Niš Constantine the Great Airport ( sr, Аеродром Константин Велики Ниш, Aerodrom Konstantin Veliki Niš) , located northwest of downtown
Niš
Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in southern part of Serbia. , the city proper has a population of 183,164, while ...
, in the suburbs of
Medoševac and
Popovac. It is the second-largest and second-busiest
airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...
in
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
, after
Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport
Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport ( sr, / ) or Belgrade Airport ( sr, / ) is an international airport serving Belgrade, Serbia. It is the largest and the busiest airport in Serbia, situated west of downtown Belgrade near the suburb of Surč ...
.
Niš Military Air Base (
Serbian Air Force and Air Defence
The Serbian Air Force and Air Defence ( sr-Cyrl, Ратно ваздухопловство и противваздухопловна одбрана Војске Србије, Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i protivvazduhoplovna odbrana Vojske Srbije, Wa ...
), the Serbian-Russian Emergency Response Centre and Centre for Aerial Firefighting Duties are all located on the site of the airport.
History
Early years
The first airfield serving the city of Niš was established in 1910, near the village of
Donje Međurovo. In the 1930s, then-national airline company
Aeroput
Aeroput () was an airline and flag carrier of Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Yugoslavia from 1927 until 1948.
Society for Air traffic List of legal entity types by country#Serbia, AD Aeroput was the first Serbian company for civil air traffic, which was ...
used the airport for civil service. In 1935, Aeroput included a stop in Niš in its, back then domestic, route linking Belgrade with
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...
.
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
The Serbian Air Force and Air Defence ( sr-Cyrl, Ратно ваздухопловство и противваздухопловна одбрана Војске Србије, Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i protivvazduhoplovna odbrana Vojske Srbije, Wa ...
. 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
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...
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
The Southern and Eastern Serbia ( sr, Јужна и источна Србија, Južna i istočna Srbija) is one of five statistical regions of Serbia. It is also a level-2 statistical region according to the European NUTS. It was formed in 201 ...
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 terminal building as well as the ancillary support facilities were built and opened to service in 1986. This project also included the asphalt coated runway and built-in system of lights that provided visual descent guidance during runway approaches at night. The development of air traffic in Niš was not initiated just by
JAT Yugoslav Airlines, but also by Slovenian company Inex-Adria Airways (
Adria Airways
Adria Airways d.o.o. (formerly ''Inex-Adria Aviopromet'' and later ''Inex-Adria Airways'') was the flag carrier of Slovenia, operating scheduled and charter services to European destinations. The company's head office was at Ljubljana Jože Pu ...
nowadays), although both were domestic airlines back then.
The
Breakup of Yugoslavia
The breakup of Yugoslavia occurred as a result of a series of political upheavals and conflicts during the early 1990s. After a period of political and economic crisis in the 1980s, constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
at the beginning of 1990s brought to the sharp decrease in travelling to the Adriatic Sea,
Ljubljana
Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center.
During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...
and
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
, once the busiest routes from Niš. This was followed by
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
sanctions imposed on
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
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
Tivat Airport ( cnr, Аеродром Тиват, Aerodrom Tivat) is an international airport serving the Montenegrin coastal town of Tivat and the surrounding region.
The airport is situated south of the centre of Tivat, with the runway alig ...
during the summer period. In 1998, the traffic volume increased owing to the heavy air traffic from
Pristina International Airport
Prishtina International Airport Adem Jashari ( sq, Aeroporti Ndërkombëtar i Prishtinës Adem Jashari, ), also referred to as Pristina International Airport ( sq, Aeroporti Ndërkombëtar i Prishtinës), is an international airport in Prishtina ...
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 government of
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
. Damage sustained during the bombing was repaired, including the building of a new control tower and renewal of the terminal building.
In 2004,
Jat Airways and
Montenegro Airlines
Montenegro Airlines a.d. ( cg, Montenegro erlajns) was the flag carrier of Montenegro, headquartered in Podgorica. It operated scheduled and charter services throughout Europe from its hub at Podgorica Airport with a second base maintained at Ti ...
resumed flights from Niš to Zurich, Paris, and
Tivat
Tivat (, ) is a coastal town in southwest Montenegro, located in the Bay of Kotor. , its population was 9,367. Tivat is the centre of Tivat Municipality, which is the smallest municipality by area in Montenegro.
Name
In Serbian and Montenegrin l ...
. In 2010,
Wind Jet
Wind Jet S.p.A. was an Italian low-cost airline based in Catania, Italy. It was founded in 2003, following the disbandment of Air Sicilia by current CEO Antonino Pulvirenti, also owner of football team Calcio Catania. On 11 August 2012 the ai ...
connected the airport with
Forlì
Forlì ( , ; rgn, Furlè ; la, Forum Livii) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. It is the central city of Romagna.
The city is situated along the Via E ...
, Italy while Montenegro Airlines linked it with
Podgorica
Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...
on a daily basis. The route to Podgorica was discontinued in 2013 because of low passenger numbers. For more than two years (2014-2015) there were only charter flights to and from Niš.
