Airports across the former Yugoslavia handled some 11.5 million passengers during the first seven months of the year, with four of them already welcoming over one million travellers. They will be joined by Pristina and Skopje during the month of August. Skopje remains the fastest growing capital city airport, while Niš takes the title once smaller counterparts are included in the tally. Niš is set for further growth, with Wizz Air recently launching flights from Dortmund to the south-east Serbian city and an additional four routes to be introduced by Ryanair over the next three months. Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport retained its title as the former Yugoslavia's busiest airport, with overall growth set to return in August. The airport is expected to see its numbers further improve during the winter with Air Serbia and several foreign airlines to increase operations, while Wizz Air is tipped to announce additional routes tomorrow.
EX-YU airport results, JAN - JUL 2016
| Airport | PAX | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Belgrade | 2.700.849 | ▼ 0.04 |
| Zagreb | 1.533.107 | ▲ 6.6 |
| Split | 1.230.536 | ▲ 17.9 |
| Dubrovnik | 1.059.604 | ▲ 15.7 |
| Pristina | 985.555 | ▲ 13.6 |
| Skopje | 931.565 | ▲ 20.5 |
| Ljubljana | 761.538 | ▼ 4.6 |
| Tivat | 511.060 | ▲ 7.9 |
| Sarajevo | 466.606 | ▲ 5.7 |
| Podgorica | 461.835 | ▲ 11.3 |
Ljubljana Airport's decline of 4.5% is being fuelled by its busiest customer Adria Airways, which registered a 12% decrease in its passenger figures during the January - July period on flights to and from the Slovenian capital. On the other hand, Sarajevo and Podgorica airports are now neck-and-neck with less than 5.000 passengers setting the two apart. Podgorica is expected to record further growth in August with Wizz Air recently launching two new routes to the city and Ryanair set to follow with a new service this Sunday. Meanwhile, Tivat Airport is on course to handle over one million passengers by year's end with 511.060 travellers welcomed during the first seven months. "Passenger numbers are up 7.9% on last year, while aircraft movements increased 10.1%. This was achieved despite technical limitations and decreased capacity inside the terminal building", the General Manager of Tivat Airport, Jovan Mačić, said in a statement.
| Airport | PAX | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Zadar | 277.006 | ▲ 14.8 |
| Pula | 234.632 | ▲ 16.4 |
| Tuzla | 173.845 | ▲ 46.8 |
| Ohrid | 75.776 | ▲ 76.2 |
| Rijeka | 71.477 | ▲ 1.3 |
| Niš | 38.450 | ▲ 449.5 |
| Mostar | 26.897 | ▼ 34.9 |
| Osijek | 16.045 | ▼ 3.4 |
| Banja Luka | 12.535 | ▼ 6.4 |
| Brač | 6.328 | ▲ 53.2 |
| Mali Lošinj | 3.892 | ▼ 38.8 |
Underperforming airports during the seven month period include Mostar, Osijek and Banja Luka. Low cost airlines Wizz Air and Ryanair are considering launching operations to Mostar and are currently in contact with local authorities. According to the General Manager of Mostar Airport, Marin Raspudić, both the airport and local government must first secure funds to subsidise one of the two carriers in order for them to introduce services. Next month, both the airport and authorities will approach one of the two mentioned no frills carriers and propose an offer. "They want to have answers by September. Every serious airline wants to have information so they can plan for next summer", Mr Raspudić said.
Podgorica will definitely overtake Sarajevo this year. Podgorica just got 2 Wizz Air flights and another Ryan flight this week. Sarajevo will lose Swiss and Turkish will decrease frequencies this winter. Also Qatar will not launch flights this year. The only thing that could impact Podgorica negatively is Montenegro Airlines and their winter operations. We still don't know their flight plans.
ReplyDeleteYes it is looking more and more like Podgorica is going back to number 9 this year even though Sarajevo is having a good year so far.
DeleteGoes to show that bringing a low cost airline to your airport makes a difference. Something SJJ management has not realised.
Delete+1
DeleteBelgrade Airport could reach 5 million if Wizz Air announces new routes tomorrow which I have been told they will. One of the destinations is Barcelona. Plus Air Serbia, LOT, Arkia, Aegean all adding flights to BEG.
ReplyDeleteBarcelona would be great. Someone in the comments here was also writing last week that flights to Spain would be announced soon. I guess this is it.
