Geneina Airport


Geneina Airport is an airport serving Geneina, in the Darfur region of Sudan.

History

During World War II in 1942, Royal Air Force station El Geneina was established as a technical stop on the West African Reinforcement route through Darfur. The airfield was operated by the Air Transport Command as a staging base for fighters, bombers, and transport aircraft. In 1942, the runway was extended to accommodate larger aircraft, and a control tower was installed by 1943. By the RAF's request, road infrastructure on provincial roads at El Geneina, El Fasher, Nyala, and Nahud were upgraded to suit all-weather conditions before the 1942 rainy season from June to September. Aviation fuel also had to be trucked in from the east.

Post-war

At the end of World War II, RAF Geneina was left abandoned by the RAF in good conditions. By 1952, there was only one weekly service to El Geneina from Khartoum. Currently, Geneina Airport hosts a detachment of the 3 Helicopter Squadron of the Sudanese Air Force, operating the Mil Mi-8.

Units

The following lists the units that were based at RAF El Geneina at one point: