Skopje, 14 August 2026 (MIA) – The instalment of the new ATM system at M-NAV is of great importance allowing increased security, safety and efficiency in air traffic management, Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski said Friday during a visit to M-NAV and the Skopje Control Tower.

The fact that there was an increase of over 12 percent in the first six months of 2026 compared to 2025 in the number of flyovers the Macedonian sky gives even greater significance. 

The ATM system is a technological solution that directly contributes to increased security, safety and efficiency in air traffic management and by being put into operations, M-NAV gets a completely new solution, said Nikoloski adding:

“2026 in the first six months recorded a flyover of 173,000 aircrafts in the Macedonian air space. It is an increase of 12.2 percent compared to 2025, 23 percent compared to 2024 and 27 percent compared to 2023. There were 42,000 flyovers in July alone.”

The system, Nikoloski said, was plagued by scandals during the tenure of the SDSM-DUI government. “With the appointment of the new M-NAV leadership and with good coordination, the system had been installed and put into service.”

He recalled that procurement was kicked off in 2014 and a contract was signed in 2018 with Italy’s Leonardo company. There were no activities between 2018 and 2024, which is being now probed by the authorities. 

The new radar system at the Skopje Control Tower was installed in 2025. “It is undergoing testing right now before it is put into operations in September or October,” the deputy prime minister said.

By introducing both the ATM system and the new radar, according to Nikoloski, the country gets the highest control and security system available now anywhere in the world. 

He added that despite a contract signed for the first time in 2022 for the radar, M-NAV’s new leadership launched activities in 2025 to installed the radar. 

According to M-NAV director Vladimir Ristevski, inaugurating the new ATM system is one of the most important steps in modernizing the Macedonian air traffic control ensuring better security and better efficiency of air transport navigation. 

“Most importantly, the new ATM system is stabilizing M-NAV as service provider in air navigation. This is especially important since air traffic across the Macedonian air space marks a huge rise,” Ristevski said.

Фото: МИА