Arrachart Airport guide

Arrachart Airport (ICAO FMNA) serves Antsiranana, the former Diego-Suarez, at the northern tip of Madagascar. It began before the Second World War as Camp Arrachart, a French military and civilian air facility, and carries the name of the aviator Ludovic Arrachart, who flew early postal routes between France and Madagascar and died in a crash in 1933. The French air force left the field in 1973.

The airport sits at 114 m above sea level on a single asphalt runway, 13/31, that measures 1,500 m. That length suits turboprops and small jets, and it limits the airport to smaller aircraft. Proposals have been made to lengthen the runway for wide-body jets, and a possible replacement site at Andrakaka, southwest of the city, has been discussed.

ADEMA (Aeroports de Madagascar) manages the airport, including air traffic services, rescue and firefighting, and ground handling. Scheduled flights link the airport with Antananarivo, Nosy-Be and Sambava on the Madagascar domestic network. Air Austral serves Saint-Denis in Reunion, and Ewa Air serves Dzaoudzi in Mayotte. Taxis wait outside the terminal for the short run into the city.