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| Belgrade Airport getting ready for future transatlantic operations |
Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport’s newly named acting CEO, Saša Vlaisavljević, says one of his main priorities will be to prepare the airport for long haul flights, which are expected to begin next year or in early 2016. According to Mr. Vlaisavljević, the airport will resume with its multi million euro expansion project by starting work on its third phase. It involves the expansion of the remaining A concourse gates, thus completing the upgrade of all of the airport’s departure and gate lounges. The project will culminate with the fourth and final phase which will see the construction of a completely new floor stretching over 4.900 square metres, to be built above the current terminal two building. The airport is also set to invest in aircraft de-icing equipment, busses and tech support. Further investments will be made in improving security procedures ahead of planned flights to the United States and Canada. “Our priority is traffic and infrastructure. We have to be completely ready for long haul flights", Mr. Vlaisavljević says.
The acting CEO made no secret the airport will be primarily assisting Air Serbia as it continues to expand. “Air Serbia has recorded the highest growth in aircraft movement out of any other airline. During the first six months this growth amounted to 76% compared to the same period last year. Therefore, the airport must adjust its capacity, infrastructure and staff, so we can fully support our national carrier”, Mr. Vlaisavljević says. He adds, “My first and most important task will be to improve traffic and infrastructure so we can take advantage of this opportunity we have with Air Serbia, which has incredible momentum. We will be a good logistical base for our national carrier so it can become the most successful airline in this part of Europe”. The comments come despite foreign airlines accounting for 51.2% of all passengers passing through Belgrade Airport during the first half of this year.
Earlier this summer, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) upgraded Serbia from a category two to a category one status, allowing carriers from the country to operate flights to the United States. According to earlier statements made by both the Prime Minister and Etihad Airways CEO James Hogan, direct flights from Serbia to the States are likely to begin in the second half of 2015. Air Serbia itself has never confirmed any transatlantic flight plans. According to Mr. Vlaisavljević, Belgrade Airport’s target is to handled over four million passengers this year, with numbers set to continue growing into 2015 with the introduction of long haul flights.
these old school analog timetables on BEG should be preserved for future.It would be a shame to remove them. Sound of a rotating panels is a mark of this airport.
ReplyDeleteThe ones on the photo are out of service. The ones on the top floor and arrivals area are missing some lights (green/red lights indicating boarding). I guess it's hard to replace those indicators.
DeletePosaljimo analogni timetable u muzej zajedno sa svim eksponatima proslih prohujalih vremena komercijalne avijacije Srbije stare punih 70 leta.
DeleteVas Rodney.
There are two Solari boards near check-in counters. One is dead, the other one (this one in the picutre) is operational and shouls be preserved.
DeleteI fully agree with the above written:)!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting comments for someone whos salary is paid by foreign airlines and passengers spending their money in the airport shops. Since Air Serbia is exempted from almost everything Mr. Vlaisavljevic should be very grateful for every penny LH, TK an others are paying (on time) each month!
ReplyDeleteYou should pull your head out of your backside and think about what comments you write ... where do you think that the 70% increase in transfer traffic - some 600,000 people - wait for connecting and onward flights ? At BEG airport of course ... and where do you think they spend their money while waiting for these flights ? BEG airport ... And who is the beneficiary of this additional spending ? BEG airport .... Indeed Mr Vlaisavljevic needs to be thankful - to Air Serbia, without which, there would be no need to be spending on airport infrastructure which foreign carriers are also beneficiaries of ... therefore, everybody gains from a revitalized national carrier ....
DeleteDane... stop it.
DeleteWhat's wrong with the earlier comment ? Seems to make sense to me...
DeleteNo that is not true. Air Serbia try to have minimum transfer time of 30-45 minutes. With that short transfer time you will spent no money.
DeleteBut in same time TK, LH, OS which start from BEG will spent money on parking, come to airport at least one hour before minimum check-in time and will spent much more money on bars while waiting + will spent some money on duty-free on way back because it will have all time in the world for shopping.
Bars? What bars? ;)
DeleteSounds a bit like "If you build it they will come". Good luck with rebuilding and long haul flights although I wonder will there be a long haul market to support this expansion.
