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| Air Serbia focuses on core network but eyes future growth |
The CEO of Air Serbia, Dane Kondić, says the airline is currently focused on its core network but will look for further growth opportunities. Speaking to "Gulf Business", Mr Kondić noted there are a handful of destinations the airline could serve, highlighting cities in Italy. "There’s probably half-a-dozen to a dozen points that we could cover that we haven’t started flying to yet. In Italy, we don’t fly to Florence or Venice, for example. Each airline [Etihad Partners] is focusing on core networks now, then we’ll look for incremental opportunities", Mr Kondić said. Air Serbia will add new destinations to its network this summer for the first time since December 2013, with the introduction of flights to Hamburg, Kiev, St. Petersburg, Ohrid and New York.
Commenting on the upcoming launch of transatlantic flights, Mr Kondić said the New York route comes as a result of the continued cooperation among the Etihad Airways Partners-member airlines. "The partnership is coming to life. We’re using an aircraft from Jet Airways, having our pilots trained by Alitalia, and crew in Abu Dhabi", the CEO said. The airline's first Airbus A330-200 jet is scheduled to arrive in Belgrade in May. Despite being on lease from Jet Airways, the aircraft will be decked out in Air Serbia's livery. "Our primary focus in 2016 is the launch of transatlantic flights to the US. We expect strong interest to come from countries of the former Yugoslavia. This is good for business, because it can strengthen our hub at Nikola Tesla Airport and generate significant revenue", Mr Kondić said in an interview to the "National Business Review" over the weekend.
Air Serbia's CEO noted that the arrival of the wide-body A330 will result in greater freight capacity as well. "This year we take delivery of our first wide-body A330 which offers a significant increase in cargo capacity compared to the narrow-body single-aisle A319s and A320s, so there is a lot of potential to carry greater amounts of freight", he said. In 2015, Air Serbia saw growth in the total volume of freight and mail flown, which increased to 3.756 tonnes, up 39% on the year before. As the airline prepares to expand its network over the next few months, it has also inked a new codeshare partnership agreement with Israel's national carrier El Al, bringing its total number of active codeshare agreements to sixteen. As a result, El Al will place its designator code and flight number onto Air Serbia's services between Tel Aviv and Belgrade. “Codeshares are a fundamental part of Air Serbia’s long-term growth strategy and we are delighted to launch this agreement and begin an exciting and mutually-beneficial partnership with El Al. Tel Aviv is an important destination for Air Serbia and this cooperation with El Al will enable us to grow our business in Israel", Mr Kondić said.
I wonder which 6-12 destinations they see as having potential. I wouldn't have thought of Italy seeing that it is quite seasonal.
ReplyDeleteSpain, Iran....
DeleteSeasonality remains but opportunities are out there. Air Serbia will do direct charters to Naples and Madrid at the end of April so that might be a hint.
DeleteHahaha no, they won't. Don't get their hopes high only to be disappointed later on.
DeleteKontiki sells their charters to Msdrid and Naples so call them if you don't think so.
DeleteYeah but there is a difference between a charter and a regular flight.
DeleteThat's a revelation to all of us. Thanks for the info.
DeleteNowhere did he mention "direct flights". He said "direct charters".
'...We expect strong interest to come from countries of the former Yugoslavia. '
ReplyDeleteHuh? What exactly does he mean by this? With departures from BEG at 07.30 and 12.55 they can't offer much from ex-YU... They will offer two, three weekly connections from places like ZAG or LJU but how can they compete with JP, OU, LH and the others? Not only do they offer less backtracking but they also have incomparably more daily departures towards big Star hubs in the West.
JU should forget about ex-YU and concentrate on big markets like Greece, Turkey, Israel...
I find it funny that DK speaks of some destinations in Italy when they can't even make IST work. Turks are having their visas removed in two months and JU has not reacted by adding a few weekly night flights to IST. Sad.
That's why they will dominated in places like DBV, TIV, SPU, PUY... there is more to the ex-YU than just LJU and ZAG!!
