Wizz Air is set to commence services from Budapest to a number of cities in the former Yugoslavia next year after it secured subsidies for the flights from the Hungarian National Development Ministry several months ago. Sarajevo Airport has confirmed that Wizz Air will begin operations between the two capital cities in the spring of 2017. Flights to Podgorica, Pristina and Skopje are also set to follow. If the airline incurs losses on its routes to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro, it can seek compensation from the Hungarian government. Tender procedures to select the operating carrier for the abovementioned services was launched in April. The no frills carrier was the only airline to apply.
Under the tender requirements, the operating airline must maintain services on each route at least twice per week, the average age of its fleet cannot exceed eight years during the duration of the contract, it must be registered within the European Union, have at least one Hungarian speaking crew member on board and the aircraft used must have the capacity to seat at least thirty passengers. The flights will be financed from EU funds. The Hungarian Development Ministry believes the new routes, which will run under a four-year contract, will help boost trade and tourism. According to local media reports, both Austrian Airlines and LOT Polish Airlines were invited to take part in the tender, however, Austrian refused to partake after learning of the tender requirements, while LOT passed the opportunity as it was certain in a Wizz victory.
Budapest Airport says it is sees potential in the Balkan market, particularly within the former Yugoslavia. The General Manager of Budapest Airport, Jost Lammers, recently said, "The south Balkan region has not been covered by anyone, although there is significant potential. Travellers can currently only reach Podgorica, Sarajevo, Tirana and other Balkan destinations from Budapest via Vienna or Munich. These connections are missing". The Hungarian national carrier, Malév, once operated double daily flights to Pristina, thirteen weekly services to Skopje, daily flights to Sarajevo and six weekly services to Podgorica just prior to its collapse four years ago. Belgrade is currently the only capital city in the former Yugoslavia with direct links to Budapest. The route is maintained by Belarus' national carrier Belavia.
Any info on how is Belavia doing in Belgrade? (both Budapest and Minsk segments)
ReplyDeleteThey have been operating the route for quite some time so I assume numbers are ok
DeleteThey regularly use CR2 or CR1 on the route, rarely 735 or E75. On average 35 passengers per flight board in Belgrade for both BUD and MSQ destinations.
DeleteGdje je Tuzla.Neka se i Budapest ukljuci i u Tuzli Ne bi Bilo Lose. BUD-TZL
DeleteI fail to see the logic in these flights. Malev was successful on these routes because 98% of all passengers were transfers. Wizz Air, unlike Ryanair, does not offer the possibility of booking a connecting flights. Except for a few people I don't know who will fly on these routes.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteThere is nothing to worry about. All losses will be covered from EU funds.
Delete10:03
DeleteThis is a lie.
I also don't understand why they would subsidise those routes. Back in the days, MA was a leader and connected all those cities quite well via its hub and they were transfer destinations.
DeleteWizz wants to start experimenting with transfers in the future, primarily at BUD. Wizz wants subsidy to pay for this experiment. EC should cry foul over this, if they don't it points to corruption.
DeleteWhy not Introduce Route From Budapest to Tuzla.Ne would be bad
DeleteIf they fly say twice per week, how do they plan to fill 360 seats each way on these flights?
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't matter. The EU will pay for the empty seats for 4 years.
DeleteWizz won't care if they create losses. The EU will cover the bill. And thats the same EU that hunts down other airlines for receiving subsidies. Double standards at their best.
DeleteKroaciji nije pomogao PSO, naprotiv samo je ubrzao propadanje pa nece ni Wizz-u ova lakrdija od fer trzisne utakmice.
DeleteThe above two comments are prime examples of ignorant BS propaganda that keeps the corrupt system in place.
DeleteThe article missing key financial terms obviously doesn't help either.
I doubt the Hungarian government or Wzz Air released key financial terms to the press or public.
DeleteWell Wizz will milk taxpayers, like they always to. While of course presenting themselves as only true champions of free market competition...
DeleteAnd the beat goes on...
DeleteThey have released all details in Hungarian. FYI, it's peanuts. Using terms like 'milking taxpayers' and 'EU will cover the bill' just highlights the ignorance. Such hatred.
Guys the terms and conditions that are listed in the article are normal and same as the conditions for any other PSO route in Europe.
