Melilla Airport
About Melilla
Melilla has been an outpost of Spain for centuries,
because of its location on the peninsula of Tres Forcas on Africa's
Mediterranean coast. In ancient times Melilla was occupied by
Phoenicians and Carthaginians before it was integrated into the
Roman Empire in the first century. When the Moors conquered Spain,
Melilla became part of the Caliphate of Cordoba and later reverted
to the kingdom of Fez.
Melilla declined in the Middle Ages and became a refuge for pirates,
until it was conquered by the Catholic Kings at the end of the
fifteenth century. It has remained Spanish ever since. Subsequent
monarchs repopulated and fortified the city, and in the eighteenth
century Melilla was further secured by numerous fortresses that
still ring the city.
About Melilla Airport
Melilla Airport is three kilometres southwest of
the autonomous city, due to its privileged location, is the gateway
to Africa, the continent that is the current focus of all the
attention of the business and tourist sectors. Its air, sea and
land communications make it a potential operations base for those
who seek the commercial benefits of the African market without
abandoning EU territory, and tourists who are travelling to Morocco
and wish to stay the night in a European city.
During 2005 the airport handled 271,590 passengers, 9,295 flight
operations and 323,2 tonnes of cargo traffic.
http://www.aena.es
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