Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport
| Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport Letališče Edvarda Rusjana Maribor | |||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Owner | SHS Aviation | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | Aerodrom Maribor, LLC | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Maribor, Slovenia | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Hoče–Slivnica | ||||||||||||||
| Hub for | VLM Airlines Slovenia (begins August 2017) | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 267 m / 876 ft | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 46°28′47″N 015°41′10″E / 46.47972°N 15.68611°ECoordinates: 46°28′47″N 015°41′10″E / 46.47972°N 15.68611°E | ||||||||||||||
| Website | maribor-airport.si | ||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||
  MBX Location of the airport in Slovenia | |||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2016) | |||||||||||||||
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Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport (Slovene: Letališče Edvarda Rusjana Maribor) (IATA: MBX, ICAO: LJMB) is an international airport in Maribor, Slovenia. The second biggest and second most important Slovenian airport was opened in May 1976. It is located in Hoče–Slivnica which is about 10 km (6.2 mi) south from Maribor.[1] In 2008 airport was renamed after the Slovene pioneer aviator Edvard Rusjan. In recent years this airport has become a pilot flight training centre for many European airlines. The owner of the airport is SHS Aviation.
History
The airport was opened in May 1976. Since then this airport has been the second biggest and the second most important in Slovenia.
When Slovenia was a part of Yugoslavia, the airport was regularly served by state airline Jat Airways, mainly connecting Belgrade and the Croatian Adriatic coast.
In the early 1990s passengers and cargo traffic reached record highs. Around 85,000 passengers and 700 tonnes of cargo were carried per year. In 1999 its runway was renovated, as was the airport's apron in 2000.
In 2002 Aerodrome Maribor llc was sold to Prevent Global plc from Slovenj Gradec, as a majority owner. In 2005 the instrument landing system ILS CAT I and the distribution transformer station were renovated. Airport was later served with scheduled flights by Slovenian Spirit, an arm of Styrian Spirit, which offered scheduled flights to Paris and Salzburg until March 2006. Styrian Spirit ended operations due to insolvency.
On 8 March 2007 Ryanair announced that it would commence service between London-Stansted and Maribor in June 2007, three times weekly. The expectations from this service included an increase in tourist exploration of the region, which has great potential for all-year-round offerings. The service started on 7 June 2007, but ended 27 March 2008. On 22 February 2008, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia decided to rename the Maribor Airport as Maribor Edvard Rusjan Maribor. The renaming was made as a result of a suggestion of a Slovene citizen, Silvo Škornik. The airport's new name has been in use since 15 June 2008.
The airport's new terminal, which cost some 15 million Euros opened on 21 November 2012.,[3] with a capacity is at least 600,000 pax/year. In 2013 its old terminal was renovated and Prevent Global plc sold Aerodrom Maribor llc to AvioFun Ltd, an aviation company based in Libeliče.[4] The total number of passengers in 2013 was 15,000, an increase on the previous year.[5]
In October 2014 Delavska hranilnica plc bought the airport for 1 million € and became the co-owner of the airport. Delavska hranilnica plc had a 57% share and AvioFun Ltd with 43% share of the company.[6]
During summer 2015 Adria Airways operated a seasonal service to London using London-Southend Airport between June and October with 3 flights per week.[7][8]
On 9 June 2015 Slovenian savings bank Delavska hranilnica plc bought the remaining 43% share from AvionFun Ltd and became the sole owner of this airport.[9]
In December of 2016, Aerodrom Maribor, the operator of the airport, was sold to SHS Aviation. The new owner, which also owns VLM Airlines announced it's plans to invest up to 300 millions euros into the airport. SHS Aviation's main priorities are extending the runway, building a new terminal and launching flights to large European as well as a few Chinese cities.[10]
In July of 2017 SHS Aviation announced two new scheduled destinations from Maribor. The first one being Split and the second one Dubrovnik, both in Croatia. The flights are set to begin on the 8th of August 2017.[11]
Airlines and destinations
The listed airlines provide scheduled and charter flights in and out of Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport:
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aegean Airlines | Seasonal charter: Heraklion, Corfu |
| Air Malta | Seasonal charter: Malta |
| Bravo Airways | Seasonal charter: Kharkiv |
| Freebird Airlines | Seasonal charter: Antalya |
| VLM Airlines Slovenia | Seasonal: Dubrovnik, Split |
| Windrose Airlines | Seasonal charter: Dnipropetrovsk |
Statistics
| Year | Passengers | Growth | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 6,215 | - | ||||
| 2005 | 16,046 |  158% | ||||
| 2006 | 12,452 |  22% | ||||
| 2007 | 25,000 | 101% | ||||
| 2008 | 17,000 | 47% | ||||
| 2009 | 5,000 | 240% | ||||
| 2010 | 9,000 | 80% | ||||
| 2011 | 6,000 | 33% | ||||
| 2012 | 6,500 | 8% | ||||
| 2013 | 14,065 | 116% | ||||
| 2014 | 17,568 | 25% | ||||
| 2015 | 24,886 | 42% | ||||
| 2016 | 8,890 | 64% | ||||
| Source: Siol[12] | ||||||
Access
Maribor Airport, which is close to the A1 and right next to the A4 motorway, is easily accessed by road. There are car hire firms based at the airport. Other cities near the airport are: Ljubljana (120 km), Graz (77 km) and Zagreb (107 km) away. It is also easily accessible by rail from all directions.
References
- 1 2 EAD Basic
- ↑ Airport information for Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport at Search (for) Travel website.
- ↑ "New terminal was opened at Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport". Delo. 21 November 2012.
- ↑ "Aviofun plačal celotno kupnino za mariborsko letališče". 24ur. 14 August 2014.
- ↑ "As of 2016, only charter flights operate from Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport only". žurnal24. 30 March 2014.
- ↑ "Delavska hranilnica became new co-owner of Aerodrom Maribor with 57% share". siol.net. 27 October 2014.
- ↑ "First London route to Maribor to take-off from London-Southend airport". brera-london.com. 19 March 2015.
- ↑ "Since today three times per week from Maribor to London with Adria Airways". siol.net. 1 June 2015.
- ↑ "Delavska hranilnica is now 100 percent owned by Delavska hranilnica". Večer. 10 June 2015.
- ↑ "Kitajci čez Maribor v Evropo". vecer.com. Večer. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- ↑ "VLM Airlines Slovenia to launch next month". exyuaviation.com. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- ↑ "Za večino letališč v regiji lansko leto izjemno uspešno". Siol.net. Siol. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
External links
Media related to Maribor Airport at Wikimedia Commons