Military Usage
Podgorica Airport is a public international airport, but shares the main runway with Podgorica's military airbase.
Part of the military complex was also 08/26 runway, which was not used by civilian planes, as it is barely marked and only 15 metres wide. It is connected to the main 18/36 runway by a 3 km long taxiway, and is located adjacent to Šipčanik Hill, near the town of Tuzi. The hill doubled as an underground aircraft shelter, and was seriously damaged during the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. It was recently converted into a wine cave by the Plantaže company. The 08/26 runway is currently unused, and is unclear what will be its future use.
In early December 1999, the airport was briefly seized by the Army of Yugoslavia in a standoff between the Milošević regime and the Federal Yugoslav Republic of Montenegro after Montenegro tried to control the airport independently from Belgrade.
With Montenegro's independence on June 3, 2006, the newly formed Military of Montenegro announced that it will not maintain a combat air force. Nine G-4 Super Galebs are currently sitting unused at the base and it is not known whether any of the planes will be handed over to Serbia.
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