President: Sliac Airport Undergoes Largest Reconstruction in Its History

Sliac/Bratislava, 13 October (TASR) – The Sliac military airport is currently undergoing the largest reconstruction in its history, with the renovation — aimed to transform the airport into a base for Slovakia's F-16 fighter jets — expected to be completed in 2027, President Peter Pellegrini announced during a press briefing at the military base in Sliac on Monday. The works are being carried out in a way that will allow the return of civilian air traffic in the future, said the head of state. „This is not just about repairing existing areas and improving their condition, but also about building a large number of taxiways and new aircraft stands, all to 21st-century standards,” the President explained. He added that hangars are also being reconstructed, both for parking F-16 fighters and for those on standby for rapid response. „Since we have new modern F-16 fighter jets to be operated here, these aircraft also require adequate operational facilities. They have high demands on information protection, and the entire infrastructure must meet those standards,” added Adolf Daubner from the Slovak Armed Forces Air Force, noting that the scale of the reconstruction is unprecedented in the airport's history. According to the President, the work is proceeding according to schedule. So far, approximately €70 million has been invested, with a significant portion of the costs being reimbursed through NATO funds. The reconstruction is set to be completed in 2027 and, according to Pellegrini, the works are being carried out in such a way that civilian air traffic could be resumed in the future. „This is crucial for the region, and it would be very unfortunate if Central Slovakia, despite having such infrastructure, were to lose its connection to other parts of the world. The construction of new taxiways opens up the possibility of building a passenger terminal from the direction of Sielnica, where civilian travellers could be handled without interfering with the military section,” Pellegrini concluded. mf