DeleteAt least two flights a week, at least 30 seat planes, at least one crew member who speaks the Hungarian language since flights will all be originating and terminating in Hungary.
The tender is checked and funded by the EU. And it is open to all EU based airlines.
Actually some of the tender requirements include that they have a maintenance base in Budapest and a Hungarian language website. Who on earth, except Wizz Air, has that. Please. This tender stinks.
DeleteOh, I understand, Anon. 9.25, 9.35. These are not subsidies, this is selfless sacrifice of Wizz for the good of the world. Oh wow, what heroes!.
DeleteThe carefully crafted stipulations of the tender, which excluded everyone else but Wizz were there just to prevent anyone else doing this sacrifice?
Yeah, right!
Hyperbole argumentation is worth nothing.
DeleteSome of the stipulations are just silly and shouldn't have been there in he first place. I wonder if CEE governments know any other way of conducting business. They should get penalized for this.
On the other hand, I don't see *anyone else* applying for those routes given that kind of support. All of the whining here is pretty much hate with no alternative in reality.
The way I read it is they found a legal way to support the only way these routes are going to see life, and made a mess out of it.
They could change tender conditions so that other EU companies could qualify. YM as well for TGD.
DeleteAgreed. A BS tender if I ever saw one. Doesn't justify the hate flowing through though.
DeleteNo wonder no one else applied for these flights. The terms seem to be in favour of Wizz Air. Obviously LOT realised this.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteI wonder why they did not put in a clause:
"The name of the airline should have four letters and start with W and end with z."
The age of the fleet is completely irrelevant. Legacies should sue HU government for this clause.
But what about Tirana? The tender said it was also amogn the required routes, while today's article only mentions Sarajevo, Pristina, Podgorica and Skopje...?
ReplyDeleteThis article is only to referring to routes in ex-Yu.
DeleteSo reports that SJJ won't be getting any real Wizz flights was true because these are subsidised flights that were agreed on earlier this year and now Sarajevo Airport is presenting it to media as something revolutionary.
ReplyDeleteSJJ was not stupid. Better that EU taxpayers pay for that parasitic model, than poor Bosnian-Herzegovinian citizens.
DeleteYou ungrateful Balkan barbarian! Don't you understand that Wizz is unquestionable force of good? How dare you question the dogma?
Deletefer i nadasve transparentan natjecaj !
ReplyDeleteToliko fer da se niko osim onoga za koga je raspisan nije prijavljivao.
Delete"Prosecna starost flote treba da bude..."
Evropska komisija bi trebalo malo da pogleda taj tender. Sramota je sta rade ovi "no frills, yes heavy taxpayer subsidies" kompanije.
+1
DeleteAli.. Ako se pogledaju uslovi ponuđenih subvencija vidi se da je suma jako mala i da nikako ne može pokriti nerentabilne linije. Niko se drugi nije prijavio, niti će pod ovim uslovima, jednostavno nemaju ekonomsku opravdanost.
Starost flote je jako velika glupost za koju trebaju dobiti po zadnjici, ali šta posle? Zar ima alternative? Ajmo realno.
Ne znam da li je suma mala ili ne, ali jasno je da se onaj ko je pravio tender jako potrudio da nikome drugome ne padne na pamet da se prijavi. A to ne mirise na dobro, ni malo.
DeleteCini mi se da se jasno vide prve rane koju je Ryan naneo Wizz-u. Ovo je put u Malev scenario. Samo napred ...
DeleteGet your facts straight. When Malev went belly-up they received direct financial support from Hungarian government and based five aircraft right away. Obviously there was no tender and Wizz got screwed over. However Ryanair had their ass kicked and are only recovering slowly now that a few years have passed.
DeleteAll of this is BUD specific of course.
DeleteGood, cuts the long car ride.
ReplyDeleteAnd, what is even better, potential losses will be covered by EU taxpayers. All good for ex-yu, except for Croatia and Slovenia, which are paying for it.
DeleteDidn't Wizz Air cry foul about the financial assistance Air Serbia received from Belgrade Airport in terms of lower costs for a period of two and a half years yet its ok that they get 4 year contract?
ReplyDeleteAnother spin attempt. Pitiful.
DeleteBeing awarded millions €€€ and peanuts per pax is not the same ballpark, not even the same league. I guess it's Monday, time to earn some sandwiches.
