Djerba–Zarzis International Airport (French:Aéroport international de Djerba-Zarzis,Arabic:مطار جربة جرجيس الدولي) (IATA:DJE,ICAO:DTTJ) is aninternational airport serving the island ofDjerba in Tunisia.[5] The airport was enlarged and named Djerba Zarzis International Airport in 1970.[6] However, the airport dates to 1950 (initially named Djerba Mellita airport). Today, it is an important destination for seasonal leisure flights.
On 6 August 2005,Tuninter Flight 1153, aTuninterATR-72 en route from Bari toDjerba, Tunisia, ditched into theMediterranean Sea about 18 miles from the city ofPalermo. 16 of the 39 people on board died. The accident resulted from enginefuel starvation that resulted from the installation of the wrong fuel quantity indicator. The fuel quantity indicator installed had been calibrated for the smallerATR-42 aircraft and showed significantly more fuel than was actually in the tank of the larger ATR 72. When the aircraft ran out of fuel, the indicator still showed 1800 kilograms of fuel remaining, thus confusing the crew for several minutes. Both engines stopped and the crew was forced to ditch the airliner in the sea.[26]
The airport was a stopover forAir Berlin chartered flight AB7377, which was involved in a bomb scare. During loading atHosea Kutako International Airport in Namibia, a suitcase was discovered that contained a clock, batteries and a firing mechanism. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the object was part of a test to assess the quality of airport screening procedures. TheA330-200 aircraft was examined with an explosives sniffer dog, before it was allowed to fly toMunich Airport, via a stopover in Djerba.[27]
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