Alula Aba Nega Airport
Alula Aba Nega Airport , also known as Mekelle Airport, is an airport serving Mekelle, the capital city of the Tigray Region in northern Ethiopia. The airport is located southeast of the city. History. This airport was built in the late 1990s to replace an older one located from Mekelle. The airport was named after the famous Ethiopian military leader Ras Alula, also known as Alula Aba Nega (Nega was his favorite horse, following the custom of using "Abba" plus attaching the horse's name to that of a well-known warrior's first name). He is  well known for his battles against Italy, the Ottoman Turks, Egypt and the Battle of Adwa. When the airport first opened, it had one unpaved runway long, with 21 flights to Addis Ababa, 4 to Shire and 2 to Humera. Facilities. The airport has an elevation of above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 11/29 with an asphalt surface measuring . Incidents. On 22 August 1982, Douglas DC-3 ET-AHP of Ethiopian Airlines was damaged beyond repair in a take-off accident.