Batajnica Air Base
| Batajnica Air Base Аеродром Батајница Aerodrom Batajnica | |||||||||||||||||||
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Batajnica control tower | |||||||||||||||||||
| IATA: BJY – ICAO: LYBT | |||||||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Military air base | ||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | Serbian Air Force | ||||||||||||||||||
| Serves |
Belgrade,  Serbia | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Belgrade | ||||||||||||||||||
| Built | 1947 | ||||||||||||||||||
| In use | 1951 - present | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | ft / 86 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 44°56′07″N 020°15′27″E / 44.93528°N 20.25750°ECoordinates: 44°56′07″N 020°15′27″E / 44.93528°N 20.25750°E | ||||||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
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Batajnica Air Base (IATA: BJY, ICAO: LYBT) (Serbian: Аеродром Бaтajницa / Aerodrom Batajnica) is a military air base in Serbia. The airport is located between Batajnica and Nova Pazova, about 25 km northwest from the center of Belgrade. Batajnica is the only airport in Serbia with two runways.
History
Construction of the airbase started in 1947 and was completed in 1951, when the airbase was officially opened. The purpose of the airbase was to protect the capital from attack. One grass and two asphalted runways are used. It was known as 177th Air Base, which was its name until the 2006 reorganization.
Batajnica was home of 204th Fighter-Aviation regiment, 138th Transport-Aviation Regiment and other units of Yugoslav Air Force.
During the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia the airbase was heavily bombed for 25 days and sustaining heavy damage.
In June 2006, two USAF F-16 fighter jets, visited Batajnica airbase. It was the first official visit of USAF aircraft in more than 20 years and the first since the bombing.
Civil usage
Civil aviation authorities in Serbia have speculated about the possibility to transform Batajnica to accept commercial flights from low-cost carriers at some point in the future. Proponents argue that the air base is more ideally located than the neighboring Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, just a few kilometers away, because of its close proximity to the E75 highway and direct rail link to the city, as well as its more favorable weather conditions. Under the proposal, the airbase would serve a dual purpose and continue to serve its military purpose but ownership of the airport would be transferred to the city authority.[1][2][3]
Units
Serbian Air Force units operating outside of Batajnica Air Base:
-
204th Air Brigade, composed of:[4]
-
101st Fighter Squadron -
252nd Training Squadron -
138th Transport Squadron -
890th Mixed Helicopter Squadron - 24th Air Force Technical Battalion
- 17th Air Base Security Battalion
- 177th Air Force Air Defence Artillery Battalion
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- Air Force and Air Defense Training Center :[5]
- Aeronautical Plant "Moma Stanojlović"
- Military Technical Testing Center Flight Test Section
References
- ↑ "U Batajnicu će sletati i civili" (in Serbian). B92. 9 January 2008.
- ↑ "Aerodrom u Batajnici rezervisan za loukost letove" (in Serbian). 24sata.rs. 15 June 2011.
- ↑ "Second airport for Belgrade by 2016". EX-YU Aviation. 27 June 2011.
- ↑ 204TH AIR FORCE BRIGADE
- ↑ AIR FORCE TRAINING CENTER
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Batajnica Air Base. |
- Airport information for LYBT at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.
- Batajnica Airport map*
- Batajnica Airbase pre-strike with visible control tower
