History of the project

The project for the construction and reconstruction of the passenger terminal building, officially launched on 16 December 2008 with a symbolic groundbreaking ceremony, had been in the making for several years.

The original departures terminal was built in 1970, with the first plans for its expansion proposed in 1976.

However, it was not until 2003 that the airport's management started to seriously address the issue, following rapid development of air transport in Slovakia and a significant increase in passenger numbers. In 2004, the first version of the project was initiated, which – although substantially revised – forms the basis of the development being implemented today.

At the end of 2004 and beginning of 2005, the initial parameters for the new project were significantly revised. Following Slovakia’s accession to the EU, the country’s preparations began for integration into the Schengen Area, introducing the requirement Schengen and non-Schengen passenger flows at both Departures and Arrivals.

As a result, the airport temporarily suspended its broader modernisation plans, particularly those concerning the main departures hall, and focused instead on rapidly developing infrastructure to meet Schengen requirements.

This primarily involved the construction of Terminal C (opened in June 2006), which enabled the separation of Schengen and non-Schengen passengers on arrival. At the same time, a proposal was put forward for the relocation of passport control in a way that would allow (within the Departures terminal) for a dedicated Schengen section without passport control and a separate non-Schengen section with passport control.

The building modifications required for Schengen accession were also used to introduce planning improvements which increased the terminal's hourly capacity and significantly enhanced passenger comfort during the interim period before full reconstruction.

In addition to these requirements, discussions about the complete reconstruction and modernisation of the passenger terminal were influenced by the planned privatisation of the airport, which culminated in 2005-2006. At the time, it was expected that a future strategic partner would finance the modernisation, and project work was therefore suspended in 2005.

After the Slovak government withdrew from the privatisation agreement in September 2006 due to non-compliance with its conditions, a new airport management team was appointed. Its primary task was to prepare a strategic plan for future development of the airport.

Based on this plan, investment priorities were redefined, and the reconstruction and expansion of the terminal became the top priority both time- and capacity-wise. Since the original 2004 concept, the need had shifted from modernisation alone to a significant expansion of the terminal building. While the airport handled fewer than 1 million passengers in 2004, this number rose to 2 million by 2006, effectively reaching the building’s annual capacity of approximately 2–2.5 million passengers. During peak summer periods, hourly capacity limits were exceeded several times over. In 2007, the original project was reassessed and redesigned into two developmental alternatives: expansion of the existing building towards the General Aviation Terminal, or construction of a completely new building on a greenfield site in the direction of the control tower and further along the exit road. These two alternatives for the development of the passenger terminal were submitted to the government via the shareholding Ministry of Transport, Post and Telecommunications of the Slovak Republic. In January 2008, the government decided to proceed with the first option – reconstruction and expansion of the existing building in the direction of the former bus stop – with the possibility of further expansion towards the control tower in a later pahse, depending on traffic growth. (More on: www.vlada.gov.sk).

Following this decision, work on project documentation intensified. A team of architects from AGA Letiště, s.r.o., together with long-serving employees and specialists at Bratislava Airport, and external consultants, prepared the documentation for the building permit within 4.5 months. It was submitted on 15 June 2008, and the building permit was issued on 12 December 2008.

Final look of the project:

What will the reconstruction bring?

• The airport will gain a modern Departures hall with a total usable area of 43,613 m ².
• The total annual capacity of the new terminal building will reach 5 million passengers.
• The maximum hourly capacity will increase to 1,500 passengers at both Arrivals and Departures.