ReplyDeleteVeoma uzbudjujuca i radosna vest za zavrsnu pripremu
ReplyDeleteterminala 2 za zavsno prosirenje i koliko je moguce njegovo priblizavanje terminalima danasnjice u tehnicko tehnoloskom, estetskom kapacitetu. Posebno je vazano obrazovanje zaposljenih i pratecih kontraktora oko terminala, parking sluzbe...u etickom smislu prema putnicima i posetiocima aerodrome. Tu vam je potrebno
ne ad hok vec stalna i kotinuirana kontrola, da bi novac koji ulaze ANTbio potpuno opravdan i od strane personala. Kako direktno zaposljenih, tako i s vih kompanija koje koriste, opsluzuju najvazniji deo aerorodroma a to su naravno PUTNICI. Od Gospodina Vlaisavljevica ni reci za rekonstrukciju terminal 1, gradji terminal 3 sa svim ostalim sto je neophodno i krucijalno da ANT BEOGRAD postane ne samo kapija Beograda vec primer ekspeditivnosti, transparentnosti, egzaktnosti uspesne kompanije sa Know How. U nadi sam da ce neko investirati i proporcijonalno upravljati rapidnom usponu ove vazdusne luke koja ce postati srednje velicine i pravilnih postipaka i primene ljud koji ce upravljati i raditi u ovoj obecavajucoj vazdusnoj luci koja za istinu mnogo realnog potencija obecava. U nadi, ocekivanju koncesionara za istinski preporod, tople pozdrave tek pristiglog na zimovanje u predjesenju Srbiju i rodno Kraljevo. Rod, Son & Co. Kraljevo /// Sydney.
Belgrade NT Airport is one of the ugliest airport I ever been. Instead of upgrading and rebuilding, adding the floors and making frankestein, I think they should consider building modern brand new terminal for 21st century. Btw I am not hater or so, just saying what I really think based on my experience. Well done Air Serbia though, looking forward to see some nice big birds in Air Serbia colours!
ReplyDeleteHave you ever thought about time it need to be build? No "magicni stap". To je realnost, a ne igrica.
DeleteAnd have you ever bothered to think what would happen if they launched long-haul flights before having adequate infrastructure? Exactly because it is not a game, the airline must ensure it has all the things it needs before entering the long-haul market.
DeleteI mean, for the love of God, the airline can barely handle all the luggage it gets now, imagine adding on top of all this transatlantic passengers/luggage flow!
So infrastructure should be executed, not the construction of entire terminal.
DeleteIt is a matter of funding and timetable, and plans are so tight, that there are no place for new terminal right now.
Stop expecting everything in a second, Serbia isn't so rich place.
Reply to Ann. Aug, 10:31
DeleteNot to say that BEG is beautiful, but would You tell me with what airport You've been comparing (where You have been). And compare full service with that airport (checking time, time for passing in both directions, missing service etc). I've passed through more then 70 airports worldwide,seeing better and worse airports. And, according to USA and other Western airports the main purpose is to be friendly not spectacular.BEG is being unfriendly during peaks, and due to that have to be improved mainly check-in and baggage service. I think that You passed not more then 10 airport doors.
ARN, IST, MUC, FRA, CDG, LHR, JFK, BUD, BTS. AGP, BNC, (BEG), LJU, SOF, AMS, DXB, BKK, HND, HNG..
DeleteI didn´t compare BEG with any another aiport!
