According to available estimates, although women are the overwhelming majority in lower positions in aviation, which especially applies to cabin crew in airlines, ladies are a rare occurrence in the highest management positions in global aviation. Only 10 percent of them are CEOs or chairmen of the board of directors. One of them is Jelena Maraš – the first woman to be the President of the Board of Directors of the Airport of Montenegro.
Since she is in her term as the President of the Board of Directors of the Airport of Montenegro Jelena Maraš and executive director Roko Tolic The opening of a Wizz Air base in Podgorica has been agreed, and more good news is coming from this company for the citizens of Montenegro, but also for the entire economy.
"Amsterdam, as one of the most popular world destinations, has long been on the list of desired destinations for Montenegrin airports, and now we can announce that we have achieved this goal. The airline TUI fly Netherlands, headquartered in the capital of the Netherlands, is opening the Tivat - Amsterdam route on May 13, 2026. Flights will operate twice a week - on Wednesdays and Sundays until the end of September. Tickets are already on sale," Maras announced.
And, starting next summer, Tivat Airport will be connected to another new sound destination.
"The Spanish national airline, Iberia, will open a new seasonal route Madrid - Tivat. Flight operations will begin in July 2026 - twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The flight on the Madrid - Tivat route lasts about three hours. This agreement is the result of cooperation between the Airport of Montenegro and the IAG group, which owns, in addition to Iberia, Vueling, Aer Lingus, Level and British Airways. Spain is therefore getting closer to us," says the President of the Board of Directors.
ACG is also working on connecting Podgorica Airport with the popular summer resort in Turkey - Antalya. "It is a destination that is considered one of the most attractive all-inclusive destinations in Europe. On this occasion, we are in negotiations with an airline that has not been present on our market so far, and we believe that we are on the right track to include Antalya as one of the new destinations from Podgorica from next season," Maraš noted.
"As always, we would like to point out that announcements in aviation are always subject to change. It is enough to recall this year's sudden closure of the skies over Israel, which temporarily suspended air traffic to and from that country - which also affected passenger traffic in our country. However, we announce the agreements that have been reached, always with the caveat that there are developments at the global level that we cannot influence," she said.
At the same time, ACG, while awaiting the final decision of the Government of Montenegro on a possible concession, is working in parallel to create all the conditions for the opening of these and other new airlines, with a focus on the Wizz Air base, which will gradually station two modern Airbus A321neo aircraft at Podgorica Airport from March 2026 and launch 14 new airlines connecting the capital with key European cities, including Basel-Mulhouse, Paris, Baden Baden, Cologne, Hamburg, Kidney, Maastricht, Barcelona, Ljubljana, Malmo, Gdańsk, Poznan, Rzeszow i WroclawThis expansion brings one million additional seats and positions Podgorica as a dynamic year-round connection to Europe.
"All of this means that during the next summer season, which in aviation begins at the end of March and lasts until the end of October, Podgorica Airport will be connected to around 70 destinations, and Tivat Airport to around 60," Maraš explained.
"In addition to 14 new Wizz Air routes in Podgorica, the list of new routes includes London Heathrow - Tivat. This airline route to the largest European airport is being opened by the premium airline, British Airways. This is not just a new route, but also a direct investment message. The arrival of British Airways is the crowning achievement of our efforts so far," Maraš emphasized.
And, when the line is drawn, for Aerodrome di Montenegrino, it means that they urgently need to solve three main challenges.
"We are embarking on multi-million dollar reconstructions and adaptations, purchasing new equipment, hiring and training a new workforce because we are moving towards 24-hour working hours," she stated.
"We believe that in the coming months, through hard work, we will prove to both the citizens and the executive branch that we are capable of independently managing a company that is one of the most important in Montenegro. Of course, if the Government decides otherwise, our job will be to protect the employees who are achieving the best results this year since the establishment of the Airport of Montenegro. We are on the verge of a historic record - and three million passengers by the end of the year," Maraš concluded.
(Airports of Montenegro)
