Serbia's "ghost airports" await opening

Two Serbian airports which have built new terminal buildings over the past few years in anticipation of commercial traffic are still waiting to be opened in order to attract carriers and passengers. Deadlines for the opening of both Kraljevo's Morava Airport in Central Serbia and Užice's Ponikve Airport in Western Serbia have been repeatedly missed, leaving their future in doubt. It comes as the country plans to cap passenger growth at its secondary airports on a temporary basis as part of the 25-year concession agreement for Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport with France's VINCI. The government has admitted that figures will be confined to one million passengers for each airport in the country within a 230 kilometre radius of Belgrade until Nikola Tesla Airport reaches twelve million travellers per year.

Morava Airport's 22-million euro terminal and control tower were completed in 2012, however, its 2.200 metre-long and thirty metre-wide runway can only handle smaller turboprop aircraft. As a result, the airport is seeking approximately ten million euros to overhaul its runway. However, Serbia's President, Aleksandar Vučić, recently noted that there were "numerous difficulties" surrounding Morava Airport. "I will open this airport but we have a lot of issues. This is because we first have to see how and in which way Niš Airport will function. We are not a big country in order to maintain so many airports. It is easiest to give ten, twenty or thirty million euros to build an airport. But how are we going to cover their costs so they don't generate ten million euros in losses each year? Or five million?", the President said. He added, "We are drafting a business case which will evaluate how we can make money from this [Morava] airport. We can lose two million euros per year, the state will cover that, but let's find a way not to lose more".

It is projected that Morava Airport would significantly boost the local economy since it lies between several industrial cities and is in close proximity to the Italian-run Fiat-Zastava car manufacturer. Furthermore, the airport is expected to stimulate the local tourism industry and benefit health tourism in particular which is already developed in the area. The six-year-old passenger terminal features a duty free shop, exchange office, commercial office space, a detention centre, clinic, car park and a cargo depot. While the airport is also used by the military, its terminal building has been shut down since its official opening.

On the other hand, Ponikve Airport opened its new terminal building in 2016. "The runway is 3.100 metres long, of which 2.200 metres have been overhauled. The length is more than enough to accommodate larger aircraft. However, the main problem, and the reason we are still unable to handle any flights, is the lack of a perimeter fence", an airport official said last year. However, this June, Užice's local assembly approved almost half a million euros in funds for the development of the parameter fence. Furthermore, Belgrade Airport has committed itself to drafting the airport's business plan in order to make its operations sustainable. Several million euros have been invested in the reconstruction of Ponikve Airport following its destruction in 1999. The Užice region is home to some of Serbia's most exported goods. On the other hand, it is also close to several major cities in the former Yugoslavia, with Sarajevo and Belgrade just 118 kilometres away. During the 1996 summer season, JAT Yugoslav Airlines operated a two weekly Belgrade - Užice - Tivat service. Over the past few years, small private aircraft have used the airport during the daytime.