Around 150,000 passengers landed on the runway in Mahovljani last year, bringing the “Republic Srpska Airports” closer to global air travel trends, and this company expects even more progress by opening new destinations.
– The biggest challenges in the last year were financial. In March, we hired 17 new workers, and full annuity loans to the Investment Development Bank (RBI) of the RS arrived, so timely payment of workers’ wages and wages is crucial. By increasing the number of destinations and passengers this year, we expect higher revenues, which will significantly facilitate business – said Milan Račić, acting director of “Airport RS”.
He reminded that as of February, thanks to the continuation of cooperation with “Rajaner”, the first flight from Vienna will land on the runway in Mahovljani. Although new destinations are constantly being negotiated, Racic does not reveal to which other metropolises, except for previously established routes to Berlin, Memmingham and Brussels, passengers from the Banja Luka airport will be able to fly this year.
Račić said he also expects charter flights to Turkey and Greece this summer, which were of great interest last year.
The company is also facing a number of ventures because as the airport develops day by day, the airport building becomes too small. In addition, Račić said, a cargo facility should be completed by the spring, which will allow “Airports RS” new jobs and additional revenue.
– The construction of the facility was suspended, but the deficiencies were eliminated, which was confirmed by experts. The inspection annulled the decision banning and with the first beautiful days after the holidays we expect the work to continue – said Račić.
He emphasized that the priority this year will be the resolution of property affairs since there is a lot of land around the airport for which the company is interested.
– Tourism promotion must also be the focus of our business, as tourism is a very important branch of the economy, and transport, whether it is road, water, rail or air, is only a service activity in this story – emphasized Račić.
Milan Račić points out that the support of republican institutions is very important for a successful business.
– We have great support from the RS Government, and we still receive 1.9 million marks of subsidies annually. In addition, we can also boast of exceptional cooperation with the city of Banja Luka – said Račić.
TST