French president Emmanuel Macron and Aleksandar Vučić, president of the Republic of Serbia, have unveiled the results of modernization work at Belgrade airport.
The presidents were joined by Xavier Huillard, chairman and chief executive officer of Vinci, which was responsible for the work, and Nicolas Notebaert, president of Vinci Airports and chief executive officer of Vinci Concessions. The event marks the first stage of an ambitious expansion program for the Serbian airport, carried out by its concessionaire Vinci Airports.
The government of the Republic of Serbia awarded the 25-year Belgrade airport concession to Vinci Airports in March 2018. The contract covers financing, operations, maintenance, renovation and expansion of the airport and its existing runway system, the goal being to increase the airport’s capacity and to foster the economic development of Serbia.
Vinci Airports has made a commitment to open new medium- and long-haul routes; improve passenger flow management; showcase the Serbian cultural heritage; and roll out AirPact, the Vinci Airports environmental policy, which includes wastewater management, waste management and development of solar energy.
To achieve these objectives, more than €730m (US$890m) will be invested during the concession period, to raise the airport’s quality of service to the highest international standards and enable it to ultimately serve 15 million passengers. The modernization works will be carried out in synergy with Vinci Construction Grands Projets.
“Over the coming 25 years we will work closely with the Serbian authorities as a key partner of the country’s economy. The goal of Vinci Airports is to make Belgrade the future hub in Southeast Europe,” said Notebaert.