DeleteDBV? Are you serious? How can they compete with the A321 and B767 that will be used by OS? lol
DeletePeople said the same thing about Asian travellers flying via BEG to DBV. In the end they now make a huge portion of passengers on this route.
DeleteNom they don't. Most passengers are O&D followed by European connections. Passengers from AUH are just a few per flight, not more than 200 per month.
DeleteYou seem to know where Air Serbia will fly, what number of passengers they have. I assume you were also the one saying that they won't introduce any new destinations this summer as well.
DeleteNo I wasn't. I am just blessed to have a brain and independent thinking which allows me to put one and one together.
DeleteYour thinking is far from independent. It is generic an biased. But, as long as your thought pattern makes you happy, you go, boy.
DeleteAnonymous 9:16AM,when you say that JU must consentrate in big markets like Greece,Turkey or Israel I believe you don't mean feeding from them the BEG-JFK route,because if you do,this will be the most stupid thing I have ever heard!!!
DeleteWhy would it be a stupid idea?
DeleteSeriously!!!Let's start istanbul-new york 3 direct flights per day,tel aviv-new york 5+ direct flights per day and athens-new york 3 direct flights per day in the summer season and too many options in the winter season because athens is a star alliance fortress and they also have via london,via rome,via paris!!Need to say more???
DeleteHahaha if your logic then what's the point of even offering European connections from IST when all of those cities are already covered by TK?
DeleteThe visas for tuskish citizens won't be lifted in 2 month. Take my word.
DeleteAnonymous 9:19: "That's why they will dominated in places like DBV, TIV, SPU, PUY... there is more to the ex-YU than just LJU and ZAG!!"
DeleteDubrovnik has:
- 7 flights per day to Vienna
- 6 flights per week to Dublin (Aer Lingus)
- 12 flights per week to Frankfurt (OU and LH in code-share)
- 9 flights per week to Munich (LH)
- 7 flights per week to Helsinki (Finnair)
- 11 flights per week to Oslo, Stockholm, London and Copenhagen (Norwegian)
- 14 flights per week to Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm (SAS)
- 8 flights per week to London (British)
- 7 flights per week to Madrid (Iberia)
- 5 flights per week to Zurich (OU in code-share with LX)
Split has:
- 11 flights per week to Vienna (OS and OU in code-share)
- 12 flights per week to Frankfurt (LH and OU in code-share)
- 14 flights per week to Minich (LH and OU in code-share)
- 6 flights per week to Helsinki (Finnair)
- 4 flights per week to London (British)
- 14 flights per week to Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm (SAS)
- 16 flights per week to Copenhagen, Oslo, London and Stockholm (Norwegian)
- 7 flights per week to Moscow (Aeroflot)
- 5 flights per week to Zurich (OU in code-share with LX)
And you really think Air Serbia is competitive in DBV and SPU?
Ne treba zaboraviti da je vecina putnika AY,SK i SU domaci Turisti iz tih zemalja .
DeleteOnda po toj logici nema ni CTN nista u SPU i DBV. A naravno da ASL nije glavna ali ima dobar deo stranih putnika prema tim destinacijama.
INN-NS
Purger, how many of those airlines you mentioned have their flights conveniently timed so as to offer onward connections?
DeleteWhat do you think why I put those companies?
DeleteINN ajde sine nemoj se blamirat. CTN iz SPU i DBV ima P2P putnike, a mi ovdje govorimo o JFK putnicima i konkurentnosti tih letova iz SPU i DBV via BEG. Jedino vrlo niska cijena može učiniti ove letove konkurentnima. A iskreno letove koje sam ja tražio za ovo ljeto (oko 15.8.) iz ZAG nisu bili dovoljno konkurentni. Razlike ili nema ili je 50-tak EUR što me sigurno neće motivirati da koristim JU omjesto OS, LH, LO, BA, AF, KL, SN, SK, LX...
Zanimljiv argument, Purger. Ja JU doživljavam drugačije, kao premium iskustvo, makar na intraevropskim letovima, u odnosu na sve pomenute kompanije. Zapravo, platio bih malo više da putujem sa njima, a kamoli ako su 50 EUR jeftiniji. Da li to znači da JU ima image u Hrvatskoj kao "jeftina" kompanija u smislu da sa njima letite samo ako su dirt cheap?
