Air Serbia is expected to launch operations between Belgrade and Brač in mid-May 2019, which would make the island its fifth destination in Croatia. "Over the past few years we have held a number of talks with Air Serbia with the aim of establishing nonstop flights to Belgrade. The short length of the runway, which was extended last year, was one of the obstacles but no longer poses a problem to our cooperation", Brač Airport's General Manager, Tonči Peović, said. He added that the airline is expected to introduce two or three weekly seasonal flights from the Serbian capital with an ATR72 aircraft.
The General Manager recently held talks with the Serbian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, Rasim Ljajić, to discuss the route's potential. "Air Serbia would cover the leisure market from Belgrade which consisted of 20.000 arrivals to Brač and Hvar this year, ethnic travel to cater for the needs of a large number of families, as well as transfer traffic due to Air Serbia's excellent connectivity to the Middle East and the United States", Mr Peović said. Serbian tour operators have also requested for Air Serbia to introduce services to the Croatian island in 2019. A letter of intent by agencies was submitted to the Serbian carrier earlier this year in which agencies committed themselves to purchasing seventy seats per flight.
Brač Airport handled a record 29.003 passengers during the first three quarters of the year, representing an increase of 37.8% on the same period in 2017. "In addition to Air Serbia, we are also in talks with a further ten carriers for flights in 2019, however, at this point, it is too early to comment on planned new routes", Mr Peović said. He added, "We are very optimistic about next year, especially since we plan to begin the second phase of our expansion project, which includes the additional extension of the runway, as well as the terminal building". The island airport intends on extending the runway from the current 1.760 metres to 2.400 metres, and widening it from thirty metres to 45 metres. Last year, Brač Airport lengthened its runway by 320 metres, allowing it to handle jet-engine aircraft. The airport has also outlined plans to expand its terminal building in order enable it to handle three aircraft such as the Boeing 737-800 or the Airbus A320 at the same time. The project is expected to be completed by 2021.
Bravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteDo they even have enough aircraft?? Especially if they start Niš.
ReplyDeleteThey don't. For them to start new flights they would have to reduce something else, unless they get more aircraft.
DeleteAir Serbia needs more regional aircraft and they need them ASAP.
DeleteOf course they do. They can always substitute Venice, Podgorica, Tivat etc with A319.
DeleteThe A319/A320's get busy during the summer with regular routes and charters so its not that easy. They didnt have the ac to start GVA this summer.
DeleteAdria's flights to BWK don't seem to have worked. Could Air Serbia's flights be any different?
ReplyDeleteAren't they resuming next summer?
DeleteNope. No flights scheduled for next summer.
DeleteThey operated with a too big/expensive aircraft. Had they flown with the Saabs story cohld have been different.
DeleteJU has a much larger network out of BEG, departure/arrival banks for transfers and the O&D demand to make it work, especially if they can sell seats to tourist agencies. This wasnt the same with JP.
DeleteASL should instead focus on linking INI with it's hub in BEG to feed its network instead of flying to an airport that handled just 30.000 passengers last year
ReplyDeleteFew years ago Nis had even fewer passengers.
DeleteIf tour agencies want to pre-purchase seats why wouldn't they launch launch the flights. Much less financial risk then Nis that way.
DeleteI hope it does not go over 10,000. Brac is beautiful and should be protected from mass tourism.
DeleteJU should start INI but only if the government would provide subsidies for it as a PSO route.
DeleteBEG INI 1350 1430
INI BEG 1515 1600
Unless they get more aircraft, they will be unable to launch anything new.
ReplyDeleteTrue. I'm hoping they lease or wet-lease some aircraft next summer like they did a few years ago with the Adria CRJ900.
Deleteas I read somewhere on this blog that JP just paid some credit back to JU with leas them CRJ900... i dont think they repeat it for money..
DeleteDude, you worry too much! Deep thoughts?! Save your energy! Air Serbia is doing GREAT!
DeleteWould be nice to see JU add to their ATR fleet, an aircraft or 2.
Delete- morning/evening rotation to SJJ boosting it to double daily.
- ZAG midday departure.
- morning departures to DBV and SPU to connect to JFK.
- To increase SKP, TIA, VIE.
- To start OMO, INI, BWK, ZAD.
2-3 flights make sense. With good connectivity and marketing, they could attract a lot of transfer passengers plus there is P2P demand. I think this could work.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteJU has quite a number of transfers to Pula, Split and Duborvnik in the summer. Brac would be no different.
Great news for Brac, I'm sure these flights will be packed during summer.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to see Brac developing network and infrastructure wise.
DeleteWow. As if that is gonna turn their fortunes.
ReplyDeleteTheir fortunes seem fine with 16 million euro profit. By being more conservative with network development, they have manages to make a lot of savings.
Delete16 million profit with 20 million state aid to be precise, meaning 4 million loss.
DeleteWhich is the smallest loss and state aid they have had in the last 5 years.
DeleteAs long as they don't make cuts to frequencies on other routes next summer, I will be happy.
ReplyDeleteSo we can expect next year just regional routes - Nis, Brac and Mostar. These are the ones they talked about.
ReplyDeleteNo, I think we can expect one of those three. They don't have the planes for all of them.
DeleteThey are moving around their ZAG schedule with the Sunday flight returning to BEG at around 20.00. They could comfortably operate a one weekly flight after that. I doubt there is need for more.
ReplyDeleteBEG-BWK 20.30-21.50
BWK-BEG 22.20-23.40
They did the same with BNX which got moved to having a 17.00 departure. Once the flight returns it rotates to TGD. They can do this with destinations that rely on O&D.
