New terminal under construction as Skopje anticipates traffic rise
After Zagreb and Belgrade, Skopje is hoping it too will have flights to and from the United States. Macedonia’s Civil Aviation Agency is finalising an open sky agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration in the US, which would enable direct flights between the two countries, the MIA news agency reports. Dejan Mojsoski, the CEO of the Macedonian Civil Aviation Agency said, “The extension of the runway at Skopje’s Alexander the Great Airport will enable long haul intercontinental flights”. He adds that there is interest for flights between the United States and Macedonia. Work at Skopje Airport is ongoing with the construction of the new terminal in full swing. However, whether Skopje will be able to attract any US airline to operate flights remains questionable. Currently, no airport in the EX-YU region has flights to the United States. However, this summer, both Belgrade and Zagreb are expected to be linked with a 1 weekly service to Chicago. Croatia already has a free sky agreement with the United States while Serbia is also negotiating with US authorities.
Meanwhile, the low cost Austrian airline Niki will commence 2 weekly flights from Vienna to Skopje this September. The airport's management believes Skopje could handle up to 900.000 passengers this year and is negotiating with other high profile companies to commence flights to the Macedonian capital.
Carriers all around the world just wait for this
ReplyDeleteIf they predict 900,000 passangers for 2011, then what was the passanger numbers for 2010? Both Skopje and Ohrid.
ReplyDeleteSkopje hopes for US flights.
ReplyDeleteAre things are getting ever more ridiculous around here or is just me?
A city with less than 1 million persons, a airport the size of the cargo ramp at SVO, with no connections to Western Europe (today) with a 2 weekly lowcost carrier flight to London Luton low cost to a low cost airport, no flag carrier and a impovrished economy is going to want flights to the US?
May I ask why though? For what reason?
WTF..... I almost got heart attack when I read the title. USA flights, cmon ppl get lost, I don't know from where r those sources.
ReplyDeleteAny gossips for Australia flights? It must be.
Cccccc.
Skopje will not reach 2 mil passangers next 4-5 years , the only reason is ppl don't have buying power, no matter how cheap are the flights, Europe is expensive for Macedonian standards.
^ The source is written in the article. The keyword of the title is “hope”.
ReplyDeleteHey, I hope to win the lottery in 2011.
ReplyDeleteIs this news?
It is quite funny to see how almost every comment that is about Macedonia, SKP airport (does not matter if its good or bad news) or anything related to it, people are bullshitting about it all the time. Okay, our city is less then 1 million people and airpot the size of the cargo ramp at SVO, so "AirKoryoTU-204" please do not comment anymore.
ReplyDelete@AirKoryo
ReplyDeleteWhats your effin point man ????
there are 2 flights today from SKP to Vienna, 4 to Dusseldorf and 2 to Zurich
Please check your facts before posting here. You are only full of hate, nothing else
I know what you meaning, but "hope" is coming for Macedonia’s Civil Aviation Agency :) , kids. Ppl who have no knowledge about aviation at all. Country with no national airline, no government , idot who is saying " we r building new airport" etc , They ruin the country , I hope the Turks will not fuck up the airport. I was there 2 weeks ago, just can't bealive that they will finish sep or oct. It will happen same like they tried to open the new hospital, just glass outside for a face, inside empty. Skopje can Only hope, for better times.
ReplyDeleteI am just currios which newspaper will publish this fairy tale on their front page. Looks like vest ;)
@ Dreamliner
ReplyDeleteI dont know whats your problem but the picture of the top of the article says more than your text full of hatred. Skopje airport will be finished even before September and Skopje is growing like it or not! Looser!
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteDreamliner,
ReplyDeleteOdakle si BRE ti?
Why is all the understatement?Some people here think they come from Sweden! Serbia, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro is all the same s..t! There is no big difference as someone is trying to make it look. Its good for all the airports to grow and there is nothing wrong with the hope and actions towards success! Skopje is almost as big as Zagreb and is the only airport in the country, there is big MKD diaspora so there is space for growth! I hope SKP, Zagreb and Belgrade and all other ex yu airports grow and it is stupid not to!
ReplyDeleteI would add that there not only Macedonian but there is also big MKD Albanian diaspora and albanians fly allot! So there is big space for growth for SKP
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ReplyDeleteThere are many problems with such plans.
ReplyDelete1) Macedonia does not have the necessary resources and technology to create opportunities for such flights and to purchase the necessary measures needed to be taken to start flights to the USA would be very costly.
2) Macedonia's population is small and only getting smaller which means less interest for a small and dying market.
3) Budapest, Athens, Zagreb, and Belgrade will have connections to USA and the competition between them is already fierce and Skopje simply cannot compete.
4) There are more important projects needed to be finished that are crucial to Macedonia and its infrastructure not fantasy such as USA flights.
@AirKoryo
ReplyDeleteYour post is full of hate. The article says that the authorities hope for US flights and maybe they will try to manage that. It's OK to say why you think that US flight are hard to get but when you include the word FYR in your post I just know that your post is hate and that you have hate towards Macedonia from reasons known only for you.
This is such a pipe dream! If SKP EVER gets flights to the US in my lifetime, I am willing to cut off my manhood! That's how certain I am that this is a ridiculous propaganda.
