Pristina International Airport
Pristina International Airport Adem Jashari Aeroporti Ndërkombëtar i Prishtinës Adem Jashari Међународни аеродром Приштина | |||||||||||
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File:Prishtina International Airport Adem Jashari.png | |||||||||||
Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Public/Military | ||||||||||
Operator | Prishtina International Airport J.S.C. | ||||||||||
Serves | Pristina | ||||||||||
Location | Slatina, Pristina | ||||||||||
Hub for | Adria Airways Belle Air Europe | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 545 m / 1,789 ft | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 42°34′22″N 21°02′09″E / 42.57278°N 21.03583°E | ||||||||||
Website | www.airportpristina.com | ||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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Statistics (2009) | |||||||||||
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Pristina International Airport Adem Jashari (IATA: PRN, ICAO: BKPR) (Albanian: Aeroporti Ndërkombëtar i Prishtinës Adem Jashari; Serbian: Међународни аеродром Приштина, Međunarodni aerodrom Priština) is an international airport located 15 km (9.3 mi) southwest[2] of Pristina, Kosovo.[3] It is an international airport that handles over a million passengers per year[4], co-located with Slatina Air Base. It is under the authority of the Government of Kosovo and is the only port of entry for air travellers to Kosovo. Pristina International Airport is a secondary hub for Belle Air of Albania and Adria Airways of Slovenia. The airport is named after Adem Jashari, a former leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army.
History
Pristina Airport was officially opened in 1965. It was initially opened for domestic flights only - to and from Belgrade.
During the 1990s the airport started operating international flights, mainly to and from Switzerland and Germany.
Following the Kosovo War, from 12 to 26 June 1999 there was a brief but tense standoff between NATO and the Russian Kosovo Force in which Russian troops occupied the airport.
Gen. Wesley Clark had ordered the NATO troops to seize control of the airport but it is claimed Gen. Sir Mike Jackson backed the decision of Capt. James Blount (now better known as singer James Blunt) to disobey this order for fear of "starting World War III".[5]
After securing an agreement by which Russian forces would be integrated into peacekeeping duties, independent of NATO, Pristina Airport was reactivated by 53 Field Squadron (Air Support) Royal Engineers as a military airport on 15 October 1999 and then started to operate international air transport to several European cities. During that period of time the Russian KFOR along with other NATO forces were in charge for security of the airport. Airport Pristina initially began its operations with 45 employees.[6]
The apron and the passenger terminal were renovated and expanded in 2002 and again in 2009.[6]
The airport's official website promotes itself as Prishtina International Airport, which reflects the name of its operator, Prishtina International Airport J.S.C.
Awards
In June 2006, Pristina International Airport was awarded the Best Airport 2006 Award, an honour presented by Airports Council International (ACI). Winning airports were selected for excellence and achievement across a range of disciplines including airport development, operations, facilities, security and safety, and customer service.[7]
Growth
On 12 November 2008, Pristina International Airport received for the first time in its history the annual one-millionth passenger (excluding military). A special ceremony was held at the airport where the one-millionth passenger received a free return ticket to a destination of his choice served by the airport. The passenger was on board Germanwings flight 4U 2946 arriving from Stuttgart, Germany.[4]
Privatisation
The airport was privatised; in May 2010, Limak-Aeroport de Lyon was awarded a 20-year contract to operate the airport. Passenger volumes grew further; 1.3 million passengers are estimated to use the airport in 2010.The new terminal is expected to be built by the end of 2012.[8]
Airlines and destinations
Scheduled airlines
The following airlines operate scheduled flights at Pristina International Airport (as of April 2011).
Airlines | Destinations |
---|---|
Adria Airways | Brussels [begins 2 June], Copenhagen [begins 21 June], Düsseldorf [resumes 16 July], Frankfurt, Paris-Charles de Gaulle [begins 18 June], Ljubljana, Munich |
Air Berlin | Düsseldorf, Hamburg |
Atlasjet | Istanbul-Atatürk |
Austrian Airlines | Vienna, Linz [begins 7 July] |
Austrian operated by Tyrolean Airways | Seasonal: Vienna |
Belair | Geneva, Zürich |
Belle Air operated by Belle Air Europe | Ancona, Basel [begins 25 June], Bergamo, Düsseldorf, London-Stansted [begins 11 July], Munich, Stuttgart, Venice, Verona Seasonal: Liège |
British Airways | London-Gatwick |
Croatia Airlines | Zagreb |
Eagles Airlines | Bergamo, Rome-Fiumicino, Venice |
EasyJet Switzerland | Basel/Mulhouse, Geneva |
Germania | Düsseldorf, Munich, Stuttgart |
Germanwings | Berlin-Schönefeld, Hanover, Stuttgart |
Helvetic Airways | Berne |
Jetairfly | Brussels [begins 10 June] |
Malév Hungarian Airlines | Budapest |
Meridiana Fly | Verona |
Niki | Vienna [begins 29 June] |
Norwegian Air Shuttle | Seasonal: Gothenburg [begins 21 June], Oslo-Gardermoen [begins 27 June] |
Scandinavian Airlines | Copenhagen |
Swiss International Air Lines | Geneva, Zurich [9] |
Turkish Airlines | Istanbul-Atatürk |
Charter airlines
The following airlines operate charter flights at Pristina International Airport (as of April 2011)[10]
Airlines | Destinations |
---|---|
Corendon Airlines | Seasonal: Antalya |
Edelweiss Air | Geneva, Zürich |
SunExpress | Antalya |
XL Airways Germany | Düsseldorf, Friedrichshafen [begins 2 July], Munich |
Cargo airlines
Airlines | Destinations |
---|---|
Turkish Airlines Cargo | Istanbul-Atatürk, Milan-Malpensa |
References
- ^ [1] (Civil Aviation Authority of the Republic of Kosovo)
- ^ a b EAD Basic
- ^ Template:Kosovo-note
- ^ a b Prishtina International Airport hits 1 million passengers (New Kosova Report) (12 November 2008)
- ^ "Singer James Blunt 'prevented World War III'". BBC News. 14 November 2010.
- ^ a b Pristina International Airport History
- ^ Pristina International Airport scoops prestigious 'Best Airport 2006 Award'
- ^ "Business: Traffic increases at Pristina airport (SETimes.com)". 2010-10-12. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
- ^ [2] Swiss Network
- ^ Live ArrivalsLive Departures
External links
- Prishtina International Airport (official website)
- Current weather for BKPR at NOAA/NWS
- Accident history for PRN at Aviation Safety Network