Adria to launch London flights in the summer
The Slovenian national carrier Adria Airways has started the year bearing good news. The airline will resume services to London Gatwick Airport during the 2012 summer season, after it was suspended due to low profitability in October 2011. Announcing the route launch on its Twitter account, the news comes as the airline implements the first phase of its restructuring program, which it hopes will bring it back into profitability. The route launch will come as welcome news to passengers, Slovenian tourism and Ljubljana Airport which is in need of more passengers after a disappointing 2011.As has previously been the case, Adria will have to compete against the low cost easyJet which operates flights to London Stansted Airport. According to inside sources, London was one of Adria’s biggest loss making routes in 2010, with the carrier recording a loss of 1.3 million Euros on the service. In December, the Slovenian public broadcaster, RTV SLO, said that Ljubljana Airport was in talks with easyJet for the airline to increase its frequencies from London next summer. Adria will operate four weekly flights from Ljubljana to London. Flight details are to be revealed soon.
Umm so what's changed? One of the biggest loss making routes in the network and they want to bring it back? Wouldn't logic say to reintroduce the least loss making route first and work on the rest later as you become profitable?
ReplyDeleteMaybe it has more to do with prestige of flying to London than making money on the route?
ReplyDeleteWhat equipment do they plan on using on the route?
Happy new year to all on this forum!
ReplyDeleteThere is clearly more to this story than what is told publicly. Any serious European airline that cannot make London work as a destination clearly has something wrong in its workings and management!
JP is really caught at the crossroads: it doesn't know who or what it is serving these days, and has the wrong fleet to turn a profit. Ideally, replacing the entire CR2 fleet with Q400s will save huge money on fuel bills (as well as provide extra profit when needing more than the 48pax per current plane), and streamlining to just the CR9 and 319s gives plenty of jet propulsion where needed. And new Q400s are easily attainable while the production backlog dries up (note OU: get another 2 please!).
AirlineRoute has kindly provided the schedules (Admin, looks like it is 5 not 4 weekly as posted!):
http://airlineroute.net/2012/01/02/jp-lgw-s12/
JP450 LJU0725 – 0845LGW CR9 1
JP450 LJU0725 – 0845LGW 319 356
JP450 LJU1825 – 1945LGW 319 7
JP451 LGW0945 – 1250LJU CR9 1
JP451 LGW0945 – 1250LJU 319 356
JP451 LGW2045 – 2350LJU 319 7
Let's hope the route is a success this time!
^This is the schedule from last summer. They still haven’t updated it so they show the summer 2011 timetable for 2012. On Adria’s facebook page they also say 4X per week. Also, I think they are getting rid of the A319s.
ReplyDeleteThis is a schedule loaded in Amadeus and valid from the beginning of the summer timetable 2012:
ReplyDelete1 JP 450 356 LJU LGW N 0725 0845 0 28MAR12 27OCT12 319 2:20
2 JP 450 1 LJU LGW N 0725 0845 0 26MAR12 22OCT12 CR9 2:20
3 JP 450 7 LJU LGW N 1825 1945 0 25MAR12 21OCT12 319 2:20
Adria made the decision to go for CRJ2s in a time when Turboprobs were out, fuel still affordable.
ReplyDeleteAnd there were good times for them. Many Ex Yu cities with no good airlinks. People from Bosnia, Yugoslavia, Macedonia, needed visas almost thru each country they travelled thru by car. So LJU and JP were a welcome gateway to Europe for people in PRN,SKP,OHD,TIA,SPU,TGD,SJJ. But times have changed, oil went up, Turboprobs are better, faster and in again. JP missed to get privatized and rid of political involvments. LJU airport missed investments in a more conventient transfer hub, visa restrictions disburden and airports such as PRN,SKP,SJJ,SPU have plenty of own good links, some of them even better than LJU.
Another problem is the economical situation in Slovenia. Slovenia is still one of the weakest countries in regards of FDIs, too many companies still under control of government and last but not least, Slovenia is well known in Germany, Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, Croatia. But most of these people drive by car to Slovenia, even for business. And those other coming to LJU or the coast, basically come for once.
Ljubljana is cozy, but nothing special and not to compare with cities such as Vienna, Venice, London where people are returning many times again. And as there is lack of foreign investments in the country in general, there is also less international business travel. And business travel on airlinks is essential to survive, especially in times where there is less leisure travel.
and as frequentflyer mentioned correctly, the current fleet is completely off productivity.
Also JP needs to focus on a more clear strategy. It can t be charter airline, ethinic carrier, business carrier, low coast carrier, regular carrier and this all in one. If this is cleared, the fleet will become differently and the destination mix can be reduced to what really makes sense and profits.
Will see where 2012 leads them, but that s not just a question for JP, 2012 is also the question to Slovenia, quo vadis?
OT:
ReplyDeleteWill this take away pax from Beograd?
