Reconstruction at last

Time for a change, Skopje to get new terminal

After constant delays and controversies, the Turkish Tepe Akfen Ventures (TAV), the poised operator of Macedonia’s airports, has announced that it will begin with the reconstruction of both Skopje and Ohrid airports on March 2, 2010. According to TAV, the company has finalised its 10 year expansion and business plan for Macedonia. TAV won in its bid to control Macedonia’s airports for the next 20 years in 2008 on the precondition of investing 200 million Euros in the country’s airport infrastructure. TAV has twice delayed its takeover of Macedonia’s 2 airports with the excuse that it was waiting for loan approval from European banks so it could invest the agreed sum.

Although TAV did not give details regarding its modernisation plans for Skopje and Ohrid, according to the deal signed between TAV and the Macedonian Government 2 years ago, TAV has to construct a completely new modern terminal at Skopje Alexander the Great Airport with the existing runway being enlarged while communal infrastructure, a car park and a cargo building would be built together with the main project. Meanwhile, Ohrid’s St. Paul the Apostle Airport would go under complete reconstruction and modernization with a new car park, cargo building and VIP section to be built. Finally, the project outlines that a cargo terminal would be built in Štip in Eastern Macedonia. Štip Airport, which would be built within 3 years, according to the project guidelines, would be an alternative civilian airport for Skopje as well, with the possibility to become the country’s main airport within the next 20 years. The project in Ohrid would take a year to be completed while the Skopje project would take a few years. All projects will be carried out by TAV Construction which has not revealed its project renders and designs for Skopje and Ohrid.

TAV has confirmed that it will delay the Štip Airport project for several years. The airport was to be constructed at the same time that Skopje’s new terminal was under construction. TAV also operates Monastir Airport in Tunisia, Tbilisi and Batumi airports in Georgia and Istanbul Ataturk, Ankara and Izmir airports in Turkey.