VIP terminal of Airport Beograd to be privatized ?

The passenger rarily come to the VIP terminal, so that I cannot see the other way to return the invested money but to sell it – says the deputy director of Airport, Goran Kaličanin.

Luxurious VIP terminal at the Belgrade Airport, due to construction of which the previous management of Public Comapny Airport "Beograd" went to prison last year, is mainly empty. Equipping of one square meter of this terminal cost incredible €4,443, whereas one square meter of terminal at the London Heathrow, just for comparison, cost €690. The most often users of our VIP room are mainly politicians, State officials, as well as representatives of foreign companies that started business in our country and passengers of business aviation, i.e. private airplanes.

- VIP terminal is used, but rarily. It is not enough to get back the invested money. VIP terminal is attended by the same groups of users as before: politicians, the representatives of authorities, but not on regular basis. More often they just pass by, without coming to the VIP terminal. It is good that the business aviation grew by 220% this year, which influences use of VIP room - says Goran Kaličanin, the deputy director general of Public Company Airport "Beograd".

Commercial passengers should pay €120 for one-hour use of press block, or €450 for one-hour use of press block and conference hall. The representatives of State agencies pay €250 per hour for the second option. The use of entire VIP terminal for "regular" passengers costs €1,700, whereas the politicians, i.e. State, pay €850 for that option. The presidential parlor is rented on one hour for commercial purposes and costs €800. There are certain discounts for State Agencies depending on how often they use VIP terminal.

Reconstruction of VIP cost 70% more than planned in the basic contract, which means that the airport, i.e. State, paid over €2m for it, instead of €1.2m.

The only way to solve this problem is privatization of present VIP terminal.