Serbia to co-finance new Trebinje Airport

NEWS FLASH


The Serbian government has announced it will finance the construction of a new commercial airport near Trebinje in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Assistant Minister for Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Zoran Ilić, said, “We have selected two locations for the airport, which will now be examined further. We will prepare all the necessary technical documentation for the airport’s development, which will be completed in the next ten days. Construction could start in some six months to a year. This airport will be of use not only for Bosnia and Herzegovina but also parts of coastal Croatia and Montenegro”. The airport would likely be managed by the Serbian state through a long-term concession.

Local authorities in Trebinje announced their intention to resume plans for the construction of the infamous airport in 2018. The government forked out 820.000 euros between 2009 and 2011 for project documentation for a 2.6 kilometre runway and a terminal capable of handling 260.000 passengers per year, only to give up on the idea two years later after naming the airport's General Manager and contracting an Austrian consultant to identify potential routes. The government has since said the study conducted by the Austrian consultant was incomplete. A subsequent tender for the drafting of a new development strategy was cancelled.

Comments

  1. Anonymous14:01

    Ha ha ha, here we go again

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  2. Anonymous14:01

    Makes sense.

    Driving from Belgrade to Trebinje takes more than 7 hours. Flying would be 45 min.

    Alternative is DBV but it is pointless to depend from the airport in the foreign country especially in the moments when the borders are closed as it is the case now.

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    1. Anonymous14:15

      I dont see whats the point of this project. Trebinje is very small city, it is surrounded by DBV with 2.8 mil, TIV with 1.2 mil and OMO with 30.000 passangers. These situations are happening once in 80 years so I dont see a point of airport there.

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    2. Anonymous14:25

      TIV is foreign country.
      DBV is foreign country.
      OMO does not have flights to BEG and probably won't have them soon. The only connection for Serbs from Trebinje region is direct flight from their airport to BEG.
      After all OMO is approx. only 2 hours drive from DBV but still nobody questions its right to exist.

      It is not good to depend from not always friendly oriented neighbours.

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    3. Anonymous14:29

      And what happens when MNE and HR close their borders like it's the case now? There are two buses per day from Belgrade to Trebinje so there is for sure enough demand to fill a few weekly ATR flights. Also, Trebinje is gorgeous and it would soon become a tourist hotspot. Flights can help with that.

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    4. Anonymous14:30

      So you need an airport for just a couple of weakly flights to BEG? You cannot build anything else what will be usefull for the locals in terms of better living condisions?

      Neighbours just dont love serbian nationalist politicians, not people who are Serbs and flying to BEG with JU. Its 21st century...

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    5. Anonymous14:33

      Anon 14:29
      And you need to spend 10 million euros or more just in case of closing borders once in 80 years?

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    6. Anonymous15:28

      So why doesn't Croatia close failed airports like OSI and RJK? Or Bosnia OMO? Asking for a friend.

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    7. Anonymous15:32

      ???

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    8. Trebinje is foreign country for Serbia as well.

      DBV airport are 25 mins with a car to Trebinje and it has half year connection to Belgrade.

      For 820k euros you could already have constructed functional airport.

      This is a bleak scham from Serb populist authorities to steal more money from the stupid populist people whos only goal and satisfaction in life is to stick a middle finger out to naighbouring countries.

      Dbv is a very competitive 3m a year airport. Trebinje doesn't stand a chance

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    9. Anonymous15:56

      wow two buses daily. odma airport

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    10. Anonymous16:14

      Can we please tone down this anti-Serbian hysteria on here? So what if DBV is nearby? Belgrade and Banja Luka want to deepen cooperation and this is a perfect opportunity to promote tourism. No one from Belgrade would fly to DBV or TIV in order to get to Trebinje.

      Also don't forget that Vucic said that this will also be an LCC airport so they obviously want to attract tourists going to the Adriatic coast. Airport will definitely have lower costs than DBV so it's a perfect opportunity for FR and W6.

