The foundation of AIR Kosova

The Republic of Kosovo will soon promote policies for calling on interested investors to invest in the air transport market, Kosovo Government officials say. This is about the fact that the state of Kosovo, according to them, still does not have any state airline company.

Infrastructure Minister Pal Lekaj, in a conversation for Radio Free Europe, said that soon this minister will submit a proposal to the Government of Kosovo in order to prepare documentation for the start of co-operation with companies interested in the air transport market.

“We as minister in consultation with the Kosovo Civil Aviation Agency will promote a policy promoting investments of interested avio-compani who want to enter the Kosovo market in co-operation with the Government of Kosovo”, Lekaj said.

Minister Lekaj said Kosovo is aiming to practice the model already implemented by the Republic of Albania.

Albania's government in May last year has made a decision to establish joint society with limited responsibility “Air Albania”, which will operate in the field of air transport. This company is created among several partners but represents 51 percent of the shares, in line with Albanian laws, the state as its owner.

In recent years, Minister Lekaj underlined, the trend of creating state-owned avio-company has fallen because of the very high cost rather than their financial sustainability.

Even civil aviation experts estimate that the financial situation in Kosovo is not in favour of holding airline companies.

Ali Aliu, the first Kosovo pilot to have directed jet and supersonic planes to the former Yugoslav People's Agreement, says this business is very expensive.

Aliu, who has at the same time been director of the Aviation Department at the Ministry of Infrastructure, tells Radio Free Europe that given the number of residents in Kosovo, the state of Kosovo does not benefit from creating a state airline, due to competition and high maintenance costs.

The most convenient is for foreign investors to be in this market in order not to take the burden of creating a state airline company. So I'm about the opportunity to have foreign investors, and the state participates with a large share, but not to create itself because there is no account. So, like it's in Albania”, Aliu said.

Currently, Kosovo is not a member of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, this United Nations Civil Aviation Agency. But, Minister Lekaj says Kosovo's non-membership in this organisation does not pose any problems.

“In this direction there will be no problems because they (the interest zone) are from the states accepted in this organisation and we just make mutual agreements that they have the symbol of the state of Kosovo”, Lekaj stressed.

In contrast, there is the Public Aviation Law in Kosovo, passed by the Assembly. The law says that the use of Kosovo airspace is available for all civilian aircraft registered in Kosovo, but that they must retain the state brand that has been split Kosovo by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

At Pristina International Airport “Adem Jashari”, 32 international companies have operated during 2018. Most of them come from European Union states. Officials at this airport have said that during 2018 the number of passengers was over 2.1 million travelers, or 15 percent more than in 2017. /Rel