NEWS FLASH
The expansion of Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport is progressing steadily, with much of the current focus on the upcoming 2,800-square-meter Central Plaza located behind the duty-free area. New branded shops including Ralph Lauren, Boss and Victoria’s Secret have opened at the Central Plaza with Michael Kors and multibrand store concept Urban Attitude set to follow. Two dedicated children’s shops, Candy Fair and Toy Fair, are also set to open their doors inside the Central Plaza, alongside a specialised souvenir store Belgrade Market. Greenery will be sporadically placed in the area, including linden and oak trees and planters with bushy greenery. The idea of a canopy as a gathering place has been inspired by the tradition of Belgrade taverns, which often have a terrace or a balcony in the shade of large trees. The Old Town Bistro, as a concept interpreted in a contemporary way, has been given as part of the task for restaurant lessees who will make up part of the Central Zone.
Belgrade Airport recently opened its overhauled main runway with the inserted runway (pictured) now closed for traffic. Work is being carried to transition the inserted runway into a parallel taxiway. Once work is completed, the four new rapid exit taxiways will be opened for use. Belgrade Airport has identified runway occupancy time as its most constraining capacity factor with Eurocontrol this year.
Twenty passport eGates have recently been introduced at the airport, with ten installed at both departure and arrival areas. For departures, passengers scan their passports using the automated machines and then proceed to a designated counter located just behind the eGates to have their passports stamped, as this remains a standard procedure in certain European countries utilising eGates. For arrivals, no additional steps are required. Currently, the eGates are available exclusively to Serbian passport holders aged eighteen and above.
Work is progressing on a new hangar in the airport's maintenance area. Although official confirmation is still pending, it is widely speculated that the facility will accommodate a new aircraft operated by the Government of Serbia. Additionally, construction is underway on apron A, resulting in the partial closure of taxiway G.
I just wish best beer in the world Salto Pale Ale will be around somewhere in BEG.
ReplyDeleteGood taste, i like their wheat beer too.
Delete@Anon 1332 Have you tasted Kabinet Plavo? :)
DeleteAny dates for the new JU premium lounge and BEG business club openings that they announced?
ReplyDeleteBefore start of summer season.
DeleteWhen I was flying in september Vicotria’s secret was closed. Has it opened now? The Duty free area is really nice, but the low ceiling in certain parts of the airport is atrocious…..
ReplyDeletewait I see it now sorry…
DeleteYes, it's a new Victoria Secrete. Used to be at another location.
DeleteI saw on arrivals, that on the left side there are still works underway. Probably they will accommodate rent a car agencies
ReplyDeleteStill a lot to do, they are bit slow with shops/restaurants/cafés but I hope when all is done it should look nice, at least much better vs. old one.
ReplyDeleteProbably the only airport in Europe that don’t have a wide, high ceiling main area when you enter the building at the main terminal (2). You just enter some low ceiling corridors - awkward and poor. Shame on you Vinci - we had it 40 years ago, but not today.
ReplyDeleteWhat does the high ceiling do? Waste of space and not needed . It looks great to me .
DeleteAmen, low ceilings ruined the whole reno
DeleteDidn't BEG have low ceilings since the 2006 reconstruction?
DeleteI don’t remember the departures area being that low. They just extended the departure level concrete floor out towards the windows. That meant that the check in area felt low compared to the open celing check in area before that (remember the DC-10 hanging from the ceiling). They have now reduced the departure area as well. The whole Vinci fit out is cheap. And no, other Vinci airports don’t look and feel like this.
DeleteBelgrade is now starting to look better than Vinci's Lisbon. When all mentioned stores are open it will look great.
DeleteIt is passengers flow that is important, not the ceiling height. BEG is very easy to navigate.
DeleteYup, until 2006 reconstruction - the airport felt like a representative state infrastructure..
DeleteI liked the old pre-Vinci layout combined arrivals and departures. Quick and efficient on arrival and no long and endless corridors for no reason.
Deletentil passengers grow wings, I don't see why it's important, as long as the organization is good. And if they do have wings, they won't be using airports anyway. :)
DeleteI wish there were more local brands at the airport, it would be great for transfer passengers. Having the big name brands is too cliche, you can literally buy them anywhere at any airport in the world. Except maybe North Korea.
ReplyDeleteConstant moaning about everything is also another well known local cliche.
DeleteFood&beverage outlets are local brands. For example Kafeterija instead of Starbucks, Хлеб&Кифле instead of Pret a Manger or whatever your local outlet is. If you read the article you would have seen local names like Belgrade Market as well. Dedicated stores from big name brands like Polo Ralph Lauren, Boss, Victoria’s Secret and Michael Kors are what travellers at busy intercontinental destinations like Belgrade come to expec.
DeleteThat floor and ceiling... like 90s shopping malls..
ReplyDeleteI was in BEG summer of 2021 and 2022 when the construction was ongoing. The newer parts that were opened at the time, I also noticed the lower ceilings.
ReplyDeleteAre they done with the exterior construction like the parking areas and the approach to the terminal building? How is the whole experience in renting a car at BEG?
I think overall the airport will look great.
Rentals are.an abnomination. No signage. The garage itself i leaking and no elevator if you need to carry luggage. Dark. I lose always 1H to sort the car out. Horrible experience.
DeleteRentals are moving back into terminal building by some reports. Garage is open and rain comes in just like at other garages around the world. Rentals are literally couple of steps from the parking garage and it takes 1-2 minutes from rentals to the furthest part of the garage. Needing one hour speaks volumes about your honesty.
DeleteWhy is a Government hangar being built here and not Batajnica? I don't understand why the airport can't just be left for commercial purposes. It should not become a quasi-military airport when one is so close by.
ReplyDeleteGovernment planes already use BEG. There is no customs at Batajnica.
Delete"It should not become a quasi-military "
DeleteSome people here..
And what about all the foreign Air Force planes that use BEG as well, eg US (C-17), China (Xian Y-20) Russia (IL-76s), Israel (707s)? And they could not build a small customs post for Government personnel. I am sure they don't line up with the "normal" people in the passport queue anyway, but that hangar should have been built in Batajnica as there is a lot more land there.
DeleteCustoms is not the reason. A customs crew could always be shuttled to Batajnica if need be. The reasons are more technical. Belgrade airport, unlike Batajnica, can support low visibility operations (guided take off and landing in zero visibility), has longer runway, therefore better suited for operational continuity that the civil aircraft used by Serbian government require. The airport also has better facilities for ceremonial activities, when these are required. It’s, therefore, natural that the Serbian government aircraft are stationed at Belgrade, just like Swiss government aircraft are stationed at the civil airport of Bern (never heard anyone considering it quasi-military because of that).
Deletei feel like they could have done the ceiling better . . . looks like they just painted over it. Honestly that whole duty free/teslin trg area would look WAY better if they just switched the ceilings. It would be really nice if terminal 1 gets a modification or at least renovation of the facade, it’s a definitely an eyesore inside and outside. I hope at the end it will turn out good but what they have now is pretty good and much better than what it was before.
ReplyDeleteIs that Aluminum foil under the windows? Really cheap. Tesla Trg looked so much nicer before.
DeleteNo it isn't. Picture 8 from the top shows black between windows and stores.
Delete