DeleteDrugo, prilično je lako zaraditi Silver status kod Etihada (koji koristi i JU), za razliku od Miles & More ili skoro bilo koje druge pomenute kompanije. Dva povratna leta do JFK godišnje su manje-više dovoljna, u ekonomskoj klasi. A pogodnosti su bolje nego na Silver nivou kod M&M. Prema tome, razlog više za lojalnost upravo prema JU.
Pitanje je konkretno o percepciji hrvatskih putnika o Air Serbia. Oni pokušavaju za izgrade premium brend, a ispada da su u rangu LCCa i da ih biraju samo ako su najjeftiniji, i to baš najjeftiniji. Jesam li u pravu?
Opet razumete sta vama odgovara odnosilo se na unutar Evroske letove ASL da imaju dosta putnka prema SPU i DBV , dok te gore 3 napisane kompanije prevoze vecinom domace turiste .
DeleteI naravni nsiam reko da je u ASL sa njima u rangu ali ima opet dobar deo putnika.
INN-NS
Čuj, možda je premium usluga u business klasi, u ekonomskoj sigurno nije.
Delete1. ATR (koji lete iz ZAG, PUY i dobar dio letova iz SPU i DBV) su u vrlo lošem stanju, stari i iznutra izraubani, od 12 letova sa Air Serbijom imao sam 6 sa ATR-om, 4 sa 737-300 koji su u očajnom stanju i tek dva sa A319. I u ekonomskoj kabini A319 nisam bio baš nešto oduševljen. Očekivao sam bitno više.
2. Wi-fi je preskup i ne koristiš ga.
3. Hrana (oni sendviči) su očajni, pa sam ih dva puta samo probao i bacio, kasnije ih nisam ni jeo, mala bočica vode... Iskreno, ne znam po čemu bi to bila premium usluga.
4. Dekica i jastučić su simpatična priča, ali na kratkim letovima više smetaju nego koriste.
5. BEG kao transferni aerodrom je vrlo loš. U tranzit zoni jedva možeš popit kavu, ozbiljnog jela nema, duty free je loš. U usporedbi sa VIE, MUC, FRA, ZRH to je nebo i zemlja.
5. Uz to policija, sigurnosne službe i aerodromsko osoblje su neprofesionalni, neuslužni, neljubazni, tmurni, svaki drugi se igra na mobitelu. Posebno negativno iskustvo su policajci (za razliku od cestovnih prijelaza srpske granice gdje me svaki puta oduševe). Iako to nije osoblje Air Serbije (kojem svaka čast) to stvara sliku o kompaniji i nikako nije argument koji privlači potencijalne putnike.
6. Čistoća na BEG baš i nije najbolja strana, uređenje okoline aerodroma također (posebno parkirališta), gateovi A6-A10 su stvarno ispod svakog nivoa (a ko za peh OTP je svaki puta bio 737-300 iz A6-A10). A kad tome dodaš još taksiste koji te vuku za rukav i iskreno stvaraju mučninu pa nastojiš pobječi što prije iz terminala da te ne gnjave.
Iskreno letio sam sa JU samo za BEG (P2P) i preko BEG na istok kada je cijena bila jeftinija od konkurencije. Čak i kada je OS bio 30 EUR skuplji radije sam letio preko VIE (OK, ja osobno volim VIE).
Hvala na odgovoru. Zanimljiva zapažanja, zaista!
Delete1. Tačno. Destinacije na kojima ja letim nisu na ATR-u, ali kada se prisetim onih letova na ovom avionu, to zaista ne deluje udobno.
2. Možda neki 3, 6, 12-month pass može da bude dobra ideja, takođe i način da se kupi lojalnost putnika. Mada cena bi morala da boli (svakako 50-100 EUR), a onda to opet ne pomaže...
3. Opet, moji letovi su uglavnom tamo gde se služi full meal, dakle 2+ sata. Šteta za ovo, jer ako ništa drugo, Airbusevi imaju kapaciteta da pripreme lepu, toplu hranu. Neki wrap, topli sendvič, šta god. Nije to tako skupo.
