The implementation of the Government's measure to subsidize airlines that bring migrants to Kosovo will begin on Monday. Based on a document obtained by KOHA, the companies will benefit from 3 to 6 euros per passenger. The program applies to routes to several European countries and is conditional on the realization of flights over 85 percent.
The program to subsidize flights to destinations serving the diaspora will begin to be implemented from June 1, according to a document obtained by KOHA and sent by Pristina International Airport to its partners.
With this document called the Connectivity Support Program for the 2026 summer season, it is envisaged that airlines will be subsidized from 3 euros to 6 euros for each passenger.
This subsidy will apply to airlines that have flights to Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Turkey, Belgium, France, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark.
To become part of this program, airlines must submit their flight operational schedule to the airport.
And, the subsidy will be made after reviewing and verifying performance at the end of the summer aviation season, which will be October 24 of this year.
But, there will be three criteria upon which it will be possible to benefit from this Government support of 2 million euros.
According to the first criterion, the airline that is accepted for this program must operate at least 85% of its scheduled flights and if it does so, it will receive 3 euros in support for each departing passenger.
The second criterion stipulates that if the airline operates more flights than the basic schedule it has planned, it will be compensated for 6 euros for each additional passenger that departs. But to meet this condition, for each additional flight, 80 percent of the seats on the plane must have been occupied.
And the third support criterion will be met if the airline opens routes to new destinations that it did not previously have from Pristina Airport and they operate with a capacity of 80 percent of the number of passengers, and for each of them, 6 euros will be compensated.
This Airport document states that, in coordination with relevant institutional parties, the initiative was taken to maintain and increase Kosovo's air connections with Europe.
"This initiative is designed to support sustainable capacity maintenance, encourage strategic network growth, and further improve international connectivity between Kosovo and key European markets," the document states.
The Government's decision to subsidize was made 10 days before the June snap elections.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti, whose party enjoys a large share of diaspora support, has been accused of interfering in the electoral process and of a tendency to buy votes.
But, at a press conference on Tuesday, he said he thinks he did very well.
"It's about covering an unusual situation that other countries are also doing and it has nothing to do with the month of June, but with the entire summer season, until the end of October. So, we would act differently if we had an Assembly. Since we don't have an Assembly, we act with what we know and we think we are acting very well," Kurti said.
Kurti justified this decision as a necessity in the face of the risk that some flights during the summer will be canceled due to the increase in fuel costs.
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