Yes, you should know. But hopefully they pay you in money in Wizz troll department.
DeleteAnd what is the value of those "peanuts" you keep referring to?
DeleteCouple of hundred k over four years. Divide by number of pax and it's obvious how bad it is. Unlike the millions €€€. :)
DeleteIts seems you are bit hysterical for a Monday, actually. By the way, rules are rules. If I kill one person or 10, its still murder. So millions or hundreds of thousands of euro in awards is still subsidized award. As I said, selective double standards.
DeleteNo point discussing it with you then. Lost touch with reality.
DeleteWell I'm glad these flights will start and it's good news for all the airports involved. I don't really care who pays.
ReplyDeleteEU taxpayers, including Croatian and Slovenian taxpayers.
DeleteAfter all the rage against any possible help to OU and JP, I guess this is a kind of poetic justice. Brought to you by LCCs, the champions of heavily subsidies "free market".
OT
ReplyDeleteJel se YM upokojio možda, pošto kada se klikne na njihovu stranicu, tamo piše da im je hosting za domen istekao
Ponovo u funkciji.
DeleteNe bih bas rekao da je u fungciji!
DeleteNi kod mene ne radi.
DeleteYet another example that subsidies are not necessarily bad... but only if Wizz, or eventually Ryan, receives them.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
The bottom line is in a few months there will be flights between these cities and Budapest whih is great news.
ReplyDeleteAnd all paid not by poor Balkan states and destitute local municipalities, but by rich EU taxpayers. My special thanks go to Slovenian and Croatian taxpayers. They thought they will not subsidize their Ex-YU brothers after seceding. Well, guess what, they thought wrong!
DeleteCemu inace toliki odijum protiv WIZZa oni kao svi LCC muzu lokalne budzete.
ReplyDeleteTo je samo reakcija na njihovu hipokriziju u vezi sa subvencijama.
DeleteDa je bilo koja nacionalna kompanija dobila takav tender, ne bih nas niko mogao spasiti od njihovog pravednickog gneva, sarkasticnih komentara, parola protiv subvencija bilo kakve vrste, i poziva na cistu trzisnu utakmicu.
Ovako ispadaju totalni licemeri, sa sve tenderom koji je gotovo namesten za njih. A sve o trosku poreskih obveznika za koje su do sada prolili reke krokodilskih suza.
They could operate BUD-PRN-SKP. That way they would ensure enough passengers to both destinations.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as the subsidies run out I have a feeling these routes will be suspended.
ReplyDeleteGreat. It takes almost half a day to get from Sarajevo to Budapest. Now it will take an hour.
ReplyDeleteAnd even better, not paid by Bosnia government of the City of Sarajevo. EU taxpayers will cover the bill through subsidies. What's not to like?
DeleteI would prefer the Budapest_Osijek_Sarajevo train to come back. Give money to international railways instead!These areas are so unconnected without a car you a dead. Can serve much more pax doing a greater service to tourists, workers and students.
DeleteOT:
ReplyDeleteYesterday:
LH2344
MUC-GRZ
CRJ900
84/84
LF 100%
Some flights on this route were cancelled yesterday, because LH pilots strike.
Normally there are 5 daily flights on the route.
Haplek
BEG-IST on the Atr today again, flight time 02.05.
ReplyDeleteAnd ??
DeleteNice! I love the Atr.
DeleteIt shows JU is absolutely fsiling in IST while Turkish carriers have great loads.
DeletePretty much all European airlines are failing in IST and many have suspended flights including Swiss and Austrian.
DeleteYet IST's number have only marginally decreased this year:
Delete-1% on domestic flights
-2% on international flights
Seems to me that it's not so much about lacking a market but not being able to compete with local airlines.
European airlines are pulling out because the fares are unsustainable, making the route unprofitable. Turkish carriers don't have a choice, they have to fly, but the fares are unsustainably low... All have grounded aircraft and delayed aircraft orders .... things are not good at all
DeleteYes but JUs cost structure allows them to be competitive with the Turks
DeleteWhat's the point of restarting routes by an airline that went bankrupt because it made huge losses based on its route network.
ReplyDeleteI also think the A320 is way too big for these routes. The reason Belavia succeeds on the Budapest-Belgrade-Budapest sector is that it has a small aircraft and fifth freedom rights on these flights.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if they will go for more than 2 frequencies to each of the cities.
