Skopje "Alexander the Great" Airport
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| Skopje "Alexander the Great" Airport Аеродром "Александар Велики" Скопје Aerodrom Skopje Skopje Airport |
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| IATA: SKP – ICAO: LWSK | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military/Public | ||
| Owner/Operator | PEAS Macedonia | ||
| Serves | Skopje, Republic of Macedonia | ||
| Location | Petrovec | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 238 m / 781 ft | ||
| Coordinates | 41°57′40″N 021°37′37″E / 41.96111°N 21.62694°E | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 16/34 | 2,450 | 8,038 | Asphalt |
| Source: Republic of Macedonia AIP at EUROCONTROL[1] | |||
Skopje Airport[1] (IATA: SKP, ICAO: LWSK) (Macedonian: Аеродром Скопје, Aerodrom Skopje), or Skopje "Alexander the Great" Airport[2] (Macedonian: Аеродром Скопје "Aлександар Вeлики", Aerodrom Skopje, "Aleksandar Veliki") is the largest and busiest international airport in the Republic of Macedonia. Located 17 km (11 mi) southeast[1] of the national capital, Skopje, it was also the hub of the former MAT Macedonian Airlines.
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[edit] Skopje Airport development
In 2008 the Macedonian Government signed a contract with the Turkish company Tepe Akfen Ventures (TAV) for a twenty year long concession during which this company would manage Macedonia's two existing airports - the Skopje Alexander the Great Airport and the St. Paul the Apostle Airport in Ohrid. The planned works include the construction of a new airport terminal building in Skopje, extension of the runway, new administration building, and new access road with parking facilities increasing the capacity of Skopje Airport to four million passengers per year with plans to turn Skopje Airport into a major transit and cargo hub for Southeast Europe. Ohrid airport will have its terminal building and VIP sections modernized. The concession contract also includes the construction of a third airport intended for cargo transport near the eastern Macedonian town of Štip which eventually would be transformed into Macedonia’s main airport. The total amount of the foreseen investment is 200 million Euros with 30 to 40 million Euros total concession payments to the Macedonian Government over the 20-year concession period. Tepe Akfen Ventures Airport Holding is one of the world's fastest expanding airport operators currently managing the Turkish airports of Atatürk, Esenboğa, Adnan Menderes and Antalya along with Tbilisi in Georgia, and Monastir in Tunisia. TAV is also bidding to take over the management of Ruzyně International Airport and Riga International Airport.[3] Also the construction of a luxurious hotel next to the airport is planned.[4]
[edit] Name controversy
In December 2006 the government of the Republic of Macedonia announced plans to rename the airport after Alexander the Great, sparking a renewed diplomatic spat with Greece, where both countries consider Alexander the Great as part of their own heritage (see Macedonia naming dispute).[5][6] The new name is argued to create confusion with the already existing Kavala International Airport named "Megas Alexandros"- Alexander the Great, which lies in the neighboring Greek region of Macedonia.[7]
[edit] Passenger numbers
The airport is expecting up to 1,500,000 passengers in 2009 after the new terminal facility is built.
In 2008 the airport handled a total of 652,815 passengers, an increase by 4.1% from the previous year.
[edit] Transport
Taxis go regularly to and from the airport to Skopje. The costs can vary depending on how far you travel. It is about 17-20 Euros to the city center. Taxis will drive to other cities in the Republic of Macedonia but it can get expensive.
Buses have a service to the airport, but it is not very reliable. Buses are poorly maintained and they can get very overcrowded and hot in the summer months.
[edit] Incidents and accidents
- On 5 March 1993, a Palair Macedonian Airlines Fokker F-100 PH-KXL bound for Zürich crashed seconds after takeoff from runway 34. Investigation into the accident determined the cause of the accident to be the failure of the flight crew to have the aircraft deiced before departure. Of the 97 people on board, 83 died.
- On 13 February 2009, Austrian Airlines Flight OS780, Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 scheduled flight from Skopje to Vienna failed to retract landing gear after take-off and performed an emergency landing on Skopje Airport. [8][9][10]
- On 13 February 2009, MALÉV Flight 440 a scheduled MALÉV flight Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 from Budapest to Skopje made an emergency landing at Skopje Airport. At 16,05 CET the pilot reported right engine failure on its final approach to Skopje LWSK. The pilot safely landed the airplane and there were no injuries reported among the 64 passengers in the aircraft. [5] [6] [11]
[edit] Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Adria Airways | Ljubljana |
| Austrian Airlines | Vienna |
| Croatia Airlines | Zagreb |
| Czech Airlines | Prague |
| Helvetic Airways | Zürich |
| Jat Airways | Belgrade |
| Malév Hungarian Airlines | Budapest |
| Montenegro Airlines | Tivat |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul-Atatürk |
[edit] Cargo airlines
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Star Airlines (Macedonia) | Almaty, Bishkek, Hong Kong, Lagos, Sharjah |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c EAD Basic
- ^ Name as used at the official site
- ^ Turkey's TAV signs deal for Macedonian airports
- ^ Vecer Online
- ^ "Skopje's airport to be named "Alexander the Great"". Kathmerini. 2006-12-29. http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100006_29/12/2006_78322. Retrieved 2006-12-26.
- ^ Makfax
- ^ Kavala International Airport "Megas Alexandros" or in English: "Alexander the Great". Official site.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Skopje Airport |
- Macedonian Airports Homepage
- Accident history for SKP at Aviation Safety Network
- Current weather for LWSK at NOAA/NWS
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