Niš Constantine the Great Airport will open its new terminal building (pictured) within the next ten days with talks underway to secure new flights for the 2025 summer season. It comes as the airport faces declining passenger numbers, handling 168.406 travellers during the first half of the year, down 19% on the same period in 2023. The airport blames the underperformance on Wizz Air which has been forced to reduce its operations due to the grounding of aircraft as a result of manufacturing issues with engines on part of its fleet. “The big changes that are happening in Niš are being monitored by other airlines that currently do not serve the city. We are in contact with them” Dušan Kovačević, the CEO of Niš Airport, said.
The Serbian Minister for Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Goran Vesić, previously noted that discussions were ongoing with Air Serbia for the introduction of several new routes from Niš, in addition to the existing seven which are maintained as part of a Public Service Obligation (PSO) contract. “We are in discussions with Air Serbia for the opening of several new routes from Niš. I will be working on this matter in the coming period so Niš will continue to have more and more passengers”, Mr Vesić said, without specifying the potential new routes. The carrier currently maintains services from the southeast Serbian city to Belgrade, Cologne, Hahn, Istanbul, and Ljubljana, as well as seasonally to Athens and Tivat. It also runs a number of summer charters.
The new terminal building in Niš is currently undergoing Operational Readiness and Airport Transition procedures ahead of its imminent opening. The new facility has the capacity to handle 1.5 million passengers per year and up to six aircraft at the same time. It boasts ten check-in desks, self-check-in stations, eight passport control booths, four passenger gates and one VIP gate. Furthermore, it features a luggage sorting facility. New food and beverage outlets, as well as duty free shops will be added over an area 700 square metres. Initially, it will be used for departing passengers with the old terminal to be used for handling arriving travellers. However, the airport plans to demolish the old terminal and construct a new building which will form a single functioning unit with the new terminal. A car park with the capacity for 580 vehicles, has also been built.