5. E sada, zavisi šta želiš. Ako imaš konekciju od sat vremena, nemaš ni vremena za jelo i piće i BEG je sjajan jer je mali. Nikome ko ima 3+ sata ne bih preporučio da sedi na Surčinu, nego taxi ili bus, pa do centra. Sadržaja zaista nema. Ovo nikada nemam prilike da vidim jer em što sam iz Beograda, pa nemam potrebe da jedem i pijem na aerodromu, em imam pristup JU loungeu koji je zaista odličan.
6. Hm, hit and miss. Kod mene je baš suprotno iskustvo, imam čak i omiljenu policajku ;) Jednom mi je dala da se poslužim njenim telefonom kada me je izdala baterija. Mada, da, ima tih sa mobilnim koji su natmureni. Ali, srećom, tranzitni putnici njih ne vide.
7. Celi međunarodni dolasci su veoma problematični, taksisti i parking koji izgleda kao da je na autobuskoj stanici ne pomažu...
Hvala na diskusiji. Baš sam mislio da većinu ovih stvari tranzitni putnici ipak ne vide.
OMG imagine the chaos at BEG when you add that A332 to the regional wave where, as it is, most gates are already occupied. Here comes the B stand. <3
ReplyDeleteNo chaos. Slightly longer queues. Definition of chaos is Split airport, in season.
DeleteA332 is like one A320 and one A319 parking at two gates.
DeleteNarrow bodies are easy to handle from remote stands, and so is the A330. BEG is small, unlike airports like DOH, AUH, DXB, IST, MUC, FRA. In DXB for example, even the A380 has remote stand parking. Depending on the location of the parking bay, it can take 30 mins from aircraft to terminal.
DeleteI recently arrived at the B stands and it took 2 mins from aircraft to passport control.
BEG has 27 parking positions for ac and 19 gates including 3 remote stand positions.
QR used aerobridges when they brought the A330 to BEG.
QR landed with the A332 when the airport was practically empty... that won't be the case when the flight departs at 12.55 when in addition to the JU region you have LHx2, W6, YM, FZ and SU.
Delete"that won't be the case when the flight departs at 12.55 when in addition to the JU region you have LHx2, W6, YM, FZ and SU."
DeleteYou are funny, there will be no issue even if 2 A330 were to come. At all times in BEG there is always at least 5-6 empty gates and plenty of remote positions. Even in passport control there will be no "guzva" if they open more "saltera". Whenever I go to BEG I always seen only 2-3 desks open and hence why sometimes there is guzva.
people are making a fuss about this single A330 as if a space ship is going to land :)
Actually during that time there is maybe one or two gates that are free.
DeleteC7,8,9 and 10 are occupied with the Atrs, C1-6 are usually full with Air Serbia aircraft and then you have:
1. Etihad
2. Lufthansa, MUC
3. Lufthansa, FRA
4. Pegasus
5. Aeroflot
6. flydubai
7. Lot on some days
So you see, the noon period is quite busy at the airport and there will be an issue with gate space. Especially since the A332 will have to be brought to the gate at leas by 10.55.
OK, so some flight will be boarded at B stands. Why would that be an issue at all? It's not like they're far - I've had bus rides of 15-20 minutes at some airports, this one takes 30 seconds max.
DeleteI think the problem is that you won't have enough gates to board these planes which will be parked at the B platform. A4a, A4b and C7 tend to be used to board remote stands on the C side.
Deletemogli bi malo da se potrude oko sredjivanja zastarele flote. dzabe ulazu u wi-fi i slicne stvari. dok ne zamene atr serije 200 i b737 300 nema poboljsanja imidza.
ReplyDeleteATCO
B737's are perfect for charters. The 2 ATR 200 should be replaced, but overall, the fleet is not outdated.
DeleteSlusaj ovog pametnjakovica. Pa ne znam dal si primetio da su ubacili 10 buseva u flotu u proteklih nekoliko godina, sreca pa takvi kao ti ne vode kompanije...