SERVICE (1-10) 6
INFRASTRUCTURE (1-10) 4
AIRLINES PRESENCE (1-10) 6
GENERAL: (1-10) 4
By my experience
DeleteSTAFF (1-10): 3
SHOPS, BARS, RESTAURANTS ETC (1-10): 5
CLEANLINESS, INFRASTRUCTURE (1-10): 4
AIRLINE PRESENCE: 4
TOTAL (1-10): 4
Airports that I fly:
much better than BEG:
Amsterdam
Bangkok
Berlin TXL
Bordeaux
Brussels
Budapest
Copengahen
Dusseldorf
Fort de France
Frankfurt
Hamburg
Hong Kong
Istanbul IST
Kuala Lumpur
Las Palmas (Gran Canaria)
London LGW
London LHR
London STN
Madrid
Munich
Paris CDG
Praque
Rome FCO
Stuttgart
Taipei
Tenerife South
Venice
Vienna
better than BEG:
Berlin SXF
Bratislava
Bucharest
Dubrovnik
Graz
Kiew
Kota Kinabalu
London LTN
London STN
Monastir
Paris ORY
Salzburg
Skopje
Warsaw
Zurich
worse than BEG:
Antwerpen
Cardiff
Cluj Napoca
Epinal
La Rochelle
Ljubljana
Longyearbyen
Mostar
Ohrid
Pula
Sandakan
Sarajevo
Split
Trieste
Varadero
Varna
Volgograd
Zadar
Zagreb
your list is decent in my opinion purger. The only one I disagree about is Kiev. I was there 2 or 3 years ago and I have to say that Kiev is much worse than any ex yu airport including ZAG, BEG, etc. The terminal in Kiev is very very limted in duty free just as BEG plus the main downside is the fact that the terminal I was at is too small with a lot of people. There was no place to sit that day so I had to sit on the floor. The worst airport I have been in my life is PARIS BEAUVOIS that airport is hell. We Balkans like to joke about how our airports are like bus stations but in fact Paris Beacous airport is actually a bus station. I feel like it took them 2 weeks to build the airport.
DeleteIt seems as if neither of you have visited Banjaluka Airport. No any airport in the whole world is as miserable as that one is, comparing by anything.
DeleteLatest, not easy imaginable circus was in relation to its luggage X-Ray, security control.
Somehow, the X-ray stuff got broken three months ago. The subcontractor said it can not be fixed. A new one ought to be bought. The managing board took it for granted. The owner, the RS Government, had no money for such new thing.
After three months of such way of working without the X-Ray stuff, a retired doctor, but airport's subcontractor as well, the Head of the airport's Medical Services, called for one of his friends, a retired tradesman who had taken care of some medical equipment in some hospital for years before retiring. The guy came and repaired the airport's stuff while the finger. Amassing, isn't it?
The airport operator's technical director is an, more than lazy and incapable, ordinary bumpkin "which" is not interested in anything else except his enormous undeserved both position and salary. He's had no any other after-graduating, working experience anywhere except at that so called airport.
This is not the first time the technical director failed miserably but nobody cares. The airport GPU didn't work for about 20 days too. In addition to that, last winter the only 5 cm deep snow that covered the runway, just once in the whole winter season, wasn't removed from the runway. And so on and so on. The guy grabbed the position participating in the industrial dispute, 3 years ago. For three months, the personnel carried the luggage all over the terminal, from the check-in desk back to the main lobby, and then to the custom control X-Ray stuff in the arrival lounge!?, and then to the anti-drugs control point, and then out of the lounge, and finally to the sorting room which takes its position behind the check-in desks and the X-Ray stuff, having the luggage in their hands several times more than usual. The workers complained a lot.
Belgrade airport does not have the capacity to handle long-haul flights. It is unfortunate that there are still people inside Air Serbia which believe that both the airport and the airline are ready to handle long-haul flights. I mean, JU will barely handle 2 million passengers this year, their network will shrink this winter season and so will their fleet (due to the supposed retirement of the Boeing fleet lol).
ReplyDeleteOnly when they come close to 30 aircraft and when they have a strong network they can start thinking about long-haul flights. Until then, a reality check should be their top priority!
Megalomanija će nam doći glave!
ReplyDeleteDakle, dotični gdin kaže da će im prioritet biti priprema aerodroma za interkontinentalne letove.
Ono što mene konkretno zanima je kada planiraju da obezbede opsluživanje svih Atrova u floti nacionalnog avio prevoznika? Konkretno mislim na to da JU trenutno ima 5 Atr letelica a aerodrom ima svega tri autobuska gejta! Zašto se prvo ne pozabavimo konkretnim, aktuelnim pitanjima pa onda možemo sanjati o tamo nekim prekookeanskim letovima.
