Belgrade Airport announces Terminal 1 overhaul

Belgrade Airport to reconstruct Terminal 1 and expand Terminal 2

The Acting Managing Director of Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, Saša Vlaisavljević, has announced the reconstruction of the airport’s Terminal 1 building in 2015, as work on the modernisation and expansion of its facilities at Terminal 2 are set to resume later this year. Terminal 1, used exclusively by low cost and charter airlines for check-in purposes, will be fully reconstructed. While check-in at Terminal 1 is carried out independently, passengers continue to use Terminal 2 for security and boarding. “We are expanding our annual capacity to 7/7.5 million passengers”, Mr. Vlaisavljević says, adding that the airport is entering an investment cycle which will last three years. The comments are the latest sign yet that the airport will not be given up for concession, rather, the government itself will invest in its modernisation and expansion.

Terminal 1 opened on April 28, 1962. In early 2013, Jat Airways requested for the facility to be handed over to them in order for it to become a dedicated terminal used exclusively by the national carrier. The request was denied at the time. However, according to the Transaction Framework Agreement between Etihad Airways and the Government of Serbia (GoS) in mid-2013, in which Air Serbia is still referred to as Jat, “The GoS shall ensure that either Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 of Belgrade Airport, as the Parties may agree, is allocated to Jat for its exclusive use by no later than 1 January 2014. The GoS shall fund a portion of the costs of the refurbishment of Terminal 1 or Terminal 2, as the case may be, to a standard acceptable to Jat within 2 years of the date hereof, that is proportionate to the size of its shareholding in Jat after the completion of Etihad's acquisition of Jat shares”. The Framework Agreement also states, “The GoS shall ensure that space for a Jat lounge is allocated to Jat in Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 as the case may be, with sufficient capacity to meet its actual and projected business passenger requirements”. While the parties did not stick to the January 1, 2014 deadline, an area has since been allocated for the carrier’s lounge which is set to open in the second quarter of this year.

Terminal 1 following opening

The airport’s Managing Director also announced the expansion of Terminal 2 with the addition of four new gates. “We will add another four air bridges and reconstruct the area connecting Terminals 1 and 2”, Mr. Vlasiavljević says. He estimates the airport will handle its fifth-millionth passenger in December this year. “In 2014 our passenger numbers grew 31% and aircraft operations by 26% while our net profit increased to 27 million euros, the best result in the airport’s 52-year history”, Mr. Vlaisavljević adds. Only last week, Serbia’s Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vučić, said that existing facilities must be reconstructed and additional capacity added in order for the airport to become more functional. “Whether we will accomplish this with a foreign partner through a concession or some other form of public-private partnership, or whether we will do the job ourselves, will be decided in the next two months”, the Prime Minister said.

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:17

    I just hope they are going to be careful to preserve the original look of the terminal in this overhaul, as it is a true gem of modernist architecture...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:00

      +1

      Delete
    2. AirCEO15:15

      Preserve it only if it can be returned to the original state the way I remember it with the fountain in the middle:

      http://www.dodaj.rs/f/N/B7/3omuUIVC/546002358297467559892134.jpg

      And preserve original artwork above main entrance, can be seen here above the Marshal:

      http://www.foto.mij.rs/media/cache/resizedh640/media/photos/photo1/1962_192/1962_192_036.jpg

      Returning to original state is not possible because it's not functional. Same problem as with Saarinen's JFK TWA terminal. It is beautiful but useless as a modern terminal, so they made a new one and let old one empty until some sensible use can be found:

      http://www.voyage-insolite.com/files/2013/09/terminal-5-jfk-aeroport-new-york.jpg

      BEG doesn't have that luxury to build new one while preserving old one in the original state, and repairing old T1 into functional modern terminal is not possible. So tear it down to make space for new one!

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:27

    OT : EX-YU, yesterday you announced that on May,19th CTN would have resumed flights from Zagreb to Tel Aviv. I checked and found out that one could not buy tickets for this route. Could you, please, explain that.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is because CTN's airfare tickets are exclusively sold through an israeli tour operator, and it's not up for individual sale. Apparently all the pax that use this route are Israeli travelers. I asked this same question to the Croatia Airlines management.

    ReplyDelete
  4. These Tel Aviv flights are weird, as each year OU announces a total of 2 rotations, but then builds up from 2 weekly to the 4 weekly in the peak summer. So in the summer you have a total of 5, sometimes 6 weekly flights (Arkia airline had used 757-300s to ZAG) to Tel Aviv.

    ReplyDelete
  5. JU520 BEGLAX11:37

    Israeli love travelling to Croatia and Slovenia. May they even come with 747s

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous11:45

    Very interesting about this business with Air Serbia. I have a feeling the terminal will be reconstructed for them.

    ReplyDelete
  7. JU520 BEGLAX12:11

    Ex YU Administrator:

    Maribor Vintage Photo...was that photo taken Summer 1978 when LJU rwy got overhauled?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous13:13

    Any idea when is the 747F taking-off to Kabul?

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous18:02

      Silk Way West 747F enroute to Kabul took off from BEG around 17:00.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous18:08

      What happened with QR from Doha? Since it started via Sofia delays became more and more frequent.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous18:56

      ZAG was also badly delayed today.... DOH weather...

