Skopje, 29 August 2024 (MIA) – The government with a set of measures throughout 2025 will increase the number of passengers at the Skopje and Ohrid airports. Under a new program, from January 1, 2025 until December 31, 2027, air traffic will be supported with a sum of 125 million denars annually – a total of 375 million denars, up by one million of what has been planned so far, announced Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski.

The call for subsidized air transport will be issued next week, he said.

“At today’s government session, we passed several measures aimed to drastically improve air transport in the country. The set of measures, to be implemented in 2025, should attract in Macedonia 200,000 passengers, an increase compared to now. The number will increase in the years to come,” Nikoloski told a news conference. 

From being a leader in the region regarding air transport, he noted, the country has been downgraded facing a decrease in number of flights, number of destinations and number of passengers. According to the minister, it is due to multiple factors, which require solutions in the coming period. 

To that end, Nikoloski said, conditions for airline companies to participate in air transportation will be changed.

“Also, airline companies will no longer be awarded subsidies. We will subsidize destinations, which means that the call will be open for all airline companies that meet the conditions for each destination,” he said. 

This way, Nikoloski added, we settle the problem with being dependent on one airline company, which is why the number of passengers in the airports in Skopje and Ohrid dropped due to Wizz Air’s problem with it is own aircrafts, which has nothing to do with the situation in the country. 

Furthermore, Nikoloski announced that passengers on arrival rather than passengers on departure will be subsidized. “We want to attract tourists and to offer them an easier, quicker and cheaper way to visit,” he said. 

“New destinations could be introduced from outside the European Union. We expect to attract passengers and tourists from other destinations, including the Middle East and Far East. As a result, we expect next year, the number of passengers to rise by at least 200,000,” noted Nikoloski. 

Photo: MIA archive and printscreen