Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport

BEG originated in 1910 as an airfield in the Banjica neighborhood of Belgrade, and it was used by various aviation pioneers such as Simon and Maslenikov. Two years later, a wooden hangar was constructed for the Serbian Air Force as part of the efforts during the First Balkan War with the Ottoman Empire. It remained in use by the Serbian Air Force and the Bolloon Company leading up to WWI, and following the war, the airfield was used for airmail. A second airport serving Belgrade opened in 1923 on the outskirts of Pančevo, and it was included on the CFRNA Paris-Istanbul route. The airport was also the home of the Royal Yugoslav Air Force academy, and the Yugoslav Air Force also used it after WWII. As this airport necessitated the Danube River crossing to Belgrade, a new, closer airport was built, opening on March 25th, 1927, as Belgrade International Airport. It featured four grass runways (3,610 to 9,510 feet long) and a reinforced concrete hangar. In 1931, a modern terminal building was built, with landing equipment installed 1936. Before the outbreak of WWII, the airport was a stopover for air races and also received service from various airlines, including Air France, Deutsche, KLM, and others. It also enjoyed intercontinental service as a stop between London and India via Imperial Airways. This came to an abrupt halt due to the war, and from April 1941, the airport was used by the German occupying forces. The Allies bombed it in 1944 and were destroyed later that year by withdrawing German troops. The rebuilding efforts began immediately, and the USSR and Yugoslavia used it until the war's end as part of the Allied war efforts. At the end of 1945, the Yugoslav Air Force began civil transport using cargo planes, with domestic and international traffic taken over by JAT Yugoslav Airlines and JUSTA in 1947, with Western European Airlines resuming services to BEG the following year. It became clear that the airport would need significant expansion to handle new demands and the oncoming jet era, while plans were introduced to build a new residential and business district on airport grounds. As such, it was determined that the best course of action would be to build a new international airport near the village of Surčin, with the last flight from Pančevo in 1964. The new location was selected based on its ability to meet all technical requirements, as well as its ability to meet future needs for growth. Construction began in April 1958, and the new airport was officially opened on April 28th, 1962. It featured a 3,000-meter-long runway, a parallel taxiway, and concrete aprons for 16 aircraft. The passenger terminal was 86,000 square feet. Other facilities included cargo storage spaces, an air traffic control tower, and modern navigational equipment. The new airport earned the ICAO's highest international classification.
The Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s and the sanctions imposed on Serbia and Montenegro by the UN brought about stagnation at BEG, with minimal passenger movement. Moreover, many of the facilities needed refurbishment. Things changed in 2001 with a change in government, and traffic returned. Terminal 2 underwent a major reconstruction within a few years, while the runway was updated to a CAT IIIb (an instrument landing system that provides additional security to an aircraft during fog and storms) in 2005. The following year, the airport was renamed Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport after world-famous Serbian inventor Nikola Tesla. In 2010, a new air traffic control center was completed, and the following year the airport went public, with shares being traded on the Belgrade Stock Exchange. This prompted the modernization of the airport in 2012. As such, the A-gate and C-gate departure and transit areas were expanded and reconstructed, adding 29,600 square feet to the terminal site. Other plans included a new air traffic control tower, as well as the future expansion of the current terminals and the addition of four jetways. In January 2018, a 25-year concession was granted to French airport operator Vinci Airports for 501 million euros, which brought about a significant increase in revenue and net income.

The airport is located near the suburb of Surčin, 11 miles west of downtown Belgrade. 

• The CFRNA route Paris-Istabbul, which featured a stop at BEG, featured the first night flight in the world ever. 
• BEG includes various mixed goods shops and fashion stores such as Hugo Boss and Victoria's Secret. 
• The FBOs at BEG include Euro Jet Intercontinental, Flight Consulting Group, and Belgrade Airport Services, amongst others.