At the meeting of the highest officials from the Republika Srpska with the representatives of the Government and the Airport from Serbia, it was agreed to start the expropriation of land for the construction of the Airport in Trebinje, so that the construction cities could start in the spring.
The distribution of obligations, manner and procedures have been agreed in order to speed up the start of works within the planned deadline. The construction of the airport in Trebinje was characterized as a challenging and capital project for the Republika Srpska and the whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“We are very encouraged by the efforts of the Government of Serbia to speed up this project. And that is why we are dealing with operational issues so that there would be no delays, “Dodik emphasized, BHRT writes.
The site of the new Trebinje Airport in the entity of Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been selected with the first flight to Belgrade planned for December 2021, although its full opening has been earmarked for March 2022. The new airport will be built in the village of Mionići, some ten kilometres from Trebinje. It will feature a 3.5-kiloemtre runway, taxiways totalling 4.5 kilometres and a 7.000 square metre terminal building. The exact location of the future runway has also been selected while the relevant ministries from the entity, as well as Serbia, will meet once per month to monitor and discuss the project, Ex Yu Aviation news portal writes.
A taskforce has also been formed which will oversee the project. Among officials from various government ministries, it also includes members of operator Airports of Serbia, the Serbia and Montenegro Air Traffic Services Agency, Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, the Serbian Civil Aviation Directorate and the head of operator Airports of Republika Srpska. The Serbian government previously said it would partially finance the construction of Trebinje Airport by providing 55 million euros, while the state-run Airports of Serbia would later operate it. The process of issuing construction permits will be fastracked in order for flights between Trebinje and Belgrade to launch at the end of next year.
Commenting on the project, the Minister for Transport and Communication of Republika Srpska, Djordje Popović, said, “There are no words to describe the importance of this airport, the grandeur of the project, and the great ambition for it to be completed by the end of next year. I am hopeful that by joining forces, we will do everything in our power for it to be completed by the set deadline and for the airport to be used in its full capacity. This way, Belgrade and Trebinje will become much more accessible”. A lex specialis will be adopted for the project by the parliament of Republika Srpska in the coming days, in order to expedite it. The Serbian Minister for Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Zorana Mihajlović, added, “The construction of Trebinje Airport will enable passengers to travel between Belgrade and Trebinje within forty minutes at most. It will also allow for Trebinje to be connected with the region and the rest of Europe”.
