Rhea International Airport

Rhea International Airport مطار آل ريا ة الدولي Maṭār al-Reyāh al-Dawlyy
IATA: RIA ICAO: OGRA
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner/Operator	RIA Group S.A.M.
Serves	Rhea, Gandhara
Location	Jamalabad
Hub for	Gandhara Airways Air Nura
Focus city for	A+ Airlines Freehan Airways Kimmy Airlines Lettucian Airlines Lost Islands Airways
Elevation AMSL	5,059 ft / 1,542 m
Map
RIA Location within Gandhara
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 04/22 2,950 9,678 Asphalt 09L/27R 3,830 12,566 Concrete 09C/27C 4,500 14,764 Asphalt/Concrete 09R/27L 2,800 9,186 Asphalt/Concrete 14L/32R 3,975 13,041 Asphalt 14R/32L 4,000 13,123 Asphalt
Statistics (2017)
Passengers 69,849,667 Freight (tonnes) 1,647,398 Aircraft movements 481,286 Economic & social impact $29.3 billion

Rhea International Airport (Arabic: مطار آل ريا ة الدولي, Maṭār al-Reyāh al-Dawlyy) (IATA: RIA, ICAO: OGRA) is the main international airport of Gandhara. It is located 21 kilometres (13 mi) northeast of Rhea, in the municipality of Jamalabad, Sadat. The airport is Outernatia's third busiest and the world's seventh busiest airport by passenger traffic, serving 69.8 million passengers in 2017.

Rhea International Airport is the hub and primary maintenance base for Gandhara Airways, Gandhara's flag carrier airline, as well as for Air Nura. The airport also serves as a base for A+ Airlines, Freehan Airways, Kimmy Airlines, Lettucian Airlines, and Lost Islands Airways. Also large companies such as Safar Aviation Services, an aircraft ground handling company, and the Transoceanic Aviation Group, a multinational airline holding company, have their head offices on the grounds of Rhea International Airport.

History

Early years

Originally named Mensurabad Airport, after the nearby village of Mensurabad, the airport opened on 30 July 1933 as a military airbase. Civil aviation started in June 1936 when Gandhara Airwork, the predecessor of Gandhara Airways, commenced operations and the airport eventually lost its military role completely.

Commercial development

By 1940, the airport had four asphalt runways, all 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) long and aligned in a north-south direction. In 1947, the airport was chosen by the central government in Rhea as the ideal facility to meet future aviation demands. A plan for the airport was devised to build a new complex with "split finger" terminals, a pioneering idea at the time, allowing a terminal building to be attached to "airline wings" (concourses), each providing space for gates and planes. The terminals were completed in 1949 and the airport was renamed to Rhea International Airport, reflecting the intention to become Gandhara's primary airport.

Growth was slow at first, but after the Gandhari Revolution new improvements were made. An international terminal opened in 1958 and a new expressway to Rhea was completed in 1959. Ground was broken for a new terminal complex, of which Terminals 2 and 3 remain today, in April 1959. This complex opened on 1 January 1962.

In 1967, Al-Husseini Airport, located south of Rhea, closed to commercial aviation as the airport did not have the space for the lengthy runways the new planes required. The aviation services were transferred from Al-Husseini Airport to Rhea International Airport. New runways were constructed at Rhea International Airport, aligned east-west and diagonal, to reduce air traffic for Jamalabad and Mensurabad, which are located south of the airport.

Development since the 1990s

Since 1992, the airport is owned and operated by RIA Group S.A.M., with the Gandhari Ministry of Finance holding 57.36% of the shares, while the municipalities of Rhea (20.02%) and Jamalabad (14.62%), and private investors (8.00%) hold the rest of the shares.

Since 2003, the aircraft ground handling company Safar Aviation Services has its head office at the grounds of Rhea International Airport. The company is part of the Transoceanic Aviation Group (TAG), that has its head office at the airport as well.