Ah Srbijo među šljivama.
Budimpešta pretekla Beograd u uvođenju interkontinentalnih letova, od oktobra će Azerbaijan leteti iz Bakua za Njujork preko Budimpešte.
ReplyDeleteИмали смо и ми, својевремено, ситуацију да је Београд био успутна станица на лету из Узбекистана ка Америци.
DeleteBudimpesta je do pre par gdina imala direktne letove, a ne tehnicke stopove.
ReplyDeleteDa, American je letio svakodnevno za New York, te Hainan za Peking. Dakle 14 tjednih interkontinentalnih letova. Nažalost u roku od dva tjedna od bankrota Maleva obije firme su se povukle jer više nisu imale feedera. Sjećam se da je na svakom letu BUD-ZAG na kojem sam ja letio bilo bar 30% kabine popunjeno Kinezima.
DeleteI jedna linija na zapad + jedna na istok (naravno ne mislim ovdje na Bliski Istok) je taman dovoljno za 8,5 milijuna putnika + tranferni putnici. Stoga i jesam skeptičan za uvođenje interkontinentalnih linija za Sjevernu Ameriku iz Beograda. Bojim se se radi o nerealnoj megalomaniji, te da je isto politička odluka. Ekonomske isplativosti za uvođenje interkontinentalnih linija na 4 milijuna putnika jednostavno nema. Etihadu je svejedno sve dok Srbija plača "luksuz", a vrlo je vjerovatno da će uvođenje interkontinentalnih linija značiti i anex postojećih ugovora koji već sada Srbiju koštaju mnogo kroz investicije, subvencije i enormne popuste.
Usporedimo li tadašnju BUD i današnji BEG vidjet ćemo da je:
- BUD bila više nego duplo veća po broju putnika
- Malev je imao više redovnih linija
- Malev imao više konektiranih linija (30 konekcija) nego što ih ima Air Serbija danas (19 konekcija)*
- Mađarska imala veću dijasporu nego cijela exYu zajedno
- Mađarska je imala u 2012. čak 10,4 milijuna turista (neznatno manje od Hrvatske), dok je Srbija imala tek 0,8 milijuna (dakle 13 puta manje)
* po broju realnih konekcija nisam računao na linije prema velikim hubovima poput FCO, AMS isl. jer bez obzira na pojedine putnike iz tih luka oni su bazično destinacija purnicima iz JI Europe i Rusije, a ne obrnuto, uz napomenu da ima i onih koji se radi cijene i drugi razloga odluče za tako što, no isto je bilo i kod Maleva
@ Purger
DeleteVidecemo uskoro kako to bude izgledalo. Iskreno, ocekujem vise saradnja izmedju AZ, AB, JU i EY, te sa novom partnerstvom sa AZ, JU ce nekako da komplimentuje AZ na svoje interkontinentalne letove, kao i sa EY.
Kako?
Obzirom da su skinute spisak Americkih gradova iz sajta Er Srbije, izgleda da je ukinuta aranzman sa kompanijama poput VS, AF i KLM, te ocekujem uskoro nesto novo sa AZ i AB.
JU i AZ bi slali putnike preko FCO koja bi dosli u tranzit za Ameriku. Zatim, kada dodje vreme, umesto AZ da otvara jos jednu liniju ili destinaciju za SAD, mislim da ce JU tu da uskoci, koja bi pored O&D putnike primio i tranzitne kako sa svojih letova tako i od AZ i EY.
Za sada kako gledamo stvari, interesantno je videti odakle dolaze tranzitne putnike i za koje gradove nastavljaju npr AMS-BEG-TLV, ZRH-BEG-AUH itd. Verujem da bi pored O&D putnike, u tranzitu bi bili putnici iz exYU, te Madjarska, Rumunija, Albanija, Bugarska, Grcka, Liban, Kipar, pa i moguce iz UAE.
Ovakav scenarijo bi izgledalo kao neki napad na LH koja bi najvise tu izgubila.