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    11. Anonymous16:18

      Trebinje will serve the southern portion of RS for much more than passenger flights. This has very little to do with commercial viability and much more with strategic and security reasons.

      I am always amused by well wishers from neighbouring countries advising us about the viability of our airport projects. Then you tell me why does Tuzla have an airport when BGD is right there. Or Osijek for that matter.

      There you will find your answer.. For the same reason Trebinje is about to have one.

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    12. Anonymous16:19

      I think they are just afraid of its success, that's all.

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    13. Anonymous16:26

      "Can we please tone down this anti-Serbian hysteria on here?"
      Saying facts for you is a hysteria? Nice.

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    14. Anonymous16:30

      "Then you tell me why does Tuzla have an airport when BGD is right there. Or Osijek for that matter."

      Do you understand at all the difference between already built airport for military usage which can be transformed in the comercial one and building brand new airport in the county of 70.000 people with 5 airports around it?

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    15. Anonymous16:32

      Last Anon, there is no difference is both are commercially unviable. TZL even with Wizz can't survive without subsidies so no, there is no difference in this commercial sense.

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    16. Anonymous16:32

      Anon 16.26

      You are not presenting facts so don't know what you are going on about.

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    17. Anonymous16:37

      There is no difference between old Yugoslav leftover transformed into a commercial airport and spending 10 mil euros for the brand new airport in the county which probaly has GDP less than that? Great.

      And what if TZL is unprofitabile? We should all start building unprofitabile airports in every village if there is an airport somewhere which is unprofitabile? Has no sence to me.

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    18. Anonymous17:17

      No but how about we start shutting down those that can't work like TZL or OSI? How many airlines tried OSI and how many failed? Same with Tuzla. If Wizz is not enough to make them money then why keep it at all? In the end there is no difference besides the fact that Trebinje will serve a much larger catchment area. It can be an alternative to DBV and FR could fly there. Why not? Wizz could introduce BEG flights.

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    19. Anonymous17:25

      So building airport in Trebinje is justified by other unprofitabile airports? As far I can understand you, you are litarally saying "if they are losing money we should also!".

      And Trebinje will serve larger catchment area than who? Brač?

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    20. Anonymous17:47

      Than Tuzla obviously. It can survive from the summer season alone, Tuzla and Mostar obviously can't. What I am saying is that until you don't start advocating for shutting down other commercially unviable airports in the country, you shouldn't speak against new ones. Especially those with such a location. Tuzla is not as needed as this one, it's right between two other Bosnian airports, BNX and SJJ... then there is BEG two hours away.

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  3. Rijeka airport never managed to position itself on the market, despite the fact it is in the very touristic region, and city of Rijeka is much much bigger, more developed and more important than Trebinje, precisely because it is surrounded with Zagreb, Ljubljana, Pula, Trieste and Venice. So, Trebinje with the same situation, being surrounded with Dubrovnik, Mostar, Tivat, Podgorica and Sarajevo has absolutely no chance. Would like to be mistaken, but the chances for Trebinje to be successful airport are less than 1 percent.

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    1. Anonymous16:24

      This has zero to do with being a successful airport. This is security and strategy 100%. Southern RS has no airport and it is surrounded by NATO.

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    2. Anonymous16:32

      Is going Vujcic than make Trebinje for commercial usage or he will place rockets and military aircraft there If they are scared of NATO?

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    3. Anonymous16:33

      They'll build an airport first and only then decide what to place there ;)

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  4. This is what I call a genius idea. Trebinje might be a hole for all they care, but if it has a catchment area with lots of potential, why not use it?

    Analog to Asian tourists visiting Vienna with Slovak Airplanes and Buses, because theyre cheaper than using locals services.

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    1. Anonymous15:57

      genius comment . going to look for slovak airplanes now

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  5. Anonymous15:29

    There is no big presence of FR or W6 in DBV. That is the best business case here.