"Starting January 1. Serbian drivers are no longer required to hold Green Card insurance when traveling abroad, because Serbia joined the system of EU's multilateral agreement that also includes Croatia, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Andorra, and Montenegro. "
Are there any ruomors of new airlines coming to the ex yu region? can somebody list them or give me some feedback.
ReplyDeletethanks!
@ Last Anonymous
ReplyDeleteDon't know about other ex-republics, but in Croatia there are roumors 2 new airlines are starting : Agram Airways ( by ex-Dubrovnik Airline CEO and owner Zeno Singer), and Dalmatian.hr
(by Z.Romic and foreign investors). Unfortunatelly, at the moment it's only ruomors.
Agram Airways....I can see bright future from the start with such name! What will be next Sesvete Airlines or Zemun Airways or maybe Pancevo World Airlines...really sounds funny, but again who knows? Maybe bright ideas are behind unusual names...all the best! (except it is money laundering)
ReplyDeleteI think LGW can be success specially during sumer with frequency of 4 and during winter with 2-3 times per week.
ReplyDeletedays like 1-3-5-7 during summer and during winter 3-5-7.
Plane should be at least CRJ9, note that new CEO is finally making some sense on the route network and fleet planning - what I mean.
Till now, Adria switch planes daily on the routes, by doing this, you can not make money.
If you calculate tickets on your LF and on one type, by sending other equipment you made loss anyway, or on this route, or on some other because of the change.
So new way is like all other airlines do, you plan your fleet and destinations and you stick to it.
So if you say, you will be sending A319 there, you calculate LF of I do not know 70% and make a good ticket prices, I think you even can compete with EZY.
As many PAX are transfer to the SE Europe, you make money twice.
I really think Adria should add new price range, like offering at least 5-10 seats per plane for prices like 120€ return, than 20 seats for 190 return and some around 220 return or something, and make good prices for Bussines pax - as they are returning (specially on VIE, MUC, FRA, ZRH).
And with summer I would return to CDG specially now when EZY is cutting the route.
And for transfer pax.
but JP know the best (rolling eyes)
Dalmatian.hr
ReplyDelete(by Z.Romic and foreign investors)
Sure, for 8th time they will start on Easter. They did not even start procedure for AOC but sure this time they will start flying on Easter. Without AOc :-)))))))
Wizz Air will be increasing Malmö from 3 to 4 weekly flights. The 4th frequency was added around the holidays and it seems to me that the additional flight proved to be successful and will be reinstated in summer.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Gothenburg GSE will be increased from two to three flights.
@ Sky
ReplyDeleteAdria already had Gatwick.... not so good load factor and money lost on flights.. not worth it
JAT may purchase ATR-42 for flights to Nis and Kraljevo..? just a possibility.. still waiting for the purchases! Airbus and ATR.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget the 767-300 Anonymous!
ReplyDeleteI bet that was sarcastic? We can hope for new airplanes , well hope the government will act and purchase A319's & A320's along w more ATT's. 767 is possible if they really wanted to i mean they know the demand is there and could start charter flights like were planned back years ago but at the time US gave restrictions. 2 weekly summer BEG - Toronto may work. Would be better in future when purchasing power is higher and more people visit balkans, but now would be good! Would fly on charter flights to toronto
ReplyDeleteATR's **^
ReplyDelete@Purger
ReplyDeleteYour an idiot. For starters the Dalmatian.hr project hasn't been around for eight years and as far as I know there has only ever been one interview with the project owner and I haven't seen any information on when they will launch. I've seen a lot of copy paste interviews but with no change from the original interview, its all in your head.
Agram Airways I've heard are chasing Russian money so it remains to be seen if this will also get off the ground.
I know JP operated to LGW =D
ReplyDeletethough that was 5 times per week in 2011 and 7 times till may 2010 I believe.
With bad prices, sure easy took most of the LON pax, JP just took what travels with casual airlines and transfer pax.
This summer, loads were quite good, but like I wrote, they need to plan the aircraft operation and calculate the right price.
Adria has 180 seater, why now offering some LCC tickets?
JP should offer morning flights to Heathrow and evening flight to Gatwick with 180,00 starting with 89,00 EUR up to 300,00 eUR return ticket!
ReplyDeleteWhat changed to make Gatwick profitable for Adria?
ReplyDeleteNOTHING
They pull out Lonndan and now soon back same route WHY?
BECAUSE they got tax payer money (AT THE CONDITION -fake justification- THAT THEY SUSPEND some loosing routes)
NOW THEY ARE BACk again hoping to take ADDITIONAL tax payers money because they have a "NEW" IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
It's Adria IT' HELL!
Ref. Ano. 10.53
ReplyDeleteTo name a guy an idiot just because he has different opinion than yours describes you very well.
Now, we all, know who we are dealing with.
Purger, again, no word about Milan / Zagreb in new CTN schedule.
Any rational reason behind? Would appreciate your opinion.