TAV AIRPORTS: OVER 3 MILLION PASSENGERS TRAVELLED THROUGH THE TWO MACEDONIAN AIRPORTS

Due to the successful year, the Minister of Transport and Communications, Blagoj Bochvarski, today visited TAV Macedonia General Manager, Nejat Kurt, and awarded him a certificate of appreciation for the special contribution to the development of the air traffic and the successful organization of the OSCE ministerial summit that was held in Skopje this month

Over 3 million passengers traveled through the two Macedonian airports - Skopje International Airport and Ohrid St. Paul the Apostle Airport, from January 1st to December 16th 2023, reports TAV Macedonia, a subsidiary of TAV Airports.

This is an important achievement for the two Macedonian airports as it marks the recovery of air traffic and passenger traffic after the pandemic, surpassing the levels of 2019, which is considered a reference year in aviation, and this is the first time that 3 million passengers have been served together at both airports in one year.

“TAV is happy to mark such a milestone, not only for both airports but for Macedonian aviation as well. Reaching 3 million passengers before the end of 2023 is a huge achievement, especially after the pandemic that immensely affected aviation in general. This success shows and proves our commitment to providing top-quality services for our passengers and it is also an indication that people are willing to travel and that now they are more than ever confident to travel by air given the efficiency and the convenience of traveling by airplane. Moreover, we, as TAV are more than proud with the passenger number statistics. Namely, stats show a peak in 2019 with almost 2,7 million passengers, then an unfortunate sharp decline due to the health crisis and travel restrictions, and now, in 2023, we are back on board and we have succeeded in even exceeding 2019 by 20%. This achievement will further guide and inspire us to continue to strive for new records. This is the reason why we will continue to tailor and improve our services and increase the airport capacities so that we are ready to welcome our passengers.” – stated Nejat Kurt, TAV Macedonia General Manager.

"Like in all other countries in the world, the COVID pandemic has negatively impacted air traffic in our country as well. But we overcame those situations and today we can be proud together with TAV Macedonia because we have new records of carried passengers. Three million passengers is a number that promises continued development of air traffic. The Government sees TAV as a partner in creating new policies and developing air traffic in North Macedonia. I believe that the policies set up in this way justified the Ministry's plans, which are the establishment of new destinations for citizens as well as an increase in the number of tourists. The ultimate goal is to have quality and safe air traffic", – stated Blagoj Bochvarski, Minister of Transport and Communications.

The most successful year for the airport operator so far was 2019, with 2,7 million passengers, while 2022 was finished with 2,4 million passengers. However, 2023 will be recorded as a year that notes a constant, above 30% annual increase compared to 2022, especially given that the 2022 total passenger number was reached by the end of September 2023. 

To improve the airport service quality and the travel experience to be at the highest level, TAV continually invests in airport infrastructure, as was the latest 2,4 million euros investment in the upgrade of the baggage handling system to the latest “Standard 3” technology.

Due to the successful year in air traffic, the Minister of Transport and Communications, Blagoj Bochvarski, today visited TAV Macedonia General Manager, Nejat Kurt, and awarded him a certificate of appreciation for the special contribution to the development of Macedonian air traffic and for the successful management of the special flights during the ministerial OSCE summit held this month.