Sarajevo International Airport

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
Sarajevo International Airport
IATA: SJJ - ICAO: LQSA
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Bosnia and Herzegovina Directorate of Civil Aviation (BHDCA)
Serves Sarajevo
Elevation AMSL 1,708 ft (521 m)
Coordinates 43°49′29″N, 18°19′53″E
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
12/30 8,666 2,641 Asphalt


Sarajevo International Airport (IATA: SJJ, ICAO: LQSA) is the main international airport in Bosnia and Herzegovina, located just a few kilometers southwest of the capital city of Sarajevo.

Since the Dayton Accord in 1996, the airport has welcomed a thriving commercial flight business which includes B&H Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Alitalia, Lufthansa, Jat Airways, Croatia Airlines, Turkish Airlines and others. In 2004, 397,000 passengers traveled through Sarajevo airport, compared to only 25,000 in 1996. [1]

In 2005 the European branch of the Airports Council International awarded Sarajevo the award of best airport under 1 million passengers. [2]


Contents

[edit] History

Construction of the airport began in 1966 after the need for a bigger airport was recognized. Initially the location was proposed to be in Sokolac some 35km away but the, decision was made to build the airport in Sarajevo at the location of a smaller airfield. The airport was then known as Sarajevo-Ilidža Airport opened on June 2, 1969. In 1970 Frankfurt became the first international destination served. During this period the airport was still a 'feeder' airport where passengers embarked for flights to Zagreb and Belgrade on their way to international destinations. During this period between 70,000-100,000 passengers passed through each year.

The first expansion came for the 1984 Winter Olympic Games, when the runway was extended by 200 meters and several adjustments were made.

During the 1992-1995 Bosnian War the airport was under UN control which used it to fly in humantiarian aid when the besieging Serbs permitted it. The airport sustained heavy damage during the war and saw its share of tragedies. The only way to leave the city was to cross the airport runway and reach government territory on the other side. Around 800 people were killed in the attempt by Serb gunners on three sides of the airport, until a tunnel was dug under the runway.

Since the end of the war the airport has been renovated and slowly returned to its former glory. On 18th October 2005, Paddy Ashdown, the High Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina suspended a decision by Bosnian authorities to name the Airport after Alija Izetbegovic, the first President of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Citing his reasons, the High Representative stated that such a renaming might undermine the reconciliation process by alienating non-Bosniak citizens[1].

An aerial view of Sarajevo International Airport
An aerial view of Sarajevo International Airport

[edit] News

Scandjet to Sarajevo.

Scandjet fly from 17 june to 19 august 1x weekly from Gothenburg it takes 2t 30m, Scandjet fly a MD-80 from flynordic. More info on Scandjet homepage [2]


B&H Airlines to Skopje

B&H Airlines flys to Skopje on Mondays and Wednesdays at 21:00. The flight arrives at Sarajevo the next morning at 09:15. The flight is operated with an AT 72.


[edit] Airlines and destinations

Charter Summer 2007

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Statatistic data for Sarajevo Airport
  2. ^ Excellence in airport operations: 1st ACI Europe Best Airport Awards, 29 June 2005.


Airports in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Banja Luka International Airport | Mostar International Airport | Sarajevo International Airport | Tuzla International Airport
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../s/a/r/Sarajevo_International_Airport_39b2.html"
In other languages