THE SLOVAK National Property Fund has agreed to the transfer of a 33-percent stake in airport company Letisková spoločnosť, which runs Žilina Airport, to the town of Žilina, with the same percentage of shares going to the Žilina region, TASR wrote.
The state will keep the remaining 34 percent of shares.
Also announced was a second flight route between Žilina and Prague that will begin within a month. The route is the result of a new navigation system launched at the request of Czech Airlines. Letisková spoločnosť plans to meet another of the airline's request by extending the runway from 1,150 to 2,150 metres.
"We want to make it happen through the state, the region and finances from EU funds. According to our plans, the total investment will be Sk700-800 million (Ř18-21 million)," said company officials.
Žilina Mayor Ján Slota said he had received a letter relating to the airport from Hyundai/Kia Motors headquarters in Seoul. Kia Motors recently began a test production run at its new car plant near Žilina.
"They asked me on Žilina's behalf to do everything possible to make sure the airport would be able to receive Boeing 737 charter flights from Seoul. So, this is one example of how the airport could be used. Many managers already fly here on private jets, so I think this airport has a great future," Slota said.
