Skopje Among Europe's Fastest-Growing Airports: Who Flies, and Who Just Connects
Skopje Airport recorded 34.8% passenger traffic growth in August, ranking fifth among medium-sized European airports — the highest growth among non-EU markets.
Skopje Airport recorded 34.8% passenger traffic growth in August 2026 compared with the same month last year, according to a report by ACI EUROPE, the European airports association. In the medium airport category (1-10 million passengers annually), Skopje ranked fifth for growth, behind Bratislava (+75.9%), Tirana (+52.3%) and Podgorica (+47.6%), and ahead of Palermo (+32.3%).
The report notes that "among markets outside the EU+, Macedonia recorded the highest growth in August" — a figure that puts the country ahead of most regional candidate countries by this measure. However, the report gives no details on which airlines and destinations are driving the growth, nor a comparison with growth at Ohrid Airport.
The key question behind the numbers is the structure of that growth — how many passengers are actually traveling to and from Skopje versus simply connecting through larger airline hubs. Without detailed data on direct destinations and route load factors, the growth figure alone doesn't tell the full story of the country's real tourism and business potential.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · October 2, 2026
