Liepāja International Airport

Liepāja International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerLiepāja City Municipality
OperatorAviasabiedrība "Liepāja" SIA
LocationSouth Kurzeme Municipality, Liepāja
Hub forairBaltic pilot academy
Built1940
Elevation AMSL18 ft / 5.5 m
Coordinates56°31′03″N 021°05′49″E / 56.51750°N 21.09694°E / 56.51750; 21.09694 (Liepāja International Airport)
Websitewww.liepaja-airport.lv
Map
LPX is located in Latvia
LPX
LPX
Location of airport in Latvia
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
06/24 2,002 6,568 Asphalt/Concrete
Statistics (2019)
Number of Passengers14,082
Source: Aerodrome chart[1]
Latvian AIP at EUROCONTROL[2]

Liepāja International Airport (IATA: LPX, ICAO: EVLA) is a regional airport in western Latvia which is certified for international air traffic. Along with Riga International Airport and Ventspils Airport, it is one of the three major airports in Latvia.

Overview

Liepāja International Airport is situated in South Kurzeme Municipality, 2.7 NM (5.0 km; 3.1 mi) east[2] of Liepāja, 210 km (130 mi) from the capital of Latvia, Riga, and 60 km (37 mi) from the Lithuanian border. The territory of the airport covers 2.2 km2 (0.85 sq mi) and is integrated within the Liepāja Special Economic Zone.

On September 20, 2016, the airport was recertified for handling commercial flights after a gap of eight years.[3] On December 5, 2016, airBaltic conducted a test flight from Riga to Liepāja using their Bombardier CS300 aircraft.[4] On December 6, 2016, it was announced that they would be conducting a further series of test flights in spring 2017.[5] Flights to Riga began in 2017 with a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, between three and five times weekly, but ended in 2020.

History

The airport first began operations as a military airfield in 1940.[6] Early during the Cold War, the airfield was a Soviet Anti-Air Defense base. Its aircraft shot down a U.S. Air Force PB4Y-2 Privateer BuNo 59645 on April 8, 1950.[7]

The airport was closed from 20 September 2014 for infrastructure reconstruction works; re-opening on 25 May 2016; fully operational status is from September 2016.[8]

The airport held the Baltic International Airshow in 2022.[9]

Statistics

Annual passenger traffic at LPX airport. See Wikidata query.
Number of Movements[nb 1] Freight (tonnes)
2004 298 25
2005 338
2006 310
2007 1,692
2008 2,695
2009 190
  1. ^ number of movements represents total aircraft takeoffs and landings during that year

See also

References

  1. ^ Aerodrome chart Archived 2008-08-04 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b http://www.ead.eurocontrol.int/publicuser/protect/pu/main.jsp Eurocontrol EAD Basic
  3. ^ курс, The Baltic Course - Балтийский. "Liepaja airport to be certified by September 20". The Baltic Course | Baltic States news & analytics. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  4. ^ курс, The Baltic Course - Балтийский. "First airBaltic test flight to Liepāja planned for December". The Baltic Course | Baltic States news & analytics. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  5. ^ ""airBaltic" testa lidojumus uz Liepāju plāno nākamgad". LA (in Latvian). Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  6. ^ "Liepaja Airport - History". Liepāja Airport. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  7. ^ Tart, Larry (2001). Attacks on American Surveillance Flights: The Price of Vigilance. Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-45070-1.
  8. ^ "A-Z World Airports Online - Latvia airports - Liepaja International Airport (LPX/EVLA)". www.azworldairports.com. A-Z Group. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  9. ^ "Liepāja Airport - Photo gallery". Liepāja Airport. Retrieved 7 September 2023.


Stub icon

This article about a Latvian building or structure is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Stub icon

This article about a European airport is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Stub icon

This article about transport in Latvia is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.