Region
K50 airstrip, Lower Shabelle
K50 is a sand airstrip about 50 km south-west of Mogadishu, named after the kilometre post on the main road. From 2007 to about 2011, while Mogadishu's airport was unsafe, it was the capital's main airport, used by Daallo Airlines and others. It has one 1,850-metre compacted-sand runway.
Where and what
K50 lies in the Lower Shabelle region beside the main road that runs south-west from Mogadishu. Its name comes from its place on that road, at about kilometre 50 from the capital (Wikipedia, K50 Airstrip). OurAirports places it at 2.005° N, 44.987° E, about 100 feet (30 metres) above sea level, and lists it under the local identifier SO-0001 (OurAirports, SO-0001).
The runway
The airstrip has one runway, 04/22, with a compacted sand surface 1,850 metres long and 20 metres wide (6,070 by 66 feet) (Wikipedia, citing the Logistics Cluster airfield specification sheet). That length suits turboprops and small jets on a dry surface; it has no paved surface and no lighting listed in these sources.
Mogadishu's airport in wartime
During the 2006 to 2009 war, and the fighting in Mogadishu that followed, Aden Adde International Airport in the city was closed or too risky for many flights. Wikipedia's article on that airport records that from 2008 most civilian aircraft chose to land at and depart from K50 instead, until the security situation in the capital improved in late 2010 and 2011 (Wikipedia, Aden Adde International Airport). The Somali-owned, Dubai-based Daallo Airlines flew to and from K50 in that period (Wikipedia, K50 Airstrip). Passengers and goods then travelled the 50 km into the city by road.
The strip is also used for aid flights. The United Nations Logistics Cluster, which coordinates humanitarian transport, published its specification sheet so that aid operators could plan landings (Logistics Cluster). A 2015 United Nations Security Council report also refers to the airstrip (UN Digital Library, S/2015/801).
Nearby fields
- Baledogle airfield, the large military base about 90 km north-west of Mogadishu.
- Aden Adde International Airport, Mogadishu's main airport since the 1920s.
- New Mogadishu International Airport, planned north-east of the city.
Sources
- Wikipedia, K50 Airstrip · en.wikipedia.org
- OurAirports, SO-0001 · ourairports.com
- Logistics Cluster airfield specification sheet · web.archive.org
- Wikipedia, Aden Adde International Airport · en.wikipedia.org
- UN Digital Library, S/2015/801 · digitallibrary.un.org
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Where this matters
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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.
- Egal International Airport, Hargeisa (HGA)Hargeisa's Egal International Airport (HGA/HCMH): from the 1954 RAF field to the 2013 runway extension, wind power, airlines, cargo and traffic figures.
- 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.