The Republic of Kosovo is the only country in the Balkan region that has only one airport in service.

Other Balkan countries have two or more airports, either civilian or military.

In the process of concession of Prishtina International Airport "Adem Jashari" and in the concession contract between LIMAK and the Government, of 2010 article 13.6 of the Contract, Prishtina Airport is not subject to direct competition from the opening of a new airport in the territory of Kosovo, this is because the government under the contract is obliged to keep the private partner unharmed from the losses that would be caused by the opening of a second airport in Kosovo.

MESP: Another airport only after the feasibility study

Although it is seen as a need for Kosovo to have another airport, the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, in a response to RTKlive says that the plan of the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, to have another civil airport , can only be considered after a feasibility study for investment viability.

"Gjakova Airport, the state of Kosovo has given it under the management of the Ministry of Defense, which is now taking action based on its plans.

Prishtina International Airport is not without competition, because it has competition with the airports of neighboring countries.

PIA has the capacity to receive up to 5 million passengers per year ", say from the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure

Gërxhaliu: Kosovo needs an alternative airport

The need for a second airport in Kosovo is considered useful by the expert on economic developments in the country, Safet Gërxhaliu.

According to him, it would be positive for Kosovo to have more than one airport, except for Pristina.

"The global crisis and the war in Ukraine have made air transport a necessity of the time.

In addition to inflation and stagflation, the transport sector is also being hit.

Therefore, in addition to the railway that is now on the agenda of the Kosovo government, the alternative of the second airport should be considered ", he said.

Gërxhaliu assessed that Kosovo needs an alternative airport and for this the government should have it as a priority, and for this Gjakova Airport would be a good alternative.

"If it is impossible and competitive due to the contract that the government of Kosovo has with LIMAK that manages Prishtina Airport, to have a second airport, then the possibility should be considered to have even for Logistics and Cargo", said ai.

According to Gërxhaliu, if Kosovo had another airport, there would be more opportunities for Kosovo citizens and businesses.

He assessed that today transport is a key indicator of the transport of goods and passengers.

"Boat transport has now experienced enormous price increases, so now there are two better alternatives, rail and air transport.

"And for this, Kosovo deserves to have another second airport", he stressed.

Shala: A single airport is not enough for Kosovo

The role and need of airports in socio-economic development and security in the Republic of Kosovo are more important for Kosovo.

Avdi Shala, an aeronautical engineer currently working on aircraft construction in Germany, said airports play an important role in a country's socio-economic, cultural and security development.

"According to studies, about 10% of the budget is provided by direct and indirect revenues from the country's airports.

"Kosovo has a small territory and the number of inhabitants is not large, however, a single airport is not enough to meet all the needs of the country," he told RTKlive.

Adding that aviation is generally categorized, and to meet those requirements, airports are also categorized.

“For planning the necessary airports in Kosovo, e.g.

their number, category and site selection should take into account a range of factors.

Personally, as a specialist in the field, I did such research and summarized its results in a document, which I then submitted to the Government.

'Adem Jashari' International Airport has good capacities to cover the needs of international flights.

But this is not enough, because Kosovo has a developed diaspora and very connected to the homeland, so we have a very high number of flights at our airport.

Also, a single airport, which is without competition, has the opportunity to set high fares and has a great impact on other issues, e.g.

in establishing business interests.

"For this, especially in the tourist season, we pay very expensive tickets, and many of our citizens, rightly, are being forced to choose the airports of our neighbors, to realize their flights", he said.

The international airport is generally expensive, especially for the "general aviation" class, unaffordable.

"A very good complement for 'Adem Jashari' Airport would be Gjakova Airport.

This airport should be civil-military, where in the future military operations can be organized, as well as the operations of companies that offer free flights 'charter flights', to be used for pilot schools and various 'general aviation' activities.

In addition to this airport, much more important is the protection and regulation of the former airfields, which could be used for sports-recreational flights.

The location of airports and airfields, taking into account their category, type of operations at those airports / airfields, will not interfere with each other at all and will cover all the needs of civil and state aviation in the Republic of Kosovo ", He said.

According to him, the lack of revitalization and functioning of airports and airfields in our country continues to hold hostage the further development of aviation as a whole (opening of pilot schools, airlines, industry, etc.).

In other words, the revitalization and functioning of these airports / airfields is the first step to be taken by the state, and then the development of civil aviation will be done automatically by private investments and initiatives.

The development of Civil Aviation will automatically give a great impetus to the establishment and functioning of the aviation unit in the Kosovo Police and the military ", he said.

The government approved a preliminary decision for expropriation within the location of Gjakova Airport

This week the government has taken a preliminary decision for expropriation for public interest of immovable properties which are located within the Location of Gjakova Airport.

These expropriations are made for the needs of the realization of the infrastructure projects of the Ministry of Defense.

12 years that ANP 'Adem Jashari ", is managed by" Limak-Lyon "

The Government of Kosovo on August 12, 2010 had signed an agreement with the consortium "Limak-Lyon" for the concession of Pristina International Airport.

This consortium until 2012 had planned to make investments over 100 million euros.

This was the first time that the Kosovo authorities signed a contract with an international consortium, reports RTKlive.

The contractor concessionaire will operate the Airport with extended service offerings and much higher quality levels.

In exchange for his rights, the airport concessionaire will pay to the Government of Kosovo an average of 39.42% of PIA gross revenues for the next 20 years, in the form of an annual concession fee.

Depending on the increase in the number of passengers during this period, this tariff can reach the amount of up to 400 million euros.

Prishtina International Airport `Adem Jashari` is among the 100 busiest airports in Europe.

Two airports in the Balkans are ranked among the 100 busiest on the continent, according to the International Airports Council for Europe (ACI).

Prishtina Airport “Adem Jashari, entered the top 100 for the first time, being positioned as the 88th busiest with 2,176,036 passengers treated.

Split Airport, as the third busiest in the former Yugoslavia, was ranked 103rd, followed by Zagreb, which ranked 112nd, and Skopje, at 113th.

Dubrovnik was the 129th busiest airport in Europe, while Sarajevo the 132nd.

Ljubljana Airport, which dropped out of the top ten busiest in the former Yugoslavia in 2021, was the 154th busiest in Europe, just behind Sinop Airport in Turkey and ahead of Rennes Airport in France.

As previously reported, airports in the former Yugoslavia handled a combined total of just over 14.8 million passengers in 2021, 97.3% more than a year earlier, but still 49.7% down in the pre-pandemic 2019.

Istanbul became Europe's busiest airport in 2021, followed by Moscow Sheremetyevo, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam and Moscow Domodedovo.

With a decrease of 34.6% in the number of passengers compared to 2019, airports outside the European Union significantly exceeded the average of the continent, which stood at a decrease of 64.6% of passengers in levels before COVID.

The most affected European market in 2021 was Finland, followed by the United Kingdom, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Ireland.