Tamale International Airport

World War II Origins: Initially founded as an advanced operational base for troops, the airport's strategic importance was recognized early on. Post-Independence Expansion: In the 1960s, plans were made to develop a new international airport to serve both military and civilian purposes. Although the project faced delays, it eventually resumed, leading to the establishment of facilities accommodating civil operations. ==Location==

The airport is located in the northern part of the city of Tamale, approximately north of the city centre off of Highway N10. The geographical coordinates of the airport are:9°33'25.0"N, 0°51'47.0"W (Latitude:9.556944; Longitude:-0.863056). The airport is located approximately above mean sea level. ==Upgrade to international status==

The Tamale Airport was upgraded to the status of an international airport in two phases; Phase 1 and Phase 2. ; Phase 1 In preparation for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations (20 January 2008 to 10 February 2008) and with a budget of US$4.2 million, this airport was upgraded by: resurfacing the single runway, the taxiways and aprons, upgrading the terminal building, constructing a modified fire service building, rehabilitation of the tower building, paving of an outside car park and creation of a VVIP lounge. In addition, provisions for Immigration and Customs Services were made. The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor was a joint venture between Focal Roads Limited and CONSUL Limited. The owner's consulting engineer was BANS Consult. During the CAN 2008 African Cup of Nations, the airport serviced direct flights between Ghana and Angola, South Africa and Tunisia. • Construction of a terminal building, measuring , capable of handling 400,000 passengers annually. • Construction of a VIP lounge. • Construction of two boarding gates. • Construction of two self-service check-in kiosks. • Construction of eight check-in desks. • Construction of airline offices and commercial retail spaces. • Construction of a car park that can accommodate 330 cars. • A new 5-kilometer road network off the Tamale-Bolgatanga road was constructed to ease airport accessibility. The second phase of expansion concluded in August 2023 at a budgeted cost of US$70 million. Part of that cost, amounting to US$55.7 million, was borrowed by the Ghanaian government from the UK Export Finance. The EPC contractor was the United Kingdom subsidiary of the Brazilian multinational company Queiroz Galvão.{{Cite news| url=https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/second-phase-of-tamale-international-airport-inaugurated.html |title=Ghana now has a fully functional international airport in Tamale |date=22 August 2023 |author=Mohammed Fugu ==2016 Hajj pilgrims uplift==

In August 2016, Tamale International airport was cleared to uplift first flight of pilgrims to Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Airport in Madina in three batches of 500 passengers. Flynas air services providers were contracted to uplift the pilgrims using leased Lion Air Boeing 747-400 jets. The upgraded airport also serviced Hajj pilgrimage flights in 2022 and 2023. Tamale Airport now acts as an alternative to Accra International Airport, with the ability to handle wide-body aircraft in the event of an emergency at KIA. ==Airlines and destinations==

These data show number of passengers movements into the airport, according to the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority. ==Accidents and incidents==

• On 16 August 2013, an Antrak Air ATR 72 from Tamale to Accra made an emergency landing back at Tamale after the crew received a fire indication warning for the left engine. No injuries were reported. • On 6 October 2015, a Starbow BAe 146-300 (9G-SBB) from Accra to Tamale over ran the end of runway 23 on landing resulting in the collapse of the nose gear. There were no major injuries, but the aircraft sustained significant damage and was written off. ==Gallery==

File:The National Archives UK - CO 1069-40-48-1-001.jpg| File:Tamale_Airport_Aerial_View.jpg| ==See also==