Skopje, 16 January 2023 (MIA) – TAV Macedonia, the airport operator at both Macedonian airports – Skopje International Airport and St Paul the Apostle Airport in Ohrid – has noted a 70% increase in passenger traffic in 2022 in comparison to 2021, but in comparison to the reference year in aviation, 2019, it stands at -11%, i.e., an 89% recovery rate in aviation passenger traffic.

Skopje International Airport and St Paul the Apostle ended 2022 with a significant recovery of air traffic passengers, servicing nearly 2,4 million passengers on 19,448 flights.

TAV have pointed out that after two extremely rough years for the aviation industry and the start of the post-pandemic recovery period beginning in summer of 2022, the increase of air passenger traffic means that the people are ready to travel by plane and that air traffic is on its way to reach its pre-crisis levels.

“According to the numbers and stats, the TAV Macedonia-managed airports’ recovery results and dynamics follow European and global recovery rates. We are especially proud and happy that the recovery of the Macedonian air traffic is exceeding the ACI prognosis for global air traffic movement. Its optimistic scenario predicted that global air traffic would reach -23% in 2022, but the airports in Skopje and Ohrid ended 2022 at -11%, 89% of the number of passengers in 2019. As an airport operator, TAV Macedonia is efficiently and successfully managing the crisis and its consequences,” according to TAV Macedonia’s General Director, Metin Batak.

Representatives of the airport operator believe that this positive trend in air traffic recovery will continue in 2023 and that ACI’s prognoses for the European air passenger traffic of -9% in comparison with 2019 will be surpassed again.

“We are positive that the level of effort we’ve put into our daily operation and airport service quality for our clients from our expert staff, as well as the excellent cooperation with all affected parties and aviation authorities would be added reasons for the Skopje and Ohrid airports to reach the level of air traffic for 2019 at least, as well as to celebrate new successes and excellent results,” Batak said.

The most frequent destinations from Skopje International Airport for January-December 2022 were Istanbul (IST and Sabiha Gokcen Airport with 13.1% market share), Basel Mulhouse (6.3%), Vienna (6.2%), Zurich (6.2%), Antalya (4.2%), Dortmund (4%), Munich Memmingen (4%) and Koln (3.1%).

The top 5 countries with direct flights for 2022 are Germany (24% market share), Turkey (19.1%), Switzerland (14.2%), Sweden (6.9%) and Austria (6.2%).

Wizz Air has transported the highest number of passengers in 2022 (59.3% market shares), followed by Turkish Airlines (11%), Pegasus Airlines (6.7%), Austrian Airlines (6.2%) and Chair Airlines (4.9%).

The most frequent travel destination from the Ohrid Airport is Vienna (18% market share), followed by Basel (15.9%), Zurich (11.9%), Memmingen (11%), Malmo (10.8%), Friedrichshafen (8.7%), Dortmund (8.6%), Amsterdam (8.3%), and the other destinations have a market share of 1.2%.

“Currently, according to the winter flight schedule, the following 11 airlines fly from Skopje International Airport to 36 destinations: Air Serbia, Austrian Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Edelweiss, Chair Airlines, Pegasus Airlines, Turkish Airlines, LOT, Aegean, Wizz Air, Easyjet and 2 airlines – Wizz Air and Chair Airlines fly to four destinations from St Paul the Apostle Airport in Ohrid,”according to TAV Macedonia. dk/ik/