EX-YU airlines handle 2.8 million passengers

The national carriers from the former Yugoslavia handled over 2.8 million passengers during the first half of the year, representing an increase of 2.4% on 2017. Croatia Airlines, Adria Airways and Montenegro Airlines all recorded growth when compared to last year, while Air Serbia's figures declined, with the airline also operating fewer flights.

Air Serbia continues to maintain its position as the busiest national airline in the former Yugoslavia, despite a drop in the number of passengers handled. According to Belgrade Airport's half-yearly report, the airline welcomed roughly 1.076.000 travellers during the first half of the year, representing a decrease of 6%. The number of operated flights was reduced by 5% over the same period. The report suggests that the airline held a passenger share of 43.7% at Belgrade Airport. At the same time, foreign carriers recorded significant passenger growth amounting to 19%. Air Serbia itself is yet to publish any official operational results for the year so far.

Croatia Airlines handled 949.007 passengers on board its aircraft during the January - June period, an increase of 5.1%. Of those, 235.040 travellers were carried on domestic flights, up 5.4%, while 690.709 passengers flew on international services, an improvement of 4.3%. The remaining 23.258 passengers were carried on charter flights, up 30.7% year-on-year. However, charters accounted for only 2% of overall traffic. The airline operated 12.802 flights during the first half of the year, which is up 0.9% compared to the same period in 2017. The average cabin load factor stood at 70.9%, up 1.3 points. Loads improved on international flights by 1.3 points for an average of 71.2%, while on domestic services they were up half a point to 67.9%. Passenger carrying capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASKs), stood 992 million, up 2.5% year-on-year.

EX-YU national airlines, passengers carried in H1 2018

Airline	PAX (million)	Change (%)
Air Serbia	1.07	▼ 6.0
Croatia Airlines	0.949	▲ 5.1
Adria Airways	0.576	▲ 8.5
Montenegro Airlines	0.250	▲ 9.0

Adria Airways welcomed 576.377 passengers on board its aircraft during the first half of the year, representing an increase of 8.5%. Following a decrease in figures during January and February, the airline returned to growth from March, with double digit growth registered from May onwards. The Slovenian carrier introduced seven new routes this summer, while the number of operated flights grew 2%. Unlike last year, the airline no longer maintains services out of its former base in Lodz in Poland but is gearing up to station an aircraft in Padeborn in Germany in late October. Earlier this year, the carrier said, "Figures show we are on the right track, but there is still a lot of work ahead of us".

Montenegro Airlines handled 250.296 passengers during the first half of the year, representing an increase of 9% on 2017. The number of operated flights grew 6.6% to 3.209. The average cabin load factor improved three points to 65%. "The growth in all of sectors comes as a result of the implementation of the optimal commercial strategy, as well as the responsible planning of resources and costs, which all had a positive impact on our operational results during the first half of the year", the airline said in a statement. Montenegro Airlines accounted for almost a quarter of all passengers passing through the country's two international airports - Podgorica and Tivat.