Turkish Airlines May Become Macedonia's Air Carrier

Turkish airport operator TAV, which this month took over the management of Macedonia’s civil airports, is lobbying for the move, unnamed officials from the company confirmed to local daily Utrinski Vesnik.

They said that selecting a new national air carrier would be the best way to secure cheaper tickets for flights to and from Macedonia.

Macedonia lost its previous air carrier, Macedonian Airlines, after the company faced serious financial difficulties last year that grounded its planes.

Macedonian authorities also gave indications that they would look favourably upon such a move by Turkish Airlines.

“Turkish Airlines should first apply. If they do that, we will accept them,” the head of Macedonia’s Civil Flight Agency, Zoran Krstevski, told the daily on Wednesday. “Of course the company has to meet European standards,” he added.

Krstevski expressed hope that this move could attract other major air carriers to enter the country as well.

The country is in the middle of a major effort to renew its two civil airports, one in Skopje and one in the southwestern tourist town of Ohrid.

Turkish TAV pledged to invest over €200 million in the revamp of the two airports by extending the runways and building bigger air and cargo terminals. The company got a 20 year concession over the airports, which currently serve less than a million passengers a year.

With the proposed changes, TAV foresees five million passengers annually at the Skopje airport alone, which would make it a regional hub.