Niš to subsidize airplane transportation with 1.1m EUR - for "Wind Jet" flights to Bologna

Although the airplane transportation is not a social category, the city of Niš will subsidize this commercial activity in 2010 with 1,148,000 EUR. That amount is intended for Italian company "Wind Jet" whose aircrafts will, after a long break, start flying from Niš to airport "Forli" in Bologna on December 26th, 2009. This decision was made by the City Council in Niš, for which some opposition parties say that it is scandalous and criminal because the city selected "Wind Jet" through direct bargain, without a tender.

City Councilor Boban Mihajlović says that the priority of the authorities is commercial and economic development of Niš, which entails improvement of airport "Konstantin Veliki".

- With the aim of reviving the airport in Niš, the city started realization of the project for support to air transportation. Part of that project, which was approved by the City Council, concerned the support to company "Wind jet". Since it is the realization of the city project for development of air transportation, in accordance with the legal regulations, the city is not obliged to announce a tender, and the money that is given as a subvention will be returned to the city through sale of tickets, and it will be further used as a support to development of tourism, infrastructure and every other development - says Mihajlović.