedia). For the wider power picture see Solar and wind power and Electricity.
Airlines and cargo
Wikipedia's destination list, which it marks as disputed, names Air Djibouti (Djibouti), African Express Airways, Daallo Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines (Addis Ababa), flydubai (Dubai), Freedom Airline Express (Mogadishu) and Jubba Airways (Wikipedia). flydubai announced Hargeisa as a new route in December 2014 (flydubai, December 2014). Ethiopian Cargo, Emirates SkyCargo and Astral Aviation are listed as scheduled cargo carriers (same Wikipedia article). See Airlines in Somalia.
New terminals
Wikipedia states that Somaliland paid $70 million to the UAE-based Maharat investment company to redevelop the airport with two new terminals, two-storey buildings and a new control tower (Wikipedia).
Related
- Berbera International Airport, Somaliland's other long-runway airport
- Somaliland's economy
Sources
- OurAirports, HCMH · ourairports.com
- Wikipedia, Hargeisa Airport · en.wikipedia.org
- European Commission Berbera corridor pre-feasibility study · eeas.europa.eu
- Somaliland Live, "President Silanyo opens Kuwaiti-funded Egal Airport runway extension" · web.archive.org
- flydubai, December 2014 · flydubai.com
Toosoo!
Calankii is made by Toosoo, which works for one united, prosperous Somalia.
Can you help with Egal International Airport, Hargeisa (HGA)? Tell us what you can give.
I want to help with this
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- Aden Adde International Airport, Mogadishu (MGQ)Mogadishu's Aden Adde International Airport (MGQ/HCMM): history since 1928, runway, airlines, operators, passenger numbers and the planned new airport.
- New Mogadishu International Airport (planned)The planned New Mogadishu International Airport at El Maan: site, runways, capacity, cost, World Bank-funded design study and timeline.
- Berbera International Airport (BBO)Berbera International Airport (BBO/HCMI): the Soviet-built 4 km runway, NASA Space Shuttle years, the 2015 terminal and the 2021 UAE-funded reopening.
- Bosaso Airport (Bender Qassim International, BSA)Bosaso's Bender Qassim International Airport (BSA/HCMF): 1980s strip, the 2008 Lootah deal, the 2014–2016 rebuild, runways, and the reported UAE hub role.
- Kismayo Airport (KMU)Kismayo Airport (KMU/HCMK): the 1970s runway, the 2013 Jubaland handover, the military and UN compounds, and the airport's data, with sources.
- Garowe Airport (General Mohamed Abshir International, GGR)Garowe's General Mohamed Abshir International Airport (GGR/HCGR): opening in 2010, the Kuwait Fund runway project, name, flights and incidents.