Skopje International Airport[2][3][4] (Macedonian: Меѓународен аеродром Скопје, Albanian: Aeroporti Ndërkombëtar i Shkupit) (IATA: SKP, ICAO: LWSK), also known as Skopje Airport (Аеродром Скопје, Aeroporti i Shkupit) and Petrovec Airport is the larger and busier of the two international airports in North Macedonia, with the other being the St. Paul the Apostle Airport in Ohrid, which is located 170 km (110 mi) southwest[1] from the national capital Skopje. The airport was previously named Skopje Alexander the Great Airport.
History
Early years
The airport was built in 1928. The first commercial flights in Skopje were introduced in 1929 when the Yugoslav carrier Aeroput introduced a route linking the city with the capital, Belgrade.[5] A year later, the route was extended to Thessaloniki and further to Athens in 1933.[5] In 1935, Aeroput linked Skopje with Bitola and Niš, and also operated a longer international route linking Vienna and Thessaloniki through Zagreb, Belgrade and Skopje.[5]
After the Second World War, Aeroput was replaced by JAT Yugoslav Airlines, which linked Skopje to a number of domestic and international destinations until the dissolution of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.
Development since the 2000s
In December 2006, the conservative VMRO-DPMNE-led government of the Republic of Macedonia renamed the airport after Alexander the Great, sparking further controversy in the ongoing diplomatic feud with Greece. Both countries consider Alexander the Great as part of their respective heritages, demonstrated by the fact that the regional airport of Kavala in Greek Macedonia is also named after Alexander. However, the airport in Kavala was the first to be named as such since 1992.[6][7]
In 2008, the Macedonian Government signed a contract with the Turkish company Tepe Akfen Ventures (TAV) for a twenty-year-long concession, during which this company would manage Macedonia's two existing airports, the Skopje Airport and the St. Paul the Apostle Airport in Ohrid.
In September 2011, the new terminal building, extension of the runway, new administrative building, cargo building and new access road with parking facilities were opened.[8]
In February 2018, Alexander the Great was dropped from the airport's name in a move to improve relations with Greece, with the airport being officially renamed Skopje International Airport.[9] A few months before, Aegean Airlines announced future flights between Athens and Skopje,[10] the first flights to Greece for several years, another example of improved relations between the two countries following the Prespa agreement.
Airlines and destinations
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights to and from Skopje:[11]
Cargo
Statistics
Apron viewCheck-in hallThe former terminal in 2008
Traffic development
The number of passengers has increased since 1990, from 312,492 passengers in that year, to 2,158,258 passengers in 2018, but this was not a steady increase. In 2000 the airport handled 1,005,852 passengers, but in 2001 the number of passengers dropped to 499,789.[29] This was influenced in part by a number of airlines replacing services to Skopje with services to nearby. In 2014 Skopje airport handled 1,208,359 passengers, surpassing one million for the first time since 2000.
Busiest routes (2022)
Largest airlines (2022)
Largest country markets (2022)
Ground transportation
Taxis to Skopje are available. There is also a bus service linking the airport and the city with several stops.
