Vršac International Airport

Infobox Airport
name = Vršac International Airport
nativename = Међународни Аеродром Вршац
nativename-r = Međunarodni Aerodrom Vršac


IATA = N/A
ICAO = LYVR
type = Public
operator = Jat Airways Flight Academy
city-served = Vršac, Serbia
location = Vršac, Serbia
elevation-f = 276
elevation-m = 84
coordinates = coor dms|45|08|52|N|21|18|35|E|type:airport
website = [http://www.jatfa.com/ www.jatfa.com]
r1-number = 01R/19L
r1-length-f = 3,937
r1-length-m = 1,200
r1-surface = Asphalt
r2-number = 01L/19R
r2-length-f = 2,952
r2-length-m = 900
r2-surface = Grass
r3-number = 16/34
r3-length-f = 1,969
r3-length-m = 600
r3-surface = Grass

Vršac International Airport (Serbian Cyrillic: Међународни Аеродром Вршац, Serbian Latin: "Međunarodni Aerodrom Vršac") airport codes|N/A|LYVR is one of Serbia's busiest sport airports and Serbia's fourth international airport since December 28, 2006. Vršac Airport is presently used for the purposes of air-taxi traffic, training pilots, auto mechanics and air treatment of soil.

There are five hangars built at the airport that can accommodate and maintain aircraft of the academy and agricultural aviation. Width of the runway is 25 m (82 ft). There is also a building with classrooms and one with a control tower.

History

The first flight on the slopes of Vršac Mt. was performed by pilot-engineer Aurel Vlaiku on August 11, 1912. The starting year of aeronautical tradition was 1925. when aeronautical club "Naša Krila" (English: "Our Wings") was founded. A study was made about the advantages of this region for development of gliding sport, and this had initiated the investors to build the first hangar in 1934.

After World War II the intensive training of glider pilots continued. In 1954 Vršac becomes official State Aeronautical Centre. Glider pilots were now joined by parachutists, airplane pilots and aircraft-model makers. Vršac was the recruitment centre for recreational aeronautics until 1972. Flyers from this centre took place in many world championships and brought many medals and records. In 1972 Vršac hosted the third World Championship in Gliding.

In 1972 the national airline of Serbia, Jat Airways (then known as JAT Yugoslav Airlins). Since then the Jat Airways Flight Academy has been specialized for training future airline transport pilots at Vršac International Airport.

The Jat Airways Flight Academy each year organizes the "Vršac Airshow".

The first international flight from Vršac Airport was to Podgorica Airport in Montenegro on February 5 2007. The airport received international airport status after the Government of Serbia, made a decision to do so on December 28 2006.

Airport services

Jat Airways Flight Academy

"See full article: Jat Airways Flight Academy"

Vršac Airport is one of the most recognised European training centres and is the home to the Jat Airways training centre.

Jat Flight Academy Vršac has its own programme based on over 50 years of experience in training pilots for commercial air transport. In its long tradition of pilot training, Jat Flight Academy has educated 70%+ of pilots flying today for the national air carrier - Jat Airways. The airport also includes a state of the art flight simulator system.

In October 2005 the Technical Department of Jat Flight Academy charged with maintaining aircraft at the Academy, received certification of conforming to European Union standards in the maintenance of light aircraft - EASA part 145. The certification opens the possibility of maintaining aircraft for clients throughout Europe.

In 2007, Air India announced it will train some of its pilots at the Jat Airways flight academy.

Vršac Airport has trained many pilots from different airports over the years. This In 2007 the airport will be the training base for future pilots from India and China. Vršac Airport has also trained pilots from Air Algerie, Air Mali, Air Malta, Iraqi Airways, Libyan Arab Airlines, TAAG Angola Airlines and Turkish Airlines.

Maintenance

Light Aircraft Maintenance Centre in the Vršac Flight Academy possesses the EASA 145 Certificate necessary for maintaining and repairing smaller planes from the European Union. Aircraft from the fleet of the Greek business air carrier GAA - whose pilots have recently renewed their flying licenses in the institution - are also maintained in Vršac.

Reconstruction

Vršac International Airport is planned to go under reconstruction in following years. The existing taking off-landing runway, which is 1200 m long, needs to be lengthened by 600 m to length of the 1800 m. Its width needs to be increased to 30 m. What also needs to be done is the strengthening of the whole construction of the runway, taxiway and terminal platform, to accept maximum of 30 tonnes of airplane weight. City authorities hope, once the reconstruction will have been completed, some international charter airlines as well as cargo (DHL) will use its services as they have already shown interest to fly to this attractive Serbian destination.

Airlines and destinations

* Air Pink (destinations per request)
* Jat Airways AVIO taxi (Amsterdam, Athens, Brussels, Belgrade, Budapest, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Graz, Hanover, Istanbul, Larnaca, Malta, Milan, Munich, Odessa, Paris, Prague, Rome, Skopje, Sofia, Thessaloniki, Trieste, Tunis, Venice, Vienna, Warsaw, Zurich) [per request]
* Prince Aviation (destinations per request)

See also

*List of airports in Serbia

Sources

* [http://www.jatfa.com/ Jat Airways Flight Academy]
* [http://www.vrsac.org.yu/en_InfrastrukturaVazdusni.asp Opština Vršac]
*Serbian Aeronautical Information Publication
* [http://www.modli.co.yu/flying/books/slobodno_sletanje/35%20VRSAC%20LYVR.pdf Vršac airport information (PDF)]
*WAD|LYVR