DeleteLooking forward to this announcement.
DeleteI think Aegean decided against increasing BEG frequencies. That said, seems like 2/4 weekly frequencies will get the A320.
DeleteSo Wizz will base a second aircraft in BEG?
DeleteWe'll know tomorrow but since Varadi is coming it will probably be something big.
DeleteUnfortunately, Barcelona will be missed one more time.
Delete&AnonymousAugust 30, 2016 at 9:05 AM
DeleteBelgrade Airport could reach 5 million if Wizz Air announces new routes tomorrow...
So you think 5 million passenger mark will be reached this or next year ?
Expansion at BEG could be a good way at chasing away any potential carriers that might come to OSI.
DeleteDifference between PRN and SKP becoming wider now. Doubt SKP will overtake them this year.
ReplyDeleteWould not make that conclusion yet. Lot of airlines are either suspending or reducing flights to Pristina this winter.
DeletePlus Wizz Air is launching Hanover - Skopje and CSA is keeping Prague flights over winter.
DeleteGood results overall. Nice work from Tuzla and Nis.
ReplyDeleteWho would have thought over a year ago that INI would be seeing these numbers. They have overtaken last year's annual result already.
ReplyDeleteI knew that from the very beginning, that after the arrival of low cost carrier Nis would do absolutely great. The best is yet to come because these results are based on only 2 destinations, Malmo and Basel. Wizzair has from this month 3 new destinations as well as Ryanair 4 destinations. Fingers crossed INI you are doing well!
DeleteApparently another lcc will start flights to Nis according to the mayor. An announcement should be made by end of 2016.
DeleteThey have been in talks wuth Pegasus, Norwegian and easy jet so maybe one of those.
DeleteEurowings too.
DeleteBanja Luka's numbers are pathetic.
ReplyDeleteIf they made a deal with Wizz Air when they were offered flights it would have been a different story...
DeleteBanja Luka should fill the pockets of a commercial carrier Wizz Air with people taxes? I thought Wizz is for free market, not socialism.
DeleteBanja Luka is improving. Growth in July was around 15%.
Delete@11:20
DeleteNow they're just filing management's pockets with taxpayer money for nothing. I'd be more happy to see it used for Wizz so that people can travel.
Also, let's not get into the very blurry discussion of the benefits of lcc flights and the net result on local economy (subsidies vs extra tourist and gastos income).
Btw they are still spending that money on the BEG route to have it 3 times per week and the prices are still quite high. Not great use of taxpayers' money
Da li si ti normalan ko ce od turista ici u nis ili banja luku? zasto bi iko donirao gastarbajtere koji inace putuju tim linijama? Malo para imaju Rajan i Izi? Ti ne radis ovo za dzabe vec za gazdu iz Wizza.
DeleteGood results generally. Macedonian airports especially.
ReplyDeleteOverall Croatian airports performing the best in ex-yu.
DeleteYes because of wars in the MENA and because of Turkish instability.
DeleteSo, Croatia has more tourists than last year just because of MENA and Turkish instability? Hahahaha, yeah, right! Overall, Croatian airports and Belgrade are doing a great job, next year will be even better!
DeleteThey are performing the best because of the war and instability. There would be growth but not this much.
DeleteCould we see PRN overtake DBV?
ReplyDeleteNo way. That could have happened maybe this year if visas were lifted for Kosovans but that won't happen any time soon.
DeleteNice work SPU, SKP and INI. Thanks for providing this info in one place admin.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteAnyone know how Belgrade and Zagreb have been doing in August?
ReplyDeleteZagreb is set to achive all time record @320k this month, no idea how Belgrade is doing.
DeleteOverall Zagreb is expected to hit 2.8 million pax in 2016.
Is that Skopje airpprt on the photo?
ReplyDeleteYes
DeleteLooks nice :)
DeleteSo SPU will become the second busiest in EX-YU with the end of August! Very nice indeed.
ReplyDeleteIt will be close but Zagreb will have at least 300,000 maybe 320,000 which should put it ahead of Split by at least 50,000.
DeleteIt would be 100.000 difference, and till end of the year there would be more than 500.000 difference in favor of Zagreb.
