Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport handled 339.400 passengers in September, an increase of 7.2% compared to the same month last year when it welcomed 316.711 passengers through its doors. It marks the airport’s 30th month of consecutive growth. On the other hand, the number of operated flights to and from the airport fell 2% on 2011, with 4.110 flights being operated. So far this year, Belgrade Airport has seen 2.642.259 passengers pass through its doors, with the airport expected to handle its third millionth traveller in early November. Compared to last year, Serbia’s busiest airport has seen average growth of 9.2%.
October has also started off strongly. In the first week the airport welcomed 65.480 passengers. Performing the strongest are Wizz Air, Jat Airways, Swiss International Airlines, Aeroflot and Norwegian Air Shuttle. Earlier in September, Air One launched flights from Milan to Belgrade. The airline is performing relatively well on the route with an average of 65 passengers heading to the Serbian capital and an average of 105 passengers on the return service to Milan. The only new airline to announce flights to Belgrade until the end of 2012 is Qatar Airways, while Wizz Air will launch flights to Basel and Jat is expected to head to Banja Luka by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Serbia’s second international airport, Niš, saw strong growth in September after a major plunge in August. Last month, Constantine the Great Airport welcomed 2.559 passengers, an increase of 18.3% compared to the same month last year. Average growth in 2012 has stood at 15.9%. The airport can expect numbers to soar later on in the year with the arrival of Darwin Airline.
Source Balkans
