Belgrade Airport to open central processor, new runway

Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport is finalising work on its new central processor building and runway, with both expected to come online in less than a month. According to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the central processor building, which has already been partially opened in the arrivals area, will be used by departing passengers early next month. The facility will serve as the central drop off and pick up point for passengers. It will act as an integrated facility with the remaining terminals and jointly feature almost 100 check-in desks. New retail, as well as food and beverage facilities, will be located inside the new processor building, as well as expanded centralised security and passport control.

Belgrade Airport has also begun testing of its new automated baggage handling system. As part of an upgrade of its baggage handling capabilities, the airport has also acquired BAGXone, manufactured by the French Alstef group. The high-speed AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) is designed to handle individual bags. The AGV can cover short distances (check-in to screening machines or from the screening machines to an Early Bag Store (EBS), reconciliation room, make-up carousel) or long distances and are easily adaptable to suit scalability and redundancy requirements. It easily interfaces to load and unload from the baggage handling system and can reach speeds of up to seven and a half metres per second.

The construction of Belgrade Airport’s new inserted runway is also nearing completion. A Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) - an aviation document informing all carriers of important and urgent messages - has been issued indicating the introduction of the new runway 12R/30L, new taxiway D1-D7 and taxiway Y from February 23 until March 23. During that period, radio navigation and landing aids will be introduced for the new runway as well as changes to navigation procedures at the airport. The new runway is 3.500 metres in length and will replace the existing one, which will be overhauled in the coming period. Once its reconstruction is completed, the inserted runway will become a parallel taxiway besides the original runway. The two will be linked through a new system of taxiways, including four rapid exit taxiways (RETs), for which exits have already been built. The inserted runway will also be used in the future, should the main one be incapacitated to handle aircraft for whatever reason. The overhaul of the existing main runway will commence this year. Belgrade Airport’s existing runway was built in 1962 and was extended by an additional 400 metres to 3.400 metres in 1978. It has been determined that its weight bearing capacity is no longer sufficient.