Morava Airport opens, commercial ops. to start in winter
Kraljevo's Morava Airport in central Serbia will open at midday today, with commercial flights set to begin during the 2019/2020 winter season, according to its operator. The airport was initially opened in 2012, upon the completion of its new 22 million euro terminal building and control tower, however, the state of its 2.265 metre-long runway made it unusable for commercial flights. Since then, the runway has been overhauled, while the Serbian Civil Aviation Directorate is set to complete the airport's certification process by the end of the week. Bureaucratic procedures between the airport's former operator - the military - and the government have delayed its opening on numerous occasions.
Commenting on its future, the head of operator Airports of Serbia, Mihajlo Zdravković, said, "Morava Airport could not be offered to airlines because it did not have an operating license. We will get it by the end of the week and then we will officially be able to start negotiations with carriers. There is interest and certain airlines have already come to us". He added, "We should have the first contracts ready by the start of the winter season. Several global carriers are interested and the first routes are expected to be to Germany and Turkey". The former General Manager of Niš Airport, Dragan Bugarinović, who served at the post between 2008 and 2014, has been named as Morava Airport's first General Manager.
The Serbian Minister for Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Zorana Mihajlović, previously said she expects the airport to handle up to 20.000 travellers in 2019. "From its opening in late June, until the end of this year, we expect several carriers to introduce flights from the airport. It will handle around 20.000 passengers this year and between 100.000 - 150.000 in 2020. We will also work on developing cargo traffic at Morava Airport", Ms Mihjlović said. Located in central Serbia, it is projected that Morava Airport would significantly boost the local economy since it lies between several industrial cities and is in close proximity to the Italian-run Fiat-Zastava car manufacturer.
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