English
Since the election of this Government, we have added 23 new direct flights lines, the Ohrid and Skopje airports have handled 3.5 million passengers, and this year I expect the Skopje airport to be the leader in the region with growth and to exceed 4 million passengers, said Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski.
We have started a serious policy of attracting new airlines, taking into account that Macedonia is landlocked and airports are our only outlet and more tourists and more people come here for business and the opportunity for Macedonian citizens to travel. What I am proud of is that since the election of the Government to date, we have 23 new direct flights or airlines, the latest of which are to Alegro-Sardinia and Palermo-Sicily. What I am glad about is that the two airports, Ohrid and Skopje, have handled 3.5 million passengers. If you see that Macedonia has 1.8 million people, then it is clear that it is far above the number of people we have and this year Skopje airport will be a leader in growth in the region of former Yugoslavia, which is a matter of pride, considering that Zagreb, Sarajevo and Belgrade are also larger cities than Skopje, said Nikoloski.
He added that direct talks have begun with Saudi Arabia to establish air traffic between the two countries, which will further expand the flight network for Macedonia.
I expect that we will also announce direct flights from there to Skopje and Ohrid airports and we will continue with this policy of stimulating airlines. I expect this year to pass 4 million passengers, which will be an absolute record, said Deputy Prime Minister Nikoloski.