Passenger boom for Skopje

New terminal to attract new passengers

Following the opening of a brand new passenger terminal at Skopje Alexander the Great Airport, the Turkish operator TAV Holidings expects to see a big passenger boom and is negotiating with several airlines to commence new flights to the Macedonian capital. In the first 7 months of the year, Skopje handled more than 400.000 passengers and over 100.000 in the busy month of July. Last year, Macedonia’s busiest airport welcomed some 680.000 passengers. Now, the new aim is to attract even more passengers and get an airline to base an aircraft at the airport. Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Paševski said last Friday, “Efforts will be made for the airport to handle about 1 million passengers as soon as possible and the number to rise to 2 million in 5 to 10 years time, hence stimulating tourism, which is one of the strategic branches for the future development of Macedonia”.

Skopje Airport’s new terminal can now handle up to 4 million passengers per year. As EX-YU aviation news can reveal, the Macedonian Civil Aviation Agency is in talks with a national carrier from the former Yugoslavia to base one of its aircraft in the country. However, the airline in question will only do so if it is granted rights to fly out of Skopje to several cities in Europe. While it has been cleared by the Macedonian Civil Aviation Agency it is uncertain whether it will be granted rights from other countries since it is an airline originating from a country other than Macedonia and operating to a third country.

Meanwhile, passengers have praised the new terminal at Skopje and its facilities. On Friday, arriving passengers were given a glass of Macedonian wine and white roses while Burger King opened its fast food restaurant at the airport. The price tag of the new terminal amounted 110 million Euros. TAV believes it will see a return on its investment and make a profit by 2030.