      Delete
  9. Anonymous13:45

    The guy who played a big part in destroying JAT is now doing the same with the airport...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:48

      You seriously think it's him deciding?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous14:30

      +100.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous14:10

    How can an CEO of a Public company be out there talking about the results for 2014 when NOBODY has seen the financial results?! There are NO results presented on their own website, nothing on the Belgrade Stock Exchange.....WTF is this?!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous14:54

    Nadam se da nece stedeti pare na renoviranju :)
    I da ce BEG za par godina dobiti T3 kakav zasluzuje i dosta preko okeanskih letova.
    INN-NS

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:37

      Budimo realni- nema potrebe za T3. Ni za drugom pistom. Samo ce renovirati T1, nesto prosiriti T2 i to je to bar do 2025... Tuzno, ali istinito.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:09

      Mene čudi da se niko nije zapitao šta će biti u tom renoviranom terminalu 1? Juče sam postavio pitanje i niko nema cojones da mi odgovori: Sta mozes da napravis od T1? Lepsi checkin, prodavnice i slicno, a za ostalo i dalje slati putnike na T2? Gde ces na T1 da napravis odlazecu i dolazecu pasosku kontrolu, preuzimanje prtljaga, duty free, restorane, carinu a tek da ne govorim o nekom otvorenom prostoru sa pogledom na avione kao sto je Sky Court u Budimpesti?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:33

      Bice renovirano: nove plocice - stakla - Liftovi i WI-FI mozda uvedu.
      INN-NS

      Delete
    4. Anonymous20:15

      Regardless of whether renovated T1 or existing T2 will be exclusive to Air Serbia as mentioned in the TFA, additional arrival, departure, baggage and customs functions would have to be added during renovation of T1 to split Air Serbia from other airlines. If T1 reno does not fit Air Serbia standards, they might just pick T2 and let all the others use T1.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous21:01

      Actually, location of their new lounge would make it possible to build a dedicated passport control booth for lounge visitors - that would be nice added value for premium pax. It could lead directly into the lounge, where domestic departures used to be.

      I don't see new passport control at T1, unless JU takes over and insists this gets done. But capacity wise, it is really not necessary. Of course, international arrivals remain a mess, and T1 renovation can't help there...

      Delete
    6. Anonymous21:19

      As long as there are common functions like departure passport control or (international) arrivals you can fully split two terminals. If they somehow cram all those functions into T1 by horizontally splitting the building (similar to how T2 was split by adding another level), then T1 would have enough to function as a separate terminal but it would certainly be small, cramped and ugly. Air Serbia could then take T2 and let everyone else suffer in renovated but tiny T1.

      Even in that case T2 would need more work to be functional. What happened to adding another level to concourses to separate arriving passengers, wasn't that requirement for USA flights?

      And what is the timing to start those upgrades, is it end of this month or end of year?

      Delete
    7. Anonymous00:34

      For me, T2 was a thing of beauty before the refurbishment. Now it's clean and everything, but looks so generic, and give it a few years for some wear and tear, it will look cheap as well.

      Delete
  12. Vaske15:46

    hey guys I know this is big OT but I would love to get some of your ideas. I am writing a uni project and the topic should be on this situation " writing to a airline manufacturer (Bombardier specifically) and giving them ideas on how to reduce CO2 output per any plane".
    FIrst things which came to my mind are: sharklets/winglets, switching to metals which weight less, as well as development of bio-fuels. Most of this stuff is in use already so is there any smaller things in development as of now? Can anybody give me any further suggestions on what to focus on.
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vaske15:51

      your ideas can also include modifications on engines or fuels, does not have to be specifically on the frame.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:30

      Mesavina kerosina sa LPG CNG ako je moguce :) Imam jos jednu ideju ali je mnogo skupa barem mislim.
      Interijer Aviona od BIO stvari i sedista.
      INN-NS

      Delete
    3. Aэrologic18:11

      Implement the point to point vs. hub and spoke model with larger planes and lesser frequencies, but it isn't Bombardier you should be writing about that.

      Delete
    4. A rather simple way to increase fuel efficiency is to load the plane to the most aft center of gravity as possible. This reduces induced drag (drag that is a result of producing lift) because the elevators don't have to produce as much down force. Elevators must produce down force to compensate for a plane's nose heavy design. Airplanes are nose heavy so that they can easily recover in the event of a stall.

      The results of aft center of gravity are higher fuel efficiency and higher cruising speed. The downsides are less stability and more difficult stall recovery.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous20:37

      wow, Aleks, pravi mojstor - si mehanik?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous23:46

      Missed whole point aerologic, it's plane oriented efficiency, not operational efficiency

      Delete
    7. Anon 8:37,
      Nisam mehaničar, ali sam pilot. :)

      Delete
    8. Vaske05:13

      thanks for ideas, greatly appreciated!

      Delete
  13. Anonymous19:45

    .....JU544 Belgrade-Milan diverted back to Belgrade, JU194 Belgrade-Ljubljana - no plane to fly .....

    ReplyDelete

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