ReplyDelete@AirKoryo
ReplyDeleteAustrian Airlines have 11 flights weekly all year round. Swiss 4
"Austria and Germany are basically in central Europe not Western Europe" LMAO
Dude i feel sorry for you.
Honestly. get a Life!
Greetings from Macedonia
city of Papeete capital of Tahiti with population of 131,695 and location in the middle of pacific has direct flights to LAX, CDG, SYD and other big airports. and you whant to know why? because there is passangers for those destinations.
ReplyDeleteWith 0,5 macedonian diaspora in US and Canada, and about 2000 macedonian students that travel every year to USA i think there is enough pass. for Summer flights to USA.
For ZAG and BEG there is also good number of pass. traveling to USA. Maybe for 2-3 different cities. But if we realy whant to have direct flights we need to find good arline for this flights like Delta, United or AA, companies with conections to almost every city in US. Not some airline like Rayan or Sqenderber :)
And if someone will ask Why there isn't direct flight from Skp to Paris or some other western city, the answer is: No passengers.
Its not that far fetched. Let's say for arguments sake that Delta flies to Skopje once a week. 30% of passengers may be Macedonian, 30% may be Albanian, 30% may be Turks, and 10% other. While Skopje may be the final destinantion for Macedonian and some Albanian passengers, it could also be a transit point for Turks and others.
ReplyDeletei think you all have miss-understood the point HOPE one has to think what that means for others it's not just Macedonians that fly to the USA there more Albanians in the US then Serbs and Macedonians put together TAV aim is to turn Skopje Airport as a transit point similar to what is Vienna Airport. Why can't this be achieved no one thought that Wizz & Nikki would start at Skopje but here we are this summer it all begins i think TAV is capable of achieving it's goals in near future they control one of the busiest airports in Europe Istanbul Airport they will make concessions to Airlines just to get them in Skopje.
ReplyDeleteI wish TAV Holdings all the very best i truly hope Skopje could become like Vienna where Serbs Bulgarians Albanians Turks and Greeks could use this airport as a transit point.
Hahahahhhahahah...Who comments about Macedonia?
ReplyDeleteJust have a look at the BEG Airport pic in ex yu aviation in 1962.Oh my Gosh it looks the same as 49 ago.What a success!!Dont want to commment about grandamas with lipstick on their teeth, so called flight attendants, in JAT flying with oldies like 737-200 to LHR in 21 Century!!Only Air Ivory from Ivory Coast uses 737-200 on domestic routes more :-)
ByeBye, we get a new state of art terminal from September!!
Do you see the progress that you have made in 3 years, since EX YU Aviation was writing farry tails about new terminals at BEG, new fleet for JAT.Nothing came true.
And btw. Serbia had almost 2.7 Million pax last year, Macedonia had 750.000 but Macedonia is 4 times smaller than Serbia(according to this parity Serbia should have had about 2.9 Million pax in ordr to reach Macedonia)
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ReplyDeletelast anonymous,
ReplyDeleteidk whats up your a** man... chilllll,
progress cannot be FAST like you think. everything takes time, and it is harder for Serbia because we have gone through bombing, and when Yugoslavia split up all debt and everything stayed with our small country Serbia. JAT also was unable to buy new aircraft for a while. Soon, this will change. they WILL buy new aircraft.
what are you smoking? do you know in 1980's Terminal 2 was built in beograd? and with rising passenger numbers ( THIS YEAR WE WILL HAVE OVER 3,000,000!) , they need more expansion which will happen. they also will build train from airport, more parking and offices, and another runway even longer than one existing...
check out this video, I believe they would like this to be done in next 10 years, but we will see....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo8xohKyI6A
our flight attendants are nice and real. lip stick on teeth? you must be effed up in the head lol. fly one flight with JAT and u will change your mind :P
Serbia got pulled back after break up of Yugo and bombing / sanctions the MOST, and your precious little Macedonia stayed at its slow pace of growth.. well Serbia is ready for a big come back. And we will shock you to the ground :P watch out
oh yeah , and which city this summer has flights from USA ? not SKOPLJE :P BEOGRADDDDDD DOES! its a start ... with this charter flights which are already being SOLD OUT now, and i will be happy to fly one this summer:)
ReplyDelete:D
nemoj biti ljubomoran vise.. odkani se bre
Moderators could you please remove any posts which refer to Macedonia with the Athenian invented name of FYROM.
ReplyDeleteThis is extremely offensive for Macedonia and the person who uses Air Koryo 204 should have their posts removed for using this offensive name....
When you read some of the posts it is ridiculous to see some people comparing Serbia and Macedonia. Although it's hard to believe that there will be flights established between USA and Macedonia it's not impossible and really it would good to see any country and airport in the ex YU region to suceed so please stop posting these silly posts Macedonia bs Serbia etc
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI admire AirKoryo, no matter what u say, the guy is right . U just dont want to accept it, he told u the truth.how can u hope for trans-Atlantic when u don't have proper or at least some network to eu. Only vienna and Zurich, and budapest, nothing else, so please shut up and get out from this fairy tale, just go back to the archive of this site and see what else was written about Skopje airport and the national airlines if Macedonia. The only thing what came true was that they collapse , nothing else. Were the hell gone all that new routes ?
ReplyDelete