More tourists, local travellers boost profits of Serbia's Belgrade airport

Aerodrom Nikola Tesla ad Beograd

25/10/2018 12:49

BELGRADE, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Belgrade's Nikola Tesla airport
posted a 5 percent rise in third quarter profit to 1.7 billion
dinars ($16.40 million) on Thursday, boosted by more tourists
visiting the country and locals taking more flights.
    In March, Serbia signed an agreement that will allow
Europe's biggest construction and concession firm Vinci
 SGEF.PA  to operate the airport  AERO.BEL  over the next 25
years.
    Under the deal, Vinci had to pay 501 million euros ($616
million) for the concession and invest another 732 million euros
in the airport, the biggest in the Balkan country. 
    Airport Nikola Tesla's revenues in the third quarter stood
at 3.29 billion dinars, on 1.59 billion dinars in expenditures,
it said. 
    In the first nine months of 2018, the airport made a net
profit of 2.77 billion dinars, up 3.1 percent on the same period
a year ago.
    The company said earlier this month that it carried 4.401
million passengers between January and September, a 6 percent
rise on the year. 
    Airport Nikola Tesla's shares, traded on Belgrade's Belex
stock exchange, stood at 1,677 dinars on Wednesday, unchanged
from the day before. 
    
    (1 euro = 118.4462 Serbian dinars)
    ($1 = 103.6300 Serbian dinars)

 (Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
 ((aleksandar.vasovic@thomsonreuters.com; +381113044930;))