March 25 (SeeNews) - Serbia's transport sector is expected to suffer 600 million euro ($650.2 million) in damage this year as a result of the coronavirus crisis, infrastructure minister Zorana Mihajlovic said on Wednesday.
"According to initial estimates, the transport sector losses to date due to the coronavirus stand at about 120 million euro. The estimates are that the sector will lose around 600 million euro by the end of the year," Mihajlovic said in a video file posted on the website of public broadcaster RTS.
Air transport will be the segment most seriously hit by the coronavirus crisis, Mihajlovic said. "Last year, on March 22, we had 14,500 passengers at Nikola Tesla Airport, while on March 22 this year we had 71 passengers," she noted.
Serbia is imposing strict regulation of trucks coming into the country and does not plan to suspend transit freight traffic as it is important for Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania and North Macedonia, Mihajlovic said.
On Tuesday, Mihajlovic said Serbia's air transport sector has suffered 40 million euro damage so far from the coronavirus crisis.
Serbia has so far confirmed 303 coronavirus cases and four deaths related to the disease in the country. Health minister Zlatibor Loncar announced on March 6 the first case of the coronavirus infection in Serbia.
($ = 0.9228 euro)