Recent developments
The expansion in traffic began in 2015 when low-cost airline
Wizz Air
Wizz Air, legally incorporated as Wizz Air Hungary Ltd. ( hu, Wizz Air Hungary Légiközlekedési Zrt.) is a Hungarian ultra-low-cost carrier with its head office in Budapest, Hungary. The airline serves many cities across Europe, as well as s ...
launched flights to
Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
and
Malmö
Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal populat ...
. Shortly after,
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish ultra low-cost carrier founded in 1984. It is headquartered in Swords, Dublin, Ireland and has its primary operational bases at Dublin and London Stansted airports. It forms the largest part of the Ryanair Holdings family ...
followed the suit by announcing flights to Berlin. In 2016, both Wizzair and Ryanair announced more flights from Niš, respectively Wizzair to
Dortmund
Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
,
Eindhoven
Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022,[Memmingen
Memmingen (; Swabian: ''Memmenge'') is a town in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is the economic, educational and administrative centre of the Danube-Iller region. To the west the town is flanked by the Iller, the river that marks the Baden-Wü ...]
and Ryanair to
Weeze
Weeze (, Dutch: ''Wees'') is a municipality in the Lower Rhine (Niederrhein) region, in the northwestern part of North Rhine-Westphalia in the district of Kleve in the region of Düsseldorf.
The municipality consists of the town of Weeze and th ...
,
Bergamo
Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Como ...
and
Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...
.
Shortly after the launch of these flights Niš experienced triple-digit growth in passenger traffic, exceeding the previous record figure. In October 2016, Turkish Cargo, the airline for the transport of cargo which is a part of
Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines ( Turkish: ''Türk Hava Yolları'') is the national flag carrier airline of Turkey. , it operates scheduled services to 340 destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, making it the largest mainline carrier in the w ...
commenced scheduled cargo service between Niš and
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
. In November 2016,
Swiss International Air Lines
Swiss International Air Lines AG, colloquially known as SWISS, is the flag carrier of Switzerland, operating scheduled services in Europe and to North America, South America, Africa and Asia. Zurich Airport serves as its sole hub and Geneva ...
announced flights to Zurich, operated by the Airbus 320. In December 2016, Swiss got direct competition when
Germania Flug announced flights to Zurich, starting June 2017 operated by the Airbus 319.
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
The Government of Serbia ( sr, Влада Србије, Vlada Srbije), formally the Government of the Republic of Serbia ( sr, Влада Републике Србије, Vlada Republike Srbije), commonly abbreviated to Serbian Government ( sr, ...
and local authorities. Furthermore, the
Serbia and Montenegro Air Traffic Services Agency
SMATSA or the Serbia and Montenegro Air Traffic Services Agency, is a Serbian air traffic control service company based in Belgrade, Serbia. It covers the air traffic in Serbia, Montenegro and about 55% of Bosnia and Herzegovina, until 5 December ...
(SMATSA) plans to start construction of a new control tower next year and will invest a million euros in 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.
In January 2018, the
Government of Serbia
The Government of Serbia ( sr, Влада Србије, Vlada Srbije), formally the Government of the Republic of Serbia ( sr, Влада Републике Србије, Vlada Republike Srbije), commonly abbreviated to Serbian Government ( sr, ...
granted a 25-year concession of the Serbian largest
Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport
Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport ( sr, / ) or Belgrade Airport ( sr, / ) is an international airport serving Belgrade, Serbia. It is the largest and the busiest airport in Serbia, situated west of downtown Belgrade near the suburb of Surč ...
to the French airport operator
Vinci Airports
Vinci (corporately styled VINCI) is a French concessions and construction company founded in 1899 as Société Générale d'Enterprises. Its head office is in Nanterre, in the western suburbs of Paris. Vinci is listed on Euronext's Paris stock ...
for a sum of 501 million euros.
As part of the deal, other three Serbian civil airports (Niš Constantine the Great Airport,
Ponikve Airport and
Morava Airport
Morava Airport ( sr, Аеродром Mopaвa, Aerodrom Morava) , also known as Lađevci Airport ( sr, Аеродром Лађевци, Aerodrom Lađevci), is a mixed public and military airport in Lađevci, Serbia - some 15 km (9.5 m ...
) are restricted when it comes to annual passenger flow expansion; they are allowed to increase to a maximum of 1 million passengers over the next 12 years.
Plans exist 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
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
,
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
,
Hannover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German States of Germany, state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germa ...
,
Ljubljana
Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center.
During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...
,
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...
,
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
,
Göteborg
Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has a p ...
,
Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''Kre ...
,
Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...
,
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the ...
,
Nuremberg
Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
,
Tivat
Tivat (, ) is a coastal town in southwest Montenegro, located in the Bay of Kotor. , its population was 9,367. Tivat is the centre of Tivat Municipality, which is the smallest municipality by area in Montenegro.
Name
In Serbian and Montenegrin l ...
. Currently, the airport serves the total of fourteen regular non stop destinations in eight countries during the whole year, plus four seasonal and tree seasonal charter flights during peek summer months.
