Belgrade Airport reaches 51% of pre-Covid traffic as recovery eases

Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport handled some 400.400 passengers in September, representing a decrease of 38.1% on the same month in the pre-pandemic 2019. The rate of recovery eased due to the reintroduction travel bans for Serbian citizens and residents from a number of key European markets. During the first three quarters, Belgrade Airport welcomed 2.436.000 travellers through its doors, down 48.7% on 2019. In a statement, airport operator VINCI said, “In Serbia, passenger numbers tripled compared to summer 2020. In July and August, demand for flights was boosted by tourist destinations in Turkey (Antalya up 13%) and Egypt (Hurghada up 30%). Traffic shrank towards the end of the quarter due to a resurgence in the pandemic, but airlines’ flight schedules for the coming months still look encouraging”.

During the first three quarters Belgrade Airport maintained its position among the top sixty busiest airports in Europe, ranking at number 57 according to Airports Council International (ACI), ahead of the likes of the traditionally busier Manchester, Sofia, Budapest, Thessaloniki, Stuttgart, Helsinki and Venice. During the first nine months of the year, Air Serbia was the airport’s biggest carrier, accounting for 55% of all flights, followed by Wizz Air, Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines. In terms of available seats, Air Serbia held a share of 47%, followed by Wizz Air, Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines. The most capacity was offered to Tivat, followed by Zurich, Istanbul, Podgorica, Moscow, Frankfurt and Paris.

Meanwhile, the expansion of Belgrade Airport is continuing to advance. Currently, the focus is being put on connecting the expanded part of the terminal building with the existing facility. This is because the expanded Pier C complex is not completely aligned with the existing C gates, and while it will be unnoticeable to passengers walking the airport’s corridors, the positioning of the new building allows for greater apron space, and in turn, will enable the new gates to handle wide-body aircraft Furthermore, work is being carried out on the complete reconstruction of the interior at the arrivals level and first floor to allow for additional check-in desks and more than 1.200 square metres of space for new restaurants, bars and shops. In addition a new centralised security control zone is being created on the first floor to increase the efficiency of security operations and ensure faster passenger flows. The airport previously said it would use centralised security with Pier C only and Pier A some six months afterwards. Works on the refurbishment of the A and C side gates are currently ongoing. In addition, preparatory work is underway on projects to modernise access roads, construct new parking lots, and upgrade and reconfigure traffic lanes in front of the passenger terminal.