The contract on the construction of internal traffic roads and accompanying hydrotechnical, electrical and telecommunication installations within the “Konstantin Veliki” airport complex was signed today in Niš by the Minister of Transport, Construction and Infrastructure Goran Vesić, the acting director of “Serbia Airport” Mihajlo Zdravković and the director of the Chinese company “Shandong International (China Shandong International Economic and Technical Cooperation Group) Son Wu Jun.
Vesić said that the contracted works will cost 16 million euros, and the Chinese company will have the obligation to finish them by July 1, when it is planned that passengers will depart from the newly constructed building with terminals at the Niš airport.
“More than 10 million euros were invested in the terminal building, and the equipment will cost more than 600 million. “It has been ordered and will arrive in May, which is before the agreed deadline,” said Vesić.
He stated that he chose the company “Shandong International” as the contractor in Niš because it is one of the two best Chinese companies in Serbia.
Vesić announced new investments in Niš airport and said that there is a reason for this because last year Niš had a record 488,312 passengers.
“By building the railway bypass around Nis, we will free up space for extending the runway by about 300 meters.” A new tower is also waiting for us,” said Vesić.
He said that more and more passengers are expected at the Niš airport and added that he is talking with “Air Serbia” about the introduction of new routes.
Mihajlo Zdravković, Acting Director of “Airport of Serbia”, said that the contract signed with the Chinese company includes the arrangement of 53,900 square meters of airport space, out of a total of 80,000 square meters.
“The contract includes, among other things, the construction of 1,976 meters of internal roads. “The capacity of the parking lot will be increased from the current 173 parking spaces to 580. Today, it is possible to park 49 trucks at the same time at the goods and customs terminal, and after the construction of the new parking lot there will be 103 places for trucks,” said Zdravković.
He said that thanks to the signed contract, the airport complex will be connected to the city collector network after 38 years of operation.
“The next phase of construction involves the demolition of the old terminal building and the construction of a new building on that site, the extension of the runway, the construction of a taxiway and a new tower,” Zdravković pointed out.
The director of the company “Shandong International” Son Wu Jun reminded that the company has been working in Serbia since 2011.
“With the help and support of the Government of Serbia and society in Serbia, and under the leadership of the Chinese Embassy, we implemented a number of infrastructure projects that achieved good results. The start of a new project such as the Niš airport is an indicator that the company and the Government of Serbia will continue to achieve good results in the future,” said Son Wu Jun.
The mayor of Niš, Dragana Sotirovski, said that the signed contract shows that the decision of the councilors of the Niš City Assembly to transfer the airport to state ownership was excellent.
Sotirovski said that the state’s investment in the Niš airport is 35 million euros, which, as she emphasized, are funds “unthinkable for the Niš budget”.
