Macedonian airports handle record 2.6 million passengers
Macedonia's two international airports, Skopje and Ohrid, are preparing for another record year after they handled a combined total of over 2.7 million passengers in 2019, adding some half a million travellers on the year before. The airport's operator, TAV Macedonia, is targeting new markets and plans to expand capacity in both Skopje and Ohrid.
The General Manager of TAV Macedonia, Alper Ersoy, spoke to EX-YU Aviation News about the airport's achievements in 2019 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 2019?
We are very happy with the performance of the two Macedonian airports. 2019 has been a very successful year for TAV Macedonia, in terms of passenger growth at both Skopje and Ohrid airports. From the beginning of the year, until December 30, a total of 2.7 million passengers (2.652.838) traveled through both Macedonian airports - Skopje International Airport and Ohrid St. Paul the Apostle Airport, which is a 14% annual increase, while at Ohrid Airport alone we have had remarkable annual passenger growth of 72% during the same period. Solely in November 2019, we had a remarkable 240% annual increase in passenger numbers at Ohrid Airport, while at Skopje Airport a solid double digit growth of 15.2%.
These growth rates have been achieved as a result of the constant route network development at Skopje and Ohrid airports. Only in 2019, TAV Macedonia added four new destinations from Skopje Airport (Bremen, Baden Baden, Turku and Larnaca), while eight new destinations were added from Ohrid Airport - Memmingen, Dortmund, Milan and Malmo (regular, year round routes), plus: Stuttgart, Dusseldorf, Maastricht and Adana (seasonal routes). Skopje Airport currently serves 44 destinations, operated by thirteen airlines. Ohrid Airport serves 22 destinations, from which eight are regular year round and fourteen seasonal, also operated by thirteen airlines.
All this is a result of the good cooperation we have with the Government, as well as all aviation stakeholders - CAA, M-NAV, the police, customs, and all airlines as our clients. We will continue to work jointly on route network expansion, as well as the improvement of our services.
What are some of the markets you are targeting at the moment in terms of future air services from Macedonia?
Currently there are 44 destinations from Skopje and 22 destinations from Ohrid, connecting Macedonia with many cities in Europe, the UK, Balkans, Turkey and the Middle East.
We are closely monitoring passenger flow to destinations which are not in our network and communicating with airlines and tour operators over new markets. We are targeting any market which has the potential and demand for passengers.
It has been suggested that capacity at Ohrid Airport will be expanded soon. When could we expect the expansion of the terminal building?
TAV, in cooperation with the Government, is ready for the realization of these infrastructure projects. In the coming period, the administrative procedures should be finalised. If all procedures are completed, we’ll work to expand capacity at both Macedonian airports in 2020. TAV Airports has always kept its commitments to the Macedonian authorities and we are working harmoniously with the Macedonian Government to make sure all our commitments are kept.
Considering the recent collapse of Adria Airways, the upcoming sale of Croatia Airlines, the opening of a Eurowings base in Pristina and Wizz Air’s growth in Macedonia in 2019, what is your assessment of the aviation sector in the region and what the future may hold?
Unfortunately, 2019 was not a very good year for airlines. We noticed that airlines are more conservative in entering new markets as long as yields are not at the required level. On the other hand, the airline industry is highly cyclical and has fluctuations from time to time. We do believe that following the existing turbulent period, the airline industry will do better again soon.
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