Užice-Ponikve Airport

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Užice-Ponikve Airport
Аеродром Ужице-Поникве
Aerodrom Užice-Ponikve
IATA: UZC - ICAO: LYUZ
Summary
Airport type Military (becoming public in 2008)
Operator Military of Serbia
Serves Užice
Elevation AMSL 2,966 ft (904 m)
Coordinates 43°53′56″N, 19°41′52″E
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
11/29 10,499 3,200 Asphalt

Užice-Ponikve Airport (IATA: UZC, ICAO: LYUZ) (Serbian: Аеродром Ужице-Поникве / Aerodrom Užice-Ponikve) also known as Lepa Glava Airport is an airport in Serbia under heavy reconstruction. The airport is located 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) northwest from the city of Užice. The airport is being reconstructed at the moment, and will be ready for civil traffic in the summer of 2008.

Contents

[edit] History

Užice-Ponikve Airport was built in the period from 1979 to 1983 but until 1992 it hasn’t been actively used.

In 1996 it was turned into public airport. Jat Airways, then known as Jat Yugoslav Airlines, served the airport twice a week for a domestic line Užice - Belgrade - Tivat - Užice, with an ATR-72. Later the airline stopped service because there was not a large enough passenger load.

In 1999 it was heavily bombarded by NATO forces during the bombing of Yugoslavia. The airport now has a brighter future with construction/reconstruction, due to interest of local companies in cargo transport and great potential of this region in tourism (some of the nearby tourist centers are Zlatibor, Tara mountain and Mokra Gora).

On September 27, 2006 the military of Serbia announced that it will sell Ponikve Airport therefore meaning that the airport will become public.

[edit] Heavy reconstruction (in progress)

Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport is investing 3.5 million Serbian dinars for the completion of the runway reconstruction at Užice-Ponikve Airport. As earlier agreed, Belgrade Nikola Tesla will provide financial and logistics support in order to create conditions for civil air operations from Užice, as soon as possible. The management of Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport also plans to make Užice-Ponikve it's cargo base for the western Serbia region.

The runway at Užice-Ponikve (3,200 m in length after reconstruction, on first old blueprints length of runway is the 3,400 m, to can accept large cargo aircrafts ) is among longest in the Balkans region, and the second longest in Serbia. Due to this, the airport has a potential of handling large aircraft.

The Government of Serbia is also supporting current works with 2,5 million euros. Reconstruction commenced on the 24th of July, 2006 by the "Putevi Užice" company, while the EU invested 124,000 euros.[1]

More 19 million euros is needed to complete the reconstruction of the airport.

Municipality of Užice bidding on the "NIP" (National Investment Plan) to finish airport reconstruction.

[edit] RAIRDev project

Užice-Ponikve Airport is involved in the "Regional Airports Interaction for Regional Development" project[2], organized by CADSES INTERREG cooperation program. The aim of the project is strengthning of integrated and sustainable regional development based on the creation of a flexible air transport system provided by a cooperation network between regional airports. Beside Užice-Ponikve Airport, airports involved in the project are another 7 regional airports in Greece Central Greece Volos-Nea Anchialos International Airport, Hungary Szombathely-Savaria International Airport* **, Slovakia Žilina Airport, Poland Slupsk-Redzikowo Airport* **, Italy Ancona "Raffaello Sanzio"-Falconara Airport, Germany Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport and Ukraine Ivano-Frankivsk International Airport.

[edit] Service

The management of Užice-Ponikve Airport confirmed interest of low cost, scheduled and chartered airlines.

[edit] See also

[edit] Sources

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