Strong quarterly results for Priština and Skopje
Priština Airport and Skopje Alexander the Great have recorded strong first quarter passenger results. Priština Airport was a star performer. It handled almost 349.000 passengers in the first three months of the year, up 19% on 2012. The airport managed to record growth of 6% in January, followed by a surge of over 25% in both February and March. The strong figures also saw Priština handle more than 100.000 in the slowest month of the year - February. The strong passenger numbers were followed by an increase in the number of flights operated to and from the airport by 15.3%. The airport will have to maintain strong growth throughout this year if it is to maintain its position as the third busiest in the former Yugoslavia and not lose the title to Dubrovnik.
Skopje Airport also saw significant passenger growth, particularly last month when it registered a 21.5% surge by welcoming 68.223 passengers through its doors. Growth in January amounted to a modest 3% while in February the airport saw an impressive 14.2% passenger increase. In the first quarter, Alexander the Great Airport welcomed 185.948, up 12.5% on last year.
Both Priština and Skopje anticipate a strong summer ahead. Priština is to welcome SAS Scandinavian Airlines which will be launching flights from Gothenburg, Oslo and Stockholm. Furthermore, Germania will be inaugurating services from London Gatwick starting June 29. Construction of the airport’s brand new terminal is ongoing, though the exact date of its completion is unknown. Meanwhile, Skopje’s growth can be attributed to Wizz Air which has introduced a range of new flights from the Macedonian capital. The airline recently announced it will be increasing frequencies from Skopje to Malmo to up to five times per week from June. The low cost airline will also launch services from Skopje to Gothenburg City Airport and Stockholm Skavsta next month.
Those are great numbers for PRN and SKP. Well done and nice to hear some good news coming from ex-yu
ReplyDeleteafte that wizzair make from skopje to london from 2 times per weeks to 5 and basel from 2 to 3 now from 16 june from skp to malme from 2 times weekly go to 5 times ;) nice for macedonian people
ReplyDeleteI can speak about Macedonia, because i come from there. Of course the passenger number will increase, because a lot of people are moving out. I personally live abroad, and now thanks to wizz air i come 3-4 times per year in Macedonia.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, the success of our airports it's due to the tragic economic performance in Ex-yu countries...
I am sorry you couldn't make a living in Macedonia, but there are many others who can and they obviously increasingly use the services of SKP airport.
DeleteShould I ever decide to emigrate, I certainly WOULD NOT do it with Wizz air, out of logistic reasons: limited luggage u r allowed to take, and they land at airports in the middle of nowhere, so no connecting flights possible.
So much for your lament.
I don't really agree with you. In the worst time of the ex-yu crisis, wars etc. young people couldn't go abroad even to the neighbouring countries. Now young people, students and others are making weekend trips all across Europe.
DeleteI don't agree that the growth is driven by the diaspora because many of them living in Americas or Australia have less and less interest to visit their homeland like their parents or grandpas did 10-20 years ago. Nonetheless the economic crisis have prevented many of them forking out 10 000$ for airline tickets!! This refers to all ex-yu countries except Kosovo.
Nice indicators for both countries, hopefully they can sustain some growth come 2014 as well, I can understand growth numbers for Pristina airport as its only easy and fast way to get in to Kosovo, and Macedonia too some degree owes its good numbers to Wizz air, but hopefully other airlines also come in strong as both countries recover from Economic downturn.
ReplyDeleteLjubljana and Zagreb are also showing recovery and hopefully 2013 could be a good year for all concerned.
I dont understand what kind of "more easy access" has Macedonia than Kosovo?
DeleteIm happy to see that Prishtina has another high growth. Looks like the 2nd place as most buisiess Airport in ex-Yu is smiling to them. Since Prishtina is getting new airport and once visa free regime is on place, looking an easy second place for Prishtina.
OT: Wizz begins Tuzla - Malmö flights on May 29th instead of May 31st ;)
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