The Skopje and Ohrid airports are leaders in the region, as confirmed by international media. Skopje International Airport remains the regional leader with a 32 percent increase compared to the same period last year, Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski said in a social media post Saturday.
“Skopje International Airport remains the leader in the region with a 32 percent increase compared to the same period last year. For this year, out of more than 390,000 newly offered seats, there has been a reduction of around 6,000 seats due to the impact of the conflict in the Middle East, but despite this it remains highly ranked in the region in this segment as well,” Deputy PM Nikoloski said, citing the specialized aviation portal EX-YU Aviation News.
Nikoloski noted that in the first months of the year, Macedonian airports registered a 30 percent rise in passenger numbers and about a 20 percent increase in flight operations, confirming the Government’s policies aimed at developing air transport in Macedonia.
“Since the beginning of this year alone, new air routes have been introduced from Skopje to Naples and Budapest, and from Ohrid to Milan and Bratislava. Additionally, in July, flights from Ohrid to Katowice and Wrocław will begin operating, as well as from Skopje to Palermo and Alghero. This means that in almost two years of this Government’s mandate, 24 new air routes to European destinations have been introduced, which is a record number of newly established routes,” Nikoloski said.
The deputy PM and Transport Minister said that the development of air transport remains among the priorities of the Ministry of Transport and that, as he emphasized, this is being demonstrated through the implementation of the project for the reconstruction, upgrade and expansion of the St. Apostle Paul Airport in Ohrid, which will further increase passenger capacity and flight operations.
Nikoloski noted that passenger numbers are expected to surpass 3.5 million this year and reach up to 4 million next year, as a result of the current model for attracting new air routes.
