Dhahran International Airport
| King Abdulaziz Air Base | |||||||||
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قاعدة الملك عبد العزيز الجوية |
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| Dhahran, Eastern Province in Saudi Arabia | |||||||||
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 King Abdulaziz Air Base
Shown within Saudi Arabia
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| Coordinates | 26°15′45.2″N 50°09′11.0″E / 26.262556°N 50.153056°ECoordinates: 26°15′45.2″N 50°09′11.0″E / 26.262556°N 50.153056°E | ||||||||
| Type | Airfield | ||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||
| Owner | Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia | ||||||||
| Operator | Royal Saudi Air Force | ||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||
| Built | 1961 | ||||||||
| In use | 1961-1999 1991-present |
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| Garrison information | |||||||||
| Garrison | RSAF Wings 3 & 11 | ||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: DHA, ICAO: OEDR | ||||||||
| Elevation | 84 feet (26 m) AMSL | ||||||||
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King Abdulaziz Air Base (IATA: DHA, ICAO: OEDR), formerly Dhahran International Airport and Dhahran Airfield is a Royal Saudi Air Force Air Base located in Dhahran in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. It's the first airport ever built in Saudi Arabian soil. It was operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1945 until 1962. After use by the USAF, Dhahran Airfield became Dhahran International Airport, as well as the co-located King Abdulaziz Air Base of the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF). The military relationship that exists today between the United States and Saudi Arabia was highly influenced by the origin and development of this airfield. The base is close to other major cities in the area including Al-Thuqbah (5 km to the east), Khobar (5 km to the southeast), and Dammam (25 km to the northwest).
During World War II, the Persian Gulf and Arabian Peninsula were important staging and shipping routes for the U.S. to provide both lend-lease assistance to the Soviet Union, as well as supply the allied forces fighting the Imperial Japanese forces in Asia.
Owing to Saudi Arabia’s importance, primarily its location, in 1943 the US extended lend-lease status to Saudi Arabia, one of only three Arab countries to receive this aid. In 1944, the U.S. War Department (renamed in 1949 the United States Department of Defense) proposed building an airbase in or near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
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Wikipedia