Zatim, da zboravimo na putnike, kargo takodje je jedan bitan faktor za ovakvih letova. Ako mozemo nekako da uvecamo izvoz za Ameriku, to bi odlicno doprinuo profite letova.
Iznenadio me otvaranjem VAR, jos kako se dobro i drzi, mozda ce nam iznenaditi jos nesto uskoro.
Uporedimo to sa vise nepostojecim Malevom.
ReplyDeleteI koja je poanta? Pa upravo bankrotom Maleva nestalo je i lilnija za SAD i Kinu. Dakle, kompanija koja nije imala tako megalomanska stremljanja jest bankrotirala, nakon toga nestaje interkontinentalnih linija iz BUD, dok istovrmemeno u BEG kreću interkontinentalne linije iz daleko skromnijeg aerodroma, uz daleko stromnije konekcije i sa daleko skromnijim brojem putnika nego je tada imao Malev. Naglasio bih da su te interkontinentalne linije bile obnašane od dva ogromna svjetska brenda koji su među najvećim kompanijama u svijetu (American 631 zrakoplov i preko 300 destinacija, Hainan 135 aviona i preko 100 destinacija), što nije slučaj Air Serbije (dakle broj potencijalnih konekcija u SAD-u će biti bitno manji, konkurencija je daleko veća, rejting je neusporediv...).
DeleteDa se razumijemo ja sam još 2010. Croatiji predlagao sustav valova i destinacija sličan ovom što ga danas ima Air Serbija (o čemu postoji i elaborat koji se pročuavao kako u Ministarstvu, tako i u CTN-u). No, čak i ja sam u svojim vrlo optimističnim i esktremno ravojnim planovima istakao da CTN ne može razmišljati o interkontinentalnim linijama dok god broj putnika ne bi prešao 5 milijuna, a broj zrakoplova 40, što nije realno u idućih 10 godina niti uz vrtoglavu ekspanziju. Isto tako to nije realno u dogledno vrijeme ni u Air Serbiji.
No, i tada sam rekao da bi linije prema SAD-u, Kanadi i Kini bile odlična stvar za iskorak CTN-a u regiji i da bi one mogle uspjeti uz državnu subvenciju, što ima opravdanje prvenstveno u razvoju turizma (logičnije je subvencionirati interkontinentalne linije, nego npr. Ryanair što se trenutno u Hrvatskoj radi). U tom svijetlu treba podržati nastojanja Srbije da pokrene interkontinentalne letove puno prije realnog vremena, no svima mora biti jasno da isto košta vrlo mnogo, te da je poduhvat poprilično rizičan. Čak i uz podršku Etihada, te eventualno "punjenje" rupa u redu letenja Etihada prema Sjevernoj Americi zbog nemogučnosti dobivanja slotova, tj. eventualnog punjenja putnika via BEG za te destinacije. Na koncu sve se svodi na matematiku (omjer uloženog i dobivenog), te na potencijale proračuna Srbije koji će to morati isfinancirati u lavovskom dijelu.
CDG is disgusting airport.
DeleteLeteo je i Uzbekistan preko Beograda pa nikom nista...
ReplyDeleteNot a single word from the almighty CEO about bus gates and luggage sorting facility. Only flashy topics aimed at the general public. What else would you expect from such an expert.
Anybody noticed that on AirSerbia web site one can not buy tickets to US destinations anymore. It used to be both JFK and LAX listed, in cooperation with Virgin Atlantic. As far as BEG airport they better sort luggage facility and airplane servicing, before thinking of improving airport for transatlantic destinations.
ReplyDeleteAko treba A332 moze i na pistu da stane ko onda kad je Etihad dolazio.
ReplyDeleteA nzm gde bi stavili 77W npr od ETIHADA ako pocnu sa njim letovi ili Air China malo je glupo pustati ljude na pisti da izlaze.
Malo glupo pitanje jel bi mogao da se namontira A380 gate na Terminal :)
INN
Letela je i Delta za BUD.
ReplyDeleteCan somebody provide me with Air Serbia numbers for flights to TLV, AUH, and IST.
