Taba International Airport: History and Facts

Nov 13, 2025 0

Taba International Airport (TCP) is located on the Sinai Plateau and serves Taba, Egypt. The airport integrates flights from and to various destinations. It is a base for airlines that operate numerous flights per day.

Location and Accessibility

Taba is a town in Egypt, located at the very top of the Gulf of Aqaba. It is known for being Egypt's busiest border crossing with Eilat, a city in Israel. Taba International Airport is conveniently located kilometers away from Taba, serving as an ideal starting point for travelers. The airport is easily accessible via various transportation options.

Historical Background

The airport was constructed by Israel in 1972 during its occupation of Sinai following the Six-Day War. Known as the Etzion Air Force Base, it was demilitarized in 1979 with the Egypt-Israel peace treaty. In February 1989, Taba was returned to Egypt after long talks and agreements.

A condition of that peace treaty allows tourists to visit certain areas in Egypt, near Taba, for up to 14 days without a visa. The airport is located 13 kilometers from Taba and 30 kilometers from Taba Heights, near El Nakb, and adjacent to Eilat, Israel. The airport was also named El Nakb Airport.

Taba used to be a small Bedouin village, so it didn't have much transportation. Now, the nearby Al Nakb Airport has been improved and is called Taba International Airport.

Facilities and Operations

Taba International Airport has an elevation of 2,470 ft. The airport primarily handles charter flights. Traffic at the airport declined considerably, but it remains an important entry point for tourists visiting the region.

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Taba Border Crossing

As part of the agreement when Taba was returned to Egypt, tourists can cross from Israel at the Taba Border Crossing. They can visit the "Aqaba Coast Area of Sinai" for up to 14 days without a visa. This area stretches from Taba to Sharm el Sheikh, including places like Nuweiba, Saint Catherine's Monastery, and Dahab.

Tourism and Nearby Attractions

About 20 kilometers south of Taba is a holiday area called Taba Heights, which has several big hotels like the Hyatt Regency and Marriott. Taba is also a great place for diving, and many people come here to learn to dive or enjoy the underwater world.

Southwest of Taba is a large protected area, covering about 3,590 square kilometers. This area has amazing natural features like caves, valleys, and mountains, as well as natural springs.

Read also: Accra Airport Guide

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Incidents

On October 7, 2004, the Hilton Taba hotel was hit by a bomb, resulting in 34 deaths, including some Israelis. In February 2014, a bus carrying tourists to Saint Catherine's Monastery exploded in Taba just before crossing into Israel, killing two South Koreans and injuring 14 others. On October 27, 2023, a drone crashed near a hospital in Taba, injuring six people.

Aviation Services

The goal of this article is to provide every traveler with all the information and facts about the airports of Egypt. All the information and details in this article have been provided by a number of expert tour operators and tour guides.

Airports in Egypt

Airports in Egypt are many, offering travelers from all over the world the chance to live the vacation of a lifetime. For most visitors to Egypt, the ideal manner for traveling is by plane as there are nine international airports in Egypt across all the major cities that also serve as the center for all the domestic flights between the sites, but there are also other ways to travel like trains, cars or Nile river cruises.

Key Airports:

Cairo International Airport (CAI): Cairo’s main international airport, serving as the primary gateway to Egypt.

Other Airports in Egypt

In the last four years, the number of foreign tourists to Egypt has increased exponentially, making it the 4th fastest-growing tourist destination in the world, as it welcomed about 18 million tourists in 2019 alone.

Egypt is the key to a number of millennia-old monuments in heavenly cities like Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, and Aswan, plus a number of majestic city resorts across the Red Sea like Hurghada and Sherm El Sheikh that makes them worthy of traveling across vast lands and seas.

Cairo International Airport is the earliest and largest airport in all of Egypt and the second busiest airport in Africa.
Capital International Airport is Egypt's main hub serving the new capital of Egypt which is located about 28 miles east of Cairo.
Sphinx International Airport was created to become more than a public airport found in Giza, near the magical Giza complex, which is located on the western side of Cairo but a magnificent marvel that offers a direct across to the mythical celestial milestones of the immortal ancient Egyptian civilization.
The primary honorable Airport of Luxor is located exactly 6 km (4 mi) east of the golden city of ancient Egyptian gods, kings, and tales.
With a history stretching back to 1956, Aswan International Airport, also known as Daraw Airport, has served as a gateway to this ancient Egyptian city for over 65 years.
The international airport of Hurghada is located 5 km (3.1 MI) southwest of Hurghada's downtown El Dahar.
One of the largest and the third busiest airports in Egypt is the Sharm El Sheik International Airport, just across the coast of the Red Sea, which is able to accommodate 10 million passengers a year.
One of the newest airports to be constructed across the Red Sea is the Marsa Alam airport, which is just 60 km north of the city resort of Marsa Alam and acts as a destination for leisure flights from Europe.
Borg El Arab International Airport is the primary gateway to Alexandria and the surrounding Nile Delta areas.
El Alamein International Airport is a marvelous gateway from the skies of Alexandria to the world it is situated in El Dabaa within the Matrouh Governorate of Egypt and serves as an international airport located on the northern coast, which is approximately 99 miles (160 kilometers) west of Alexandria.
Abu Simbel Airport is a sky portal found in the majestic southern lands of Egypt located in Abu Simbel that operates as a regional airport.
Assiut Airport is a delightful airport located in Assiut in upper Egypt that serves as a pivotal air hub in the region.
Sohag International Airport is a true gem found in southern Egypt.
El Arish International Airport is an amazing airport situated south of El Arish, which has stood as a key air hub in the region and encompasses a site spanning 400 acres (160 hectares).
Marsa Matruh International Airport stands as a significant international air facility that has accommodated 99,515 passengers since 2001.
Port Said Airport serves as the primary air gateway to the free-trade city of Port Said, which is positioned at the northern terminus of the Suez Canal.
Kharga Airport is a local airport that was established in the New Valley Governorate in 1962 by the Desert Development Authority on an approximate area of about 850 acres.
Tur Sinai Airport was established in 1949 with the purpose of serving pilgrims to the Holy Kaaba, where health quarantine procedures were carried out for those arriving from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.