UNMIK/PR/69

PRESS RELEASE

15 October 1999

INAUGURATION OF COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS AT PRISTINA AIRPORT

PRISTINA-The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Bernard Kouchner, today opened Pristina Airport to commercial air traffic.  The first commercial airplane to arrive at Pristina airport in the early afternoon was an A320 airbus from Adria Airways from Ljubljana, Slovenia, carrying about 190 passengers.

The new commander of KFOR, General Klaus Reinhardt, as well as representatives of Adria Airways and Pristina Airport, also attended the ceremony which was held in the newly refurbished airport building. 

In his address, Mr. Kouchner stressed the symbolism of the resumption of commercial flights for the return of Kosovo to normalcy and its re-opening to the world. The airport opening will contribute to Kosovo’s greater participation in worldwide communication and the expansion of its economic possibilities.

During the next ten days, three more airlines will start serving Pristina Airport.  ADA Air and Albanian Airlines will begin flights between Pristina and Tirana on Sunday, 17 October.  On Monday, 18 October, CrossAir of Switzerland will start its service from Zurich. One week later, on 25 October, Tyrolean Air of Austria will connect Pristina and Vienna. A number of other airlines are interested in serving Pristina as well. Negotiations are ongoing with Air Bosna of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Deutsche BA of Germany and Avio-Impex of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.