ReplyDeleteKako ETIHAD moze ovo da trazi msm na te uslove , ako neko moze da mi objasni.Traze bas puno sati :http://www.aviationjobs.me/2014/08/b787-first-officers-etihad-uae.html?m=1
ReplyDeleteHvala unapred
INN
Velike plate,dobri uslovi privlace mnogo ljudi. podignes kriterijume i samo ce ,,krem" dolaziti u obzir... a s druge strane,nije im ovo A319, vec B787, mislim da je minimum requirement za njihov ,,entry" avion ( A319) oko 2000 sati total time...
Deletepozz
It seems that plans for selling the airport to the Arabs has
ReplyDeletefailed.
Thats a pity because the current infrastructure is a shame!
I can not agree that it's a pity. If the only one airport in use, in the country with 10,000,000 citizens, named Serbia, can not survive, it's to the bad managing of the state. It's like that because the Government is the thing which is in charge. All those airport managers in such states listen to the ministers only. Do you think the whole bloody state ought to be given to strangers? I am not sure you don't. Who knows, you might be right. As long as I am concerned, I would rather find a proper general director and provide he manages the airport the way he wants, not the ministers who by chance took the positions in the Government.
DeleteOT: European Coastal Airlines dobio dozvolu!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.jutarnji.hr/foto--na-otoku-za-samo-12-minuta-jutarnji-na-prvom-letu-hidroaviona-od-resnika-do-hvara/1215964/
Ja sam leteo na preko 50 aerodroma po svetu. Beogradski je jako mali ali uvek volim kad polwcem sa beg-a. Meni je lep i funkcionalan samo sto spolja ne izgleda bas sredjeno. Cak je i onaj put prema surcinu prepun rupa. To su neki nedostaci koji smetaju..
ReplyDeleteI am observing the strangest thing ever on flightradar24!!
ReplyDeleteArik Air Boing 737-700 is making circles inside serbian airspace at around 27,000 feet. First question is what are they doing there and second question is how can boing 737 travel all the way from lagos to nis-sofia area.
Maybe they are using Air Tehnika for their maintenance, the same way Transaero does.
DeleteI also noticed that! And I'm not sure if it's capable of doing that long flight, except if it doesn't have some additional fuel tanks. Pretty wierd.
DeleteSOME people, not going to name any names or anything, not going to mention anyone specific, are in serious need of a life. Just a random comment, not related to this post.
DeleteArik Air's 738 is still at BEG airport on the B apron. Apparently serviced by Jat Tehnika, that's why it was doing circles around the airport.
DeleteJAT used to lease its B733 to Nigerian companies, with the aircraft being sent to LOS. Also, when war broke out in Lebanon in 2006, 1 JAT flight did fly to DXB direct with heavy penalties to make the direct flight. The return flight was rerouted via LCA :)
DeleteDa li neko zna nesto vise o renoviranje gejtova a6-a10 i terminala 1, je su li samo gejtovi obuhvaceni radovima ili ceo T1?
ReplyDeleteOh great, genius is on the run again. He says that BEG will prioritise Air Serbia over other companies, because they have had a boost in traffic. Excellent. But what about money. He forgets to mention that Air Serbia is excluded from paying anything to BEG until 2016... ANYTHING! No passenger service, no infrastructure, no landing fees, no jet bridges... nothing! And all the other companies pay regulary. So, why to prioritise Air Serbia? Ordered by big chief Vucic!
ReplyDeleteCould this actually bite Vucic back. What would he do if the airports in Europe increase the fees to Air Serbia? Is that possible?
DeleteSerbia isnt Norway with large surpluses and cash reserves, a way to subsidise the airline is to offer discounts at its home base. Who said the subsidies needed to be money? This will last until 2016 if I remember correctly.
DeleteJU brings in ALOT of transit traffic who spend money in BEG as well as in Serbia. I think its outrageous that one thinks that an increase in 70% pax numbers from JU have brang nothing. If anything, Serbs are being employed to run the airline that is Air Serbia, as well as workers in BEG to accomodate the pax using and transiting the airport. Lets give the scenario of Jat Airways disappearing from the scene, a minimum of 1.500 people would be unemployed directly. But what about the money?
