Balaton Airport
| Hévíz-Balaton Airport | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Characteristics | |
| ICAO code | LHSM |
| IATA code | SOB |
| Coordinates | |
| Height above MSL | 124 m (407 ft ) |
| Transport links | |
| Distance from the city center | 11 km south of Hévíz |
| Street |
|
| Local transport | Bus, taxi, rental car |
| Basic data | |
| opening | 1991 |
| operator | Hévíz-Balaton Airport Kft. |
| Terminals | 1 |
| Passengers | 11,466 (2018) |
| Air freight | 3 t (2018) |
| Flight movements |
2,828 (2018) |
| Capacity ( PAX per year) |
300,000 |
| Runways | |
| 16/34 | 2500 m × 60 m concrete |
| 16R / 34L (closed) |
1000 m × 50 m grass |
The Hévíz-Balaton Airport (also Sármellék Airport, IATA code SOB , ICAO code LHSM ) is a Hungarian regional airport near the Balaton .
Location and transport links
The airport is about 11 km from Hévíz and about 15 km from Keszthely in the Zala county west of Balaton on the bottom of the municipality of Sármellék . Air passengers can be transported to their holiday accommodation with transfer buses or taxis waiting in front of the airport building. A government decision in 2016 set the deadline for the construction of a railway ring around Lake Balaton until 2022. Until 2017 there has been no decision whether a stop at the airport will be part of the Balaton Rail Ring.
history
The former Soviet military airfield has been open to civil air traffic since 1991. Its infrastructure has so far not met the standards of other airfields . Since the conversion to civil aviation, most of the buildings have been left to decay.
In December 2004 the Irish- Hungarian company Cape Clear Aviation was awarded a 99-year contract to operate the airport. A security fence around the airport was completed in spring 2005, and the following summer the runway received lights and an instrument landing system . The new terminal was completed in September 2005; Due to delays in related construction work, the building could only be put into operation on May 4, 2006. On that day, Ryanair's first flight landed at Sármellék Airport, and at the same time negotiations were being held with easyJet about the start of flights. In the end, easyJet's flights did not take place, and Ryanair has since stopped the flights. A freight terminal was built north of the new passenger terminal, which was leased and operated by DHL . The cargo terminal went into operation at the beginning of September 2007, and the Polish cargo airline Exin stationed Antonow An-26 at the airport on behalf of DHL . In the meantime, however, it is no longer listed as a destination by DHL.
After filing for bankruptcy in 2009, operations were resumed in April 2010 at the beginning of the tourist season and then temporarily stopped again.
The airport has since reopened on April 16, 2012 after being renamed Hévíz-Balaton Airport . With the bankruptcy and subsequent liquidation of InterSky in November 2015, the airport lost an important airline . In the following year, the destinations of InterSky were flown to by VLM Airlines , but they had to file for bankruptcy on June 22nd, 2016 in the middle of the main season. It was therefore replaced at short notice by Czech Airlines . In the summer of 2016, Freebird Airlines suspended their flights due to low passenger numbers.
On February 5, 2019, Germania ceased flight operations, the flights planned for 2019 are to be operated by Sundair instead . In addition, Czech Airlines will replace Flybe in summer 2019 .
Airport facilities
Start-and runway
The airport has a runway 2,500 meters long and 60 meters wide with a concrete surface.
terminal
The airport has a small terminal at the north end of the runway. The building was put into operation in May 2006 and has a capacity of 300,000 passengers per year, which, however, has not nearly been exhausted so far. In addition, an asphalt apron was built for the terminal, while the remaining concrete taxiways originate from the time as the Soviet military airfield .
Others
The control tower is located 800 meters south of the new terminal on the roof of the old passenger terminal.
The air rescue company OMSZ Légimentő has a base at the airport. It is equipped with a Eurocopter EC 135 T2 , the hangar is next to the old passenger terminal.
Airlines and Destinations
Hévíz-Balaton Airport is mainly approached during the summer, mostly flights from or to Germany . In 2019 the flight plan consists of the following destinations:
| airline | aims |
|---|---|
| Czech Airlines | Berlin-Tegel , Düsseldorf , Hamburg |
| Lufthansa | Frankfurt am Main |
| Sundair | Dresden , Erfurt-Weimar , Leipzig / Halle |
Traffic figures
| year | Passenger volume | Air freight ( tons ) | Flight movements |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 11,466 | 3.128 | 2,828 |
| 2017 | 13,229 | 15.092 | 2,357 |
| 2016 | 17,663 | 11.268 | 936 |
| 2015 | 15,748 | 15.293 | 2,092 |
| 2014 | 28,588 | 28.065 | 795 |
| 2013 | 25,015 | 18.086 | 682 |
| 2012 | 18,831 | 7.787 | 559 |
| 2011 | 18.191 | 317.150 | 652 |
| 2010 | 14,828 | 264.773 | 533 |
| 2009 | 15,075 | 45,500 | 1,727 |
| 2008 | 102.131 | 502.560 | 3,650 |
| 2007 | 105,697 | 695.295 | 4,622 |
| 2006 | 63,627 | 3,500 | 2,530 |
| 2005 | 25,932 | - | 1.934 |
| 2004 | 21,077 | - | 1,528 |
Trivia
- In order to achieve higher passenger numbers, the airport is promoting medical tourism to Hungary, among other things . There are also links to the websites of a law firm and a real estate agent on the website .
Web links
- Official website of Hévíz-Balaton Airport
- hungaryairport.hu - airport data (English)
- Pictures of Balaton Airport
- Aerial views over Sármellék
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Dissemination database - Air transport. KSH.hu , April 18, 2019, accessed on April 19, 2019 .
- ↑ a b c New terminal in Sármellék. Balaton-Zeitung.info, May 2006, accessed on July 8, 2017 (German).
- ↑ a b c flight plan. HevizAirport.com, accessed on April 19, 2019 (German).
- ↑ DHL starts flight operations at Lake Balaton. Balaton-Zeitung.info, September 5, 2007, accessed on July 9, 2017 (German).
- ↑ Destinations Served. AviationCargo.DHL.com , accessed July 9, 2017 .
- ↑ Balaton Airport opens in April. Balaton-Zeitung.info, February 19, 2010, accessed on July 8, 2017 (German).
- ↑ Operation of FlyBalaton now secured. Balaton-Zeitung.info, March 3, 2010, accessed on July 8, 2017 (German).
- ↑ Flights to Turkey suspended. Balaton-Zeitung.info, August 16, 2016, accessed on July 8, 2017 (German).
- ↑ Sundair takes over further flights from Dresden. Saechsische.de , February 28, 2019, accessed on April 19, 2019 (German).
- ↑ Airport data . HevizAirport.com, accessed on July 8, 2017 (German).
