Kuçovë Air Base
Kuçovë Air Base | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kuçovë, Berat, Albania Near Kuçovë | |||||||||
LAKV Location of Kuçovë Airport in Albania LAKV LAKV (Europe) | |||||||||
Coordinates | 40°46′19.0″N 19°54′6.8″E / 40.771944°N 19.901889°ECoordinates: 40°46′19.0″N 19°54′6.8″E / 40.771944°N 19.901889°E | ||||||||
Type | Air Force Base | ||||||||
Site information | |||||||||
Owner | Albanian Ministry of Defence | ||||||||
Operator | Albanian Air Force | ||||||||
Site history | |||||||||
Built | 1952[1] | ||||||||
In use | May 15, 1955[1] | ||||||||
Events | Albanian Unrest of 1997 | ||||||||
Airfield information | |||||||||
Identifiers | ICAO: LAKV | ||||||||
Elevation | 41 meters (135 ft) AMSL | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Source: Landings.com[2] |
Kuçovë Air Base (ICAO: LAKV) is a military airport located near Kuçovë, Berat, Albania.
The Government Rama 2 opens dialogue for transformation of Aerodrom of Kucove to commercial airport and travel Passenger after Airport of Valona (Vlora).
History
Construction of the air base began in 1952 and was completed in 1955.[1]
During the 1997 crisis, Kuçovë Air Base was captured by rebels.[3] The damage caused by the protesters was not repaired until 1999.[1]
From 2002 to 2004 the base was renovated to NATO standards. Improvements included a new control tower, new lighting, and repaving.[1]
In 2004, Albania announced plans to scrap 80 obsolete aircraft in an effort to modernize for NATO membership. The aircraft being scrapped included MiG-15s, MiG-19s, and Yakovlev trainers as well as Shenyang J-5s and J-6s, Chinese-made MiG fighters. The aircraft were stored in Kuçovë during this process.[4] Recently, many of these retired craft have been auctioned by the government of Albania.[5]
In 2011, the base served as a filming location for the third episode of Top Gear's sixteenth series.[1] The episode was seen as offensive to many due to derogatory comments made about Albanians by the cast.[6]
In August 2018, the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, announced via Facebook that NATO would be investing in the base, saying "NATO will invest more than 50 million euros ($58 million) for the first phase of the project alone, to modernise air base in Kucova."[7]
One feature of Kuçovë Air Base is the mountain storage area for aircraft, accessed by a separate taxiway among the farm fields, about 1km east of the main taxiway, dispersal, and runway complex.
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Kuçovë". Abandoned, Forgotten, & Little Known Airfields in Europe. 10 August 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
- ↑ Airport record for Kuçovë Air Base at Landings.com. Retrieved 2013-8-1
- ↑ Sullivan, Stacy (24 March 1997). "Out of Albania". Maclean's. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Rogers Media.
- ↑ "In Brief: Albania Reform". Flight International. United Kingdom: Reed Business Information Ltd. 13 April 2004. p. 19.
- ↑ Semini, Llazar (6 March 2016). "Albania, once Europe's most isolated country under a 50-year Communist regime, is selling dozens of obsolete Eastern Bloc military jets". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
- ↑ Quinn, Ben (7 February 2011). "Top Gear on the offensive again – now it's Albania's turn". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
- ↑ NATO to revamp Albanian air base: PM, SpaceDaily, 2018-08-05
External links
- Airport record for Kuçovë Air Base at Landings.com.
- Current weather for LAKV at NOAA/NWS