Transit passengers leaves money in Serbia? Yeah, right. They are using BEG just as a stopover, they are not tourists. BEG has been working just fine and would work just fine without JAT, if it had disappeared.. better that it had disappeared than to ruin BEG airport... 50 milion euros that are thrown in the air is a lot of money for DLH, Delta and any other major company, yet alone BEG airport which had been robbed by this deal
DeleteIm guessing youve never travelled.
DeleteBeing in the airport, one might buy themselves a coffee, maybe a snack, perhaps chocolate, a perfume. This is what I was talking about. Even transit pax shop on their stopovers.
Having said that, they are not tourists as you say, and tourists would of course spend more (accomodation, food, transport etc). But to sell that coffee, they need a coffee shop, with products to buy, with someone to sell what is offered.
Lets go with the scenario of Jat shutting operations. a minimum of 1.500 people would go without jobs directly from JU itself, minus 1.5 million pax and there would be less people to buy in duty free or the shops in BEG, and with less people spending in BEG there would be less people needed to be employed at the airport. Jat Tehnika would be without its largest customer, and would go bust, with a futher reduction in jobs. This is to start.
The 1.500 employees regularly get payed in Serbia, in Dinars, who spend their money in Serbia. This fuels the economy. BEG is still run by the government just as is JU, thats what you forget.
And this money you mention, this debts, where did it originate from. Government mismanagement. Our people voted in the government in elections to run our country for the duration of the mandate. We got fed up, so a change in party. Democracy. What hurts is the debt that was left behind. But we voted them in. 50 million euros is alot of money for any company. What to do? shut down the company that employees Serbs? employ more Germans to fly to our country, to be payed in Germany and spend their salaries in Germany?
You raise some good points.
DeletePeople here often look at JU or OU as a stand alone business. However, if run by the government one has to look at its overall effect. break even point in that case is slightly different than if this was private company. That's why governments can afford to subsidize loss making flights between Zagreb and Rijeka, or give a break to JU at BEG. Worst prospect you can have is millions of foreign tourists comming to Croatia using some airline that bears it's name while employing pilots and FAs from Netherlands.
Idealy you would have domestic company owning JU or OU so that it employs localy, pays taxes locally and reinvest profit locally and government only collects taxes and maybe some dividends. Unfortunately because of the level of economic developmant and all the wars we spend years fighting we are far from that scenario. Now we need Arabs or Germans to show us how it's done and as a result pure profit always goes somewhere else.
Anonymous August 27, 2014 at 11:07 PM:
Delete"Oh great, genius is on the run again. ...Air Serbia is excluded from paying anything to BEG until 2016... .... Ordered by big chief Vucic!"
Well, Mr..., thanks for the info. I didn't know that. So Mr Vučić leads the country as it's his private property. Looks like as if it's already been seen here in the Republic of Srpska, it looks like "Mr Dodik" scenario.....eh,...
Interesting that Air Serbia is supposedly going to fly long-haul to North America in 2015 at the same time that they have removed all US cities from their reservation system recently. If they don't even sell code-share tickets to NA how do they expect to have an own profitable long-haul route?
ReplyDeleteOf course, they are becoming a bigger joke with each passing day.
DeleteJust your wishful thinking ;)
DeleteJU had their last codeshare flight to the US in 2003 when it was with HY flying TAS-BEG-JFK.
DeleteSecond, the agreements JU had with VS, AF and KLM seem to have been annuled and possible agreements with AZ and AB could be on the way, waiting approval. Hence the removal of the N. American cities from the list of destinations on the JU website.
Shouldn't they have waited until the deal was done with AZ and AB? This way they are losing a lot of money.
DeleteThey dont have to. But its kind of silly if you keep feeding a competitor airline with passengers.
DeleteBesides, there isnt really a loss since its not JU metal flying to the US.
It is loss because now I will buy a ticket with Lufthansa all the way, while it could have been Air Serbia to London/Paris/Brussels/Amsterdam and then some other company to the US.
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