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Annaba Rabah Bitat Airport (DABB/AAE) serves the city of Annaba on Algeria's northeastern Mediterranean coast, and traces its flying history back to the French colonial era and a notable role in the Allied airborne landings of Operation Torch in 1942. Today it is a large international airport with two long, lit hard-surfaced runways and an ILS approach, making it a straightforward and well-equipped destination for simulator pilots exploring North Africa.
Annaba Rabah Bitat Airport lies close to the Mediterranean coast serving the city of Annaba in northeastern Algeria. Operated by EGSA-Constantine, it is named after Rabah Bitat, a former head of the Algerian state, and combines a long aviation heritage with modern international airline operations, making it an interesting stop for a sim pilot given both its scale and its wartime past.
The airport sits some 9 km south of Annaba, a Mediterranean port city in northeastern Algeria, at coordinates 36.8222N 7.8094E. As a large international aerodrome it will be surrounded by controlled airspace appropriate to its status, though specific airspace classification details are not covered in the available sources.
The airfield has two paired hard-surfaced runways. Runway 18/36 is the longer of the pair, with runway 18 measuring 9852 ft and runway 36 measuring 9537 ft, both lit, and runway 18 served by an ILS approach. Runway 05/23 is shorter, with runway 05 at 7492 ft and runway 23 at 7491 ft, also lit. Field elevation is 10 ft.
Approach can be contacted on 119 MHz, and Tower on 118.7 MHz. An ILS is available for runway 18, supporting instrument approaches to the longer of the two runway pairs.
The site began life under French colonial rule as Bône-les-Salines, named for the nearby salt lakes, and was put into operation in 1939; a decree of 16 December 1958 handed its operation to the Chamber of Commerce of Bône. During the Second World War it was known as Bone Airfield and played a significant role in the Allied invasion of French North Africa, Operation Torch: on 12 November 1942 the 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment carried out the first battalion-sized parachute drop on the airfield, with the rest of the 1st Parachute Brigade arriving by sea the following day. The base was home to No. 111 Squadron RAF, a Spitfire squadron under Squadron Leader Tony Bartley, and was an occasional stop for Wing Commander Adrian Warburton, who crash-landed there on 15 November 1942. No. 81 Squadron operated from Bone between 16 November and 31 January, with Squadron Leaders 'Ras' Berry DSO DFC and later Colin F Gray DSO DFC, during which time Alan M Peart DFC claimed his first aerial combat victory over Bone Harbour. After the war the site became Air Base 213 of the French Air Force, home to the 1/91 Gascogne Bombardment Group, re-formed on 1 September 1956 and equipped with Douglas B-26 Invaders, before being dissolved on 17 September 1962 following the Algerian War. After Algerian independence the airport was known as El-Mellaha until 2000, when it was renamed in honour of Rabah Bitat, a former president of Algeria.
The airport is operated by EGSA-Constantine and functions as an international gateway for Annaba, handling scheduled and charter services. A new international terminal opened in January 2016, expanding passenger handling capacity beyond that of the older terminal it replaced.
