Belgrade Airport plans long haul network development
Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport believes its ongoing multi million euro expansion will provide new opportunities for the development of its long haul network and further boost its number of transfer passengers. Speaking to Poland’s “Business Traveller”, Belgrade Airport’s Chief Commercial Officer, Miodrag Mirković, said, “[Operator] VINCI Airports is pursuing its proactive policy to increase traffic to and from Serbia, and to meet passenger expectations by accelerating further improvements at Nikola Tesla. We are also convinced that the significant development of the airport will support the growth of passenger traffic, especially transfer traffic”. He added, “The expansion will allow us to transform the airport into a new regional hub and will provide new opportunities for launching long haul routes, such as the one we have to New York”.
According to Mr Mirković, Air Serbia will play a central role in the development of the airport’s destination network. “Finding new markets and improving existing ones is of utmost importance if we want Belgrade Airport to become a point of reference in our region. We need to provide Air Serbia with the tools to offer new routes - especially long and medium haul routes - as part of its hub strategy. Air Serbia's excellent regional network, which connects Belgrade with all the countries in the region, is the foundation that allows us to build further growth. Air Serbia is also actively developing eastern markets, where even in times of the pandemic, new routes, such as Rostov-on-Don, are being inaugurated”, the Chief Commercial Officer said.
Belgrade Airport is in the process of expanding its capacity. It will complete eight new gates with jet bridges, which have the capacity to handle widebody aircraft, and a further five bus gates, by the end of the year. Upon its completion, a further expansion will begin with the addition of several extra gates with jet bridges. Air Serbia’s General Manager for Commercial and Strategy, Jiri Marek, recently said, “The market continues to react very quickly to the increased and still growing demand, while on the other hand, the airport is modernising its infrastructure, which may cause some difficulties for passengers. However, we believe that after the reconstruction of the terminal is complete and the airport undergoes its transformation, we will have all the possibilities to implement our strategy without any infrastructure limitations”.
Mr Mirković notes the expansion will position Belgrade Airport as a regional transfer hub. “Our expansion program will increase airport capacity, with an additional 3.5-kilometre runway, a new pier, fifteen new gates, new aircraft parking positions, as well as the modernisation of 26.000 square metres of space and the expansion of the passenger terminal by an additional 47.000 square metres. All this will enable more flights during peak hours. We have no doubt this will contribute to Belgrade's success as a transfer hub”, Mr Mirković said. He added, “Belgrade Airport has great potential due to its geostrategic location, enabling us to connect East and West, North and South, and on the other hand, provide a direct connection to various regions (Southeast Europe, EU, Russia, Middle East, East and USA), which in turn creates an opportunity to strengthen our position”.
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