Skopje grows

Skopje’s new terminal under construction (right)

Construction of a new terminal at Skopje Alexander the Great Airport is ongoing. The airport’s operator, TAV Airport Holdings, has plans to turn Skopje into a regional leader and holds high hopes that Turkish Airlines will set up an airline in Macedonia, a move rumoured since the demise of MAT Macedonian Airlines. Alp Er Tunga Ersoy, the Deputy Manager of TAV in Macedonia, told the Southeast European Times portal, "Our goal is to make Skopje a popular regional hub by using its advantageous geographical location. Thanks to this investment, Macedonia will have state of the art airport facilities and Skopje's Alexander the Great Airport will be one of the main drivers of economic growth in the region”. After work on the new terminal is complete, Skopje's airport will be nearly double the size of those in Belgrade and Sofia, according to officials. The airport runaway is being extended by 500 meters to handle wide body aircraft for long haul flights.

TAV claims that without a national carrier growth at Macedonia’s airports will be blocked. The Turkish airport operator hopes that Turkish Airlines will set up a national carrier in Macedonia. However, they also hope that some of Turkey’s 10 million strong diaspora will reroute via Skopje on their way to their homeland. Work on Skopje’s new terminal is expected to be complete in time for the 2011/2012 winter season in October.

Renovations are also under way at Ohrid's St. Paul the Apostle Airport, and plans are going ahead for the construction of the Philip II cargo airport, to be located in Štip in Eastern Macedonia.