As of 2022 progress has been made in construction of the new Airport terminal. 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. 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.
Airlines and destinations
The following airlines operate regular scheduled, seasonal and charter flights from Niš Constantine the Great Airport:
Statistics
Niš Military Air Base
The Sergeant-pilot Mihajlo Petrović Air Base ( sr, Војни аеродром наредник-пилот Михајло Петровић, Vojni aerodrom pukovnik-pilot Mihajlo Petrović), commonly known as Niš Air Base ( sr, Војни аеродром Ниш, Vojni aerodrom Niš) is located at the airport. Operated by the
Serbian Air Force and Air Defence
The Serbian Air Force and Air Defence ( sr-Cyrl, Ратно ваздухопловство и противваздухопловна одбрана Војске Србије, Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i protivvazduhoplovna odbrana Vojske Srbije, Wa ...
, 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
The 63rd Parachute Brigade ( sr, 63. падобранска бригада, 63. padobranska brigada) is an airborne and special reconnaissance unit, one of two special forces brigades (other being 72nd Brigade for Special Operations) of the Serbi ...
, special forces unit.
Emergency Response Centre
In 2009, the Serbian
Ministry of Internal Affairs
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministry ...
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
The Mil Mi-26 (russian: link=no, Миль Ми-26, NATO reporting name: Halo) is a Soviet/Russian heavy transport helicopter. Its product code is ''Izdeliye 90''. Operated by both military and civilian operators, it is the largest and most po ...
and
Beriev Be-200 were dispatched to this centre for
aerial firefighting
Aerial may refer to:
Music
* ''Aerial'' (album), by Kate Bush
* ''Aerials'' (song), from the album ''Toxicity'' by System of a Down
Bands
*Aerial (Canadian band)
* Aerial (Scottish band)
* Aerial (Swedish band)
Performance art
* Aerial sil ...
duties in the region. The centre was put into operation in 2012.
Transport links
Public Transport
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/
Taxi Service
Approximately 50 meters on the left side when exit passenger terminal is a parking lot and a taxi stand. If you are planning on traveling by taxi, all of the registered taxi companies charge around 80 dinars start prize (0.68 euros) plus the prize to the destination. Depending on your destination, the ride may cost anywhere from 250 dinars (2.13 euros) to the city center in Niš and up to 800 dinars (6.82 euros) to Niška Banja.The most popular registered taxi companies are: Prvi Taxi Niš (https://prvi.taxi), Eko Taxi (https://ekotaxi.rs) and BROS TAXI NIŠ (https://www.brostaxi.rs).
Rent a Car
There are nine rent a car agencies available at the airport. Those are:
Avis
Avis is Latin for bird and may refer to:
Aviation
*Auster Avis, a 1940s four-seat light aircraft developed from the Auster Autocrat (abandoned project)
*Avro Avis, a two-seat biplane
*Scottish Aeroplane Syndicate Avis, an early aircraft built by ...
www.avis.com,
Budget
A budget is a calculation play, usually but not always financial, for a defined period, often one year or a month. A budget may include anticipated sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities including time, costs and expenses, environmenta ...
www.budget.rs,
Europcar
Europcar Mobility Group is a French car rental company founded in 1949 in Paris. The head office of the holding company, Europcar Group S.A., is in the business park of Val Saint-Quentin at Voisins-le-Bretonneux (Saint Quentin en Yvelines), Fr ...
www.europcar.rs,
Hertz
The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that on ...
www.hertz.rs, Greenmotion
www.rentacarnis.rs, Inex Lux
www.nisrentacar.rs, Yu tim
www.yutim.rs,
Sixt
Sixt SE is an international mobility service provider with about 2,000 locations in more than 100 countries. Sixt SE acts as a parent and holding company of the Sixt Group, which is internationally active in the business areas of vehicle rental, ...
www.sixt.rs, AR Rent-a-car
www.arrentacar.rs.
Parking 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. The prices can be found here: https://nipark.rs/cenovnik/ and it is possible to pay with cash or bank cards.
[https://nipark.rs]
See also
*
List of airports in Serbia
This is the list of airports in Serbia, grouped by type and sorted by location.
Airports statistics
Airports with number of passengers served per year:
List of airports in Serbia
Airport names shown in bold indicate the airport has schedu ...
*
Airports of Serbia
Airports of Serbia ( sr, Аеродроми Србије, Aerodromi Srbije) is a Serbian state-owned company, which owns and operates five airports in Serbia. It has its head office at Niš Constantine the Great Airport in the city of Niš, Ser ...
*
Transport in Serbia
Transport in Serbia includes transport by road, rail, air and water. Road transport incorporates a comprehensive network of major (i.e. state) and minor (i.e. municipal) roads. Rail transport is fairly developed, although dual track and electrifi ...
*
AirSerbia
References
External links
*
{{authority control
1990 establishments in Serbia
Airports in Serbia
Transport in Niš
Serbian Air Force and Air Defence bases