18 years since the post-war opening of Sarajevo Airport

Eighteen years have passed since Sarajevo Airport was reopened for civil air traffic after the war events and complete destruction, reports the Patria News Agency.

The post-war opening ceremony was held on August 15, 1996, and was attended by the then President of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alija Izetbegović, and US Secretary of State Warren Christopher.

The first flights at the newly opened airport were operated by the Croatian airline Croatia Airlines on the Zagreb-Sarajevo-Zagreb route and the Turkish charter airline Top Air on the Istanbul-Sarajevo-Istanbul route.

From that year, the planned reconstruction and rapid development of Sarajevo International Airport began, and with it, the interest of international carriers in this airport started to grow, resulting in the development of civil aviation in this region.

- The post-war year of 1996 ended with 26,000 passengers, and from that year until today, almost eight million passengers have passed through Sarajevo Airport. Thanks to the enthusiasm and commitment of the management, as well as all employees, this airport is today recognized for the quality and timeliness of its services, safety and regularity of air traffic, and is a respectable partner for airlines and other service users, as evidenced by numerous domestic and international awards. We expect to successfully conclude the business year 2014, and that the number of passengers will reach approximately 700,000, which will represent a new record for Sarajevo Airport – it was announced from the company.