Košice International Airport
Encyclopedia
Košice International Airport serves Košice
Košice
Košice is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary...

, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

 and is the second largest international airport
International airport
An international airport is any airport that can accommodate flights from other countries and are typically equipped with customs and immigration facilities to handle these flights to and from other countries...

 in Slovakia. It is located 6 km (3.7 mi) to the south of St. Elisabeth Cathedral
St. Elisabeth Cathedral
The St. Elisabeth Cathedral is a Gothic cathedral in Košice...

, 230 m (754.6 ft) above sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...

, covering an area of 3.5 km² (1.4 sq mi). It serves both scheduled and chartered, domestic and international flights. Airport capacity is currently around 700,000 passengers a year or 1,000 passengers an hour.

History

Construction of today's airport began in 1950 near the suburb of Barca
Košice-Barca
Barca is a city part of Košice, Slovakia.It was originally a village in its own right. The first written record about Barca dates back to 1215...

. In 1954 construction began on the first part of the new passenger terminal, hangar and new control tower. In 1955 direct flights began between Košice and Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

. The power supply was enhanced by more powerful transformers in 1962. Increasing traffic required a larger passenger terminal by the mid 1960s. The foundation of the SNP Air Force Academy in 1973 strengthened aviation in the then republic of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

. Between 1974 and 1977 the runway was increased by 1100 m (3,608.9 ft), the power supply rebuilt and a lighting system installed to meet CAT II
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...

 ICAO
International Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...

 specifications. Military aviation at the airport stopped in 2004

Passenger throughput and operations since 2000:
Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Passenger throughput 125 844 138 083 161 827 187 716 231 410 269 885 343 818 443 448 590 919 352 460
Cargo handled (tonnes) 277 500 257 322 368 448 323 264 457 446

Terminals

The total area of the terminal 1 is 4456 m² (5,329.3 sq yd), of which more than 3500 m² (4,186 sq yd) is designed for the travelling public. Facilities include international and domestic departure and domestic gates, aviation and travel agencies, a nursery, a quiet room, and comfortable business lounge. There are also restaurants, car rental booths and small shops.

Scheduled airlines and destinations

External links

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