Podgorica Airport is already infrastructurally capable of night landings and takeoffs, but the introduction of this operating mode requires interest from airlines and the introduction of a third shift.
The new flights brought by the opening of the Wizz Air base in Podgorica require work almost all night, so Airports of Montenegro (ACG) will gradually have to hire up to 130 seasonal workers to introduce a third shift, the state-owned company told "Vijesti".
ACG currently has more than a thousand employees, of which 528 work at Podgorica Airport, 428 at Tivat Airport and 150 at the headquarters.
It is not yet known how many workers in Podgorica will be reassigned due to the introduction of the third shift, as it will depend on the needs, licenses and requests of managers, say ACG.
They emphasized that Podgorica Airport will be connected to around 70 destinations this year, of which 17 are new, and Tivat Airport to around 60 - of which three are new.
Resolving the problem of limited airport capacity in Podgorica was one of the key factors in establishing a base for the Hungarian low-cost airline "Wizz Air" at that airport, for which a memorandum of understanding was signed in mid-October last year by the Prime Minister Milojko Spajic, then Minister of Transport Maja Vukićević and CEO of ACG Roko Tolic.
It is expected that "Wizz Air" will open a base in Podgorica from the beginning of the summer aviation season, that is, from the end of March - where two "airbus A321 neo" aircraft with crews and supporting technical staff will be stationed.
"Podgorica Airport is equipped for night operations, but for all announced traffic, rapid adaptation of the space and the procurement of new airport equipment are urgently needed. The key challenge ahead of us is the adaptation of the space in arrivals, departures and in the public area of the terminal - where we are working on reorganizing the flow of passengers and relocating the rental counter outside the building. On the other hand, the procurement of new airport equipment, which we need for all announced traffic, is underway. This is a multi-million investment. We will finance all adaptations of the airport infrastructure from our own funds," ACG emphasized.
They are looking for 190 seasonal workers for Tivat.
ACG explained that the first prerequisite for extending working hours and opening the airport to traffic is the interest of airlines in night traffic, and that, according to announcements, the last landing this season is scheduled for 01.05. They emphasized that this means that their employees will be at their workplaces until at least 2 am, while the next plane takes off at 6 am, which is why employees must be at work as early as 03.45.
"The coordination of the flight schedule with the airlines is ongoing, so it is possible that the slots between 01:05 and 06:00 will also be additionally filled - which we will adapt to. Another prerequisite for late operations is the introduction of an additional shift. As we announced, taking into account the opening of the 'Wizz Air' base in Podgorica, which brings with it an extension of working hours that will be almost twenty-four hours and the need to introduce a third shift, along with the redeployment of current employees in accordance with the licenses they hold, the staffing plan foresees around 130 positions, however, we will advertise the advertisements at the pace required by the work process - certainly not all and not at once. In Tivat, this year, as in every previous year, taking into account the extreme seasonality of our airport, we will advertise, as planned, 190 seasonal job positions in operations. The advertisements for Tivat were published on February 4th," said ACG.
They emphasized that ACG has a total of 1.013 employees. At Podgorica Airport, 528 of them work in operations, of which, as they say, 428 are employed on an indefinite basis and 110 on a fixed-term contract. In Tivat, they have 325 employees in operations, of which 267 have permanent contracts and 58 have fixed-term contracts. They also emphasized that 150 people work in the ACG management.
On February 4th, ACG published several job advertisements seeking 183 workers for Tivat Airport, for the positions of ground stewardesses, transport workers, airport equipment operators, controllers, security guards, gardeners, drivers, hygienists and janitors. The company will accept applications for the job until February 13th.
According to advertisements on the website of the Employment Agency and ACG, they are looking for 60 ground staff who will be paid more than a thousand euros per month, 48 transport workers whose salaries would be at least 1.000 euros, while they would also pay the same for 16 airport equipment operators. The salaries for the two janitors sought would be at least 1.100 euros per month.
Group III controllers, five of them, would also be paid at least one thousand euros, while 20 security guards would work for the same money. ACG is also looking for two gardeners/drivers who would be paid at least 900 euros, while 30 hygienists would have salaries of at least 780 euros.
On February 6, ACG published advertisements seeking 101 seasonal workers for Podgorica Airport. Specifically, one gardener, one warehouse worker, one heating technician, 18 transport workers, seven cleaners, as well as two ICT technicians and one goods receiving agent.
In addition, they are looking for four support workers and agents, 14 ground stewards, one each of an electrical engineer, an auto electrician and an electrician, two firefighters, three each of information agents and equipment maintenance technicians. The advertisement is also for 36 airport equipment operators, and will run until February 16th.
"In Podgorica, we will advertise for 101 executives in operational jobs, and in Tivat, an advertisement has been published for 183 executives. At both airports, these are seasonal jobs (six-month contracts). When it comes to the reassignment of colleagues who are already employed, the decision will be made in accordance with the needs of the work process, licenses and requests of direct managers," ACG pointed out.
They are targeting Western Europe.
ACG stated that due to the opening of the Wizz Air base in Podgorica, the gradual opening of 17 airline routes has been announced, namely to Catania and Bratislava, while Malmo, Paris, Hamburg, Masticht, Basel, Barcelona, Rzeszow, Cologne, Baden-Baden, Rome, Ljubljana, Poznan, Vilnius, Gdansk and Wroclaw were previously announced.
They pointed out that this year Tivat will be connected to Madrid via the company "Iberia", London's "Hitroom", on which the line will be operated by "British Airways", and Amsterdam, to which passengers will be transported by "TUI fly".
According to a previous article by "Vijesti", the opening of the "Wizz Air" base at Podgorica airport will bring back a good portion of the approximately 80.000 passengers from Montenegro, estimated to have traveled annually from Tirana to numerous European destinations on flights operated by this Hungarian low-cost company. The "Wizz Air" base will also bring 80 new direct jobs and around 700 indirect jobs, and contribute to the strengthening of tourism and a significant improvement in Montenegro's air accessibility.
The primary target when it comes to a total of 23 routes to 12 European countries that Wizz Air will fly to from its new base this year is not so much domestic passengers, but tourists who, as expected, will come to Montenegro from Europe more intensively with improved air connections and then return to their countries, as well as the Montenegrin diaspora from Europe.
At the end of last year, ACG also set an aviation record in Montenegro, after three million passengers passed through Podgorica and Tivat airports for the first time in one year.
From "Vectra" only space would be
ACG CEO Roko Tolić said at the end of November last year that the company was considering purchasing the bankrupt company "Vektra Aviation", namely the terminals, hangars and other aviation equipment in its possession.
The bankruptcy administration then advertised the company at a starting price of 5,17 million euros.
Tolić then explained that the terminal is 1.100 square meters and 2.100 square meters of hangar space, that the facility is located 400 meters from Podgorica airport, and that it is in their interest to buy the space and adapt it, because that process is easier than expanding the terminal.
"When it comes to the 'Vektra' hangar and terminal, the advertisement is currently inactive, and depending on the founder's decision, ACG will position itself towards a possible new public call, with the proviso that we are not interested in purchasing the company's business and its debts, but only the infrastructure located on the land that has been given to us for management," ACG explained.
"Vektra aviation" is one of the former companies of businessman Dragan Brković.
Bonus video:
