Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport

Encyclopedia : B : BE : BEL : Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport

{| class="infobox bordered" style="width: 220px; font-size: 95%;" |- ! colspan="4" style="text-align: center; background-color: #4682B4; color: white;" |Belgrade - Nikola Tesla Airport
(Аеродром Београд - Никола Тесла) |- |align="center" colspan="4"|

Belgrade - Nikola Tesla Airport (Serbian, Аеродром Београд - Никола Тесла / Aerodrom Beograd - Nikola Tesla) is Serbia's busiest airport, also known as Surčin (Сурчин), after a nearby Belgrade suburb.

Nikola Tesla Airport is situated 12 kilometers west of central Belgrade, in Belgrade's Municipality of Surčin, surrounded by Vojvodina's fertile lowlands. Passengers on the right hand side of the planes descending from the east have a spectacular view of downtown Belgrade, especially districts of Čukarica and Novi Beograd. Weather seldom diverts aircraft, however, when landing in Belgrade is unsafe, the planes are diverted to Niš, which is 230 km southward. Belgrade Airport has 2 terminals with a reconstructed terminal 2 opened on May 14, 2006.

The international and domestic terminal is terminal 2 (departures and arrivals) offering the latest in modern technology, security and comfort and has a capacity of 5 million passengers. Domestic flights were previously handled by Terminal 1. Terminal 1 is now closed and is about to be renovated.

National flag carrier Jat Airways and low cost airline Centavia use Belgrade Nikola Tesla as their hub airport. VIP airlines Air Pink and Prince Aviation are also based in Belgrade, while new airline Master Airways also calls Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport its home.

Contents

News

Construction

Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport will construct the largest cargo terminal in Eastern Europe. Company DynCorp International will carry out the works. Construction of the cargo terminal cost has apparently gone up from the originally reported 60-80 million euro to 250 million euro. Construction will start in July of 2006.

The Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport VIP lounge in Terminal 2

Millionth passenger for 2006

After only half a year, on July 7 2006, the millionth passenger passed through Belgrade Airport – a boy by name Tean Pavao, who came with his parents from Montenegro and went through Belgrade "Nikola Tesla" Airport to Dusseldorf.

At Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport there is an average of 144 aircraft movements daily, which is by 7% more than in 2005. More than 8,500 passengers each day use services of Belgrade Airport. Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport expects even greater number of flights, as two new airlines start to operate in September. In addition to this, the 2006 summer season has seen an increase in charter flights at the airport.

Nikola Tesla Monument

On July 10, 2006 to mark 150 years since the birth of Serbian scientist Nikola Tesla a monument has been erected near Terminal 1 of Belgrade Airport (now known as Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport). The monument is 3,10 metres high and 1,000 kilograms heavy.

Low-cost carriers arrival

From September 2006, low cost airlines will start their operations from Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. Up to now, Germanwings and Centavia confirmed thier service, and Wizzair is romoured to do the same. However, the number of LLC flying to Belgrade is expected to increase in the next few months due to Open Skies Agreement (that will take place in January 2007) and increasing popularity of Belgrade as a tourist destination.

Terminals

Terminal 1

Terminal 1 is a smaller older terminal that went through minor renovation in December 2002. The terminal is closed as of Monday the 10th of July so it can be reconstructed and modern equipment can be added. The old equipment from the terminal will be relocated to Bor Airport in Serbia. All arrivals and departures are now at Terminal 2.

Terminal 2

After 2 years of renovation terminal two (T2) opened in Serbia’s capital Belgrade in May 2006. The airport has a capacity of 5 million passengers and is equipped with gates that can handle the Airbus A380. Terminal 2 has 33 check in desks and the latest security technology. Terminal 2 is now the airport's main terminal and is the place that all airlines will land and depart (as Terminal 1 goes under reconstruction). Image:t2-0.jpg| Image:t2-1.jpg| Image:t2-3.jpg| Image:t2-11.jpg|

Airlines & Destinations

The following scheduled passenger airlines use Nikola Tesla Airport (as of July 2006):

