“The construction of the cargo center at the airport in Banja Luka is nearing completion and I expect that we will put it into operation in October,” Milan Racic, director of the Republika Srpska Airport, confirmed for Nezavisne newspapers.
According to him, the works lasted longer than planned due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“This is a specific facility and certain equipment did not arrive from abroad due to the closure of borders. The annex to the contract is until October 10, and I think that everything will be finished then,” Racic emphasized, eKapija business portal reports.
He added that after the completion of the construction, the performed works will be supervised, after which the technical acceptance and commissioning of the facility should be performed, the construction of which started in May 2017, with a construction deadline of 120 days.
He added that they will try to find business partners to establish cooperation on cargo operations of import and export of goods. The facility has potential, but only when they finish it and put it into function, then they can say more about it, concluded the director of the Airport, who had until September 8 to direct the BiH Civil Aviation Directorate to correct some irregularities determined by the BHDCA commission.
“The process of extending the Certificate for the use of Banja Luka Airport is in progress, which implies detailed professional supervision over all services at the airport, and at the end of the procedure the state of work and functionality of the airport will be known, which we will inform the public in a timely manner.
For their part, RS Airports sent an initiative to the RS Ministry of Transport and Communications with a proposal of measures for the rehabilitation of airport areas.
The RS Government replied that an investment project for the maintenance of the runway was planned in the coming period with the aim of further improving the runway, in order to provide a higher standard for movement, takeoff, landing and stay of aircraft at Banja Luka Airport.
The Government of the Republika Srpska, at its 85th session, held on August 27, 2020, was informed about the request of the Airport of the Republika Srpska for approval of financial resources for the rehabilitation of the runway at the Banja Luka Airport – the RS Government pointed out.