Dubrovnik Airline grounded

Dubrovnik Airline 2004 - 2011
Local newspaper “Dubrovački vjesnik” has reported that the charter company Dubrovnik Airline has been permanently grounded and put out of business. The debt stricken airline operated its final service on Sunday and is expected to declare bankruptcy soon. However, it is important to note the airline’s Managing Director, Zeno Singer, is still to officially confirm the news. Dubrovnik Airline has had major financial problems since the start of the global financial crisis which hit the aviation industry in the former Yugoslavia in 2009. Dubrovnik Airline was left with a single aircraft this year during the peak summer season. Adding to Dubrovnik Airline’s financial problems was the decision made earlier this year by the shipping company Atlantska plovidba, who set up the airline, to pull out of its ownership structure. After the decision was made, many employees at Dubrovnik Airline lost their jobs bringing the number of down to just 78.

Dubrovnik Airline was launched in December 2004. Over the years it has contributed greatly to its main hub Dubrovnik as well as Split. During its highpoint the airline operated a fleet of five aircraft and employed some 200 people. In the last year it announced several times its plans to expand and even introduced regular all year round flights.

In a poll conducted by EX-YU aviation news earlier this year, asking visitors which smaller former Yugoslav airline had the biggest potential to grow, the most votes (215 out 623 or 34%) went to Dubrovnik Airline.

Comments

  1. Didn't they report a small profit some time ago? I had the impression that they were one of the rare airlines in the region to be profitable.

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  2. Purger10:08

    They were profitable but not for last 3 years. Main shareholder "Atlantska plovidba" after 3 years just give away shares to Zeno Singer (minor shareholder, but initiator of founding Dubrovnik Airline).

    Since August we did have information that Dubrovnik Airline just want to finish season and than declare bankruptcy. Till spring 2012 Zeno Singer will open new company in Zagreb with staff from Dubrovnik Airline.

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  3. Anonymous11:02

    On a positive note for coastal tourism OU will fly ZAD-CDG once a week from May 2012

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  4. So that means there is going to be a new airline based in Zagreb?!

    How is the government going to allow that?

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  5. Anonymous13:58

    Ryanair launch Baden Baden-Zadar service next year

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  6. Purger15:11

    Nemjee:
    Why, on earth, can Government have something against it? You have now Trade air and Croatia Airlines, in past you had Laus and Anic Airways.

    It is free market and anyone can open company. Government doesn't have anything with this!

    ReplyDelete
  7. JU520 BEGLAX15:34

    Hey Nemjee, you are back. cool..

    any latest loadfactor figures Sep 2011 for LX,LH,TK,AZ in BEG?

    do we see an update on the serbia aviation blog, i think last article posted was 16sep?

    thanks and all the best

    OFFTOPIC:

    TK starts with 737-900 to PRN and SJJ as of W11 timetable

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  8. This was a surprise but then again, I didn't know that Atlanska Plovidba pulled out of the venture.

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  9. Anonymous16:05

    What is the link for the Serbian blog? And any others if there are any. Thank you in advance.

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  10. ANONYMOUS16:33

    1 less piece of sh*t polluting the air corrdidors of the Balkans...

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  11. Comment deleted16:43

    So Dubrovnik airlines actually ceases operations only to reopen under other name ?
    With new hub at Zagreb airport ?

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  12. Anonymous17:11

    Aviation in ex-yu is appaling!All smaller airlines shut down and all of the national carriers would have been already shut down if the governments hadn't been injecting millions of euros.But however they are getting smaller and smaller-with less and less destinations, market share and aircraft.But put on other note-markets are rising and records in pax numbers are mounting!So the managers should ask theirselfs how is it possible in rising markets to lose market share!!!??
    Btw. there will be neither OU nor new Dubrovnik Airline bringing tourist it will be Ryanair, Easy and Lufthansa which will employ foreign nationals and pay taxes abroad.Croatia won't see anything from this money.That's sad, but true!!

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  13. Purger18:07

    Comment:
    YES!

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  14. Information "Dubrovnik Airline was left with a single aircraft this year during the peak summer season." is not correct! I know that this was written by some of daily newspapers and it is only translated here, but it is not true! Sometimes it is needed to check information that are written in daily newspapers, not only to translate it! The true is that during all season traffic was with 2 planes 9A-CDA and 9A-CDE including the third one, wet-leased A320 from UK, later from Poland. Until the end of September Dubrovnik was operating flights with all 3 planes! Single one plane was flying for Dubrovnik Airline since October, and we can not say for October that it is "peak season", so only the latest one month company was flying with one plane, however the second one plane is still until today in the fleet, it has never left Dubrovnik Airline anywhere. You can check this very simply when you have a look at web-cam of Dubrovnik airport, there are still 2 planes parked!

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  15. JU520 BEGLAX19:11

    http://aviationoverview.wordpress.com

    anonymous: if u re looking for background info from Serbia and BEG, however not updated daily

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  16. BSL-BEG19:24

    How can AGX survive with just one aircraft and Dubrovnik Airline not?

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  17. Anonymous19:31

    OFF TOPIC :
    Great news for zadar with the Baden route but its a shame that they haven't expanded to southern europe yet

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous19:46

    don't fly with Ryanair:

    http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/467145-ryanair-repair-cockpit-window-tape.html

    ReplyDelete
  19. BTW, if Singer, 'Dubrovnik Airline' CEO and Chief pilot, I believe this was his position, really wants to start a new carrier he, in my opinion needs to surround himself with some better people. The Dubrovnik Airline website for example and what would have been a huge part of getting his company known to professional customers was a complete joke and probably one of the worst in world aviation full of spelling mistakes, bad grammar and never updated or even correct. I don't know if anyone brought this with him but it should have especially since most his clients I'm assuming would have been travel agencies.

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  20. Anonymous07:25

    No matter what happens it is always sad to witness an airline shutting down. Since the moment Atlantska Plovidba withdrawn from Dubrovnik Airline ownership structure I heard rumors from current and ex DBK emplyees that the plan was to close the airline till the end of 2011 when all contracts are carried out and to set up a new airline with some of the DBK staff in Zagreb. I flew Dubrovnik Airline on a number of occasions and from my point of view as a passenger it delivered good product. In any case, farewell Dubrovnik Airline and the best of luck to the new expected start up in Zagreb as well to all carriers introducing new services and competing on the Croatian skies.

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  21. JU520,

    LH as always is doing really well, lf in high 80s. I do not have the information with me but from what I can remember is that both JU and SU have their lf around 90% to SVO.
    Lot and airBaltic are in the high 70s and Tarom in the high 80s.

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  22. Anonymous11:20

    DBK Airline should get some 3-4 Boeing 717-200 HGW(very fuel efficient and low cost maitenance airplane- the best of the long running DC-9 family) who has the same type rating, instead of MD 82/83(they are very good aircraft but they are up to 20% less efiicient per pax seat compared to best in class 717-200HGW.

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  23. Anonymous15:24

    nothing less than 160 seats is no go!

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  24. Anonymous20:55

    The MD80- planes were too fuel consuming. I wish he could restart with lets say 2-3 B737-700 or similar size a/c and low cost concept from ZAG. ZAG is desperate for competition and is now sucked out by LH and its cronies.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous22:09

    "ZAG desperate for competition and sucked out by LH and its croonies"

    I like Croatia Airlines being part of Star Alliance,are other airlines restricted to fly to/from ZAG and
    to open a base there ?
    NO they can if they want to...
    but obviously they dont want to.
    You blame the false ones!

    ReplyDelete

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