Deletekvaru skloni atrovi su generatori loseg imidza koji jos nije prevazidjen. MGX je ne svojom zaslugom profitirao na linijama ka C. Gori upravo zbog izbegavanja putnika da lete atrom. to su cinjenice i dobronamerni savet.
DeleteOT: Ryanair SOF
ReplyDeleterumors are saying new 11(!) routes to be announced today
apparently: CRL,FKB,FMM,ATH,TSF,EIN,NYO,BMH,LPL and Castellon
Wowzers
Odlicne vesti za INI, koji u zadnje vreme ocajno puni avione...
DeletePS Samo neka se oni kolju, putnicima super!
only 9 new...
DeleteOnly? :) The total will be 21. That´s 1,6 million passengers per year from 1 sole carrier which is approx. 35% of BEG´s traffic in 1 year. So 2017, SOF will easily reach the 6 million mark. It has already surpassed BEG this year without Ryanair so imagine..
DeleteBEG needs Ryanair and more Wizzair routes! Serbians deserve to pay much less and be able to travel easily..
"It has already surpassed BEG this year without Ryanair so imagine."
DeleteWhere did you get that info? Even last year SOF had more pax from November-March period but then BEG gets more from April-October. I am happy to see Ryan in SOF, but without it SOF would have way less pax than BEG this year.
nazalost ove godine SOF definitivno prestize BEG bez obzira na poboljsani red letenja ASL !
Delete@ Anonymous March 30, 2016 at 4:26 PM
DeleteThis means that SOF traffic is far more sustainable than BEG's. BEG traffic i highly seasonal and depend too much on the transfer passengers from around EX-YU. BEG needs more O&D demand in order be sustainable.
Florence is small airport where just 6 legacy carriers fly all year. Even Alitalia has just Rome as route, no other airports.
ReplyDeleteHow can that work for Air Serbia? I hope Mr. Kondić make a mistake with this destination.
Nadam se da ce biti jos nekoliko novih destinacija na Bliskom Istoku i Evropi kad se bude druga A330 destinacija uvodila.
ReplyDeleteINN-NS
OT
ReplyDeleteZanimljivo je da DY planira do 2020 da ima 40 B 789 i da ce ih stacionirati po raznim Evropskim Aerodromima videcemo hoce li nesto od toga biti.
INN-NS
Ja se nadam da ce biti i neki stacioniran u Beogradu i da ce imati letove za JFK posto je JU preskupa, 82.000 dinara!
DeleteOT
ReplyDeleteRyan just added 9 new destinations from SOF - FKB, BHX, CDT, EIN, LPL, GLA, FMM, NYO, TSF
The destinations now became 21 from SOF!
If Ryan was to open 20 destinations from BEG imagine what would JU do to prevent them from opening the base. I guess Bulgaria just showed Serbia what open market means even if it will destroy their national carrier. I cant stand people who support the fact that JU shold be protected.
Delete@3:17
Delete+1,000
Absolutely agree! Who cares about national carriers anyway? Long live the competition!
DeleteFR ne trteba BEG .
DeleteBEG treba povezanost sa bitnim Aerodromima i povezanost sa Svetom a dobar primer za to je VIE.
INN-NS
The seats in sale will 1.6 million. They're basing 3 aircrafts and are currently considering to add Bratislava flights from SOF.
Delete@ 3,17pm
DeleteFR are allowed to open flights to BEG. Serbia and the EU have an open skies agreement signed.
Are they actually basing only 3 planes? Many of the destinations will be daily or close to daily so that would not make sense
DeleteFR are allowed to open BEG on the paper, but in reality its a different situation.
DeleteYes, but as usual we know that BEG is an expensive airport for low-cost carriers. If I am not mistaken, Bulgaria has lowered its airport taxes in order to attract more carriers. Sofia´s T1 is quite cheap compared to T2 of course. BEG could apply the same example instead of "protecting" JU all the time - this is just an old-fashioned model. National carriers used to be a pride but now travel has changed a lot. A passenger needs to fly from point 1 to point B, to have free Wi-fi and to fly with less luggage. The days of the metal cutlery, complimentary good food and chic travel are now history.
