Djerba–Zarzis International Airport
Djerba–Zarzis International Airport is an international airport serving the island of Djerba in Tunisia. The airport was enlarged and named Djerba Zarzis International Airport in 1970. However, the airport dates to 1950. Today, it is an important destination for seasonal leisure flights.
Airlines and destinations
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Djerba–Zarzis Airport:Accidents and incidents
- On 6 August 2005, Tuninter Flight 1153, a Tuninter ATR-72 en route from Bari to Djerba, Tunisia, ditched into the Mediterranean Sea about 18 miles from the city of Palermo. 16 of the 39 people on board died. The accident resulted from engine fuel starvation that resulted from the installation of the wrong fuel quantity indicator. The fuel quantity indicator installed had been calibrated for the smaller ATR-42 aircraft and showed significantly more fuel than was actually in the tank of the larger ATR 72. When the aircraft ran out of fuel, the indicator still showed 1800 kilograms of fuel remaining, thus confusing the crew for several minutes. Both engines stopped and the crew was forced to ditch the airliner in the sea.
- The airport was a stopover for Air Berlin chartered flight AB7377, which was involved in a bomb scare. During loading at Hosea Kutako International Airport in Namibia, a suitcase was discovered that contained a clock, batteries and a firing mechanism. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the object was part of a test to assess the quality of airport screening procedures. The A330-200 aircraft was examined with an explosives sniffer dog, before it was allowed to fly to Munich Airport, via a stopover in Djerba.