Niš Constantine the Great Airport opened its new terminal building for passenger use this morning following two years of construction, with the state outlining plans to subsidise low cost carriers (LCCs) to boost traffic. Air Serbia passengers bound for Athens this morning were the first to use the new facilities. The terminal’s opening comes at a time when the airport faces declining passenger numbers, handling 168.406 travellers during the first half of the year, down 19% on the same period in 2023. The airport blames the underperformance on Wizz Air which has been forced to reduce its operations due to the grounding of aircraft as a result of manufacturing issues with engines on part of its fleet.
During the official terminal opening ceremony yesterday, Serbia’s President, Aleksandar Vučić, said the government would provide subsidies for low cost carriers to expand their respective networks from Niš. “Next year Niš Airport should be able handle over 500.000 passengers, which is why additional low cost carriers need to launch flights. We will now enter into talks with low cost airlines over the introduction of new routes. It is important for us to ease pressure on Air Serbia due to the upcoming EXPO 2027”, Mr Vučić said. The state is already subsidising Air Serbia’s operations out of Niš under a Public Service Obligation agreement. This summer season, Ryanair is Niš Airport’s largest carrier based on available seat capacity, with a 37.4% share, followed by Air Serbia on 35%, and Wizz Air with the remaining 27.6% of capacity.
The new terminal building in Niš can handle 1.5 million passengers per year and up to six aircraft at the same time. It boasts ten check-in desks, self-check-in stations, eight passport control booths, four passenger gates, a business lounge and one VIP gate. Furthermore, it features a luggage sorting facility. New food and beverage outlets, as well as duty free shops will be added over an area of 700 square metres. Initially, the new terminal will cater for departing passengers with the old terminal to be used for handling arriving travellers. However, the airport plans to demolish the old terminal and construct a new building which will form a single functioning unit with the new terminal. A car park with the capacity for 580 vehicles has also been built. The new terminal is valued at eleven million euros, while a further five million was invested for the purchase of new equipment.
There is absolutely no need for an airport in Niš, let alone for a brand new terminal.
ReplyDeleteAll traffic should have been through BEG
Bro, be serious.
DeleteHe is obviously being sarcastic.
DeleteThere is just a little bit of truth to it (even if OP is sarcastic) - as this is airport catering to LCCs, maybe it would have been better to build one between Belgrade and Nis. So that both sides can reach it within 1h or so, organizing official shuttles from both cities etc. Would have been nice. But still really like how the terminal looks.
DeleteSo close BEG & INI, and open aerodrom Paraćin.
Delete👍
Anonymous16:13 Travel time between Belgrade and Nis is about 3h with a but, 2.5h with direct connections. Bus station and the airport in Nis are super well connected. The price of travel from INI can justify the travel time, therefore there is no issue to it. However, INI is not made for passengers from Belgrade and northern part of Serbia, but for the region itself. INI is playing a major role in transformation and development of Nis and it works perfectly fine.
DeleteNew railway section between Belgrade and Nis will be a game changer, until then, this is more than enough.
Once the railway is done that WILL be a gamechanger, true. For now though no, it does not justify the travel time tbh.. I'd rather pay 50-100 EUR more and travel from BEG than waste my money on gas which is also expensive in Serbia, or torture myself by bus to INI.
DeleteWhy no apron pics? A lawn and weed instead of concrete
DeleteAnonymous21:01 Sometimes the price difference is much bigger than 50 to 100e, in few cases I used INI, the price difference was about 200e per person (tickets to INI included), so it is quite reasonable to just to sit on a bus and go.
DeleteHopefully Air Belgrade will show some love to Niš and base a few aircraft there once the fleet situation improves.
ReplyDeleteThe Embraers would be ideal and flights to ZRH, FCO, FRA, VIE, IST, BRU, AMS, CDG, LCA, LJU, ZAG, TIV could launch on a regular schedule.
One ATR will do the job perfectly. Rest may do the LCCs
DeleteATRs could only be good for flights to the Balkans from Niš, for the rest it needs a jet aircraft.
DeleteE-jets are perfect.
BRU from Niš?
DeleteBro iz Niš :)
Delete@09:08
DeleteFully agree plus MXP, ATH and seasonal flights to holiday destinations like HER, AYT, MLA.
Firstly they should upgrade the BEG-INI shuttle to be at least 2x daily
DeleteYou call them Air Belgrade yet they fly to 10 cities from Nis. What do you want? 40 destinations from a city from which Zurich could not work for 3 different airlines?
Delete9:12 It’s not hard to understand that Nis region is highly price sensitive. So JU may perform some cheaper flights in region with ATR and the rest would have to be organized by LCC to secondary airports like Basel, Memmingen, Bratislava/Brno, Begamo, Ciampino, Girona etc.
