Skopje’s time to shine

New look Skopje Airport
Construction at Skopje Alexander the Great Airport is in full swing as the Turkish TAV, the operator of Macedonia’s main airport, delivers good on its initial promise. TAV presented its plans for the new terminal which will be on par with international standards. A total of six air bridges will connect the terminal building with aircraft. Restaurants and shops will feature prominently in the building, together with twenty three check-in desks, an increase compared to the current eight. A total of 1.200 vehicles will be able to use the airport’s parking which will be connected to the highway heading into the Macedonian capital. If all goes to plan, the new building should be open by the end of 2011, the “Sitel” portal reports. Recently, a new building for the airport’s fire department was completed, which is part of the multi million Euro project.

Several months ago TAV announced that a cargo building would also be built at the airport and the runway lengthened, in order to handle larger aircraft. Meanwhile, Ohrid’s St. Paul the Apostle Airport will also go under complete reconstruction and modernization with a new car park, cargo building and VIP section to be built. The project in Ohrid would take a year to be completed.

TAV has announced that all construction work is on schedule and meeting deadlines . The airport posted good results this June as passenger numbers increased by 17% compared to the same month last year.

Comments

  1. JU520 BEGLAX10:37

    Looks great and promising.
    Bravo Skopje and Thank you Turkey for all your investments and efforts in Ex-Yugoslavia

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  2. I am just wondering where are all the lowcost companies :)

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  3. Anonymous13:50

    I wonder why is it so hard for Zagreb to do something when it seems to me that all the Ex-Yu republics have improved their airports!
    Belgrade-Ljubljana-Dubrovnik-Montenegro-Skopje-Ohrid-Sarajevo...
    where is Zagreb? ;)

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  4. JU520 BEGLAX13:58

    anonymous:

    Ljubljana is nothing much better than Zagreb. Except from the 4 jetbridges, still the old same shit like 20 years ago...

    However Zagreb indeed is a very lousy and ridiculous performance.

    If I see what other airports in Easter Europe or Spain, Turkey have been done. Absolutely unsatisfactory

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  5. Anonymous14:12

    when is prishtina going to get a new terminal?

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  6. In Zagreb is a political problem to do a new terminal, it is prepared to start building for some years, but politicans (the main and the biggest vermins of everything in Balkan counties) are not able to find a financial model to build the new terminal. But they are not searching the best financial model for the airport but the best one to their pocket, to get the highest commissions for selling the airport to foreign investors even the airport is able to take a loan and to do it on its own expands. Typical Balkans politican crime is the only cause why Zagreb has still the shit of the main terminal.

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  7. Anonymous05:12

    @Aerocroatia

    I understand that its typical Balkan thing but other Balkan states have somehow moved on and done something, hell even Dubrovnik has a new terminal.

    Didn't Ljubljana renovate their building?

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  8. JU520 BEGLAX09:44

    @anonymous

    LJU Airport only built 4 jetbridges an a small extension where you have 4 jetbridge gates plus I think 5 bus gates. All the rest is the same before. The new terminal should have been finished by 2007 already, but was delayed again and again. Now it s planned to start build the new terminal in 2011 plus a new airport hotel. If this all is going to be realized, I believe it when I see it. However LJU airport needs this expansion absolutely. They need to be prepared for the future. Right now JP has 3 319/320 and 4 CRJ9 which all can be boarded thru jetbridges. At peak hours you easely have 5-7 flights which should be boarded thru jetbridges. And that s already now. If JP takes the delivery of the 5th CR9, they will have 8 aircrafts for jetbridges. Besides this, we also would like to see more stores, coffee shops such as Starbucks, bigger duty free store, bigger and better restaurants. Also the arrival hall is way too small.
    If they want to grow, they need to invest now!

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  9. frequentflyer09:49

    ZAGs upgrade must happen immediately. As the 2nd busiest airport in the region (and the busiest airline operating its hub from the airport) enough is enough!

    Agree with the above comments that 'politics' and palm-greasing will have something to do with why this much-needed project is yet off the ground...

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  10. Anonymous10:16

    Going back to airports in Macedonia, would anyone know why there is a lack of airlines servicing Maceonia?

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  11. Anonymous10:40

    ^ I think it’s just because it’s a small market. I mean Skopje’s population is about 600.000 while Macedonia’s entire population is the same as Belgrade’s population.

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  12. Anonymous12:24

    Some of TAV run airports I have been to include: TBS, IST, AYT and MIR and all of them are run very well. I do hope that SKP, which is a pleasant but a bit outdated APT, will really shine as you predict here...

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  13. Anonymous16:50

    CONGRATS TO SKOPJE AIRPORT AND MACEDONIA! HOPE WE SHALL SEE MORE AIRLINES AT THIS AIRPORT AND OHRID TOO, AND OF COURSE MORE PASSANGERS. HOPE SOME LCC WILL START FLYING THERE TOO

    ReplyDelete

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