Airport in ?iauliai, Lithuania
?iauliai International Airport
(
IATA
:
SQQ
,
ICAO
:
EYSA
) is an
airport
located within
?iauliai Air Base
which is a major military facility of the
Lithuanian Air Force
and one of the
air bases
of the
NATO
Baltic Air Policing
mission. The
joint-use airport
is also known by its historic name of
Zokniai aerodrome
(
Lithuanian
:
Zokni? aerodromas
) and is located 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) southeast of the city of
?iauliai
in northern
Lithuania
.
History
[
edit
]
Zokniai area was first used as an
aerial warfare
facility in 1916?1917, when the German forces built
hangars
for their
Zeppelin
airships
.
[2]
The Lithuanian Air Force began expanding during the
Interwar period
, as Lithuania was acquiring foreign aircraft as well as domestically produced
ANBO
-series aircraft, making the
Kaunas aerodrome
insufficient.
[2]
In 1931, Zokniai
aerodrome
was built as a second airbase for the Lithuanian Air Force.
[3]
It was a base of the 3rd, 4th and 5th
squadrons
.
[4]
At that time, it was able to host 35 aircraft,
[2]
including
Ansaldo A.120
,
Letov ?-20
,
Gloster Gladiator
,
de Havilland Dragon Rapide
and the domestically produced
ANBO 41
.
[5]
For a brief time, the aerodrome hosted
Lituanica II
.
[5]
The concrete runways were first built during the
German occupation
in 1943.
[6]
Following the
Soviet occupation of Lithuania
, the aerodrome was taken over by the Soviet forces.
[2]
Two parallel runaways, 3.5 km (2.2 mi) and 3.2 km (2.0 mi) long, were built by 1957 for
Ilyushin Il-28
and it became a major military airport able to host jet fighters and
strategic bombers
.
[6]
It was one of only six Soviet airbases capable of handling the
Myasishchev M-4
bomber.
[7]
Following the
independence restoration
in 1990, the airport was returned to the Lithuanian Air Force.
[2]
In 1990s, it was renovated and equipped for civilian operations.
[2]
In 1994, ?iauliai Airport gained the status of
international airport
.
[3]
It was further modernized in 2004 when Lithuania joined
NATO
.
[6]
It became a NATO air base, hosting the
Baltic Air Policing
mission. The first NATO
F-16
jet fighters from the
Belgian Air Component
landed in March 2004.
[4]
Facilities
[
edit
]
The airport is owned and administered by the
Lithuanian Armed Forces
.
[3]
Military base
[
edit
]
Officially
Lithuanian Air Force Air Base
, more commonly known as
?iauliai Air Base
, is the headquarters of the Lithuanian Air Force since nearly all its aircraft operate out of it, including
C-27J Spartan
transporters and
Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin
helicopters.
[7]
The base has Air Force Armament and Equipment Repair Depot.
[8]
In 2020, around 400 military and civilian staff worked in the air base.
[7]
NATO
Baltic Air Policing
mission provides airspace security for the three Baltic members of NATO, including
Quick Reaction Alert
.
[9]
[7]
The base hosted a variety of aircraft from the NATO allies, including the
fifth-generation fighters
F-22 Raptor
and
F-35 Lightning II
as well as other types of aircraft, such as
KC-135 Stratotanker
and
E-3 Sentry (AWACS)
.
[10]
[11]
[12]
Civilian facilities
[
edit
]
The civilian use is primarily for the
aircraft maintenance
and
cargo
transportation. The airport has a passenger terminal, meeting the requirements of the
Schengen Area
, but it is used only for the irregular flights.
[13]
Since the airport is also a military facility, it is not subject to noise regulations and is open 24 hours a day.
[14]
?iauliai Airport is a regional centre for the
aircraft maintenance
and parking, with several companies operating in the airport, including "J&C Aero" and "Aviatic MRO".
[14]
[15]
Runways have a capacity to accept larger aircraft, such as
Boeing 747
or
Airbus A330
.
[14]
The airport has infrastructure for storage and
customs
and has been expanding its commercial cargo operations.
[16]
[17]
Gallery
[
edit
]
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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