Just a month after Jat terminated services from the eastern Serbian city of Niš, the national carrier announced its return. Jat’s CEO, Srdjan Radovanović, announced yesterday that the airline will operate flights once per week from Niš to Zurich. Radovanović said, “we terminated flights to Niš because they were unprofitable. However, we have reached an agreement with the city authorities and we will jointly share the risks of this new service. The city of Niš will cover half of the operating costs and Jat would cover the other half. We will look into launching flights to other cities from Niš only if there is a need for them”, Radovanić said.Montenegro Airlines which hoped to begin flights from Niš to Zurich has been denied the right to do so by Swiss authorities. The airline is also expected to shelve plans for a Podgorica – Niš service.
The resumption date for Jat’s service to Zurich is still unknown, although it has been announced that it will commence before the end of the year. It is expected that flights will operate just after midday every Saturday.
Meanwhile, the citizens of Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia received good news yesterday as the European Union abolished visa restrictions that the 3 countries have endured for the past 18 years. Experts predict a rise in air traffic and passenger numbers in all three countries. Citizens will be able to travel visa free from December 19.
Two airlines fighting for one small city, emm... Anyway, talk aobut Macedonia with Aeromak, LaLuna, Montair, MAT, etc altogether at the same time. Welcome to the Balkans =)
ReplyDelete“we terminated flights to Niš because they were unprofitable. However, we have reached an agreement with the city authorities and we will jointly share the risks of this new service."
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure whether I can follow this logic. Help me out...flights out of Nis were unprofitable so Jat decided to suspend them. Jat is forced to do so as they are under increasing pressure to shape-up. A month later, they return to the same city, only this time they will do so not because they have found a way to be profitable, but because they will be less unprofitable than before.
I feel sorry for the people of Nis, but this logic makes no sense. Jat should NOT operate out of Nis if they know that they are going to be unprofitable. It is up to the government of Serbia now to find a solution to help out the citizens of Nis and the surrounding areas, not Jat!
@ anonymous
ReplyDeletemaybe JAT this time will have slightly better luck out of INI considering next month we dont need visas to enter Switzerland. if only JAT could downgrade the aircraft...
Maybe Jat could try uing the 732 leased from Aviogenex still to big for the route but smaller, what they ineed is Bombardier or Sukhoi aircraft. Speaking of Aviogenex are they still operating or are they defunct.
ReplyDelete^http://www.aviogenex.com/ I’m not certain if the B732 is allowed to operate to Swtizerland.
ReplyDeleteThis is a smart move. Jat have cancelled flights, thereby forcing Nis Airports hand,and how - if this report is to be believed, Nis Airport and the regional government are now having to subsidize Jat flights to Zurich. VERY SMART. This is what Ryanair and other LCCs do all over Europe.
ReplyDelete******SURVEY SURVEY SURVEY**********
ReplyDeleteLet's have a small surbey here - how many routes that Jat operate (they operate around 36/37 in total) - do people here think are profitable?
EX-YU Aviation - why don't you have the first guess. I'll provide the answer in 4 days time.
JAT played politics again... and won (last time to Dubrovnik they lost TERRIBLY). The question is how long they other parties are willing to pay to have these flights in operation? This reminds me of the situation of JA operating OMO-ZAG a few years back.
ReplyDeleteA shuttle to/from BEG with an AT7 connecting with the waves of flights to other parts of Europe is the best long-term hope for the airline if they are serious about keeping this airport open.
@ anonymous / survey
ReplyDeleteWell here is a list of destinations i don't think are profitable:
* Tripoli
* Malta
* Gothenburg
* Tel Aviv
* Trieste
I think JAT should reopen:
* Tehran
* Damascus
* Sofia
* Minsk
* Kyiv
* Venice
@ nemanja
the B732 has i think 1 seat less or more compared to the B733 so i doesnt make a difference. the B732 flies throughout the EU so im sure it can fly to Switzerland.
@ frequent flyer
i agree that shuttle flights a couple times a week could do, just as long as its ATR72's and not B733's like it once was. Having a couple flights from BEG go via INI could do the trick too, say to ZRH and LHR.
@ JATBEGMEL:
ReplyDeleteOne of those routes is/was actually profitable!
As for the routes that should be re-opened:
1) Venice: You would not fly there when you already fly to Trieste
2) Kiev: Is already operated on a once a week basis by AeroSvit. It's hard to see any justification for more flights there.
3) Middle East destinations: They are legacy routes and have been HUGELY unprofitable not only for Jat, but for other carriers in the region (like Olympic) - you'll notice the 'new' Olympic Air does not fly to the Mid East destinations that it's deadbeet predecessor (Olympic Airlines) did.
Short haul flights VIA anywhere DO NOT WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And never will again. So FORGET about any such ridiculous nonsense as BEG-INI-LHR. The economics on these routes are shocking, and passengers DO NOT want an extra stop and will avoid these flights at all costs, especially those originating from Western Europe where such 'triangle' flights no longer exist.
@ anonymous
ReplyDeleteim guessing TLV was the profitable one out of the list?
I would think Venice as being the more profitable option compared to Trieste.
That is actually not really true (about profitability), as the whole central/south Serbia uses this airport. It might not be profitable for Belgrade airport, that is true.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, how to explain that Montenegro airlines wanted to jump on the board immediately.