Kosovo allocates €9 million in airline subsidies
The government of Kosovo has adopted plans to provide nine million euros in subsidies for airlines flying to Pristina Airport over the coming three years, or three million euros annually. The Ministry for Infrastructure believes the measure will make airline tickets more affordable and boost revenues. It follows calls from Pristina Airport for authorities to do more to stimulate carriers and avoid losing passengers to Skopje and Niš airports. The stimulus package will be distributed to airlines based on the number of passengers carried. “We strongly believe this incentive program, supported by the government, will be a key factor in ensuring fair and sustainable competition at our airport and provide our passengers with a greater choice of destinations and frequencies. As a result, this will indirectly and positively impact on fares and the pace of growth at Pristina Airport”, the Kosovo Civil Aviation Authority said.
This year saw low cost carrier Eurowings establish a base in Pristina. The airline will introduce flights to Vienna next week, which will be followed by Wizz Air launching the same route a day later. Wizz previously said it was “trying to learn the [Kosovo] market”, noting that it currently has no plans to base an aircraft in Pristina but that it might do so at a later stage. Pristina Airport saw its passenger numbers grow 9.9% during the January - November period, handling a record 2.184.923 travellers. British Airways recently announced it would resume seasonal operations to Kosovo in 2020 following an eight-year hiatus.
Pristina Airport's Scheduling Manager, Driton Hyseni, said earlier this year that the government must make funds available to airlines for the airport to remain competitive against its regional counterparts. "The time has come for us to offer greater support to airlines and the tourism industry in Kosovo, which would provide our countrymen with more convenient and affordable travel. Furthermore, such support would increase the number of foreign visitors to Kosovo, which would generate additional income and provide more jobs in the aviation industry, tourism sector and other services". Mr Hyseni argued that by investing into the aviation sector, Pristina would be able to attract passengers from Skopje and Niš.
0 Response to "Kosovo allocates €9 million in airline subsidies"
Post a Comment