Tivat Airport is an international airport serving the Montenegrin coastal town of Tivat and the surrounding region. The airport is situated 3 km south of the centre of Tivat, with the runway aligned with the Tivat Field. It is one of two international airports in Montenegro, the other being Podgorica Airport. Traffic at the airport follows the highly seasonal nature of the tourism industry in coastal Montenegro, with 80% of the total volume of passengers being handled during the peak season (May–September).

History

Tivat Airport was opened on 30 May 1957, featuring a 1200 m long grass runway, small apron, passenger terminal building and control tower. Initially, the airport served mainly domestic passenger traffic, with flights to Belgrade, Zagreb and Skopje being operated by JAT, using Douglas DC-3 and Ilyushin Il-14 aircraft. From 1968 to 1971, the airport underwent major expansion and modernization. It was reopened on 25 September 1971, sporting a 2500 x asphalt runway, extended apron and new passenger terminal. Another expansion of airport facilities ensued after it was damaged by the 1979 earthquake. On 23 April 2003, the ownership of the airport was transferred from Jat Airways to Airports of Montenegro, a public company owned by the government of Montenegro. The airport underwent passenger terminal reconstruction in 2006. As noise pollution increasingly became an issue in the mid-2000s, older airliners were permanently banned from using the airport, with loud widebodies such as Ilyushin Il-86 being redirected to Podgorica Airport. Expansion of the passenger terminal building was completed in December 2018. However, airport facilities struggle to service growing passenger volume during the peak summer season, which results in frequent owercrowding.

Overview

Tivat Airport is located in the Mrčevac settlement, on the southern outskirts of Tivat urban area, 7 km from the Kotor city center, and 20 km north-west of Budva. The passenger terminal is served by Adriatic Highway (E65/E80). The airport is situated within Tivatsko polje (Tivat field), a valley surrounded by mountainous terrain, stretching in southeasterly direction from the city of Tivat. The airport's runway is aligned with the valley's orientation, with runway 14's threshold being just 100 m from the Bay of Kotor coastline. Runway 32 approach requires a descent into Tivatsko polje, and a 20° turn for runway alignment just before landing. Due to this demanding approach procedure, Tivat Airport is known among pilots as the "Kai Tak of Europe". As of 2024, the runway 14 approach is no longer included in charts, as it included an even more challenging circle-to-land maneuver. The airport is frequented by plane spotters, due to its easy access and unobstructed views of the runway, as well as the dramatic mountain backdrop. Tivat Airport has a highly seasonal traffic pattern, with more than 80% of passenger traffic concentrated in the May-September period.

Airlines and destinations

Below is a list of scheduled services throughout all seasons from Tivat Airport according to the Montenegrin Airports Authority:

Statistics

Busiest routes