The construction of Prishtina International Airport Adem Jashari was a climactic moment in the development of the dynamic Republic of Kosovo. One of the most important infrastructural advancements in the country, the gateway serves as a symbol of the liberty and future prosperity of the independent young nation.
A consortium of Turkish corporation Limak Kosovo Airport and Aéroports de Lyon took on the management and operation of the airport in 2011 and developed a state-of-the-art €140 million air terminal – its modern facilities are of a standard rarely before seen by many Kosovan travellers. As its only international gateway Prishtina International Airport has quite literally opened up a world of opportunity for the people of the nation, and for Limak Kosovo Airport CEO Haldun Fırat Köktürk, the project is one of unrivalled significance. “As the Limak group of companies we have a lot of business, and projects that amount to billions of dollars, so this is not our biggest project,” he said. “But this is a crucially important endeavour for us. Because it means a lot to Kosovans.”
For students of the University of Prishtina the Limak Airport Services Institute provides employment opportunities unparalleled in many other industries. 24-year-old Flamur Abdullahu of the Faculty of Law; Arlinda Bresa, 21, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering; Era Yashari, 20, a Marketing student of the Faculty of Economics; and Vigan Qerihi, 22, a student of Computer Science, the Faculty of Natural and Mathematical Science, are among the first 30 exceptional students to be selected to participate in the programme.
Supporting the continued growth of the nation is fundamental to Limak Kosovo Airport’s strategy. Corporate Social Responsibility is at the crux of its actions, and the gateway is striving to demonstrate its position as not only an important business entity, but also an intrinsic part of the community in which it operates. A number of different programmes have been developed, designed to contribute to an organisational culture within the Kosovan community that works towards positive results, and perhaps the most pivotal to its ongoing progression is Limak Kosovo Airport’s investment in the country’s most valuable asset – its young people.
Widespread unemployment is one of the most ruinous problems affecting Kosovo, and impacts upon 45% of the almost two-thirds of its population that is under the age of 30. “We feel an intense obligation to encourage the youth towards a promising future, and that’s why we decided to take the first step with the Limak Airport Services Institute,” Köktürk described. “LimakASI aims to support local students to further develop their academic and professional skills, as well as their business knowledge.” In cooperation with professors of Istanbul Boğaziçi University and with the knowhow of its personnel, the airport is providing firsthand experience to 30 students selected from five faculties of the University of Prishtina. By providing comprehensive practical and academic training across every aspect of the airport’s operation, the LimakASI programme has created a unique opportunity for the youth of Kosovo and, moreover, initiated a brand new model for employment within the country, which values knowledge and achievement over the familial ties on which employment in Kosovo has historically been based.
“There is not a field in the University of Prishtina that studies aviation or airport services, so this is a really great opportunity for us to get to know this new industry – one that we didn’t have any experience in or knowledge about before we were selected to be a part of the academy,” Vigan Qerihi, a student of Computer Science, Faculty of Natural and Mathematical Science, explained. “You could say that we are special in that we know about this industry and how an airport works – it is really quite unique to us.”
“We have wonderful opportunities here at the airport, and it is a great new world that before we applied for the programme we didn’t know existed,” explained Arlinda Bresa, a student of the University of Prishtina Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. “I think this programme will also be used as an example for other companies to see the capacity that the youth of Kosovo has. They all are going to follow the example and that will be a great thing for Kosovo. The airport is the leader of a whole new education system and all the trainings that will be used to enhance the opportunities for the young people of Kosovo.” By the end of April the first year of students of LimakASI will attain a qualification recognised by airports in more than 70 countries, and an unparalleled understanding of the air transport industry that is unfamiliar to many people in the young Republic. “The programme is fulfilled by all the information that not only the ones who work here or who want to work here – but every single citizen or passenger – should know. And it is so good that we can share things even with our friends and family who are going to travel in the future, and tell them to take care of this, or that,” continued Flamur Abdullahu, a student of the Faculty of Law. “Whatever happens with the airport, people will be able to know it. We will spread the word and share our experience with everybody.”
“And also Kosovo is known for its youth – there is a very high number of students, a lot of young people, unemployed,” added Era Yashari, a Marketing student of the Faculty of Economics. “So this is a great opportunity to challenge ourselves in new fields – first of all to gain knowledge, and to gain that diploma that can serve all over the world.”
In recent weeks the students of the programme were given the opportunity to view the operations of Sabiha Gökçen Airport in Turkey and Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport in France, which was, for many, their first time travelling by air. For Vigan Qerihi, a student of Computer Science, the Faculty of Natural and Mathematical Science, it was his first experience of leaving the Balkans, as well as his first time on a plane.
For many of the students the programme will also have opened the opportunity to work abroad for the first time. “We are learning of international organisations like IATA and ICAO, which have representatives of each country in the world,” Qerihi stated. “This has opened our eyes, and made us think that one day, when Kosovo is part of these organisations, we will be the ones to represent our country there.” But, the students stressed, that while drawing on international experience is of importance it is crucial to bring this learning back to Kosovo. “This country needs new and trained employees. We have to work to raise the standards, and enhance the quality of life in Kosovo,” Bresa said.
Find out more about the impact of Prishtina International Airport Adem Jashari on the dynamic young Kosovan Republic here.
