Airport Union: It is time for the Government to end the concession process and launch development

The Trade Union of Airports of Montenegro believes that the withdrawal of the consortium led by Incheon International Airport Corporation from the concession procedure for Montenegro's airports should mark the moment for the Government to finally reassess not only the future course of the concession process, but also the state's approach to developing its own airport company.

- The withdrawal of the highest-ranked bidder does not automatically mean that the concession procedure has come to an end. According to publicly available information, the Government may still continue the process with the second-ranked bidder or decide to cancel the procedure altogether. The Union therefore calls on the Government to formally and with due justification bring this process to a close without delay, and to stop keeping Airports of Montenegro in a state of uncertainty that has lasted for years - the statement, signed by Airport Union President Damjan Radulović, reads.

The Union believes that the Government should urgently consider exempting Airports of Montenegro Plc (Aerodromi Crne Gore AD), either entirely or at least with regard to strategic development and operational procurement, from the obligations imposed under the current Public Procurement Law.

- We are calling for Airports of Montenegro to be granted the same level of operational and investment flexibility already enjoyed by the national airline Air Montenegro, not necessarily through an identical legal mechanism, but through a solution that achieves the same objective and effect: enabling a state-owned company operating in an open, international and highly competitive market to make timely business decisions, conclude contracts and implement investments - the statement emphasizes.

The Union notes that airport operations cannot be developed at the pace of traditional public administration.

- The procurement of security equipment, passenger and baggage screening systems, firefighting vehicles, airport machinery, information systems, spare parts and specialized services often has to be carried out within tight deadlines and in a market with a limited number of certified manufacturers and suppliers. Capital investment projects face an additional challenge in the form of seasonal construction windows. If lengthy procurement procedures and appeals result in missing one suitable construction or operational period, the start of works may be postponed by an entire year. The consequences of such delays are borne not only by Airports of Montenegro, but also by passengers, airlines, the tourism industry and the Montenegrin economy as a whole - the statement adds.

According to the Union, Airports of Montenegro is not a budget-funded entity seeking government assistance to cover its losses. Rather, it is, as they point out, a profitable state-owned company that finances its operations through its own revenues, contributes to the state budget and has the capacity to fund airport modernization from its own resources as well as through favourable international financing arrangements.

- Planned revenues of nearly €66 million and projected net profit of approximately €15.7 million for 2026 confirm that there is a solid financial basis for an independent investment cycle - the statement says.

The Airport Union has called on the Government to immediately establish a joint working group comprising representatives of the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Finance, Airports of Montenegro, the competent regulatory authorities and employee representatives. The group would be tasked, within a clearly defined timeframe, with preparing a legally sustainable model for: the targeted exemption of strategic airport procurement from the standard public procurement regime; the adoption of a special law or amendments to the existing legislative framework, should this prove to be the fastest and most legally sound solution; examining the conditions for applying legal provisions that allow exemptions for sectoral activities directly exposed to market competition; financing airport modernization through the company's own revenues and international financing arrangements; and the urgent launch of projects to expand terminal capacity, reconstruct infrastructure and procure modern airport equipment.

The Union stresses that such exemptions must not come at the expense of transparency or create opportunities for non-transparent contracting.

- On the contrary, a special procurement system should include mandatory public disclosure of procurement plans and concluded contracts, competitive tendering whenever possible, strict conflict-of-interest rules, independent auditing, and regular reporting to the Government, Parliament, employees and the public - the statement says.

The Trade Union of Airports of Montenegro insists that it is not seeking privileges for management or greater discretion in spending public funds. Instead, it wants the company to be equipped with the tools necessary to support its development, while being subject to even stronger public oversight and accountability for every decision made and every euro spent.

- The state has enabled Air Montenegro to operate in accordance with the rules and pace of a competitive aviation market. There is no justifiable reason why Airports of Montenegro, operating in the same international market and representing the backbone of Montenegro's tourism and air transport infrastructure, should remain constrained for years by procedures that prevent timely investment. We cannot recover the time lost in the concession process. But we can prevent losing another year - the statement concludes.