Vlorë Air Base is located near

Vlorë Vlorë ( , ; sq-definite, Vlora) is the third most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Vlorë County and Vlorë Municipality. Located in southwestern Albania, Vlorë sprawls on the Bay of Vlorë and is surrounded by the foothi ...

, Albania. It was constructed in the 1950s.

History

Vlorë is the second largest port in

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

, after Durrës. It was formerly the capital of Albania (a status held by Tirana since 1920), and was the city in which the country's Declaration of Independence was signed on November 28, 1912.

History of Vlorë Base

The air base is situated south of the city of Vlorë. The city is on 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 in the southern region of Albania. It was built in 1950s and is the home base of the Air Academy. The academy was established in 1962. In 1997, during the "lottery uprising", the air base was destroyed. The academy was rebuilt between 2002 and 2004, but the air base was not. Instead, civilian homes were built over the air base. During World War II, the air base was used by flying CR42s. It is 100 km away from Tirana.

History of the Albanian Air Force

The Albanian Air Force would not have established itself in Vlorë without the assistance of the Soviet Union. Its first planes, the Yak-9 fighters, were donated by the Soviets. Many pilots undertook their training in the Yak-18 in the USSR before going to Yugoslavia for further training in the Yak-3 planes, after which they returned to Albania. The first pilot to fly in the Albanian forces was Petraq Polena, born in Korçë. In 1955, the Soviet Union supplied 2 squadrons of jet fighters and Mig-15UTI trainers. Some of the aircraft are still used by the Albanian Air Force today.

Runways

*Main Runway: Rwy 16/34, Size: , Elev: , N40 28 33.78 E019 28 27.04, grass airfield.

Accidents and incidents

*On 16 August 1969, a

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...

Olympic Airways Olympic Airlines ( el, Ολυμπιακές Αερογραμμές, ''Olympiakés Aerogrammés'' – OA), formerly named Olympic Airways for at least four decades, was the flag carrier airline of Greece. The airline's head office was located ...

was hijacked on a domestic flight from Ellinikon International Airport, Athens, Greece to Agrinion Airport. The aircraft, possibly registered SX-BBF, landed at Vlorë.

References

External links

Airport record for Vlorë Airport
at Landings.com Airports in Albania Buildings and structures in Vlorë {{Vlorë-geo-stub