Macedonian aviation struggles

Vintage Ohrid had more flights than today

The “EU Observer” has named Macedonia as the black hole of European aviation. It says that the former Yugoslav republic lacks a national carrier and its population of 2.1 million people is too small to lure international airlines, which have also been discouraged by the high fees charged by the country's two commercial airports, Skopje and Ohrid. The portal notes that the airport lacks regional connections to Sarajevo but also suggests that the majority of those flying out of Skopje transit either via Belgrade, Ljubljana or Zagreb, making the trip much longer and costly. “Poor air links are preventing Macedonia from developing its tourist industry” the Observer notes. "Expenses for airport fees and fuel are 15 to 20% higher than in neighbouring countries, they rose by 25% during the last month alone", says Nikolas Kuemmerle, a former MAT Macedonian Airlines manager.

The Observer notes that Skopje is one of the rare European capital cities that does not have a direct air link with Brussels, the central city of the European Union. Although Skywings International began charter flights to the Belgian capital, the service has been terminated. There are no direct flights to Berlin, Paris, London or Madrid. "Flights to these cities are not profitable. The market is too small for the low-cost companies to come," Mr Kuemmerle said. Zoran Krstevski, the head of Macedonia's Civil Aviation Directorate says, “We are developing this sector in line with European standards and regulations for small markets. Improvement can be made only by regional approach, attracting foreign companies and permitting them greater freedom".

Although there have been various plans by other companies to set up an airline in Macedonia, none have materialised as yet. On Tuesday the CEO of Jat Airways criticised the Macedonian Aviation Directorate saying that the rejection of Jat’s planned Macedonian subsidiary, Aeromak, is unexplainable.