As Serbia faces a deep political and economic crisis, its Deputy Prime Minister Siniša Mali has shifted public attention to Montenegro, claiming that Belgrade and President Aleksandar Vučić were willing to invest “double” the amount offered in the current tender for Montenegrin airports—but that official Podgorica “did not open the door” to them.
Despite sounding like a generous offer, Mali’s statement appears more like political pressure than a serious investment proposal, especially since Serbia did not participate in the tender at all. It is also ironic that a country which outsourced management of its own Belgrade airport to a foreign company—and is now struggling with operational chaos there—is claiming it could bring “professionalism” and “prestige” to Montenegro’s airports.
Mali stated that Serbia has experience from the Nikola Tesla airport concession, which increased capacity to handle up to 15 million passengers annually by the end of the concession period. He argued that similar modernization is needed for the airports in Podgorica and Tivat, and Serbia has the knowledge, financial strength, and capabilities to contribute.
Two bids have been submitted for the Montenegrin airport concession tender—from Incheon International Airport Corporation and Corporacion America Airports SA. Serbia did not submit a bid. The evaluation report is expected within 30 days.
Critics highlight that Serbia’s interest was not publicly known before Mali’s announcement, raising suspicions of political pressure amid Serbia’s internal crisis. Questions remain about Serbia’s ability to manage Montenegrin airports effectively, given the problems at Belgrade airport managed by French company Vinci, including frequent system failures, staff shortages, and the withdrawal of airline Ryanair citing high costs.
Ryanair’s CEO criticized the concession of Belgrade airport as a mistake, accusing the French concessionaire of neglecting airport development and job creation. Frequent operational failures have caused significant passenger disruptions.
Instead of concrete offers or transparent proposals, Serbia’s statements appear selective and lack clarity on investment sources and management models. Amid Montenegro’s transparent international concession process, Mali’s comments are seen as an attempt at informal political influence rather than genuine cooperation.
Mirko Stanić, president of the Main Board of the Social Democratic Party and European Union representative, criticized Mali’s announcement on social media, sarcastically noting Serbia gave its own airport to concession and now wants Montenegro’s airports, suggesting they could start concessions at airports in Berane or Nikšić if they have excess funds.
