Director of the Public Enterprise “Aerodrom Bihać” Anel Hadžić points out that the construction of that airport is a strategic project of exceptional importance, not only for the City of Bihać, but also for the whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In an interview with Fena news agency, Hadžić presented key information about the current status of the project, talking about the phases of the project’s implementation. Through a detailed review, he discovered the planned activities that are necessary for the final realization of that project.
Hadžić was appointed to the position of director of JP “Aerodrom Bihać” at the end of 2021. Until then, he worked in the private sector for 17 years. He graduated from the Faculty of Traffic and Communications of the University of Sarajevo in 2002, and then in 2016 he obtained a master’s degree and became a master of traffic and communication.
He is a native of Bihać and through his work on that project he wanted to contribute to the realization of that large and demanding strategic project, both for Bihać and for the entire Una-Sana canton, including the region.
Hadžić reminds that JP “Aerodrom Bihać” was founded at the end of 2015, and from then until 2020, active work was being done on the airport construction project, and then the coronavirus pandemic appeared and everything stopped, so that at the end of 2021, things would start to rise again path.
The project was conceived at the location of the former sports airport in the Golubić settlement in Bihac, which was also defined in some secondary archive material of the former Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) as an auxiliary airport, which made Golubić a good solution.
On the basis of pre-war documents, the main conceptual project was designed, which includes a runway length of 2,450 meters and a large passenger terminal, a heliport, an energy block, a technical block, a new access road and a new bridge over the Una River that would connect the future airport and infrastructure at the mentioned location.
On the trail of that, the documents that started the implementation of the project, namely the initial feasibility study, were obtained, the environmental permit was obtained, certain other procedures were carried out when asked about the project documentation, and a request was sent to the competent authorities for the additional documentation that is necessary to obtain it. and building permit.
“At the same time, the City Council of the City of Bihać, at one of its sessions, at the beginning of 2018, declared that location a location of importance for the public interest on a total area of 1,300,000 square meters where, in addition to the largest cadastral plot that was owned at the time “In the city of Bihać, there were still 524 cadastral parcels detected that are in the possession of natural persons. It is a large area with many owners and co-owners, and the process of resolving property relations is very complex and demanding,” explains Hadžić.
He adds that during the year 2022, an aeronautical study was done that showed what type of airport complex is possible at that location, which approach plane can be from the north and south, and in how many phases the project can be realized.
In 2022, the State Agency for Civil Aviation sent a letter to JP “Aerodrom Bihać” in which it was explained that approval can only be obtained by sending a conceptual project that has elements of an aeronautical study, to supplement the diagram of maneuvering areas, to submit an environmental permit and to prepare a report on fire protection. Those are the four key documents that had to be sent in order to get approval for the project.
For this reason, the process of creating an aeronautical study was started and it was accepted by the State Agency for Civil Aviation. On the basis of that study, data was obtained that it is possible to build an airport complex on that site, but that the axis of the runway, as it is now designed, must be rotated one degree to the north towards Bosanska Krupa, in order to avoid the foot of the Plješevica mountain in the depths of the Republic of Croatia due to safety obstacles and that it can be built while maintaining code 4 as the highest code in the classes of the airport complex, with the fact that it can be either 4C or 4D. These are the largest classes except for 4E, which belongs to larger commercial airports.
“After the approval of the aeronautical study by BHDCA, the purchase of land began, and from August 1, 2022 to December 31, 660,000 m2 were purchased, 260,000 construction and 400,000 m2 of agricultural land, which is about 78 percent of the first phase of land, there is still more to be purchased. 190,000 m2, about 22 percent, which is also agricultural, which, in accordance with the law, must also be converted into construction land. The value of the property in the land is 13.7 million BAM. We do everything transparently, and that’s why we opened a special account in the same bank where and the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has a giro account, so that the flow of money can be seen at any moment. We also have a sub-account for construction works, i.e. elaborations and a sub-account for material costs, i.e. the work of the company. We have prepared 26 documents that are used in the process of obtaining planning permission. Other is to do three more studies – energy efficiency study, fire protection study, energy waste management study home and for the designer to complete conceptual projects related to the construction of mechanical, electrical and hydro installations. Some things have already been done before the consent itself, and some things must be completed, and I expect that to be completed by the end of January,” says Hadžić.
At the end of December 2023, the Ministry of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina approved the conceptual design of the Bihać International Airport in order to obtain urban planning approval from the Ministry of Spatial Planning of the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The mentioned project was created by the company Euroing d.o.o. Bihać in November 2023 and consists of a civil engineering and architecture project.
It is expected that the Federal Ministry of Spatial Planning will soon issue an urban planning permit, which is very important for the first phase of construction, which is also the most demanding. This is the preparatory phase and includes the completion of property and legal affairs, project documentation and building permits.
Director Hadžić emphasizes that the road to that is long and complex, and that it requires the coordination and subordination of all who are involved in the project realization process through the levels, not only JP “Aerodrom Bihać”.
“The second phase is the construction phase. This is the moment when the contractor is introduced to the potential location. This infrastructure can be built within 30 months without any problems with the condition of timely financing. The third phase is the handover phase, i.e. the granting of a use permit for these facilities and that process lasts a maximum of 60 days. When we finish this preparatory phase, which is the most demanding, then we will talk about the implementation of the second and third phases. It is very difficult to talk about time frames. However, the goal of JP “Aerodrom” through the three-year business plan that we had at the Supervisory to the board and the assembly of the company, and which will soon be at the city council, is that 2027 should be the year when this project should be completed and when the conditions should be created for the functioning of the airport in Bihać”, says Hadžić.
He adds that along with solving the land purchase and project documentation, they must deal with amendments to certain legal regulations at the federal and state level, until the creation of conditions for a bilateral agreement with the Republic of Croatia on the use of airspace.
“In 2024, we want to receive urban planning consent, on the basis of which we will work out certain details that have already begun but cannot be completed until there are urban planning and technical conditions, and given that this is a complex building, we can start construction activities of the runway already in this year, which would be a great success. This year will continue to be spent in land acquisition. Certain media create a false image in the public that we spent 32 million BAM, which is not true since a total of 17.7 million BAM was spent in the period since its existence JP “Aerodrom” as of December 31, 2023,” said Hadžić, pointing out that the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina through previous decisions has so far approved a total of 35 million BAM for the Bihac airport, and there are 17.3 million BAM of unspent funds that they expect to be included in the FBiH budget for 2024.
He believes that in this year JP “Aerodrom Bihać” can start certain construction works, and that the period 2025-2026 should be crucial in terms of construction works with the coordination of all levels of government.
