Contract for design of final section of Andrijevica-Boljare highway could be signed by month’s end

Maja Vukićević, the Minister of Transport, announced that the contract for the design of the final section of the Andrijevica-Boljare highway could be signed by the end of November. The contract will be awarded to the most favorable bidder following a public tender, which closed on October 17. The submitted bids are currently being evaluated.

“If the bids are valid and there are no appeals, the contract with the winning bidder should be signed by the end of the month. The project’s design phase will then begin, with a 14-month deadline,” Vukićević stated.

She also addressed a question from MP Elvir Zvrka regarding the highway’s design and the planned connection for Bijelo Polje. Vukićević confirmed that the connection would be made through the Crnča interchange, as outlined in the existing spatial and technical planning documents.

Air connectivity improvements:

In response to concerns raised about Montenegro’s air accessibility, Vukićević assured that the Ministry is taking steps to improve air connectivity. A working group has been established to explore options for enhancing air routes and linking Montenegro to more destinations within the EU and globally.

She explained that a secondary regulation will be introduced to declare certain air routes as being of public interest, which would allow for subsidized flights to these routes. Additionally, the Air Traffic Law will need to be amended to accommodate this change.

Vukićević noted that, despite challenges, Airports of Montenegro (ACG) has seen record passenger traffic in 2024, serving 2.6 million passengers as of October 20, a 16% increase compared to the previous year. Podgorica has seen a 38% increase in passenger numbers compared to 2019, and Tivat welcomed its one millionth passenger since the pandemic.

Future plans for air connectivity:

The Minister emphasized that the government is working closely with major low-cost carriers like Ryanair and Wizz Air to increase the number of flights to Montenegro in the coming years. Since 2020, ACG has been financing air accessibility through incentive schemes for airlines, offering discounts totaling around €10 million annually.

Vukićević also acknowledged the need for further contributions from other stakeholders, including the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro (PKCG), which has shown interest in developing new financial models to support air connectivity and open new routes.