Hungary is to allow NATO aircraft to operate from its airfields for the first time. The country has been a member of NATO since mid-March and is the only member of the alliance to share a border with Yugoslavia.
Nine airfields could become available for NATO aircraft, including Ferihegy civilian airport near Budapest, which has been assigned to handle 20 tanker aircraft; Kecskemet, the country's main MiG-29 base; and Taszar, which has an IFOR (implementation force) presence.
Three former Russian bases - Tokol, Sarmellek and Kiskunlachaza - are on the list, but would need significant infrastructure improvements before they could be used. NATO plans suggest that about 50 aircraft will soon be operational from Hungarian bases.
The move to open Hungarian airfields to alliance aircraft comes as reports from Italy and Germany suggest that air bases and civilian airports shared with the military are stretched to the limit. NATO is looking to add more than 300 aircraft to the conflict.
Relations between Hungary and Yugoslavia have been strained for many years and some conflicts have been fought between the countries this century. Yugoslavia's Vojvodina province neighbours Hungary and is home to a large ethnic Hungarian population.
Hungary has requested special status from its alliance partners, declining to participate directly in the conflict and opposing any ground-based assault from its territory. The former Eastern bloc nation has, however, allowed NATO aircraft to use its airspace.
Source: Flight International