DeleteJU does not really want to be in INI and given the distance flights from INI to BEG don’t make sense. Hopefully a fast rail link will fix that. JU should vacate INI for others and focus on BEG in time for Expo.
DeleteI think that is what Vucic was hinting at with his statement about reducing pressure on INI, although I doubt they will discontinue the routes they are getting paid for. Until when is their PSO contract?
DeleteHello ! How many passengers did Nis airport had in 2023 ? Thanks a lot .
ReplyDeleteSo far they lost 40,264 passengers in the first six months, which represents a drop of as much as 19% comparing the last year.
DeleteThey had 448,312 passengers in 2023.
DeleteThis year it will probably be around 400,000
DeleteI am for the development of secondary airports, but if we are to be realistic here, this airport can survive only if the State pays someone to fly. If no subsidies were given, there would be cca 50 000 PAX annually.
ReplyDeleteSubventions are to entice airlines to come to Niš. After few years they are to be reduced, and they removed.
DeleteIn theory, yes. In practice, airlines often leave after that period
DeleteBut FR and W6 already fly about 300K PAX without subsidies, no?
DeleteWithout subsidies but with a 3€/pax passenger tax, which amounts to the same thing.
DeleteGood, Nis needs more LCCs.
ReplyDeleteNiš be like who dat Niš?
DeleteTerminal looks nice
ReplyDeleteLooks actually way nicer than what Vinci does in BEG!
DeleteSummer seasonal from Paris with Transavia France would be great.
ReplyDeleteDat be cool.
DeleteI think they could actually make it.
DeleteБРАВО ЗА НИШ!!! Желим им што више дестинација и пуно успеха у раду!
ReplyDeleteIf I were to call it anything, yesterday's "ceremony" was more of a promotion for Vučić than the actual opening and presentation of the new terminal to the public. I really can't tell whether journalists have been instructed to photograph only him or if they've all collectively lost their minds. I had to visit 20 different websites just to catch a glimpse of the terminal's interior, and from the few pictures I managed to find, the terminal looks rather "meh." To me, it looks half-finished, with no interior design all—essentially a whole lot of nothing for a lot of money.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteSums up many a project in the modern era accross the continent.
DeleteIn our country the main thing is his self-promotion. He is opening roads, factories, airports, basically he is trying to get into our home refrigirators too.
DeleteGood for him. Seems this gouvermant gets things done and fast. In their 10 years soo many new highways, airports? Railways and many new developments. I live in Canada and we see none of that here. Our gouvermant goest to some parades and has not renovated any airports in the last 35 years. You should be proud how much positive developments is happening in Serbia, especially airport/airline industry.
DeleteNote that this airport is owned by the State of Serbia. This means that it makes more money per flight from Nis airport than it does from Belgrade airport. The number of passengers is capped at 1.5 million because of the concession contract with Vinci. To develop any airport/airline brand there needs to be a period of support from the government in the initial phases - this includes subsidies, improvement of infrastructure, incentive programs, public awareness/promotion etc...
ReplyDelete"This means that it makes more money per flight from Nis airport than it does from Belgrade airport."
DeleteLMAO
Looks beautiful and definitely a big improvement. If only 11 million euros was spent, then this was the deal of the century for Nis.
ReplyDeleteVery sleek and nice! Hoping they start work on the old terminal soon so the arriving pax have the same experience.
ReplyDeleteWill be there a lounge?
ReplyDeleteIt says there is a business lounge in the article.
DeleteConsidering no airline currently flying to INI offers business class, my guess is they will attempt to attract more legacy airlines.
DeleteAny photos of the lounge?
DeleteI doubt they actually opened the lounge today. I mean who for?
DeleteNot only business class, for regular ones intended to visit it.
DeleteReally nice looking small airport. I love the interior signage!
ReplyDeleteJU should be paid to station one E190 there and that's it
ReplyDeleteJU is paid by everyone, so they should permanently basw more than just an E190 in Nis and launch a proper network.
DeleteNo, but everyone is actually paying Nis's PSO flights.
DeleteCongratulations to Niš!! ✈️🇷🇸
ReplyDelete+1000
ReplyDelete"It is important for us to ease pressure on Air Serbia due to the upcoming EXPO 2027"
ReplyDeleteWhat does this mean?
It most likely means that they can't force JU to fly routes from Nis because they will need planes for BEG. JU has announced many times that it plans aggressive growth for EXPO 27
DeleteIt actually looks nice and will look even better when the whole project is completed, ie when the glass building is also build on the other side of the white building in the photos. That will happen when they demolish the old terminal.
ReplyDeleteWhat's happening with the planned new control tower?
