EX-YU Aviation News: Macedonia mulls Skopje Airport name change


The Macedonian government is considering changing the name of Skopje Alexander the Great Airport following local elections, which are being held in the country this Sunday, according to the German daily "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung". 

The name has been a sticking point in relations between Macedonia and Greece, with the latter considering it provocative. According to the German newspaper, Alexander the Great is likely to be replaced by a geographical name. The Macedonian Foreign Minister, Nikola Dimitrov, told the newspaper that the antiquity policy of the previous government would be discontinued. 

The former Macedonian government renamed Skopje's airport after Alexander the Great in 2007, renewing a diplomatic spat with Greece at the time. Kavala Airport, in north-eastern Greece also carries the name Alexander the Great since 1992. This week, Greece's Aegean Airlines announced it would resume services between Athens and Skopje in 2018 after more than a decade.