# El Arish International Airport (AAC)

> El Arish, EG · IATA: AAC · ICAO: HEAR · Medium Airport · Cargo Hub

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IATA | `AAC` |
| ICAO | `HEAR` |
| City | El Arish |
| Country | EG |
| Type | Medium Airport |
| Elevation | 36 m |
| Cargo | ✅ |
| GPS | 31.07857, 33.83679 |

## Description

Few medium-sized airports have been repurposed as abruptly as El Arish (AAC/HEAR), which has taken in more than 1,100 relief flights since October 2023 and now works as the main air staging point for aid bound for the Gaza Strip rather than as a commercial freight station. Egypt formally designated the North Sinai field, about 45 kilometres from the Rafah crossing, on 12 October 2023, and Gulf states, Arab neighbours and international organisations have flown in food, shelter kits, medicines and medical equipment ever since. One Emirati flight alone delivered around 100 tonnes in July 2026, and in August 2026 Dubai Humanitarian opened a dedicated air bridge through AAC for WHO medical supplies. Consignments are broken down on the apron and trucked onward via Rafah and Kerem Shalom, where convoys regularly back up by several thousand vehicles at the control points. Ordinary forwarder cargo barely touches the airport: scheduled freight for Egypt moves through Cairo International (CAI), with Borj El Arab in Alexandria (HBE) covering the north and the canal zone. Dual civil-military use remains the decisive constraint, since charter and overflight permits typically need several weeks' lead time, which rules out short-notice cargo charters.

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*Freight Academy — Airport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/el-arish-international-airport-aac](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/el-arish-international-airport-aac)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/el-arish-international-airport-aac](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/el-arish-international-airport-aac)*

*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/airports/el-arish-international-airport-aac/llm-summary*