08 May 2019 - Air Serbia is the only airline that has fulfilled the conditions of the international tender for the establishment of 12 lines of public importance from Niš, among which is the line Niš - Tivat.
Although it was logical for Montenegro Airlines to apply for a subsidized line, this did not happen.
According to the report by the Flynaissus portal, some experts have predicted that some low-cost airlines will withdraw from the Montenegrin market due to the threat of healthy competition that these subsidies will bring.
On the international tender announced by the Ministry of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure of Serbia, for the selection of airlines for 12 lines of public interest, the offer was submitted only by Air Serbia, it was announced from that ministry.
The ministry also stated that there were no objections to the tender conditions, and the signing of the contract with representatives of Air Serbia will be organized in the following days.
As stated in the announcement, the tender was conducted with the respect of all European regulations. Interest was shown by several companies, but until the end of the procedure, only one correct bid arrived.
Routes of public interest, to be organized by the "Konstantin Veliki" Airport in Niš, were determined on the basis of the analyses and interests shown by the southern Serbian districts. The Government of Serbia and the Ministry of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure, by introducing airlines of public interest, want to help the development of the undeveloped areas of Serbia, and, under favourable conditions, provide the citizens with the most efficient mode of transport to the most developed areas of the EU, explains the report by this ministry.
The routes were selected according to the study of the Office for Local Economic Development and Projects of Serbia and should operate from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2023.
The national carrier of Serbia will receive 15 million euros from the state budget in order to introduce flights to Nuremberg, Frankfurt, Rome, Hanover, Ljubljana, Salzburg, Bologna, Budapest, Gothenburg, Friedrichshafen, Karlsruhe, and Tivat.
