Аэропорт Ниш Константин Великий: История и перспективы развития

Serbia's second largest airport

Niš Constantine the Great Airport (/Aerodrom Konstantin Veliki Niš) , located northwest of downtown Niš, in the suburbs of Medoševac and Popovac. It is the second largest and second busiest airport in Serbia, after Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. Following World War II, the airport was used as a military base. Among other units, it was a base for the 63rd Paratroop Brigade and 119th Aviation Brigade. A portion of the airport is still used by the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence. In 1952, at the site of today's airport, the first concrete runway, measuring , was built and used for military flights. In order to maintain the pace with the development of military as well as civil aircraft, in 1972 the length of the runway was extended to to accommodate larger contemporary commercial aircraft. In the 1970s, the airport was used for occasional service to the Adriatic coast. By the 1980s, this occasional service led the local authorities to recognize the needs of the people living in Niš as well as Southern and Eastern Serbia and took into account the economic development of the city. The association of economic and political entities prepared detailed terms and in 1986 made a decision on establishing the entity "Airport Niš".

The Breakup of Yugoslavia at the beginning of the 1990s brought a sharp decrease in travelling to the Adriatic Sea, Ljubljana and Zagreb, once the busiest routes from Niš. This was followed by United Nations sanctions imposed on Serbia and Montenegro which included a ban on international air travel. In these circumstances the volume of traffic reached its lowest point with the only route being to Tivat Airport during the summer period. In 1998, the traffic volume increased owing to the heavy air traffic from Pristina International Airport which was out of use because of numerous foggy days during which the traffic was successfully carried out from Niš. The airport was heavily damaged during the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. The airport was reopened in 2003 with the financial assistance from the government of Norway. Damage sustained during the bombing was repaired, including the building of a new control tower and renewal of the terminal building. In November 2016, Swiss International Air Lines announced flights to Zürich, operated by the Airbus 320. In December 2016, Swiss got direct competition when Germania Flug announced flights to Zürich, starting June 2017 operated by the Airbus 319. However, since 2020 no airlines operates services to Zürich. As of 2019, plans existed for Niš Constantine the Great Airport to be linked to twelve more European cities, after Government of Serbia publish document about lines of public interests (PSO). Companies with the best offers will be granted 5 million euros. Twelve destinations of public interest are Frankfurt, Rome, Hannover, Ljubljana, Bologna, Budapest, Göteborg, Friedrichshafen, Karlsruhe, Salzburg, Nuremberg, Tivat. Currently, the airport serves the total of fourteen regular non stop destinations in eight countries during the whole year, plus four seasonal and three seasonal charter flights during peak summer months.

In December 2016, it was announced that Constantine the Great Airport airport began overhaul of its terminal by expanding check in and boarding space, as well as building a new exterior and fixing the roof. The project is being funded jointly by the Government of Serbia and local authorities. As of 2022, progress has been made in construction of the new Airport terminal. The new terminal will span over an area of 7.160 square meters and will feature ten check in desks, self check in stations, eight passport control booths, four passenger gates, one VIP gate, one air bridge and a luggage sorting facility. The new terminal is set to be completed in 2024 and the expansion will enable the Airport to handle up to 1.5 million passenger annually. In 2023, it was announced that SMATSA (Serbia and Montenegro Air Traffic Services Agency) plans to start construction in 2024 of a new control tower and an instrument landing system (ILS), which provides guidance to aircraft approaching and landing on a runway during low ceilings or reduced visibility due to fog, rain or snow.

+ Passenger and Flight movements statistics (2004–2023)YearPassengersChangeAircraft movementsChangeCargo (t)Change 200419,040284147 200526,787 41%315 11%452 207%200635,518 33%382 12%112 75%200730,453 14%456 19%448 300%200822,870 24%353 23%163 64%200917,159 25%349 1%390 139%201023,627 38%558 60%1,554 298%2011 25,112 6%591 6%705 66%201227,426 9% 781 32% 322 54%201321,700 21% 497 36% 343 10%20141,335 93% 271 45% 285 19%201536,200 2,611%526 94%553 91%2016124,917 345%722 37%1,967 355%2017331,582 165.4%1,477 104.6%2,537 29.3%2018 351,582 6%1,417 4%688 74.5%2019 422,255 20% 1,967 39% 1,180 71.5%2020154,233 63%1,011 49%523 56%2021 146,296 5%1,040 3%310 32.2%2022389,022 166%1,928 85%91 70%2023448,312 15.24%3,974 3.06%70 24.08%

The Sergeant pilot Mihajlo Petrović Air Base , commonly known as Niš Air Base is located at the airport. Operated by the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence, base is home to the 119th Mixed Helicopter Squadron "Dragons" of the 98th Air Brigade. It is also home to the elite 63rd Parachute Brigade, special forces unit.

In 2009, the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations established a joint Serbian Russian Emergency Response Centre at the Niš Constantine the Great Airport, also known as Russian Serbian Humanitarian Center. In 2011, a Russian Mil Mi 26 and Beriev Be 200 were dispatched to this centre for aerial firefighting duties in the region. The centre was put into operation in 2012.

There are two bus lines operated by city public bus company (PE Directorate for Public Urban Transport Niš) that connects airport to the city center and most of the Niš suburbs line 34A (Airport Central Bus Station Central Railway station Airport) and 34B (Airport Central Railway station Central Bus Station Airport). One single ticket costs around 80 dinars (0,68 euro) and can be purchased directly in the bus. Buses are running every 20 to 30 minutes. On the following website you can check all the public transport lines operated by PE Directorate for Public Urban Transport Niš: https://www. jgpnis. rs/red voznje/

Approximately 50 meters on the left side when exit passenger terminal is a parking lot and a taxi stand.

There are nine rent a car agencies available at the airport.

Niš Constantin the Great Airport has parking in front of the terminal building that works 24 hours every day. First 15 minutes are free of charge, and after you have to pay. It is possible to pay with cash or bank cards.