Delete@Q400August 30, 2016 at 11:17 AM
DeleteNo, no, Split should be busier in August, projection is 500 000 pax in August, overall Split will have around 1.74 million for first 8 months.
Zagreb is expected to hit 320k in August, or 1.85 million.
September I predict Split will handle around 300k, Zagreb too. October Split should handle 160k, Zagreb around 260k. Split airport than has almost no traffic for next 5 months, November - March = 150k~ total for 5 months. Overall Split should handle 2.25 million this year. Dubrovnik around 1.9 million and Zagreb around 2.8 million.
I expect in 2017 Split will hit 2.47-2,5 million pax. Zagreb will have around 3.1 million pax and Dubrovnik around 2.2 million.
And that is what I said also...
DeleteOT: Air Transat 2017
DeleteStarting for May 31st flights from Zagreb 2 times pw (Monday and Wednesday). In September and October flights reduce to 1 pw
That would be great. Only I would have hoped for them starting ops at beginning of May
DeleteOT : Sorry guys I'm from Greece and I need an info. Is there an inflight experience video of Airserbia BEG-JFK or JFK-BEG ? If so, could someone send the address? Thanks in advance.
ReplyDeleteWizz and Ryanair demanding local subsidies to begin operations from Mostar. They are people taxes. Nice "free market" competition!
ReplyDeletePlease don't do this.
DeleteWith a free market nobody wants to fly there.
Most importantly i think, it's a big risk for the airlines to start new markets, especially unknown /unused ones - therefrom they want to be risk free.
Gotta love the free market emptiness at OMO.
If that is what free market wants, nobody should fly there. You have to take some risk, particularly if you identify yourself as a commercial free market alternative. It is duplicitous to say so, while actually robbing taxpayers in some of the poorest European countries.
DeleteStimulating new routes with lower charges is standard practice throughout the world. Here it's called 'subventions' because the airports are a) government property and b) still living in communist times where nobody could be bothered to reason commercially.
DeleteGiven the above, I agree. Nobody should fly there.
Risk-free market is an oxymoron as competition always introduces risk. LCCs asking for risk-free market are asking to be exclusive and monopolistic operators.
DeleteLowcosters are making enough money to carry for risk of opening new destinations instead of bullying airport operators for subsidy.
Može li se na temelju ovih podataka o količini putnika i cijeni aerodromske takse izračunati kolika je dobit svakog aerodroma? Iako pretpostavljam teško jer pretpostavljam da cijena tranzitnih putnika, onih koji putuju na domaćim letovima i onih koji imaju polazno ili kranje putovanje nije ista, a niti je to vidljivo iz gore navedene statistike
ReplyDeleteNe
DeleteOT: http://www.novosti.rs/vesti/beograd.74.html:622658-PROSIRENjE-AERODROMA-NIKOLA-TESLA-Gradi-se-nova-pista
ReplyDeleteNadam se da ex yu sutra nece objaviti ovo kao vest, jer smatram da nisu politicki orjentisan portal
Delete+1000
DeleteSutra ide WizzAir konferencija i novosti... :) Can't wait!
DeleteMožda bude ovako: konferencija će biti najava Wizza da otvara toliko novih linija iz Beograda da će zato Wizz uložiti pare u izgradnju druge piste u Beogradu!
DeleteJAN-JUL Air Serbia transported total of 11.430 passengers on 250 flights BEG-BNX-BEG. YTD LF 70%
ReplyDeleteI wish they had SJJ-TGD. Beats a 5 hour drive on bad mountain roads but that will never happen
ReplyDeleteI wish that all major ex yu cities had regular, scheduled air links - in a way it is saddening that people here are way too accustomed to travelling longer distances alone in their car or if not available even taking long and very tiring bus rides. There still doesn't seem to be sufficient demand for air links - not because there is no demand in general but hardly someone is willing to pay more for a more expensive plane ticket - even if it is more comfortable and time saving.
DeleteSolid. However this only goes to show how much more potential there is in the ex yu market. Considering that the region has over 21 million people with growing purchasing power, since most of these countries are still emerging markets and the fact that you have growing number of tourists visiting, not just Croatia, but other countries as well. Serbia and Macedonia are in the process of EU accession, Montenegro too I guess? If you add Albania and Bulgaria to this region, that's over 30 million people. Recession is over, new infrastructure is being built...now's the time to invest and enter these markets.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to all and good job!