Macedonian airports set for another record year
Macedonia's two international airports, Skopje and Ohrid, are preparing for another record year after they handled a combined total of over 2.1 million passengers in 2018. With Wizz Air set to launch new flights to the country later this year and growing interest from other airlines, the airport's operator, TAV Macedonia, is targeting new markets in Europe and the Middle East, while services to the United States and Canada remain its "biggest wish".
The General Manager of TAV Macedonia, Alper Ersoy, spoke to EX-YU Aviation News about the airport's achievements in 2018 and its goals for the upcoming year. You can read the full interview below:
Are you satisfied with the performance of Macedonia's two airports in 2018?
Indeed, we are satisfied with the performance at the Macedonia’s airports in 2018. It was a successful year at both Skopje and Ohrid airports in terms of operations and air traffic. New routes have been opened, and some airlines increased their frequencies, while new airlines entered the market.
LOT Polish Airlines entered the market and commenced flights to Warsaw six times per week (four during the winter), while the Athens – Skopje route was resumed after a fourteen-year break by Aegean Airlines.
Five new routes were launched from Ohrid: Istanbul by Onur Air, Tallinn by Nordica, Warsaw by Enter Air, Eindhoven by TUIFly, and Vienna by Wizz Air. As a result of these new destinations, three new airlines entered the market (Onur Air, Nordica, Enter Air), two new incoming markets were added into our network for tourists at Ohrid - Turkey and Estonia - and the Polish market, which was opened in 2017 (Katowice), has been expanded with the addition of Warsaw as a second destination.
Consequently, we succeed in maintaining double digit passenger growth at both airports combined, which is up 16% year-on-year on the period between January and November.
In addition, we marked an important milestone, not only for TAV Macedonia but also for Macedonia and its aviation industry. On December 5 we welcomed Skopje Airport's two-millionth passenger in a single year. Only four years ago, at the end of October 2014, we celebrated the one-millionth passenger at Skopje Airport. We are happy and glad to double our numbers in just four years.
We expect to finish 2018 with over 2.1 million passengers, or a 16% increase in the number of travellers on an annual basis at Skopje Airport and 180.000 passengers at Ohrid Airport.
What are some of the markets you are targeting at the moment in terms of future air services from Macedonia?
We are constantly monitoring passengers’ demand regarding new destinations, communicating with airlines which are considering Macedonia’s airports as new destinations, and studying passenger flow to and from Skopje and Ohrid airports. Based on these tools, we determine our market each year. However, generally speaking, our main targets are European destinations, as well as the Middle East, due to its proximity to the Balkans and the interest in Middle Eastern countries for travel to the Balkans.
With Skopje handling over two million passengers in 2018, are there any plans to expand capacity at Skopje Airport in the near future?
Skopje International Airport's terminal building has a capacity to handle 4,2 million passengers per year. Therefore, we do not have any issues with airport capacity. We manage the terminal building and passenger flow according to IATA level C and constantly monitor KPIs [Key Performance Indicators] of said level at check-in, gates, security, passport control etc. If any enhancement or expansion is required in the future, we have plans which are ready to be applied.
Last year there were discussions over possible transatlantic flights from Skopje. Is this still on the table and have any additional talks taken place regarding potential services to the US or Canada?
It is one of our biggest wishes. However, it depends more on the airlines and two-way demand. If any carrier decides to make such an investment, it would be a costly operation. Wide-body flights require bigger market demand, meaning not just from Macedonia, but from the entire Balkan region.
Skopje International Airport is ready to provide the greatest support to any airline considering transatlantic flights. It can cater to the entire Balkan area for connections to the United States and Canada, as one of the biggest diaspora centres.
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