ReplyDeleteThe capacity share seems to be relatively evenly distributed between Ryanair, Air Serbia and Wizz Air. The way some people have been writing you would think Ryanair and Wizz Air barely fly from Nis anymore.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to INI
ReplyDeleteTerminal looks nice
How far is the airport from the city? only reachable by car?
ReplyDeleteAirport is close to city centre. Just 8km. You can catch a taxi (it's very cheap) or you can go by bus. There are two busses that go from the airport. They go every 15 minutes on work days and half an hour on weekends.
DeleteThat's convenient.
DeleteThere are also railway tracks going right besides the airport. They could easily open a station there and get a direct connection to the city.
DeleteFinally. I'm guessing we will see more Ryanair and Wizz Air flights.
ReplyDeleteThat would be ideal.
DeleteMust say the new terminal looks really nice
ReplyDeleteNow lets hope we get some new destinations.
ReplyDeleteWhich new destinations could actually work?
DeleteINI really needs to do more to to become an LCC base and restore winter ski charters from the UK.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteIsn’t KVO closer to Kopaonik? I know INI was used in the past because KVO was still a military base. Also why no ski flights to Užice ponikve given proximity of Tara and Zlatibor?
DeleteKraljevo does not have a runway suitable to handle larger aircraft than the ATR72. Uzice Airport does not have necessary infrastructure to handle commercial flights.
DeleteWhat are you talking about? A 2300m runway could easily handle 737s and A320s as well as ejets. La Guardia runways in New York are way shorter. John Wayne Orange County is even shorter and that handles 757s, A320s and 737s.
DeleteI know very well what I am talking about. The runway does have neither the width of weight bearing capacity to handle aircraft other than turboprops, its taxiway can't handle larger aircraft and it has no fuel supply.
DeleteSo why did they build a terminal?
DeleteWell it is a good question. Many have questioned why the previous government started building the terminal. The plan is to overhaul the runway so it can be used by larger aircraft.
DeleteCart before the horse? What a waste. Why did they just not build a new runway and terminal in Vrnjačka Banja/Trstenik a leave Ladjevci as an airbase. JAT used to fly to Vrnjačka Banja in the 60s and 70s.
DeleteAirport has come a long way from what it was in the 2000s.
ReplyDeleteIt would be tragic if it didn't.
DeleteWould recommend anyone to visit Nis. It's a great city. I visited it last year for the first time. Flew BEG-INI on Air Serbia. Great town.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing many new routes from winter season 24/25!
ReplyDeleteDon't get your hopes up. Best case scenario is something new for summer 2025.
DeleteIt looks quite nice for a small airport
ReplyDeleteNeed flights to AMS/EIN.
ReplyDeletethey had them once upon a time.
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2017/11/wizz-to-end-eindhoven-nis-service.html
DeleteHope they restore this route.
DeleteIt looks realy nice.
ReplyDeleteAny info about air bridge? Any info about platform stretching, about removing old building, about reasons for 20% less passengers...
Any info how is it possible that parking is more expencive then terminal building...
You can read in the article about the passenger decline. It is in the third sentence.
DeleteAny idea what happened to the one air bridge that was supposed to be installed? Did they give up on it or will it come later?
ReplyDeleteIT IS PHASE 2 so that Vucko can come again to open the jet bridge, he likes openimg things!))
DeleteMakes sense lol :D
DeleteAny airport that can only get flights by offering subsidies should be shut down. It is obvious this type of business model is flawed.
ReplyDeleteeveryone to please move to beograd.no need to develop it south serbia.
DeleteSouth Serbia is very poor, could people afford to fly with legacy carriers?
DeleteIt has a large catchment area that can attract passengers from neighboring countries.
DeleteNis airport can ve Belgrade South for some LLC .
ReplyDeleteCan be. For Burundi Air...
DeleteWell Uganda did sign a deal with Nis for cargo to go there :D
DeleteI am surprised Ryanair did not go with that title given Frankfurt Hahn, Barcelona Girona and Milan Bergamo precedents
DeleteBrussels Charleroi :)
DeleteBoth INI and KVO actually have really nice terminals.
ReplyDeleteWe need the following from JU, W6 and FR:
ReplyDelete- Paris (BVA)
- Oslo
- Moscow
- Stuttgart/Kalrsruhe
- Zurich
- Eindhoven
- Athens (to year round?!)
With the existing lines in place, there's honestly no need for more, but seasonal flights to popular vacation destinations (ex: Crete) would really be a cherry on the top of INI cake.
👍
Delete+ Prag i Krakow
Delete+ Prag i Krakow
DeleteZAG
DeleteVucic is awful.
ReplyDelete