It’s always nice to remember past and calmer times, and on the Ex Yu Aviation News Facebook page, a photo of the Sarajevo airport taken in the 1980s has been published.
The airport then looked much different than it does today, decorated in a typical style for that period.
The 80s were significant for the development of the Sarajevo airport and civil air traffic.
Namely, with Sarajevo’s candidacy for the 1984 Winter Olympics (ZOI ’84), there was a need to expand the basic capacities of the Airport: the extension of the existing runway, the construction of a new parallel taxiway, a new terminal and an Air Traffic Control Service facility with a new control tower.
At the same time, opportunities are being sought to install new R/NAV equipment, in order to reduce operational minimums for aircraft operations and thereby increase the frequency of landing and takeoff procedures. This demanding idea was turned into reality before the start of ZOI ’84. The runway was extended by 150 m. A new taxiway and an expanded operational platform have been completed. Complete new runway, approach and taxiway lighting was installed, planned R/NAV assets were procured (three VORs and a new ILS), and finally a new highly functional airport terminal building was built.
The terminal building got all the facilities that are common at international airports. This makes Sarajevo Airport one of the most equipped airports in this part of Europe. Technologically and in terms of personnel, it was fully ready to welcome the start of the Games.
During the Games and just before the start, the traffic was intensified, so that between 50 and 70 air operations were performed daily.
By the beginning of the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), traffic was increasing. The local charter airline AIR COMMERCE made a special contribution in this regard, which transported more than 40,000 passengers from October 1991 to March 1992.
The aggression officially begins in a way with the occupation of the Sarajevo airport, which is occupied by a unit of the former Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA). In the night between April 4thand 5th, 1992, the JNA — members of the Air Force Academy from Rajlovac — occupied the Airport and held it in their hands until mid-June. They then handed it over to Serbian paramilitary units, who, upon taking over the Airport, began general looting and destruction of equipment, radio navigation devices and everything else that could not be transported to Belgrade and territories under Serbian control.
A sad period begins. Any civil flights are completely suspended.
Since April 1996, part of the Airport has been managed by the civil authorities of BiH. From that moment on, the struggle to return Sarajevo Airport to its true function — civil aviation — began. Part of the used equipment was donated to the Airport, the sorting room was repaired and turned into an improvised terminal. After a short training in Turkey, the workers take their long-awaited jobs.
Sarajevo Airport opened on August 15th, 1996 for civilian traffic. That event meant the realization of the greatest dream of all employees.
Immediately after the opening of the Airport, Croatia Airlines established a connection between Sarajevo and Zagreb, and the Turkish company Top Air established a connection between Sarajevo and Istanbul. By the end of that year, Sarajevo Airport had a turnover of 26,000 passengers and was the only civil aviation airport in BiH. All maneuvering areas, technical facilities of the airport and the air traffic control facility with the control tower are being renovated.
Today, the airport has about 400 employees and a turnover of more than 600,000 passengers per year, with more than 7,000 air operations and the transport of more than two million kilograms of cargo, Klix.ba reports.
E.Dz.
