"The works are running smoothly and the contractors guarantee that the works will be finished in time," head of the Planica Sports Association Jelko Gros has told the press.

The cross-country skiing track is worth EUR 15.5m, and the ski jumping hill complex, which has already been completed, is worth EUR 24m. The project is co-financed by EU funds.

This will be the only Nordic centre in the world with eight hills all in one place and the only one of this kind with hills of all sizes at one place: small, medium, normal, large and flying hills.

The renovated flying hill, called Bloudkova velikanka (Bloudek Giant), which will make up a part of the Nordic Ski Centre, was already inaugurated there in March for the ski flying World Cup finale.

The cross-country skiing complex includes an indoor track for off-season trainings and seven kilometres of tracks connecting the centre with the existing 40 km of recreational tracks in Planica, Kranjska Gora and Tamar.

Gros is convinced that the entire Europe will be jealous of the Planica Nordic Centre, as there is no such facility anywhere else. He claims that a sufficient number of sport and recreation products has been prepared to make Planica a magnet for visitors.

Tourists will have the opportunity to travel down the flying hill on a 566-metre long zip-line running some three metres above the surface.

The centre, which will require one million euros a year for its operation, expects to generate a third of its revenue from tourism, and the rest from competitions and trainings for professional athletes.

The first major competition following the opening will come in January 2016, when Planica hosts a cross-country skiing World Cup event.

The centre is also bidding for the Ski Flying World Championships in 2020 and the Nordic World Championships the following year. The organisers will be announced at the FIS congress in June 2016.