Infrastructure

Layout of the airport

Terminal

Rhea International Airport uses a one-terminal concept, meaning that all its facilities are located under a single roof. Transit passengers have their luggage automatically transferred to their connecting flight, and they usually need a short walk to the next gate. The terminal itself consists of three sections or halls, designated 1, 2, and 3. These halls are connected, it is possible on both sides of the security or border inspection to walk from between piers, even if the piers are located at different halls.

The airport has a wide range of shops and restaurants as a source of revenue and as an additional attraction for passengers.

Departure Hall 1

Departure Hall 1 consists of piers B, C, and D. Pier B exclusively handles domestic flights within Gandhara, while piers C and D are used for domestic flights and flights within Outernatia. Lettucian Airlines and Rainfall Airways typically operate out of pier C. Piers B and D have 14 gates each, and pier C has 21 gates.

Departure Hall 2

Departure Hall 2 consists of piers E and F.

Pier E is the largest pier and has two levels. The lower floor handles flights within Outernatia and the upper floor is used for transoceanic flights to Internatia and Aurora. The pier has 78 gates. The gates on the lower floor are numbered E-1 to E-39, while the gates on the upper floor are numbered E-40 to E-78.

Pier F is dedicated to transoceanic flights to Internatia and has 14 gates. It is typically home to Tikatan airline A+ Airlines.

Departure Hall 3

Departure Hall 3 consists of piers G and H. Pier G has 8 gates and is typically dominated by airlines that have a code sharing partnership with Gandhara Airways, such as Kimmy Airlines, and the Transoceanic Aviation Group-airlines Freehan Airways and Lost Islands Airways. Due to the large amount of flights to Kimmystan, the gate is nicknamed "Kimmystan gate". Pier H has 13 gates and is able to handle widebody aircraft, such as Gandhara Airways' Airbus A380-800.

Runways

Rhea International Airport has three runways that are all used in two directions. Runway 01/19 is 4,002 m × 60 m (13,130 ft × 197 ft), 09/27 is 3,925 m × 60 m (12,877 ft × 197 ft), and 08/26 is 3,862 m × 60 m (12,671 ft × 197 ft).

Number	Length	Width	ILS
01/19	4,002 m (13,130 ft)	60 m (197 ft)	Cat. III (both directions)
09/27	3,925 m (12,877 ft)	60 m (197 ft)	Cat. III (both directions)
08/26	3,862 m (12,671 ft)	60 m (197 ft)	Cat. II (08)

Statistics

Busiest routes from Rhea International Airport (2016)

Rank	City / Country	Passengers	Annual Change
1	Nordfjord, Kimmystan	1,469,81500	001.7%
2	Madakia, Tikata	1,376,41400	002.3%
3	Mirabella, Victoria	1,264,92700	004.1%
4	Endého, Land of Jhe Freeh	1,185,07900	008.6%
5	Turzy, Tikata	1,107,34800	000.9%
6	Sanggumdang, DPR Jindalea	1,098,75200	002.8%
7	Hugo Chávez City, Lettuce	1,094,52700	0013.1%
8	Kazmi, Gandhara	991,22400	002.6%
9	Solitude, Raingate	986,11300	006.8%
10	Fettevika, Kimmystan	885,55300	001.4%
11	Khayzuran, Asabiya	867,51200	002.4%
12	Surme, Tikata	802,35600	005.2%
13	Rosetown, Pebbleland	781,82600	000.7%
14	Esonáth, Lost Islands	780,47300	001.5%
15	Saída, Almarania	775,21100	0024.2%
16	Apsolękh, Ponásikwa	734,44000	004.3%
17	Pomar, Laranjeiras	693,23400	0012.1%
18	Snowpeak, Frostfall	686,81300	002.7%
19	Skyrim, Irdminia	651,36500	004.2%
20	Hagelin, Kimmystan	613,23400	004.9%

Other facilities

In addition to shops, restaurants, and airport lounges, Rhea International Airport has more facilities for passengers and visitors, such as a rooftop viewing area for aircraft spotting. This area is accessible to the public, free of charge, from the airport's landside.

Since 2015, the airport houses a Hilton hotel with 566 rooms. The hotel is directly connected to the terminal via a covered walkway.

See also

• List of international airports by country