Brno-Tuřany Airport lies in the Brno district of Brno-Tuřany. According to the Encyclopedia of the History of the City of Brno, it was first built as a military airfield, operational from 1954, and civilian operations were ceremonially launched there on 28 April 1958.[1] A new terminal building was added in 1967.[1] The current terminal, dating from 2006, was designed by architect Petr Parolek.[1][2]
History of operations
In 1968 the airport was used by occupying Warsaw Pact forces, whose An-12 transport aircraft and MiG-21 fighters landed there.[1] In 1978 the runway was extended from 2,000 to 2,650 metres. In 1982 the airport was taken over by the army and regular passenger transport ceased.[1]
After 1989 the airport was state-owned and administered by the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. Military operations ended in 1991. From 1992 the airport was administered by the Czech Airport Authority, and in August of that same year international civilian operations resumed.[1] The encyclopedia also records the launch of a Brno–Zurich air connection in 1992.[1]
Owners and operators
From mid-2002 the airport was operated by the private company Letiště Brno, a.s. In 2004 the state transferred the airport to the South Moravian Region.[1] The company that leases the airport has had a new owner since 10 November 2017, the firm Accolade Holding. This firm bought out the original owner, the company B.A.W.D.F.[1]
Buildings
The air navigation services centre with its control tower has the shape of a cone. The glazed section of the tower, where the air traffic controllers work, stands on a sixteen-sided floor plan, which allows for both shading and an unobstructed view. It was built in 2001, and the project was designed by Jan Němec and Zdeněk Žilka.[1]
Construction of the new terminal building began on 19 September 2005, and it was ceremonially opened on 18 September 2006 by President of the Czech Republic Václav Klaus. The rounded building, designed by Petr Parolek, is made of metal and glass and has a capacity of up to 3 million passengers a year. At peak hours it is said to be able to process up to 1,000 departing passengers.[2] The total cost of the terminal was 237 million crowns, of which 51.2 million came from the European Regional Development Fund.[2] Thanks to the new terminal, the airport gained the status of an international airport of the European Union from the following January. The halls have two processing regimes, one for citizens of EU member states and another for other foreign nationals.[2] The existing arrivals hall was rebuilt and modernised in 2008–2009.[1]
Notable events
The encyclopedia also records, in connection with the airport, the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Brno in September 2009, the subsequent dismantling of the mass venue, and the cancellation of the route to Berlin in January 2011.[1]