Sarajevo (PG City)

The Flight Experience Sarajevo offers one of the most claustrophobic and atmospheric approaches in Europe. The city is nestled deep in a narrow valley along the Miljacka River, surrounded on all sides by the towering Dinaric Alps (the "Olympic Mountains").

Flying into Sarajevo International (LQSA)—historically known as Butmir—is a lesson in terrain awareness. The airport sits at the very end of the valley floor. Approaches often involve skimming over the mountain ridges of Igman and Bjelašnica before dropping steeply into the urban bowl. In the winter, the city is famous for heavy fog and smog inversions, making low-visibility ILS approaches a common challenge for sim pilots.

Visual Highlights

• Avaz Twist Tower: The tallest skyscraper in the former Yugoslavia is a twisted glass helix that dominates the modern skyline. It reflects the sun brilliantly and serves as the primary visual anchor for the Marin Dvor district.

• Vijećnica (City Hall): Located at the eastern end of the city near the bend in the river, this pseudo-Moorish building with its yellow-and-orange striped facade is distinct and colorful against the surrounding hills.

• Baščaršija (Old Town): From the air, you can clearly see the transition where the city changes from Austro-Hungarian blocks to the tight, red-roofed Ottoman grid of the Old Town, dotted with numerous minarets and the Sebilj fountain square.

• Olympic Stadium (Koševo): The open bowl of the 1984 Winter Olympics stadium is a massive green-and-grey landmark north of the city center.

• Mount Trebević: Looming directly over the city to the south, this mountain is famous for the abandoned 1984 Bobsled Track. In high-quality scenery, you can trace the concrete snake winding down the forest slopes toward the city.

Pilot’s Note: Fly the "Valley Run." Approach from the west (Ilidža) and follow the main boulevard and river east toward the Old Town. You are flying in a "trench"—the mountains rise up to 4,000ft above you on both sides. The challenge is to execute a 180-degree turn at the end of the valley near the City Hall (Vijećnica) without triggering terrain warnings, a maneuver that offers spectacular views of the houses clinging to the steep hillsides.