Incidents and accidents
On 24 July 1992, an Antonov 12BK of Volga-Dnepr Airlines crashed at the mountainous Lisec village near Tetovo, on approach to Skopje Airport, after the crew strayed off course while trying to circumnavigate a thunderstorm, because the DME at Skopje Airport was inoperative. All 8 occupants died and the plane was written off.[32]
On 5 March 1993, Palair Macedonian Airlines Flight 301, a Fokker 100 bound for Zürich, crashed seconds after takeoff from runway 34. Investigation into the accident determined the cause of the accident to be the failure of the flight crew to have the aircraft deiced before departure. Of the 97 people on board, 83 died.[33]
On 12 January 2008, a Mil Mi-17 of the Macedonian Air Force, from Mostar en route to Skopje Airport, crashed on a hill near Katlanovsko Blato in dense fog and burned out. All 11 occupants died and the helicopter was written off.[34]
On 13 February 2009, Austrian Airlines Flight OS780, Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 scheduled flight from Skopje to Vienna, failed to retract landing gear after take-off and performed an emergency landing on Skopje Airport.[35][36][37]
On 14 November 2011, a private flight Socata TBM700N (TBM850), from Maastricht Aachen Airport to Skopje, hit several treetops and approach light while landing and missed the extended asphalt of the runway and touched down on grass. All five occupants escaped unharmed. The plane received substantial damage and was sent to Daher-Socata at Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport for repairs.[38]
On 11 February 2012, Czech Airlines Flight 848, a Boeing 737-55S scheduled flight from Prague to Skopje, made an emergency landing at Skopje, because of reported smoke that came out of the aircraft. Airport firefighters and ambulance were alarmed. The plane had a minor damage and all passengers escaped uninjured.[39]
On 6 September 2016, a private Piper PA-34-200T Seneca II crashed near Vetersko, Veles while landing in Skopje, killing all 6 on board. The aircraft was written off.[40]
References
^ a b"EAD Basic - Error Page". 19 January 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
^"Macedonia says ready to change its name and end row with Greece". www.euronews.com. 6 February 2018. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
^"Од 53-тата седница на Владата на РМ: Автопатот "Александар Македонски" преименуван во "Пријателство"; новото име на аеродромот "Александар Велики" е "Аеродром Скопје"..." Влада на Република Македонија. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
^"Премиерот Заев: Македонија направи значителен напредок на својот европски пат, ова е заеднички успех на сите граѓани". Влада на Република Македонија. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
^ a b cDrustvo za Vazdusni Saobracaj A D – Aeroput (1927-1948) at europeanairlines.no
^"Skopje's airport to be named "Alexander the Great"". Kathimerini. 2006-12-29. Retrieved 2006-12-26.
^"Makfax". Retrieved 7 February 2018.
^"Денис Звиздиќ номиниран за претседател на новиот Совет на министри на БиХ". Retrieved 7 May 2016.
^"Macedonia says ready to change its name and end row with Greece". Reuters. 7 February 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
^Press-room. "Aegean: 18 νέα δρομολόγια το 2018 - Airnews". www.airnews.gr. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
^skp.airports.com.mk - Timetable retrieved 30 August 2020
^"Aegean to launch Skopje - Sarajevo serivce". exyuaviation.com. 27 July 2023.
^"airBaltic to launch Ljubljana, Skopje and Pristina flights". exyuaviation.com. 30 August 2023.
^"AnadoluJet to launch new Skopje service". exyuaviation.com. 10 July 2024.
^"Aurora Tours". aurora.mk.
^"Summer flight timetable '23" (PDF).
^"CROATIA AIRLINES ADDS SPLIT – SKOPJE SERVICE IN MID-2Q23". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
^"easyJet to end Skopje flights". exyuaviation.com. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
^"Norwegian to enter Macedonian market". 17 November 2022.
^"Pegasus NS24 Antalya Network Expansion – 08NOV23".
^"АНТАЛИЈА ЛЕТО 2023".
^"Tunisar Adds Skopje / Tirana Charters in NS24".
^"Wizz Air 1Q24 Routes Suspension Summary – 31DEC23".
^"Wizz Air schedules first two of four new Skopje routes". EX-YU Aviation News. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
^"Wizz Air NS24 Network Additions".
^"Wizz Air: Ungarische Airline kehrt nach Salzburg zurück und fliegt in den Balkan". 23 November 2023.
^"Wizz Air removes three Skopje routes over winter".
^aviationcargo.dhl.com - Destinations served retrieved 4 September 2022
^"AirportsBase :: Skopje Airport". Retrieved 7 May 2016.
^"Former Yugoslav airports handle 32.5 million passengers in 2023". ExYu Aviation. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
^ a b c"TAV: 2.4 million passengers traveled through Skopje and Ohrid airports in 2022".
Media related to Skopje Airport at Wikimedia Commons
