Vucic: New runway one of largest-ever investments in Belgrade airport

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday a new take-off and landing runway at Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport was one of the largest-ever investments in the airport.

"The concession agreement (for the airport) is one of the five best things we have done. We are now proud of our airport," Vucic said before the opening of the new runway.

The airport's Director-General Francois Berisot briefed Vucic on the runway's technical specifications.

"We are the second-highest ranked country in Europe when it comes to the rate of the increase in the number of tourists. Those are very important things for our budget and our country," Vucic said.

He said the airport's capacity would rise from 6 mln passengers to 14 mln following an overhaul of an existing runway.

He also noted that Air Serbia had been operating wisely and currently had 200 mln euros in its account and that that was its best business result to date.

He said Air Serbia flights to the US were very popular and that recently introduced flights between Belgrade and Chicago would become profitable in the long run despite the fact they would generate no profit in the first two years.