Merowe Airport is considered one of the largest projects accompanying the construction of the Merowe Dam. It is located in the Northern State, east of "Merowe City," about two kilometers from the old airport, and overlooks the North Highway, which connects Merowe City to the dam structure. It is an important piece of infrastructure for the Merowe Dam and is one of the modern airports in Sudan. It is classified as a link between African, Gulf, and European countries, provides refueling for aircraft, and contributes to tourism revitalization in Sudan, having been designed to accommodate the landing and takeoff of large aircraft. Preliminary studies for the project began in 1993, and it was designed using the latest global technological systems. The airport's runway is approximately 4 kilometers long and 60 meters wide, while the total area of the airport is 18 square kilometers, measuring 6 kilometers in length and 3 kilometers in width.
The city of Merowe represents a significant security and strategic weight, housing both a military and a civilian airport, as well as an airbase. Its airport covers air operations in northern, eastern, and western Sudan and serves as an alternative supporting airbase for other military bases in Sudan and the primary military airport in Khartoum. The airbase in Merowe hosted military training and joint air maneuvers between the Sudanese and Egyptian armies in March 2021. These maneuvers sparked widespread controversy and were classified as a message to Ethiopia amid its disputes with Sudan and Egypt over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. However, military leaders in Sudan emphasized that these exercises were routine and did not represent a movement against any party.
Discussion about the airport intensified on Sunday as clashes occurred in its vicinity due to the presence of around 100 military personnel and officers from the Egyptian and Sudanese armies. The latter announced that they were refraining from attacking Rapid Support Forces out of concern for the lives of captives.
