CONSTRUCTION, TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE 2021
INTERVIEW
FRANÇOIS BERISOT, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, BELGRADE AIRPORT
The Beginning Of A New Journey For
BELGRADE AIRPORT On 22nd March 2018, VINCI Airports signed a 25-year concession contract with the Government of Serbia covering Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport financing, operation, maintenance, extension and reconstruction. project, aims to boost growth in traffic, create additional value and improve passengers’ experience and comfort. We are building on the expertise of a world-class operator to grow Serbia’s main airport into a major hub for Southeast Europe, thus driving the country’s development by connecting it further to the rest of the world. Despite the changing circumstances, VINCI Airports believes in the potential of both Serbia and Nikola Tesla Airport. We plan to develop traffic in a smart and sustainable manner. Our commitment to sustainability and positive mobility will allow us to make BELGRADE AIRPORT an exemplary company in terms of the social responsibility, reinforcement and empowerment of its people and the quality of service standards, as well as making Nikola Tesla Airport a reference in Europe for environmental performance.
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n investment plan worth more than €730 million is in place over the course of the concession period, to upgrade and modernise the airport. This constitutes a milestone in the country’s capital airport development, and one of the largest financial transactions ever carried out in Serbia. What has changed since BELGRADE AIRPORT, as a member of VINCI Airports, the world’s leading private airport operator, took over the operational management of Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport? During the concession period, the extensive international experience and good practice of VINCI Airports will be applied. The comprehensive programme of modernisation, reconstruction and expansion, within the concession 20
The most visible current effects of the concession are works on the modernisation and expansion of Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, which started at the beginning of 2020. Which improvements are in the focus during this period and throughout 2021? Modernisation works, carried out by VINCI Construction Grands Projects through its subsidiary VINCI Terna Construction, have been ongoing without major disruptions, even during the state of emergency in 2020, in accordance with all the recommendations and prescribed preventative health and safety measures. Further works are being carried out in parallel at several locations, which include the expansion of the terminal, a new secondary runway and additional taxiways, additional aircraft positions for parking and for
de-/anti-icing winter operations, additional car parking spaces and new access roads. While construction of a new bus gate has already been completed, the majority of works will be carried out within the next three years. They will increase the airport’s capacity and improve the comfort and experience of our passengers and all users of the airport. We recently completed works on the upgrading and modernisation of the entire central area on the boarding level within the terminal. The new area includes an expanded and modernised duty-free shop, as well as the Tesla Square, which now offers a relaxation zone and a variety of new commercial content. Passengers can already experience continuous improvements in comfort and in the look and feel of the airport. VINCI Airports is determined to become the environmental standard setter for the airport sector and its AirPact strategy is setting very ambitious goals for its entire network of 45 airports. What does this mean for Belgrade Airport? The concession project has a strong focus on sustainable business, in order to reduce the environmental impact in terms of emissions of greenhouse gases, water and waste, in accordance with the global policy of VINCI Airports. The construction of a new energy plant for the production and distribution of heat and electricity is underway, which will switch from heavy fuels to more environmentally efficient energy sources and reduce emissions. A 1MW Solar Farm, composed of 3,000 photovoltaic modules, will also be installed this year and will be able to supply the airport with around 1,200,000 kWh of clean energy per year, which