DeleteFrustrated hater @ 3:17 PM,
DeleteIf Ryan was to open 1, 2, 20 or 220 destinations from BEG, all they'd have to do is submit the application to Serbian authorities. And they would've received their permits without delay because they are an ECAA-based airline. Neither the government or Air Serbia would be able to stop them. Just as nothing is able to stop you spitting out your bitter hate all over.
Anon @ 3:37,
With this trend, I am afraid what SOF (and many other cities) will soon see is less of a competition and more of a market cartelization by lowcosters. Everything will be designed for one and only customer segment - those customers who only care about low price and totally don't give a damn about the quality and experience of their journey. Those who do care will have little to no competition to choose from.
And that's because the entire wider region is region of the poor, and global aviation is moving where the global economy is moving - superluxury for super-rich vs. cattle treatment for the poor who can only spend a handful of bucks. Nothing for the vanishing middle class.
So what will be the predicted number of pax for SOF in 2017? Will it surpass 5 mil?
Delete@Anon 4:08pm - disagree. The more option you have the more you travel. Hungary has no national carrier and has Wizzair with 50+ destinations as well as Ryanair - they do also have Emirates, QR and other legacy carriers. Low-cost carriers make people travel and make other standard carriers react and be more dynamic too. This is also visible on other "poorer" countries such as the Baltics and Poland.
Delete@Anon 4:09pm - My guess is min. 5.5 million. It will most likely surpass BEG.
Fanboy anon at 4:08,
Deletethe story is much more complicated in terms of Ryan coming to BEG than getting a permit. What majority of Serbian pax need is cattle transport from destination A to B. Even in developed countries the so called cattle transport is flourishing. Dont worry, companies like LH,BA, and TK will be there for those who want to pay more. I heard BA is making big bucks on the N.American network which makes for all losses in Europe.
What is so complicated, hater? They want to fly from BEG - they are free to do it anytime they wish. There are no administrative hurdles for them or any other ECAA-based carrier.
DeleteThe problem is, even lowcosters do some homework before they open new routes. This includes purchasing power of the local population, real need for travel, presence of other airlines.
With the above in the equation, BEG is less attractive than SOF because of:
- lower purchasing power
- lower REAL need to travel around ECAA (Bulgarian citizens can work in EU which creates a clear demand for more flights; Serbian citizens can only visit EU as tourists)
- Serbia has excellent road connections with EU and that will always affect the demand for lowcost flights in BEG
- Serbia has a legacy carrier which you would like to disappear so that foreign lowcosters can easily take over the market. Too bad that this wish of yours hasn't been granted but legacy is still a legitimate concept in aviation. And you are free to go and sell this lullaby about the 'death of legacy concept and how 737s with 300 seats are the future of aviation and a symbol of healthy competition'. I'm sure they will all love your prophecies and instantly shut down their national carriers. After all, we don't carriers other than Ryanair and perhaps Aegean.
Open Skies does not allow them to open a base in Belgrade, it only allows them to introduce as many flights as they wish. If they wanted a base then they would have to get an AOC and that's something JU could block by using its political connections.
DeleteRyanair built its empire on flying to underutilized airports. For such an airport (what e.g. Charleroi or Luton or Weeze used to be) it makes every sense to offer Ryanair dirt cheap fees rather than sit empty. But it makes no sense for Heathrow or Frankfurt or Ataturk to do the same. In other words the traditional Ryanair model (they have branched a bit into more established airports but the bulk of their flying is still from nowhere to nowhere) is based on extracting some value out of an otherwise unusable property. The point is, Belgrade Airport is not such a property. There is no need to discount a product that is already selling well (the product being landing rights at BEG). If Ryanair sees value in flying into INI (or, I guess, Kraljevo if that ever gets fully operational) then they are welcome to do so and they will do so, but otherwise there are no vacant airports in Serbia.
Delete@ AnonymousMarch 30, 2016 at 6:03 PM
DeleteSo, you are saying no to FR? You are saying NO to lower prices?
Overseas diaspora has purchasing power above cattle class and flies in from destinations Ryan, Wizz and Easy can't offer. Counting on LCCs to cover all air transport connectivity needs is a joke.
