Ohrid Airport (IATA: OHD, ICAO: LWOH) (Macedonian: Аеродром Охрид, Aerodrom Ohrid), or Ohrid "St. Paul the Apostle" Airport (Macedonian: Аеродром Охрид "Св. Апостол Павле", Aerodrom Ohrid "Sv. Apostol Pavle"), is an airport in Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia. The airport is located 9 km (6 mi) from Ohrid, along the Struga-Kičevo-Skopje motorway.

Airlines and destinations

Concession

In 2008 the Macedonian government signed a contract with the Turkish company Tepe Akfen Ventures (TAV) for a twenty year long concession during which this company would manage Macedonia's two existing airports in Ohrid and Skopje. The planned works include the construction of a new airport terminal building in Skopje, extension of the runway, new administration building, and new access road with parking facilities increasing the capacity of Skopje Airport to four million passengers per year with plans to turn Skopje Airport into a major transit and cargo hub for Southeast Europe. Ohrid airport will have its terminal building and VIP sections modernized. The concession contract also includes the construction of a third airport intended for cargo transport near the eastern Macedonian town of Štip which eventually would be transformed into Macedonia’s main airport. The total amount of the foreseen investment is 200 million Euros with 30 to 40 million Euros total concession payments to the Macedonian Government over the 20-year concession period. Tepe Akfen Ventures Airport Holding is one of the world's fastest expanding airport operators currently managing the Turkish airports of Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Antalya along with Tbilisi in Georgia, and Monastir in Tunisia. TAV is also bidding to take over the management of Ruzyně International Airport and Riga International Airport.

Facilities and services

This airport has small traffic capacity. The apron can accommodate up to 9 aircraft and the terminal is equipped to handle up to 300 000 passengers annually. MAT Macedonian Airlines, Helvetic Airways and Adria Airways are among the few airline companies operating to and from St. Paul the Apostle Airport.

The main purpose of St. Paul the Apostle Airport is to serve as an alternative to Alexander the Great Airport at Skopje and cater to flights bringing in tourists destined for Ohrid.

Among other concessions the terminal building encompasses an information desk, a restaurant, a duty-free shop, and a VIP lounge.

Ohrid Airport is home to 9 Airline offices at the airport itself. JAT Airways, Malev, Macedonian, German Wings, Helvetic, Adria, Alitalia and Czech Airlines have offices at the airport.

Recent renovations

The last runway reconstruction was performed in 2004, when a lighting system, a first category with simple approach lights, was installed. Other features enable takeoff, landing and maneuvering with different types of aircraft.

Accident history

On 20 November 1993 an Avioimpex Yak 42D crashed near the airport. The aircraft was on a flight from Geneva, Switzerland to Skopje, but had been diverted to Ohrid due to poor weather conditions.

On final approach the aircraft crashed into the Trojan Hills, that lie in the vicinity. All eight crewmembers and 115 of the 116 passengers perished in the accident. This is among the few air disasters with a sole survivor. Unfortunately the survivor died from injuries in hospital several weeks later.

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2010.
We don't guarantee the information is fresh and accurate. The data may be wrong or outdated.
For more up-to-date information please refer to other sources.