Tivat Airport

Tivat Airport Аеродром Тиват
IATA: TIV – ICAO: LYTV
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Airports of Montenegro
Serves	Tivat,  Montenegro
Location	Mrčevac
Hub for	Montenegro Airlines
Elevation AMSL	20 ft / 6 m
Coordinates	42°24′17″N 18°43′24″E / 42.40472°N 18.72333°E / 42.40472; 18.72333
Website	montenegroairports.com
Map
TIV Location of airport in Montenegro
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 14/32 8,202 2,500 Asphalt
Statistics (2015)
Aircraft movements NA Number of passengers 895,033[1]
Source: Airports of Montenegro

Tivat Airport (Montenegrin Аеродром Тиват, Aerodrom Tivat) (IATA: TIV, ICAO: LYTV) is an international airport serving the Montenegrin coastal town of Tivat and the surrounding region.

The airport is situated 3 km (1.9 mi) south of the centre of Tivat, with the runway aligned with the Tivat Field (Montenegrin: Tivatsko polje).

It is the busiest one of two international airports in Montenegro, the other being Podgorica Airport. Traffic at the airport follows the highly seasonal nature of the tourism industry in coastal Montenegro, with 80% of the total volume of passengers being handled during the peak season (June–August). It has been one of the fastest growing airports in the region, with 19,7% increase in the passenger traffic in 2013. 2014 was the busiest year ever for Tivat Airport. During 2014, Tivat Airport handled 910,566 passengers, an increase of 4.95% compared to 2013. Also, Tivat Airport saw its busiest month in history when it handled 211,204 passengers in August 2014. Tivat airport handles 4820 aircraft and 819,156 passengers in first nine months of 2015.

Overview

Tivat airport is located right next to the city of Tivat, 7 km (4 mi) from the center of Kotor, and 19 km (12 mi) north-west of Budva, one of the most popular tourist destinations on the eastern Adriatic coast. The sole runway of the airport ends just 88 m (289 ft) from the coastline of the Bay of Kotor.

Tivat Airport is assigned 4D classification by ICAO,^[2] airspace class D, and is noted for its challenging approach and landing procedures. Approach and landing procedures are demanding because of the hilly terrain and strong crosswinds. Runway 32 approach implies descent into the valley of Tivatsko polje,^[3] and a 20° turn for runway alignment just before landing. Runway 14 approach is even more challenging, because of the circle to land maneuver executed in the dramatic scenery surrounding the Bay of Kotor. It is known among pilots as the European KaiTak because of its tricky approach and landing procedures. Passengers are awarded spectacular views of the bay, the surrounding mountains and a low flyby over Porto Montenegro luxury yacht marina.

Year-round services from the airport include Belgrade and Moscow, however, more than 80% of the traffic is concentrated in the summer period, with the introduction of seasonal and charter flights. With the opening of Porto Montenegro and introduction of other high end tourist services, the airport increasingly caters to business jets.

Adriatic Highway (E65/E80) passes right by the passenger terminal, making the airport easily accessible from the entire northern part of Montenegrin coast.

History

The airport in Tivat was opened on May 30, 1957, as a small airport with a single grass runway (1200 m × 80 m) a small apron (30 m × 30 m) and a terminal building complete with control tower. From 1957 to 1968, activity at the airport consisted mostly of domestic passenger traffic to Belgrade, Zagreb and Skopje, with JAT Douglas DC-3 and Ilyushin Il-14 aircraft.

From 1968 to 1971, the airport underwent expansion and modernization. It was reopened on September 25, 1971 with an asphalt runway (2500 m × 45 m), larger apron (450 m × 70 m), extended taxiways, and completely new passenger terminal and control tower. After the 1979 earthquake, the airport was once again refurbished. Notably, the apron was expanded (460 m × 91.5 m) and taxiways widened, so the airport could handle wide body aircraft.^[4]

On April 23, 2003, the ownership of the airport was transferred from Jat Airways to Airports of Montenegro Public Company, owned by Government of Montenegro. Since then, the airport was once again modernized and refurbished, with reconstructed passenger terminal opening on June 3, 2006. In October 2007, South Korea made a government donation valued at $1 million for a new airport equipment ranging from cargo-loaders to flight information display system.^[5][6] Further reforms came in 2008 when several old types of passenger aircraft such as the Ilyushin Il-86 were permanently banned from flying to Tivat and subsequently redirected to Podgorica Airport due to noise abatement.^[7]

However, as passenger traffic in the mid-2010s approaches the one-million mark, and strong growth continues, the passenger terminal is a bottleneck in peak summer months. Thus, a new passenger terminal is planned at Tivat Airport in the near future, along with further expansion of airport facilities.

Airlines and destinations

Below is a list of scheduled services throughout all seasons from Tivat Airport according to the Montenegrin Airports Authority:^[8]

Statistics

Tivat Airport Passengers (in thousands)

Traffic figures at Tivat Airport

Year	Passengers	Change	Aircraft movements	Change
2007	573,914		4,078
2008	570,636	1%	4,630	14%
2009	532,156	7%	4,226	9%
2010	541,836	2%	4,046	4%
2011	647,169	19%	4,531	12%
2012	725,392	12%	4,605	2%
2013	868,423	20%	5,198	14%
2014	910,933	5%	5,281	1%
2015	895,033	2%	5,422	2%

See also

• Podgorica Airport
• Aeronautical Information Publication

References

External links

Media related to Tivat Airport at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website
• Accident history for TIV at Aviation Safety Network
• Airport information for LYTV at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
• Current weather for LYTV at NOAA/NWS
• Airport information for LYTV at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.