Ohrid, 27 March 2025 (MIA) - The first flight of Turkish Airlines' new regular route connecting Istanbul and Ohrid landed Thursday at “St. Paul the Apostle” airport in Ohrid.

A ceremony to mark the inaugural flight was attended by numerous guests, including Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Aleksandar Nikolovski, the CEO of TAV Airports Serkan Kaptan, the CEO of Turkish Airlines Bilal Ekşi, Turkish Ambassador Fatih Ulusoy, Ohrid Mayor Kiril Pecakov, and representative of tour operators and hotels from the Ohrid-Struga region.

In his address at the ceremony, PM Mickoski said the introduction of new routes isn’t only a technical issue, but also a strategic investment in the future of the national economy, tourism and international cooperation.

According to Mickoski, with its strategic location in the Balkans, the country has the potential to become a significant hub for air traffic. He said the Government’s intention is to work actively on introducing new routes, encouraging low-cost carriers to launch routes, modernizing airports, as well as promoting the country as an air traffic hub. 

“The introduction of new routes means faster and easier connections to the world, boosting tourism, new economic opportunities and promoting the reputation of our country. Our country has immense tourism potential,” Mickoski stressed, noting the Government is actively working on creating policies and measures that will encourage tourism.

The PM said investments are also being made in road and rail infrastructure, airports, and the promotion of the country as a tourism destination with the help of small and medium-sized tourism businesses.

Deputy PM Nikoloski said the new route to Istanbul is a part of the vision for the development of the country, which, he said, is already bearing fruit. 

“This is the result of a thought-out strategy, a strategy of subsidies that we have been leading since we were elected. We already have two new destinations connecting to Ohrid – Istanbul and Basel, and we have eight new destinations from Skopje. But out of all of them, Istanbul is the most significant destination in my view since it opens the door for the Ohrid airport and the entire region. We are currently negotiating with a big company which I expect will introduce two to three new destinations, and these negotiations should conclude soon, raising the number of destinations from the Ohrid airport,” Nikoloski said.

The CEO of Turkish Airlines, Bilal Ekşi, noted that the carrier has a fleet of 480 planes flying to 353 destinations in 131 countries across all continents.

“Ohrid with its natural beauty is the new destination of our company. The fact we are flying to the biggest number of countries in the world means that we will not only bring guests from Istanbul but from the entire world, and the citizens of Macedonia will be able to fly to six continents using our carrier,” Ekşi said.

Turkish Airlines will fly between Istanbul and Ohrid four times a week – on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. The carrier will service the route with its Airbus A321, Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737-900 planes. 

Photo: MIA