Belgrade Airport set to open new facilities in biggest expansion to date
Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport’s biggest expansion project in history is progressing with key facilities set to open in the coming few months. The airport is undertaking Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer (ORAT) exercises to support the successful opening of the first phase of the expanded C concourse building which will be put into operation during the first half of the year. This week saw a number of Air Serbia aircraft, as well as volunteers, take part in mock pre-departure procedures using the concourse’s eight new airbridge gates and five bus gates. 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, enables the new gates to handle wide-body aircraft, which is in line with VINCI’s hub strategy for Belgrade. Upon the opening of the extended concourse, work is expected to immediately begin on the second phase of the expansion of Pier C, which will include the construction of an additional four airbridge gates.
Simultaneously, work is being carried out on the construction of the central processor to allow for up to 100 check-in counters, more commercial premises, as well as centralised security screening, which will be performed at one location on the first floor (in front of the existing passport control), rather than at the gates, so as to provide added comfort and more efficient passenger flow, in compliance with global standards. Centralised security is expected to be operational from mid-April and has involved the procurement of new security and screening technology. Simultaneously, in order to allow the terminal to be expanded, the full reconfiguration of the access plateau is taking place. This project will allow faster access and more efficient traffic flow, as well as increased short-term parking capacity. A new modern car park for visitors, with the capacity for 715 vehicles, is under construction in front of the terminals and will include premium parking spaces, parking positions for those with reduced mobility, as well as electric car chargers. The first phase of the landside work will be completed by May, after which parts of the area in front of the terminal will be reopened. However, the entire project will be completed next year and encompasses a total of ten phases.
Construction of the airport’s third floor - a wide corridor being built on top of the existing terminal buildings in order to segregate arriving and departing passengers - is advancing. The floor is currently completed above gates A1 - A4, C1 - C2, while gates C3 and C4 have now been closed in order for work to take place. Construction of the floor above gates C5 and C6, used by wide-body aircraft, is expected upon the opening of the extended Pier C. Once competed, the top floor will be used by arriving passengers. “It’s a five-metre-wide corridor positioned on top of Pier A, existing Pier C and the new building. This means that upon landing at the airport, you will enter the bridge and go up to this arrival gallery. You will then reach a central transfer zone which is a chimney-like structure with escalators going down to the first level, which will be for transfer passengers (corresponding to departure level), and then you can go down again to the baggage reclaim area and arrival hall”, the airport previously told EX-YU Aviation News.
Work on the 3.500-metre-long inserted runway is also advancing on schedule and is expected to be completed in October or November. The airport is using a new premium range of ready-mix concrete for the runway, to make it more durable. Once completed, the existing main runway will undergo a thorough reconstruction, during which the parallel inserted runway will be used. Once the reconstruction of the main runway is completed, the inserted one will be utilised as a taxiway. It will be linked to the runway through a new system of taxiways, including four rapid exit taxiways (RETs). The RETs allow aircraft to leave the runway at higher speeds. This in turn enables aircraft to vacate the runway quicker, permitting another to land or take off in a shorter interval of time. The Serbian government requested the construction of the inserted runway as part of the terms of the concession.
A number of other projects are also taking place across the airport complex including the construction of a new helicopter terminal, new taxiways, new de-icing platform and new control tower. Other facilities, such as a new wastewater treatment plant, heating plant, new 25.000-square-metre apron and remote parking stretching over 36.400 square metres have been completed. The entire project is valued at 730 million euros and will be fully completed by 2025.
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