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  6. JATBEGMEL15:57

    Fanastic. What a wonderful idea to waste public funds. Serbia being rich and generous as it is, will spend money on a non existant foreign airport while domestic airports (UZC, KVO and INI) wait.

    Not to mention BEG could do with a rail link, funding could be given for domestic routes to increase connectivity, marketing through tourism boards and Air Serbia...

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    1. Anonymous16:14

      What exactly is INI waiting for? They have more and more flights and are getting a new terminal building. Or are we bitching only to bitch?

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    2. Anonymous16:20

      By that logic what's the point of OMO and TZL? Just build a rail link to BNX and SJJ and voila, no need for additional airports.

      KVO? Not much can change before they get a new runway... duuuh

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  7. Anonymous16:13

    This is a legitimate airport in a strategic sense. Even if it sits empty for 99% of the time, it is paying itself off. Yes, there are plenty of airports in the region, but there are soft borders within Bosnia (RS) and hard borders just around the corner (HR/CG). This also provides the southern portion of RS with an airport that can be used for much more than only passenger flights. BL covers the northern half of the state.

    Other than that, DBV is an expensive airport. Undercut them and get the LCC's to fly there.. in a corona free future of course..

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    1. Anonymous16:59

      "This is a legitimate airport in a strategic sense. Even if it sits empty for 99% of the time, it is paying itself off."

      Time for an honorary PhD in economics, I say.

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    2. Anonymous17:13

      Trebinje Airport has no sence because of small population and it is surrounded by many other airports. So i dont think its a good idea to bulid it.

      But...

      If Serbian taxpayers are going to pay for an airport which will be an ULCC alternative for DBV and local community is going to pay subventions for these flights which will carry more tourist who are going to Dubrovnik, I have nothing against it.

      More tourist in Dubrovnik thanks to the Republika Srbska and the Republic of Serbia sounds great to me! As Croatian living in Dalmatia this is great idea for me! Please bring Trebinje Airport on! Serbia is going to pay for more arrivals here!!! Yay!!!

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    3. Anonymous17:18

      And those going there will be paying airport tax to Trebinje and will most likely use local transport companies to reach the Adriatic Sea. So you see, it's not so bad after all. ;)

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    4. Anonymous17:28

      Locals are getting a little bit more jobs in bus companies and Dubrovnik is going to get more tourist and the best part is... SERBIA IS GOING TO PAY, NOT LOCALS !!!!!

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    5. Anonymous17:29

      Seems you are quite bothered if you have to repeat it 10 times.

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    6. Anonymous17:32

      You are bothered when you are happy? Has no any logic, at least for me.

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    7. Anonymous17:49

      Aaaaactually, Serbia has a big trade surplus with Bosnia so in a way it's giving back a bit from what it earned.

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  8. Anonymous16:41

    It will be nice for Дальней Авиации РОССИИ.

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    1. Aэrologic17:27

      Дальняя авиация

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  9. Am I going to be able to fly from Europian citys to Trebinje?

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  10. Anonymous16:57

    perfect idea, so people can emigrate faster with less trouble

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  11. Anonymous17:40

    I was neutral about that airport project until I read how upset neighbours/analysts are about the prospects of airport being made. Now I realize Trebinje airport must be a great thing for Serbs. Go Trebinje airport!

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    1. Anonymous17:57

      Who is upset? Croatians because you will pay for more tourists in Dubrovnik? And making some neighbours upset is worth 10 million euros from your pockets? Can politicians in Serbia care about something else than how to make Croatia "upset"? Is this reality of this region that its more important to make neighbours worried/upset/angry/jellaous than care about your own problems? Can people here take an argument from other side serriously or its your nationality only important in conversations? You should always hate your neighbours because they should always be against you?

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    2. Anonymous18:00

      Well someone is upset enough to write 7 questions above LOL!!!

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    3. Anonymous18:01

      Who on earth is trying to make you jelous? The fact that you feel the need to leave tens of repetative comments on something that has nothing to do with your country is questionable.

      Delete