Sarajevo International Airport

Sarajevo International Airport Međunarodni aerodrom Sarajevo Međunarodna zračna luka Sarajevo Међународни аеродром Сарајево
IATA: SJJ ICAO: LQSA
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Bosnia and Herzegovina Directorate of Civil Aviation (BHDCA)
Serves	Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Location	Butmir
Elevation AMSL	1,708 ft / 521 m
Coordinates	43°49′29″N 018°19′53″E / 43.82472°N 18.33139°E / 43.82472; 18.33139Coordinates: 43°49′29″N 018°19′53″E / 43.82472°N 18.33139°E / 43.82472; 18.33139
Website	sarajevo-airport.ba
Map
SJJ Location within Bosnia and Herzegovina
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 12/30 2,700 8,858 Asphalt
Statistics
Passengers 2016 838,966 Passengers 2015 772,904 Passengers 2014 709,901
Source (excluding statistics): Bosnian and Herzegovinian AIP at EUROCONTROL

Sarajevo International Airport (IATA: SJJ, ICAO: LQSA), also known as Butmir Airport, is the main international airport in Bosnia and Herzegovina, serving Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located 3.3 NM (6.1 km; 3.8 mi) southwest of the Sarajevo railway station in the Ilidža municipality, suburb of Butmir. In 2016, 838,966 passengers traveled through the airport, compared to 323,499 in 2001.

First regular flights to Sarajevo using an airfield in the suburb of Butmir begin in 1930 when the domestic airliner Aeroput opened a regular route linking Belgrade to Podgorica through Sarajevo. A year later Aeroput opened a new route which linked Belgrade and Zagreb going through Sarajevo, Split and Rijeka. In 1935 Aeroput operated three times weekly the non-stop route Belgrade – Sarajevo, which was extended to Dubrovnik a year later. In 1937 Aeroput included regular flights linking Sarajevo to Zagreb, and 1938 was the year when first international flights were introduced when Aeroput extended the route Dubrovnik – Sarajevo – Zagreb to Vienna, Brno and Prague.

The airfield in Butmir remained in use all the way until 1969. The need for a new airport in Sarajevo, with an asphalt-concrete runway, was acknowledged in the mid-1960s when JAT, Yugoslav national carrier at that time, began acquiring jet planes. The construction of the airport began in 1966 at its present location, not far from the old one.

Sarajevo Airport opened on 2 June 1969 for domestic traffic. In 1970 Frankfurt became the first international destination served. Most of the time the airport was a 'feeder' airport where passengers embarked for flights to Zagreb and Belgrade on their way to international destinations. Over time the traffic volume steadily grew from 70,000 to 600,000 passengers a year. The first renovation came for the 1984 Winter Olympic Games, when the runway was extended by 200 meters, the navigation system was improved, and a new terminal building was built, designed for 1 million passengers a year.