Delete"Serbia has a legacy carrier which you would like to disappear so that foreign lowcosters can easily take over the market. Too bad that this wish of yours hasn't been granted but legacy is still a legitimate concept in aviation"
DeleteYou fanboys never seem to end the argument. First I NEVER said that, are you blind? Why would I want JU to disappear since even the lowcosters need some competition,right?
"The problem is, even lowcosters do some homework before they open new routes. This includes purchasing power of the local population, real need for travel, presence of other airlines."
Purchasing power is in a shitty position in both of the countries that is for sure. Real need for travel as you say it is in Serbia actually not that small and I know a ton of people who still go to Budapest and Timosiara to catch flights which are not operated by Wizz from BEG. Presence of other airlines in BEG is MINIMAL actually since there are plenty of routes to which BEG is not connected, I will list some just for you: whole Spain market (dont give me shit that it would not work since even SKP with Wizz is doing great),Nurenberg,Weeze, Frankfurt Hahn, Cologne, Lubeck, etc (huge diaspora), plenty routes in Italy, Nordic countries and so on. I am not saying there is a massive capacity, but there is much more than people think. Dont forget that BEG also does not have KLM, BA, and AF and few other legacies
"Overseas diaspora has purchasing power above cattle class and flies in from destinations Ryan, Wizz and Easy can't offer. "
DeleteYou really are plain stupid. In Western countries low cost airlines are flourishing and expanding each day but I guess you are not aware of that. Its not e about purchasing power, its about wanting to get from one point to another in Europe for CHEAP. I am from abroad and I dont need a sandwich and a drink for a 2 hour flight even though I could pay for even business class with legacy carrier.
All this talk of BEG being a "closed market" is just speculation, until a company actually asks for Serbian AOC and gets denied or applies for flights and gets denied. Actually, it seems that DCA is pretty flexible on the rules (see WizzAir), even as lax as they are.
DeleteI'm afraid the lack of competition is only due to lack of local demand (or disposable income). One, ten or even fifty people per rotation who bought dirt cheap tickets just lose money for the airline. It's the other fifty or hundred who pay fares equal or close to that of legacy carriers. In Serbia, and Serbian diaspora, you can easily find the first fifty, however, we are missing those who are willing and/or able to pay full fares on short notice to fly LCCs. And that's where the profit is, but there's just not enough demand. I'm sure you don't imagine a flight full of 10-euro tickets is enough to cover the expenses.
@That is called an open market
DeleteFirst word of my post is OVERSEAS! LCC's don't fly to Australia or America. Who's stupid now?
Norwegian flies across the Atlantic and to BKK.
Delete"Open Skies does not allow them to open a base in Belgrade, it only allows them to introduce as many flights as they wish. If they wanted a base then they would have to get an AOC and that's something JU could block by using its political connections."
DeleteAnd how exactly is Wizz Air flying from BEG? I don't see them having YU- registration or Serbian AOC...
@Nemjee
DeleteIt was not just overseas, it quote was: "Overseas diaspora has purchasing power above cattle class and flies in from destinations Ryan, Wizz and Easy can't offer".
Norwegian does not fly direct from USA or Australia to Ex Yu destinations that we are talking about here, and LCC's Ryan, Wizz and Easy do not fly widebodies overseas. Nemjee you are not stupid, you know this was about "open market" poster who keeps talking about 2 hour intra Europe LCC flights as if there is no need for any other connectivity.
OT: anyone knows what's with AB operating flights for AY, HEL to LJU this summer season?
ReplyDeleteAB operates the Saturday evening flight:
Deleteeff 07MAY16 Helsinki – Ljubljana AY723/724 Day 6
http://airlineroute.net/2016/03/28/ay-ab32b-may16/
thank you for the info.
DeleteAs Etihad sees it:
ReplyDeleteAirSERBIA = HatalaHATALA
Alitalia starts Mexico City in June. Would be great if Air Serbia could add codeshare to that flight, talks were held in December to enable this!
ReplyDeleteWhich gates were used at BEG when JAT had the DC-10?
ReplyDelete"C"
Delete