Aeroflot (Moscow-Sheremetyevo)
Aerosvit Airlines (Kyiv Boryspil)
Air France (Paris-Charles de Gaulle)
Alitalia (Milan-Malpensa)
Austrian Airlines (Vienna)

Lufthansa coming to a stop at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport

Aviogenex (Bergamo, Khartoum)
British Airways (London-Heathrow)
Centavia (Bodrum, Corfu, Dalaman, Kavala, Sharm El Sheikh)
Czech Airlines (Prague)
Gazpromavia (Moscow-Vnukovo, Sochi)
Germanwings (Cologne)¹
Jat Airways (Amsterdam, Antalya, Athens, Beirut², Berlin-Tegel, Bodrum, Brussels, Cairo, Copenhagen, Corfu, Dubai, Dubrovnik, Dalaman-Marmaris-Fethiye, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Gothenburg, Heraklion, Hurghada, Istanbul, Kavala-Thassos, Larnaca, Lefkada-Preveza-Aktion, Ljubljana, London-Heathrow, Malta, Moscow-Sheremetyevo, Monastir, Munich, Ohrid, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Podgorica, Prague, Rhodes, Rome-Fiumicino, Sarajevo, Sharm El Sheikh, Skiathos, Skopje, Split, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Tel Aviv, Thessaloniki, Tirana, Tivat, Trieste, Tripoli, Tunis, Vienna, Zakynthos, Zürich)
Lufthansa (Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich)
Montenegro Airlines (Antalya, Bodrum, Chania Souda, Corfu, Heraklion, Ippokratis-Kos, Ohrid, Podgorica, Rhodes, Thira-Santorini, Tivat, Zürich)
Olympic Airlines (Athens)
Swiss International Air Lines (Zürich)
Tunisair (Djerba, Monastir)
Turkish Airlines (Istanbul)

¹ Service commences September 2nd 2006

² Service suspended due to Israeli-Lebanese conflict

Ground Transportation

By car

Belgrade Airport is connected to Belgrade - Zagreb highway (E-70) via nearby interchange. For southwestern parts of Belgrade, such as Železnik, Sremčica or Obrenovac, or if final destination is western Serbia, travellers should take Zagreb exit and just two kilometers from the airport another turn to Obrenovac which will lead over newly built bridge over Sava river. All other directions should head towards Belgrade - just before entering the city, travellers to Vojvodina should take Novi Sad exit. Drive from the airport to central Belgrade shouldn't take more than 20 minutes. The speed limit on this section of motorway is only 80km/h.

There are numerous car rental agencies on duty at Arrivals Hall at the airport. Prices are just above European average. Most cars have manual transmissions.

By bus

Entrance to Terminal 1

[Lasta] coaches depart every hour on the hour, from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Slavija Sq in downtown Belgrade, via Belgrade Central Railway St, Fontana Sq and finally arrive at Belgrade Airport, and vice versa. Fare is 120 din.

[GSP], Belgrade Public Transport Co, maintains a scheduled service to the airport with its line no. 72. Ride to central New Belgrade will take around 45 minutes and cost 65 din.

Charter minivan transfers: Beo Di Rent (+381 11 3238 884), Inter City Express (+381 11 3241 282)

By taxi

Taxi fare to central Belgrade should be around 600 din. Using taxi services for destinations outside metropolitan Belgrade is unwise, as prices are unreasonably high. All licensed taxi drivers have badge and oval blue licence plate with serial number, as well as city of Belgrade Coat of Arms displayed on the roof.

Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport has a problem with the so-called "Taxi Mafia": unlicensed cabbies who hang around the International Arrivals exits to tout for business of uninformed tourists going into the city centre. They typically charge about 2000 dinars (€23), which is three times the normal metered fare of 600 dinars (€7).

These touts can be avoided by walking over to Domestic Departures and hailing one of the many taxis dropping people off.

