Pristina Airport terminal expansion nears completion

Pristina Airport’s three-million-euro terminal expansion is nearing its completion with the addition of two single-story annexes and a total of four new bus gates. The new facilities are located both on the northern a southern tip of the airport building, with each stretching over an area of 634 square metres. The expanded parts of the building will be used for boarding purposes, with passengers to be bussed to reach aircraft parked at remote stands. Each annex features two gates, a seating area, smoking room, and restrooms. The project is being fully funded by airport operator Limak.

Following the opening of the expanded areas of the terminal, Pristina Airport will have a total of twelve boarding gates, up from the existing eight. Work on the construction of the new facilities have been ongoing for several months. The airport noted its aim is to boost capacity as it heads for another record year. During the January - April period, Pristina Airport welcomed a total of 1.165.859 passengers, representing an increase of 23.4% on last year. It handled an additional 148.060 travellers on 2023, with its goal to welcome well over four million customers this year. The airport says the expansion will ease capacity constraints and provide passengers with a more comfortable travel experience.

The expansion of the terminal building, which was opened in 2013, follows several infrastructure and technology upgrades. In late 2021, Pristina Airport completed work on the extension of its runway, as well as the upgrade of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) and taxiways. The project, valued at over 33 million euros, included the lengthening of the runway from 2.560 metres to 3.050 metres, as well as the upgrade of the ILS from category II to category III, enabling aircraft to land in more adverse weather conditions, including dense fog. Last year, Pristina Airport migrated its entire end-to-end passenger processing solutions to a cloud powered by Amadeus. The move resulted in increased self-service options for travellers, enabling passengers to check in at self-service kiosks, drop their bags at self-service stations, scan their mobile or printed boarding passes using automated solutions, and pass through automated pre-security checkpoints all the way to the boarding gates.