Portorož Airport ( sl, Aerodrom Portorož) is the smallest of three international

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 ...

s in

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. It is located near the village of Sečovlje, south of Portorož, and less than from the Croatian border. The airport was opened on 27 September 1962. In addition to Portorož, the airport serves a number of other tourist destinations in the region, including Piran,

Izola Izola (; it, Isola ) is a town in southwestern Slovenia on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic coast of the Slovenian Istria, Istrian peninsula. It is the seat of the Municipality of Izola. Its name originates from Italian language, Italian ''Isola'', wh ...

Koper Koper (; it, Capodistria, hr, Kopar) is the fifth largest city in Slovenia. Located in the Istrian region in the southwestern part of the country, approximately five kilometres () south of the border with Italy and 20 kilometres () from Triest ...

in Slovenia,

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and Umag in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. The airport is intended for passenger and cargo transport, sport, tourist and business flights. It lies at two metres above sea level, the

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt concrete, as ...

measures .

History

As in the case of the development of many airports, Portorož Airport had a humble beginning. In 1962, ground preparations are initially made for the creation of a sports airport with a grass runway. However, in response to the LZJ decision to allow the third Adriatic Parachute Cup competitions to take place in Portorož the following year, the plans for the grass runway are ultimately changed and the runway is extended to . On 27 September 1962, a flight inspection team examine Portorož Airport and recommend the issuance of a six-month temporary registration, which would classify it as a secondary sports airport, permitting the landing of aircraft weighing up to . The following year, on 3 April 1963, Aero club Piran is formed. Later in 1963, the third Adriatic Parachute Cup competitions are held. On 28 January 1971, the city of Piran decides to build an international sports airport at Portorož Airport. In July of the same year, the airport location is approved and the subsequent construction permits are issued for the construction and reconfiguration of the runway: 700 m long and 20 m wide (2,297 ft. long and 66 ft. wide). On 24 January 1972, the airfield construction and reconfiguration works are completed. The following year, 12 February 1973, the ZUCZP grants permission to register and license Portorož Airport for aviation sports purposes. Further development of the airport continues, and in January 1975, the Coast Flight Centre is established. Later in 1975, construction work begins on a runway refurbishment and extension project. The first building phase of the

airport terminal An airport terminal is a building at an airport where passengers transfer between ground transportation and the facilities that allow them to board and disembark from an Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft. Within the terminal, passengers purchase ...

and platform is also initiated. The following year, on 21 August 1976, the airport re-enters full operations after construction works at the airport are completed. These include an enhancement to the runway, which is extended to and widened to - as well as the construction of an apron. Work is also completed on the first phase of the airport terminal and platform. On 1 October 1978, Portorož Airport is formally re-opened and entered into the register of airports and the register for panoramic flights. In 1979, a 400 m² aircraft hangar is constructed and the first

C-172 The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company.Aero Commander 500 The Aero Commander 500 family is a series of light-twin piston-engined and turboprop aircraft originally built by the Aero Design and Engineering Company in the late 1940s, renamed the Aero Commander company in 1950, and a division of Rockwell ...

(Turbo Commander) aircraft carrying 9 passengers lands from

Passau Passau (; bar, label=Central Bavarian, Båssa) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany, also known as the Dreiflüssestadt ("City of Three Rivers") as the river Danube is joined by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's popu ...

. Also in 1981, the airport facilities are further expanded and include the construction of a

control tower Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airsp ...

