Bratislava Airport
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Milan Rastislav Štefánik Airport (Slovak: Letisko Milana Rastislava Štefánika) (IATA: BTS, ICAO: LZIB), also called - especially in English - Bratislava Airport (Slovak: Letisko Bratislava) or Bratislava-Ivanka, in Bratislava is the main international airport of Slovakia.
It is named after general Milan Rastislav Štefánik (since 1993), whose aircraft crashed above Bratislava in 1919. The airport is run by the Letisko Milana Rastislava Štefánika – Airport Bratislava, a.s. (BTS), a public limited company. Till May 2004, the airport was run by the state-run entity Slovenská správa letísk (Slovak Airport Administration). In 2007, the airport served 2,024,142 passengers, representing a 4.5% increase compared to 2006 and almost a 700% increase compared to 2001.
Location
It is located 9 km (5.59 mi) to the north-east from the city center, covers an area of 4.77 km² (1.84 mi²) and is known for its extraordinarily good climatic conditions.
Bratislava Airport is located within a one-hour drive of Vienna (Austria), Brno (Czech Republic) and Győr (Hungary), covering a catchment area of four countries (Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia).
Characteristics
The first regular flight between Prague and Bratislava of the Czechoslovak Airlines was done in 1923, to the Vajnory airport (now closed). Preparatory works for the current airport started in 1947 and construction began in 1948, with two runways constructed (04/22, 1900 m and 13/31, 1500 m) and the airport was opened in 1951.
Today, it serves both scheduled and unscheduled, domestic and international flights. The current runways enable the landing of virtually all types of aircraft used in the world today.
The airport features two perpendicular runways (04/22 and 13/31), both of which underwent a complete reconstruction in the 1980s. Runway 13/31 is equipped for ICAO category 2 approach and landing.
Airport capacity is currently around 2 million passengers. Airport has two terminals: Departure terminal A, built in 1971, and arrival terminal B, built in 1994. A new terminal facility (B) and control tower was added in the 1990s. The number of passengers served decreased temporarily in the early 1990s due to competition by the nearby Vienna International Airport (which is only some 55 km/34.5 miles distant from Bratislava Airport) and then in 1999-2000 due to changes made by the new Mikuláš Dzurinda government (276,092 passengers in 1999), but it is quickly increasing since. In 2005, the airport served over 1 300 000 passengers, and in 2007 just above 2 million passengers. Further increase is expected.
Amenities and facilities: bureaux de change, first aid, left luggage, lost baggage, restaurants, bars and cafés, VIP lounge, Airport Business Club, duty free shops, and car rental. There are also facilities for the disabled. The parking lot near the terminal has 470 places and is used for short and long-term parking.
Statistics
| Year | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers | 285,983 | 324,219 | 276,092 | 283,714 | 293,326 | 368,203 | 480,011 | 893,614 | 1,326,493 | 1,937,642 | 2,024,142 |
| Cargo (tonnes) | 1641 | 1443 | 1605 | 2878 | 3171 | 4831 | 10736 | 6972 | 3633 | 5055 | n/a |
Ground transportation
Bratislava Airport can be reached from the city centre, which is by road 12 km away, or from D1 motorway. Public transportation line no. 61 connects airport to the city centre and main railway station. Many shuttle buses also operate from this airport to Vienna. There is a taxi stand just near the entrance to the airport.
Airlines and destinations
Scheduled service
- Aeroflot (Moscow-Sheremetyevo) [begins May 27]
- Air Slovakia (Amritsar, Barcelona, Birmingham, Kuwait [seasonal], Larnaca [seasonal], Milan-Bergamo, Tel Aviv)
- Czech Airlines (Prague)
- Lufthansa
- Lufthansa Regional operated by Lufthansa CityLine (Munich)
- Ryanair (Birmingham [begins June 18], Bristol, Bremen, Dublin, East Midlands, Edinburgh [begins September 08], Frankfurt-Hahn, Girona, London-Stansted, Milan-Bergamo, Stockholm-Skavsta)
- SkyEurope (Athens [seasonal], Barcelona [seasonal], Birmingham, Bourgas [seasonal], Catania [seasonal], Cork, Dublin, Dubrovnik [seasonal], Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen [begins April 28], Košice, London-Luton, Malaga [seasonal], Manchester, Paris-Orly, Prague, Split [seasonal], Rome-Fiumicino, Thessaloniki [seasonal], Varna [seasonal])
Charter operators
- Air Slovakia
- Bulgaria Air (Bourgas, Varna) [seasonal]
- Bulgarian Air Charter (Bourgas, Varna) [seasonal]
- Karthago Airlines (Djerba, Monastir) [seasonal]
- Koral Blue (Hurghada)
- Nouvelair (Djerba, Monastir) [seasonal]
- Seagle Air
- SkyEurope
- Tunisair (Tunis) [seasonal]
VIP and other operators
The airport is also the base for the Slovak Government Flying Service. It is also served by Air Transport Europe and other carriers on ad-hoc passenger and freight charter flights.
See also
External links
- Bratislava Airport (official site, Slovak/English)
- Schedule of flights to/from Bratislava Airport (unofficial site)
- Bratislava Destinations
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