Macedonian airports plan development, recovery and growth in 2022

The airports in Skopje and Ohrid are aiming for a busy 2022 which should include infrastructure development, as well as the continued return of passengers and airlines. Metin Batak was named as the General Manager of airport operator TAV Macedonia in October 2020, taking over at a challenging time as the aviation industry continues to suffer the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. However, Mr Batak has been involved with TAV Macedonia since its foundation. EX-YU Aviation News spoke to the General Manager about the current state of affairs and outlooks for the future during these unprecedented times.

Are you satisfied with the results Skopje and Ohrid have achieved in 2021 in light of the pandemic?

According to our air traffic statistics, Macedonian airports jointly served approximately 1.4 million passengers this year which is around 76% above 2020, but 48% below 2019 which we now consider as a point of reference in the aviation industry. Undoubtedly, we saw the first signs of air traffic recovery at Skopje and Ohrid airports in 2021, especially during the high summer season when European countries lifted the travel ban for Macedonian passport holders. In addition to this, many foreign countries had a ban on non-essential travel since the start of the pandemic in 2020, which was eased last year as vaccination certificates became the main air travel document worldwide. For most of the EU/Schengen countries, Covid-19 vaccination certificates became a sort of a replacement for the so called “essential reason for travel”, which was the main obstacle for air travel for Macedonian citizens. 

If we review airports in Europe, according to Airports Council International Europe’s (ACI) analysis, October 2021 showed improvement in passenger traffic levels, however at an uneven pace. The pace of recovery varies and it’s prone to new blows the pandemic may bring, especially as airports now brace for the impact of Omicron. Our market will “sail” in the same direction, since aviation is a highly internationalised business, therefore, it is highly dependable on global events and developments.

Having all this in mind, we are satisfied with the achievements and we will continue in our efforts to find the best operational decisions in order to cope with the changing business environment, as a result of the pandemic.

 

What are TAV’s targets for Skopje Airport in 2022 in terms of passenger numbers?

The uncertainties brought on by the pandemic still makes it very hard to make estimates. Although there are different scenarios, global aviation bodies foresee the recovery to continue in 2022 and reach around 80% of pre-pandemic levels. Overall, the recovery of the Macedonian market should move within ACI’s forecast for global air traffic recovery, although as a developing and a fast-growing market, as we were prior the crisis, we may “rise” a little bit faster than the developed EU aviation markets. ACI’s analysis for European airports show that in 2024/2025 we will get back to pre-crisis levels. Therefore, our expectation of around 80% passenger traffic in 2022 is in line with estimates made by renowned global aviation organisations.

Skopje Airport will overhaul its runway in 2022, what does the project exactly involve?

Rehabilitation means that we will practically renovate the upper layer of the asphalt of the runway and, as a result, during this period, between 9.00 and 17:30, from March 28 until May 16, 2022, there will be construction works on the runway. Each day, in the noted hours and time period, we will rehabilitate one part of the total length of the runway, in order for the airport to remain operational, i.e. so we can normally handle flights during the remainder of the day, from 17:30 until 9.00.

We have made this decision in consultation with all airlines that fly from Skopje Airport, as well as other stakeholders, such as the Ministry for Transport and Communications, the Civil Aviation Agency, etc. Our aim is to complete the rehabilitation works with minimal impact on traffic.

Due to the pandemic, Skopje has lost links to the Middle East since Flydubai and Qatar Airways have suspended flights. Do you have any indication if and when these services could resume?

The aviation landscape is constantly changing due to the developments regarding the pandemic, and it is not easy to plan ahead under these circumstances. Looking at our previous experiences, we are confident that the suspended routes will resume when it is convenient for the airlines. In the ten years leading up to the pandemic, we managed to increase traffic at Macedonian airports fourfold, to 2.7 million. During the same period, the number of destinations served increased to 44 from fifteen. As part of the largest global airport management platform, we will continue our marketing efforts to re-establish suspended routes and add new ones. For now, the decisions on restrictions etc. are made by health authorities and we have to abide by the regulations.

 

Are there any plans to expand existing infrastructure at Ohrid Airport?

Yes, there is a plan to develop and expand Ohrid Airport infrastructure, and the construction works will be done phase by phase, depending on many factors, first and foremost on the increase in air traffic, as well as the dynamic and realisation of Skopje Airport’s runway rehabilitation project, and, of course, the Omicron impact on air travel restrictions by EU countries, where almost 80% of Macedonian air traffic is concentrated.