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

Terminals and concourses

Terminals

Rhea International Airport has four terminals with nine lettered concourses and a total of 194 gates. Terminals 1, 2, and 3 are used for domestic and international flights. These terminals are connected airside via a long corridor. Terminal 4 is only used for international flights, mostly transoceanic flights to Internatia and Aurora, and the terminal is separated from the other terminals by a set of taxiways that cross over the airport's access road. All four terminals and the parking lots are connected landside by an automated people mover that is 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) long and operates 24 hours a day.

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

Terminal 1

Terminal 1 houses all domestic flights and most flights within Outernatia of Gandhara Airways. Also Lettucian Airlines and Rainfall Airways typically operate out of terminal 1.

Terminal 1 has 50 gates on two concourses, 22 gates on concourse B and 28 gates on concourse C. The letter "A" was skipped to avoid confusion with concourse E in terminal 2. Concourses B and C are linear concourses located in separate buildings parallel to each other. Concourse C is a satellite terminal with gates on all sides, in the middle of the ramp, and is connected to concourse B via an underground pedestrian tunnel under the ramp.

Gandhara Airways operates two airline lounges in terminal 1, one on concourse B near gate B6 and one on concourse C near gate C16. Lettucian Airlines operates a lounge on concourse C near gate C18.

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 has a V shape design and is connected with terminals 1 and 3. Many different airlines operate in terminal 2. The terminal has 43 gates on two concourses, 17 gates on concourse D and 26 gates on concourse E. Lost Islands Airways operates an airport lounge in concourse D near gate D7, and there is a Gandhara Airways lounge in concourse E near gate E3.

Terminal 3

Terminal 3 is located adjacent to terminal 2 and has 80 gates on four concourses: 24 gates on concourse F, 18 gates on concourse G, 16 gates on concourse H, and 22 gates on concourse J. The letter "I" was skipped to avoid confusion with the number "1". Air Nura mainly operates from concourses F and J. Concourse G is nicknamed "Kimmystan gate", due to the large amount of flights to Kimmystan by Kimmystanian airlines such as Kimmy Airlines.

Terminal 4

Terminal 4 is used for international flights, mostly long-haul flights to Internatia and Aurora. The terminal has 21 gates on one concourse, K. The gates are equipped to handle wide-body aircraft, such as the Airbus A380. Gandhara Airways operates three daily flights to and from Madakia, Tikata with the Airbus A380.

Terminal 4 houses several airline lounges, such as the A+ Airlines Lounge, the Freehan Airways First Class and Business Class Lounge, the Lost Islands Airways Lounge, and the Lettucian Airlines First Class and Business Class Lounge.

Runways

Rhea International Airport has six runways, each of which can be used in two directions. The airport has three parallel east-west runways (09L/27R, 09C/27C, and 09R/27L) and three diagonal runways, of which 04/22 is oriented northeast-southwest, while the parallel runways 14L/32R and 14R/32L are southeast-northwest diagonal runways.

The runways are equipped with Instrument Landing Systems (ILS). They offer ILS Category III approaches in nine directions and ILS Category I approaches in three directions.

Direction	Length	Width	Surface	ILS
04/22	2,950 m (9,678 ft)	45 m (148 ft)	Asphalt	Cat. I (both directions)
09L/27R	3,830 m (12,566 ft)	60 m (197 ft)	Concrete	Cat. III (both directions)
09C/27C	4,500 m (14,764 ft)	45 m (148 ft)	Asphalt/Concrete	Cat. III (both directions)
09R/27L	2,800 m (9,186 ft)	45 m (148 ft)	Asphalt/Concrete	Cat. III (09R), Cat. I (27L)
14L/32R	3,975 m (13,041 ft)	60 m (197 ft)	Asphalt	Cat. III (both directions)
14R/32L	4,000 m (13,123 ft)	45 m (148 ft)	Asphalt	Cat. III (both directions)

Other facilities

The Hilton Rhea International is currently the only hotel at the airport and is located between the terminal core and the parking garage. It is owned by the RIA Group and operated under an agreement with Hilton Hotels & Resorts.

In addition to shops, restaurants, and airport lounges, Rhea International Airport has more facilities for passengers and visitors, such as several viewing areas for aircraft spotting and a museum on the history of the airport and aviation.

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%

See also

• List of international airports by country