, border crossing, meteo and FIO. In 1983, the first Dash 7 lands at the airport. On 24 April 1984, the runway is lengthened to , and widened to . The following year, on 20 July 1984, the airport is registered to handle Dash-7 aircraft. On 20 March 1986, construction work is completed on a technical aircraft hangar and airport fire station. In 1989, in order to facilitate night operations, runway lighting and an

approach lighting system An approach lighting system (ALS) is a lighting system installed on the approach end of an airport runway and consisting of a series of lightbars, strobe lights, or a combination of the two that extends outward from the runway end. ALS usually ...

in the vicinity of the airport are installed. As a consequence, on 21 March 1989, the Federal Secretary for Transport and Communication issues a permit, which allows night operations. Also, the

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...

classification 2C is established and the fire station receives a category 4 designation. Furthermore, a permit is issued for take-offs and landings of aircraft with a maximum weight of 27 tonnes (54,900 lbs.). Investment in Portorož Airport continued, and on 15 April 1991, the Casino Touristic Company Turistično podjetje p.o. Portorož adopt a memorandum of understanding and form a limited liability company: Aerodrom Portorož d.o.o. From 13 to 16 May 2004, aviation enthusiasts are welcomed at Portorož Airport, where the Aviatica general aviation air show takes place. Later that year, on 1 July 2004, Aerodrom Portorož d.o.o. signs an agreement with its new partners: The Municipality of Piran;

Aerodrom Ljubljana Aerodrom may refer to: Places * Aerodrom Municipality, Skopje, a municipality of the city of Skopje, North Macedonia ** Aerodrom, Skopje, a neighbourhood of Skopje, and seat of the municipality * Aerodrom, Kragujevac, a former city municipality ...

, d.d.; Istrabenz, holdinška družba, d.d.; and Luka Koper, d.d. (

Port of Koper Port of Koper ('' sl, Luka Koper'', '' it, Porto di Capodistria'') is a public limited company, which provides port and logistics services in the only Slovenian port, in Koper. It is situated in the northern part of the Adriatic Sea, mainly con ...

). The recapitalisation plan is intended to facilitate further development of the airport in the near future. The entire airport is scheduled to undergo renovation in the near future. Moreover, there are plans for Portorož Airport's single runway to be lengthened to and widened to , in order to facilitate the handling of larger aircraft such as the

Boeing 757-200 The Boeing 757 is an American Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner designed and built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The then-named 7N7, a twinjet successor for the Boeing 727, 727 (a trijet), received its first orders in August 1978. ...

Technical information

Although the airport fire station is currently declared CAT 2, it can be upgraded to CAT 4, provided a minimum of 12 hours advance notice is given - prior to commencement of the respective flight operations. Runway 33, which, as in the case of Runway 15, has a runway length of for

takeoff Takeoff is the phase of flight in which an aerospace vehicle leaves the ground and becomes airborne. For aircraft traveling vertically, this is known as liftoff. For aircraft that take off horizontally, this usually involves starting with a t ...

purposes. However, unlike runway 15, runway 33 has a

displaced threshold A displaced threshold or DTHR is a runway threshold located at a point other than the physical beginning or end of the runway. The portion of the runway behind a displaced threshold may be used for takeoff in either direction and landings from the ...

, meaning that aircraft landing on this runway, i.e. at a heading of 330°, are required to touchdown ( landing) at a position approx. from the beginning of the runway, thereby reducing the runway landing distance to approx. .

Airport services

Although relatively small, a wide-variety of services are offered at Portorož Airport: modern airport facilities including technical and fuel service, services under contract (such as air taxi), panoramic flights, business charter flights, a

flight school Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills. Flight training can be conducted under a str ...

, parachute jumping, minibus transfer, a hotel room booking service, a restaurant, a

duty-free shop A duty-free shop (or store) is a retail outlet whose goods are exempt from the payment of certain local or national taxes and duties, on the requirement that the goods sold will be sold to travelers who will take them out of the country, who ...

as well as car rental services. The airport has the head office of

Solinair Solinair d.o.o. is a Slovenian airline based at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport. It mainly operates charter cargo services for various logistics companies such as DHL and also offers aircraft maintenance. Overview The airline was establish ...

.Home page

. Retrieved on 19 February 2012. "Solinair d.o.o. Sečovlje, Sečovlje 19, 6333 Sečovlje, Letališče Portorož, Slovenija,"

History

Technical information

Airport services

References

External links