Zlatibor Airport to operate on net zero concept – Financing planned through concession model for up to 50 years

“We are building an ecological airport that will directly and indirectly create up to 5,000 new jobs. The airport is a strategic decision that determines the development of Zlatibor for the next 50 years,” Milan Stamatovic, the mayor of Cajetina Municipality, said in an interview for Zlatiborske vesti.

– Zlatibor has shown that it can grow, now it must show that it can transform. The construction of the airport, which has already begun, is not a matter of comfort, but of long-term competitiveness. Without it, Zlatibor remains a regional mountain destination. With it, it becomes an international center of tourism, investment and mobility. If we want to be visible and accessible to the world, we must be connected to the world at a premium level. This is a strategic decision for the next 50 years of development, not only of Zlatibor, but of the entire Western Serbia – says Milan Stamatovic, the mayor of Cajetina Municipality.

He adds that the ceiling of growth that can be achieved with road transport only has been reached.

– In 2025, we had 1,291,224 overnight stays and 456,102 arrivals, with a growth of foreign guests of over 24 percent. However, the travel time of about 140 minutes from Belgrade and 200 minutes from Novi Sad is becoming a limiting factor. Further development without air accessibility is simply not possible at the desired level, because in modern tourism, time has become a more important currency than price. Guests from the premium and MICE segments choose destinations that are quickly and easily accessible. The difference between a two and a half hour drive and a 35 minute flight is not only logistical but also psychological and a market-wise difference. The airport brings not only infrastructure, but a completely new market position that enables the transition to year-round premium and business tourism – says Stamatovic.

Speaking about the appearance of the airport, he notes that it was designed by a proven domestic expert team that has carried out development projects worth more than a billion euros at Nikola Tesla Airport.

– The development is gradual, following the model that has proven to be the most successful at similar mountain destinations in Europe. The start will be meant for small electric aircraft and eVTOL air taxis for short trips to the destination. The airport will operate according to the Net-Zero concept, which means that it produces energy from clean sources and compensates for all emissions, so in the end it has no negative impact on the environment. A special feature is the RVT technology, a remote flight control system where controllers do not sit in a physical tower, but manage traffic from a remote center using high-resolution cameras and sensors.

When asked about the economic calculation, he answers that this investment is not a cost.

– The airport itself will directly employ about 100 people in operations, security, maintenance and administration. However, through indirect and consequential effects, the total number of new jobs will be between 2,600 and 5,000. These jobs are created in the hotel and catering industry, transport and logistics, retail and services, construction and infrastructure, as well as in tourism and event organization. Experiences from the Alps are unequivocal. In Courchevel and Samedan, every euro invested generates between 5 and 7 euros of added value. In 2025, Innsbruck, with 882,876 passengers, achieved a pre-tax profit of more than 6.2 million euros and a revenue of 42 million euros, while tourism in Tyrol, thanks to the airport, accounts for more than 9 percent of regional GDP. In Zlatibor, this means a direct impact on the growth of the region's GDP and an increase in average spending per guest.

Stamatovic points out that financing is planned through a concession model for 25 to 50 years, depending on negotiations with potential operators.

– The investment does not burden the municipal or state budget - it comes from strategic partners who will manage the airport and pay an annual concession fee to the municipality. This year, investments are limited to the development of the master plan, which is the largest expenditure at this stage.

Opština Čajetina

Čajetina Municipality

Milan Stamatović

Zlatibor Airport

construction of airport on Zlatibor