For further information on travel options to and from the airport, see the [Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport website]

History

Belgrade's first international airport was opened in March 1927 and it was in the place of today's Novi Beograd and also known as Dojno Polje Airport. From February 1928 planes of the first local company "Aeroput" started to take off from a new airport. Airport had four grassy runways which were between 1,100 and 2,900 meters long. A modern terminal building was built in 1931, and in 1936 equipment for poor visibility landing was built in.

Besides Aeroput, Air France, Lufthansa, KLM, British Airways and companies from Italy, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Poland also used the airport until the Second World War. Starting from April 1941 German occupation forces used this airport. During 1944 the Allies bombed it, and in October of same year German army destroyed remaining facilities while retreating.

Belgrade Airport after WW2

After reconstruction of the ruined facilities and installation was completed, from October 1944 until the end of the 1945 airport was used for the Soviet and the Yugoslav aviation war operations as well as for transport of the wounded.

Civil transport by the Air Force cargo planes via this airport was renewed at the end of 1945. At the beginning 1947 companies JAT and JUSTA took over domestic and international traffic, and from 1948 the first Western companies' planes started to land on this airport.

Constant traffic increase and passenger jet planes appearance demanded significant airport enlargement. In the meantime there was a plan to build New Belgrade settlement on this location, and so it was decided that a new international airport should be constructed near Surčin village. Last flight from the old airport was at the beginning of 1964.

Construction of a new airport

Opening of the newly constructed Belgrade Airport by President Josip Broz Tito in 1962

During the first years of the development of postwar Belgrade, construction of the modern airport became a social and economic priority. Basic studies and engineering research started in 1947, and became part of the 1950 General City Plan. This document of undeniable historic importance for Belgrade clearly defined the future or air traffic and the role of Belgrade's Airport within the Yugoslav and the international air network.

The new location for the airport was on the Surcin plateau 12 kilometers from Belgrade's city centre. Thanks to the original planners' vision, two important preconditions for the airport development were fulfilled: a suitable location was chosen, which met all the navigational, meteorological, construction, technical, and traffic requirements; and the special needs for the airport's long-term development were established.

The Serbia City Planning Bureau experts, with the architect Nikola Dobrović at the helm, made the preliminary plans for the new airport. The development and realization of the idea was taken over from 1953 onwards by the Civil Aviation Department (later Federal Department for Civil Aviation) whose experts, with engineer Miloš Lukić as a team leader, finished the general airport plan for one runway, appropriate taxiways, and a terminal complex in 1957. Building of the new airport started in April 1958 and lasted till April 28, 1962, when it was officially opened by President Josip Broz Tito.

During that period a 3,000 meter long runway was built with the parallel taxiway and appropriate concrete aprons for sixteen planes. The passenger terminal building occupied an area of 8,000 square meters. Cargo storage was also built as well as a technical block with the air traffic control tower and other accompanying facilities. Modern navigational equipment was installed, so earning the airport the highest international classification according to the International Civil Aviation Organisation [link].

Runway Upgrade to CAT IIIb

The runway is now CAT IIIb, upgraded in October 2005, as part of a large renovation project. CAT IIIb is the latest runway system giving aircraft the security of landing during fog and storms.

New name - Nikola Tesla

A countrywide petition was signed on changing the name of the airport to Belgrade Nikola Tesla International Airport. Nikola Tesla was a Serbian inventor, physicist, mechanical engineer and electrical engineer of profound genius. The proposal was accepted by Aerodrom Beograd P.E., state-owned airport authority, and received approval by Ministry of Capital Investment, and finally Serbian Government on February 2, 2006. [link]

Sources

() ["Novo ime aerodroma - Nikola Tesla"], B92, January 27, 2006
() ["Aerodrom menja ime u „Nikola Tesla“"], B92, February 2, 2006
() [Otvoren "Terminal 2" na aerodromu u Beogradu], MTSMondo, May 14, 2006

External links

{| class="toccolours" style="margin: 0.5em auto;clear:both;text-align:center;" align="center" |- | width="0"|

! bgcolor="lightsteelblue" | Inetrnational Airports in Serbia | width="0"|

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.