Hundreds Rally In Serbian City Against Airport Handover

Participants in the April 10 demonstration also called for the firing of the mayor, a member of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party.

Some 1,500 people have gathered in the southern Serbian city of Nis to protest against the planned transfer of ownership of the Constantine the Great airport from the city to the state.

The participants in the April 10 demonstration also called for the firing of the mayor, a member of President Aleksandar Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party.

Meanwhile, Nis's local assembly postponed a scheduled vote on the proposal by city authorities to transfer the property and management of the airport to the state without compensation.

The city council adopted the proposal on March 30, saying the state will "help the airport become economically stronger and gain an even better position in the market." But the move has triggered a wave of protests.

Nis is the closest airport to citizens in the eastern and southern parts of Serbia. Last year, more than 330,000 people took flights to or from the airport, which serves 11 destinations.