Skopje, 3 September 2025 (MIA) - The Government is set to subsidize the introduction of five new air routes: flights from Naples and Budapest to the Skopje International Airport will begin on April 6, 2026, and from Katowice, Wroclaw, and Milan’s main airport, Malpensa, to Ohrid will begin on June 28, 2026, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski at a press conference Wednesday with the Chief Executive Office of Wizz Air, József Váradi.  

With state subsidies, five new air routes are being introduced: to Skopje Airport, flights from Naples and Budapest will begin on April 6 next year, and to Ohrid Airport, flights from Katowice, Wrocław, and Milan’s main airport, Malpensa, will begin on June 28, announced today Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikolovski and József Váradi, Chief Executive Officer of Wizz Air.

Nikoloski announced that Wizz Air will increase passenger capacity by around 50 percent from next year and will offer 3,300,000 seats for Macedonia. Wizz Air, he said, will maintain a permanent fleet of six aircraft at Skopje Airport and will replace the existing Airbus A320s with Airbus A321neos. The number of the 200 employees from the country working at Wizz Air, which has been benefiting from government subsidies since 2012, is planned to increase by 100.

The subsidies for the new five air routes will amount to EUR 9 per arriving passenger at Skopje Airport and EUR 12 per passenger at Ohrid Airport.

“The flights from Katowice and Wroclaw are very important for opening up to Poland, which has a strong interest in tourism in Macedonia, and Polish tourists are especially welcome in the Ohrid region,” Nikoloski said.

Nikoloski noted that in the past month and a half, 11 new air routes from the airports in Skopje and Ohrid have been announced. Previously, routes from Stockholm and Madrid, starting on November 2, were announced, as well as from Cologne, Bari, and Prague starting on December 20, and from Larnaca starting on October 30. “In total,” he added, “that makes 11 new air routes in cooperation with our friends from Wizz Air”.

“We have a very solid operational platform established in the country with six aircraft by the end of the year, 41 routes from two airports – Skopje and Ohrid, and over 200 employees in the country. All that translates into 3,3 million seats we are making available in a single year in 2026, this is a big jump versus where we are today,” said the CEO of Wizz Air, Váradi.

Váradi said Wizz Air will be a driving force in bringing more aircraft, seats, destinations, and greater employment opportunities, adding that new announcements regarding airports and destinations should be expected.

“We want to have the best aircraft on the market, and for you to benefit from all of that. The seats will be cheaper compared to the A320, and we will reinvest such savings to make flying more accessible to more people, so you can enjoy our services more often,” Váradi said.

Váradi noted that Wizz Air recognizes the importance of tourism, which he assessed is growing in the country.

“Wizz Air is one of the factors contributing to this. We will fly from more destinations, expand our network, and the benefits will not be only for the local community, but also for the tourism and economy of the country. We consider Macedonia our home, that we are your national carrier, and we want to be a bigger part of society and have more Macedonian pilots, engineers, and mechanics, as well as cabin crew,” Váradi said.

MIA file photo