PHOTOS: Belgrade Airport opens new central processor building

Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport has opened its new central processor building today stretching over 11.000 square metres. The new facility features check-in desks, which will be used alongside those located in the Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 buildings for a total of 82. Once passengers check-in, they will proceed to the first floor of the central processor, where they will first pass through passport control (total of sixteen booths) and then undergo security screening. The airport has now begun work on the construction of a new 3.000-square-metre duty free area, which will be located after the security check. A new central plaza will also be positioned behind security, which will include new shops, as well as food and beverage outlets. Their completion is expected during the year. During 2023, work will also begin on overhauling 16.000 square metres of the existing terminal buildings.

In a statement, airport operator VINCI said, “The new area was designed in accordance with VINCI Airports standards in terms of the materials used, the colour palette, equipment, signage, and other architectural and interior elements. The large glass exterior of the central processor features the airport’s name as well as traditional motifs of the Pirot carpet on the windows, which serve as a reflection of the “sense of place” concept of the VINCI Airports company, conveying a specific local impression through a unique design”. With access roads to the new central processor still under construction, passengers will enter the new facility through the Terminal 2 building.

Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, recently told EX-YU Aviation News, the airline would utilise the new central processor to elevate its ground experience for passengers. “Part of the VIP carpark will be dedicated to Air Serbia, from where there will be a bridge to the new facility, offering seamless movement of passengers. At the end of the bridge, there will be a dedicated and branded Air Serbia entrance and after entering the building, straight ahead you will be welcomed by dedicated separate business class desks. By separate, I mean there will be a glass-wood partition going up to the ceiling or a little bit below which will have a glass door, and inside there will be refreshments, as well as four to six check-in counters, hotel lobby-style. It may come a bit after the new facility opens as it will need a lot of fine-tuning, however this development is not fully on us. It requires synergies and coordination with the airport operator”, Mr Marek said. He added, “The majority of the check-in desks in the new building will be dedicated to Air Serbia. We are also, in cooperation with the airport operator, developing a new service desk with an open-space U-shape style design with eight agent seats as an additional touchpoint for our customers”.

As recently reported, Belgrade Airport is continuing work a range of other projects, all of which are set to be completed this year. They include the final phase of the construction of a second floor for arriving passengers, the new inserted runway, which will open shortly, as well as the overhaul of the A5 to A10 gates. The airport is also nearing completion of a new car park in front of the terminal, which, with the help of solar panels, will use solar energy to generate power. Over the past two years, a number of key infrastructure projects have been completed at the airport, including the new wing of its C Pier, which includes eight gates with airbridges and four bus gates, new bus gates in the A pier, a new de-icing platform, a new Airport Operations Control Centre, new E platform, new helicopter hangar, new long-stay carpark, a solar power plant, solid waste and wastewater treatment plant, new automated baggage handling system and new control tower. In the future, the airport will also begin the overhaul of the existing runway, the second phase of the C pier expansion and the construction of a new administrative airport building.