Banja Luka International Airport: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 04:04, 21 November 2011
Banja Luka International Airport Међународни Аеродром Бања Лука Međunarodni Aerodrom Banja Luka | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Airports of Republic of Srpska a.d. | ||||||||||
| Serves | Banja Luka | ||||||||||
| Location | Mahovljani, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 122 m / 400 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 44°56′29″N 17°17′51″E / 44.94139°N 17.29750°E | ||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Banja Luka International Airport (IATA: BNX, ICAO: LQBK) (Serbian Cyrillic: Међународни аеродром Бања Лука, Serbian Latin, Bosnian, Croatian: Međunarodni aerodrom Banja Luka), also known as Mahovljani Airport, after the nearby village of the same name, is an airport located 18 km (11 mi) north northeast of the railway station[1] in the city of Banja Luka, the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the capital of Republika Srpska entity.
History
The construction of the Banja Luka International Airport began in 1976. In accordance with the development plans, capacities were built defining BNX as an airport of secondary importance, restricted to domestic air traffic on the territory of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
After the political and territorial upheaval within the former Yugoslavia, Republika Srpska was established with Banja Luka as the de facto capital. That gave Banja Luka Airport new importance and a completely different role. Banja Luka International Airport was opened for civilian air traffic on 18 November 1997.
From 1999 to 2003, the airport served as the main hub of Air Srpska, which was the official flag carrier of Republika Srpska. The company was founded by Jat Airways and government of Republika Srpska. Unfortunately, the company ceased all operations in 2003 after increasing debt, and the withdrawal of Jat Airways from the partnership. There are plans for a new airline, Sky Srpska, to start and be based at Banja Luka Airport.
The airport's facilities were greatly improved in 2002 and 2003, ahead of the visit by Pope John Paul II to Banja Luka in June 2003.
Banja Luka airport is managed by the government-owned company "Aerodromi Republike Srpske".
Flights
The airport is currently a focus city for B&H Airlines, which operates four-times weekly flights to Zürich and will begin twice-weekly flights to Copenhagen on 1 December 2011.
Over the years, the airport has had flights connecting Banja Luka to Athens (Greece), Belgrade (Serbia), Frankfurt (Germany), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Salzburg (Austria), Tivat (Montenegro) and Vienna (Austria), partly thanks to Air Srpska which was an airline based at the airport.
Between November 2007 and December 2009, the Serbian airline Jat Airways operated flights between Belgrade and Banja Luka after a break of two years. Between July 2010 and November 2011, Slovenia's Adria Airways operated four weekly flights to Ljubljana. However, both routes were discontinued due to poor load factors. The flights were subsidized by Republika Srpska government.
Austrojet operated two routes, to Salzburg and Tivat, three times weekly during 2008, while Austrian Airlines and Montenegro Airlines served Banja Luka during the late 1990s and early 2000s from their respective bases in Vienna and Tivat.
On 15 December 2010, to celebrate the abolition of visa requirements for Bosnian citizens traveling to the Schengen Area countries, a symbolic charter flight was organised from Banja Luka to Brussels.
Airlines and destinations
Scheduled airlines
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| B&H Airlines | Copenhagen [begins 1 December] [Ends 14 Deceember], Zürich |
Statistics
Statistical data for Bosnian airports:Banja Luka Int. Airport
Passenger statistics
| Year/Month | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | Year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 560 | 422 | 640 | 719 | 680 | 536 | 1,209 | 942 | 707 | 830 | - | - | 7,245 |
| 2010 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 497 | 432 | 602 | - | 4,798 |
Accessibility
The airport was built in the area of Laktaši and Gradiška municipalities, in a wide valley of the Vrbas River expanding into the well-known Lijevče polje. It is connected to the main Banja Luka – Gradiška road and will also be connected to the new Banja Luka – Gradiška highway, which is due to be completed in the next few years.
Gallery
-
Airport terminal building entrance
-
Adria Airways CRJ 200 arriving from Ljubljana, May 2011
See also
- List of airports in Bosnia and Herzegovina
- B&H Airlines
- Banja Luka
- Republika Srpska
- Bosnia and Herzegovina