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

• Košice International Airport (official site)