Skopje, 12 December 2025 (MIA) - Three million passengers at the Skopje Airport means making history, it is happening for the first time in Macedonia, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski said Friday. Alongside the TAV Macedonia management he attended a ceremony for the 3 millionth passenger at the airport on Friday.

According to Nikoloski, the Skopje International Airport is becoming a hub in the region.

"I am glad that this wonderful family travelling to Bari today was lucky enough to be the 3 millionth passenger at the Skopje Airport. If we compare looking back to ten, twenty or thirty years ago, this was unimaginable, but the Skopje Airport is already becoming a hub in the entire region," Nikoloski told Friday's press conference.

Twenty-one new routes have been launched from the Skopje and Ohrid airports since September 2024, which Nikoloski said speaks volumes about the commitment to attracting new airlines. He added that these are the most routes launched by any country in the region. "These numbers are no coincidence, and it is no coincidence that the Skopje Airport will end the year with 3.2 million passengers, while the Ohrid Airport with over 300,000 passengers. We will have over 3.5 million passengers by the end of this year," Nikoloski pointed out.

This year sees continuous growth, he added, reaching 25 percent in November 2025 compared to November 2024, which means that the number of passengers travelling from the Macedonian airports has increased by a quarter.

Such results, the Minister pointed out, are also accompanied by an increase in the number of tourists, business development.

Nikoloski announced new routes to be launched next year, including Skopje-Naples and Skopje-Budapest as of April 6, 2026, Ohrid-Katowice, Ohrid-Wrocław, Ohrid-Milan as of June 28, 2026, as well as Austria Airlines Ohrid-Vienna route. With all the new routes and activities, Nikoloski said he hopes that by this time next year, the Skopje Airport will have served 3.5 million passengers. 

The airport's management prepared a surprise for the 3 millionth passenger - Milena Taskova, who received free airport services from TAV's sister companies and two Wizz Air tickets.

"We reached the 3 millionth passenger in one year, a passenger who is flying to Bari for the first time. I wished her and her family all the best," said TAV Macedonia General Manager Nejat Kurt. 

Photo: MIA