On this day in 1996: Sarajevo Airport opened for civil traffic

On this day, 16 August 1996, Sarajevo Airport was reopened for civil traffic after being closed for several years. 

Since April 1996, part of the Airport had been managed by the civilian authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. That month also marked the beginning of the struggle to restore Sarajevo Airport to its proper function - civil aviation. It practically started from scratch. Some used equipment was donated to the Airport, the sorting area was repaired and turned into a makeshift terminal. After brief training in Turkey, workers took up their long-awaited positions and things slowly began to move forward, until on 16 August 1996, Sarajevo Airport finally opened for civil traffic. This event meant the realisation of the greatest dream of all employees.

Immediately after the Airport opened, Croatia Airlines established a connection between Sarajevo and Zagreb, and the Turkish company Top Air between Sarajevo and Istanbul. By the end of that year, Sarajevo Airport had handled 26,000 passengers and was the only airport in Bosnia and Herzegovina functioning for civil aviation. All manoeuvring areas, technical facilities of the airport and the air traffic control building with the control tower were repaired.

The general reconstruction of the airport terminal building, with completely new technology and top-quality equipment, was successfully completed in early 2001. With the ceremonial opening in March 2001, the Airport completed all facilities regarding passenger needs and comfort, officially marking the beginning of a new era of quality work and outstanding results.