ReplyDeleteTo two of the Anons above: As far as I know PSO routes must entirely take place within the country that grants the PSO support. I do wonder if there is no EU or other international regulation that clarifies this. Hence, I must question the legality of such support by the Hungarian government. And no doubt, other airlines will be checking this matter. Or does anyone here have well-founded knowledge that he/she can share as to why such support would be legal?
ReplyDeleteAccording to EU Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008 - if I did not overlook something - for a European Union member PSO is only eligible for services WITHIN the European Union, meaning between a member territory/state and a member territory/state.
DeleteI fail to see that these international routes are not PSO - therefore, for Hungary the PSO restrictions should be applicable, which means that Hungary must not offer support for routes to any non-EU destination.
To me, it really seems this HU support is not legal.
Unless it comes from their own sources.
DeleteWhich own source? From Wizz? No, Wizz is getting paid for by the Hungarian authorities/EU!
DeleteI have a friend. He work at Geneva Airport. He says me Easyjet is ready to launch Amsterdam - pristina and Amsterdam Nis. Anyone have information?
ReplyDeleteWhat? Seriously?
DeleteThat would be awesome for INI :)
I became such an INI bot, this is ridiculous...
DeleteINI also welcomed its 100.000th passenger today. :)
DeleteYes, but I do not know if it's real.
DeleteMy friend says me that.
If this is real it's great.
I'm from kosovo, I traveled from Dortmund to Nis.
DeleteNis airport is really great. Small, nice. really great
Thats great. How long does it take to drive? Private car or mini-bus?
DeleteThis will be a huge problem for SKP, PRN is much closer to INI and the latter has much lower fares.
DeleteSKP had a good run.
OT: Does Air Serbia sell model A330 like they do at Belgrade office for model airplanes of AT and A320? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteNot at the moment.
DeleteW6 from BUD will create additional competition for JU. In fact, JU is already facing significant difficulties due to improper pricing policy. They are loosing pax on almost all routes, LF descending fast. Management is not reacting timely to the rising competition. It's becoming an issue if the management is competent for the challenges facing the company.
ReplyDeleteOh dear!
DeletePlease don't feed the troll :)
Ohrid Katowice charter flights next summer...poles are coming back to the Ohrid Riviera
ReplyDeleteThat was already announced a few months ago
Deletehttp://www.exyuaviation.com/2016/10/warsaw-ohrid-charters-to-launch-in-july.html?m=1
I expect Prn Bud on Wizz to have a serious impact on blood-sucking Austrian and Wizz Skp Bratislava route!
ReplyDeleteMost K Alb. will opt for Budapest and a 2.5hr drive to Vienna!
Unlikely. It's 3.5 hours if you calculate bit of traffic, a short break in between plus airport parking etc. From Vienna to Bratislava - yes. To Budapest - mostly no.
DeleteEven so, Prn-Bud will be faster and cost efficient route to Vienna for K. Albanians.
DeleteFrom Pristina it currently takes 2.5hrs to Skp Airport (bus 2 hrs 5eur one-way ticket plus taxi 30min 20Eur official fare) + another 1.5hrs from BA to VIE for 8 Eur fare! That's a lot of money and commuting yet half the passengers are from Kosovo. It will make a difference in my opinion. We will see!
OT - KBP-ATH today on Aegean, around 50% LF.
ReplyDeleteHow was the service? Was it a Q400?
DeleteAerologic - you have finally come back to life !! And, as usual, not sure what is the point of the post.... Still, good to see you commenting on the BIG STUFF !
DeleteA320, older but with slim seats, giving you more space than JU. The service was above average with a proper meal served. I guess it's something similar to Air Serbia on longer sectors. FA's genuinely polite. On arrival in Athens, lots of people with JU tags flying in from New York. Aegean is a good airline and has improved significantly for the last two years since i last flew with them. Will comment later and convey my general impression after completing three more sectors.
DeleteOT 20.11. BEG-DUS LF 100%
ReplyDelete26.11. DUS-BEG LF around 35%
Ouch was the DUS-BEG the night flight one?
DeleteThus 67,5% on average. Not bad, not bad at all for November.
DeleteYes, DUS-BEG was the night flight, BEG-DUS was the morning flight.
Delete