Jat sees passenger decline in last month of operations
Jat Airways has ended its 66 year existence by recording a decline in passenger numbers. The former Serbian national carrier, which officially ceased to exist on October 29, handled 104.966 passengers during its last month, a decrease of 2% compared to October 2012. This is despite the fact that the number of operated flights increased by 12%. The average cabin load factor stood at 63% and was down eight points on last year. Flights to Montenegro saw the greatest improvement with passenger numbers increasing 15%. Euro Mediterranean flights were hit by a 5% decline while passenger numbers on charter flights were up 14%.
In October, flights to and from Paris, Athens and Podgorica saw the biggest increase in passenger numbers while flights to Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport were hit hardest (however these flights were discontinued on October 27 which has influenced numbers). The airline can find comfort in knowing that in its last month of operations, it did not cancel a single flight. Jat, which was rebranded to Air Serbia in the final few days of October, recorded an 86.9% on time performance (delays under fifteen minutes are not included). During the month, the airline recorded its highest load factor on flights from Istanbul’s Sabiha Gocken Airport to Belgrade (operated as Air Serbia), Belgrade to Paris and from Tivat to Belgrade.
Overall, Jat Airways/Air Serbia welcomed 1.173.356 passengers on board its aircraft in the first ten months of the year, down 1.6% compared to the same period in 2012. The average cabin load factor stood at 68.8%, down 5.7%. All eyes will now be on Air Serbia and its passenger performance in its first month of operations. The airline is counting on a large amount of transit passengers in November, particularly on services from Istanbul and Abu Dhabi, which will see its flight times change from this Friday to cater for connecting passengers. During October, the airline operated its flights with three ATR72s, ten B737-300s, one B737-200 and one Airbus A319, which joined the fleet in the last few days of the month.
I suppose that these numbers also include the first few days of the new winter timetable? So it seems that Air Serbia will not really suffer from moving to SAW as some predicted on here.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know how JU's loads were so far? Excluding the first six days. Hvala.
Best case scenario for Nov. + 10%
DeleteIf there was 12% more passengers with 23% more flights LF should be much smaller than last year.
Delete10% would be pretty amazing if you ask me.
DeleteOff-topic - is it possible to download/get a link for a higher resolution pic of 737 cabin in this post? Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteI think this 737 is the one leased from Bulgaria Air.
DeleteNo, it's not. The business class seats are Jat's plus the Bulgarian ones have those disgusting leather seats in economy class.
DeleteAOU and AOV are horrible all economy Y144... leather seats and no space between.
DeleteI thought they are Bulgaria Air 737s because Jat 737s have 8 business class seats, and Bulgaria Air ones have 12.
DeleteWell, if you look closely the economy class has the old textile seats so this picture was most likely taken before the refurbishment of the fleet which I think started in 2009. It could every well be that they removed one row of business class which would make sense.
DeleteDarko, AOU and AOV have no business class seats. Once again, it's all-economy layout.
DeleteThis is 100% Jat's 737 cabin. There were 3 rows of business class very recently, sometimes reduces to 2 rows. Your cabin crew.
DeleteI for one will miss those old B733 interiors, I have many great memories flying them. :)
ReplyDeleteMe too, mighty plane indeed
ReplyDeletehope AS will improve its existance, am just wondering how. from 3mil pax on beg many of them were foreign tourists and businessmen, extremly low number of passenegers from serbia travelling by planes, all these years. and if they were serbs, that was again business trip.. if we dont have charter flights to egypt or greek island, we would be the nation which do not use airplanes when travelling, unfortinetly. yeap, its true. and yes, i forgot serbs who work and live abroad.. very poor when i think about this fact. thanks to LC companies and youngsters, students, something can be changed in peoples minds.
ReplyDeleteI really do not understand You. It will be fine if majority is business Western travelers since it would be then over 2 millions in Serbia. Serbs are travelling as much as Croats, Slovenians etc, which I can prove since in the many countries I saw Serbian tourists (on 5 continents, except S.America). Most of them spend last money for trips but enjoy it, and for that reason best LF is to Paris, Istanbul, Rome etc. I'positive that even INI flights (connecting or direct) have future as at least one "plane" travels from Nis to Germany every day by bus with tickets little bit less then air tickets should be. And AS is also for Serbs and NoSerbs everywhere and that number is not negligible. An even me in the past used airline with best product (first time, then price, after comfortableness even on long haul routes) flying with Croatia Airlines from Zagreb to Lisboa, having no sick due to the name, since the trip was perfect.
DeleteI'm giving You formula for 5 mill pax in 2015. Over 200000/year form INI and BNX connection flight , 300000 transit more particularly form Ex-Yu, Scandinavia and Thessalonica, 500000 more due to the better and cheaper summer tourists and short breaks, and at least more then 200000 Asia, Australia and Middle East going to Ex-Yu tourist centres (Montenegro, Dubrovnik, Split, Ohrid, Sarajevo).
i will be happy if your predictions are accurate in the future. i was just thinking about this i wrote here. and if we talk about nis, i think we tried everything to make this airport working, but they just do not travel by planes.. i agree that zurich, munchen and vienna would work from ini, but what about bologna, barcelona, budapest? why is norwegian flying from osl even to beg once per week??? or seasonal from cph and arn. and why are we all the time talking about smallest atr from ini to anywhere? i dont think its bad idea for AS to fly to varna, sofia and kyev, and to pick up transit passengers, but how many of them are going to be on these flights? and one more thing. yes, serbians are travelling a lot. go to websites of many travel agencies and u will notice how. BY BUS!!! these is more city breaks by bus to paris, berlin, barcelona, vienna, athens, rome, than by plane. from 300.000 serbs in austria, we use 2 daily atrs and austrian 2 or 3 daily fokers or dashs. its like 2 for both companies daily a319. i was flying to rome 3 times by wizz. on theirs planes there were around 50 people both ways. from around 180 sits. its not strange they ceased to fly to rome from belgrade. oslo was the same. and why is ryanair affraid to strart its operations from beg? serbia has 7mil people and only 3.5 mil per year using the airport of beg most of them businessmen, serbians from abroad and charter flights to holidays destinations!!! thats the point. maybe i am not experienced, but that is my conclusion. what to say...
ReplyDeleteNo money is the reason.
ReplyDeleteWait when Serbia is in EU...
From seven millions all younger people will leave.
Only the old people will stay.
If there would be no gypsies then in Serbia would not be born children!
That is why it is so important to integrate these peoples and feel as part of our society.
Their children will be once majority.
And it will be these people who take care of our old people because their children and grandchildren will sit in rich Europe and dont want to come back.
Jat Airways ni po domacem pravu ni po medjunarodnom rezimu nije prestao da postoji nego je preimenovan u "Air Serbia".
ReplyDeleteAir Jat is really bad. Now its mid November and it seems that only 1 Airbus is utilized. Where the hell are the rest of the planes????
ReplyDeleteThat is question for experts in AS new management.
DeleteAnonymous @ 8.28pm
ReplyDeleteYour comments are borderline racist. What are you trying to say?
-- Charlie
Charlie i think he wants to say that Gipsies/Roma are the demographic future of Serbia.He does not sound racist,quite the opposite...
ReplyDeleteIt would be very interesting indeed if not off-topic.
Most of the developed countries will build factories in Serbia because we have cheap and well educated labourforce!. Our young people can not leave Serbia over night or the next 20 years because most of the countries we want to emigrate to have big problems to employ their own young people!....Serbia will exist and for the Roma question.............dont count on them.......
ReplyDelete