TAV Macedonia, the operator responsible for Skopje International Airport and St. Paul the Apostle Airport in Ohrid, has reported a remarkable surge in passenger traffic for the year 2023. Compared to the previous year, there was a notable 33% increase, and when contrasted with the reference year in aviation, 2019, there was an 18% rise.

The conclusion of 2023 witnessed a robust recovery in air travel at both airports, with a combined total of 3,149,274 passengers served and 23,949 flights conducted, marking a significant milestone. This achievement surpasses the peak of almost 2.7 million passengers in 2019 and marks the first time on record that the airports have exceeded 3 million passengers.

Officials from the airport operator express satisfaction, highlighting that the Macedonian airports have outperformed the ACI’s European airport passenger traffic forecasts for 2023 by nearly 23% compared to 2019. They express confidence in the continuation of this positive trend, anticipating an even higher growth rate than the forecasted +1.4% for 2024, citing strong demand for air transport and the quality of services at both airports.

In 2023, the most frequented destinations from Skopje airport included Istanbul (both airports IGA and Sabiha Gokcen), Basel Mulhouse, Zurich, Frankfurt, Dortmund, Vienna, Munich Memmingen, Antalya, Hamburg, and Cologne. The top five countries with direct flights were Germany, Turkey, Switzerland, Sweden, and Italy.

Regarding airlines’ share in passenger traffic at Skopje Airport in 2023, Wizz Air led with a 61.8% market share, followed by Turkish Airlines, Pegasus Airlines, Austrian Airlines, and Chair Airlines.

At Ohrid Airport, the most popular travel destinations in 2023 included Basel, Vienna, Dortmund, Memmingen, Malmo, Zurich, and Amsterdam.