(4 Jan 1995) Natural Sound
Transport planes carrying vital aid to the besieged citizens of Sarajevo have been landing after the airport was reopened Tuesday.
The runway had been blocked since New Year's Day after an Ilyushin transport plane skidded off the end of the runway.
The first transport planes started landing in the early morning, taking advantage of the good flying conditions.
Most of the planes were UNHCR flights bringing in vital food supplies. Eighty percent of Sarajevo's food is supplied through the airlift and the closing of the airport always raises fears of shortages, especially during winter.
The most recent closure was not caused by Bosnian Serb shelling as is usually the case, but by a Belarussian Ilyushin transport plane that skidded off the tarmac on New Year's Day, blocking the runway.
It took the U-N two days of intense work with heavy machinery to move the plane which had got stuck in thick mud. As the planes landed, the wreck of the Russian-built transport plane could clearly be seen.
Meanwhile the current ceasefire has brought some normality to the people of Sarajevo.
The trams were running in the centre of town again after tram traffic was stopped in the middle of November. They were packed with people either visiting friends and family or trying to get to the city's few markets.
Fuel shortages make this the only mode of public transport, making them popular targets for Bosnian Serb snipers in the hills. The U-N armoured vehicles are stationed along the route of the tram but they can only give a small measure of protection.
Nobody here knows how long the current ceasefire will hold. The people have lost count of the number of ceasefires which ended in bitter and bloody battles.
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