That makes sense. Although they wouldn't pick up many transfers with that schedule.
DeleteMaybe there aren't that many transfers so its wiser to use that aircraft elsewhere during the noon wave.
DeleteNemjee is right. Relying on transfer passengers didn't work for Adria and I doubt it would work for Air Serbia. There is far more O&D passengers.
DeleteNemjee that makes absolute sense what you wrote, especially for utility of aircraft. Only I would turn it upside down. First BWK, than ZAG:
DeleteBEG 17.00 - 18.20 BWK 18.50 - 20.10 BEG 20.40 - 21.50 ZAG 22.20 - 23.25 BEG
I use that route many times in last two years for business reason and I need as much time as I can to make business in one day and come back same day to Zagreb.
So, it would be good option
ZAG-BEG at 11:10 (or possibly earlier in same way in combination with some other airports)
BEG-ZAG at 20:40
for Belgrade businessmen even better:
BEG-ZAG 08:50 (or it is possible to do that even earlier)
ZAG-BEG 22:20
@ nemjee
Deleteive been saying for a while how JU should add another 2 banks:
1) arrival: 0915-0945, departure: 1015-1045
2) arrival: 1930-2000, departure: 2030-2100.
Perfect for these quick ATR turns enablimg better utilisation out of them (5 rotations daily excluding midnight wave). It would allow for more rotations like your suggestion for BWK.
@ Purger
how do you think JU does on ZAG and would adding an additional midday rotation be benefitial for pax like businessmen and transit?
with a 50min ferry ride from Split Brac airport is really not needed
ReplyDeleteOf course, that's why it fails to attract carriers.
DeleteIt failed to attract carriers for many years because of the runway length. But it is doing well now and I think it will attract quite a few airlines next year. 30,000 passengers isn't bad for such a small airport at all.
DeleteJe ali trebaš doć iz Kaštela do grada što opet traje
Delete@09.56
DeleteIt's not only 50 minutes ferry ride. It's about SPU being congested, about finding the bus from the airport to the city, about buses being delayed in season for traffic jams, about waiting lines to buy ferry tickets, about searching for ferry (usually 5 or 6 in Split port), and finally, and the most important about finding transportation from Brac ferry port to the final destination, which in season take time, money and nerves.
SPU is building a new airport ...
Deletesing your song ...
With the new terminal, not airport, only the first part of my post, SPU being congested, will change. All other what I wrote remains unchanged. And actually I do like to sing and people like to hear my songs :)
DeleteSPU bez rulnica ne moze bitno povecati kapacitete unatoc expanziji terminala.
DeleteI think 2 p/w would be enough to start off this.
ReplyDeleteI really hope JU begins expanding next summer. It has been stagnating for way too long.
ReplyDeleteBrac paris cdg from may 2019
ReplyDeleteSPU se blizi svojem maximumu.
ReplyDeleteBWK bi se mogao razviti poprilicno....
No, s postojecim brodskim vezama s okolnim otocima, tesko do nikako.
Trkeljaš gluposti. SPU se može proširiti do 20 milijuna putnika ... kad bi ih bilo toliko.
DeletePazite momci kad letite za Aerodrom Brac, on je veoma opasno mjesto za sljetanje kad ima Grmljavine i obilne kise,prije nekoliko godina na sljetanju se razbio jedan mlaznjak biznis avion iz Srbije- Business 55 avion YU-BSG, srecom pilot je dobar i je narucio je isti novi avion.
ReplyDeleteBrac airport should definitely improve its infrastructure at the airport. Unfortunately, the airport is not suitable for price sensitive individualists. There are only expensive taxis at the airport. optimal for charter guests, but that's all. there is no shuttle, there is no public bus that stops there.
ReplyDeleteMilna 400 - 450 HRK
Supetar 350 - 400 HRK
Bol 200 - 250 HRK.
Of course, if you are two or more, then you share the taxi. but as the single traveler, who only booked the flight, the taxi rates are expensive. pity that there is no shuttle or public bus service. I do not want to talk about car rental high prices because of the lack of competition. Maybe that's one of the reasons why Luxair flies to Split instead of Brac next year (considering single-seat sales on the plane)
Despite the transfer prices (shuttle, ferry, bus) it is cheaper to fly to Split to get to Bol, for example. Also, if it is more time consuming, Split is the cheaper option
DeleteTreba zaradit u par mjeseci za cijelu godinu. Ne daj bog da se preko zime uhvate nekog posla. Malo radit na njivi ili tako nešto
DeleteAthos ne lupetaj. Ne mozes generalizirat i sudit svima prema taksistima. Opcepoznato je da su Boduli marljivi i skrbni. Ponekad cak i previse, ima i viceva o tome. Ali lijencine nisu, sori !
DeleteMilna 400 - 450 HRK
DeleteSupetar 350 - 400 HRK
Bol 200 - 250 HRK.
These are reasonable prices. You land in the middle of the summer at lovely Mediterranean island and pay 30-65 eur to reach most popular towns.
Actually this route should be introduced but only as a charter flight where local tourist agencies should buy all the seats in order JU not to be in the risk to lose any money here.
ReplyDeleteThe task of JU is not to make tourist capacities of Brac full but to transport those passengers who would anyhow travel there by car under the risk of their car to be damaged.
+1
Delete20,000 visitors from Serbia to Brac this year?? That's quite a lot.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised OU doesn't fly more routes from Croatia to BEG during high season. Why leave all the traffic to JU?
ReplyDeleteWell even on the route to SPU as the only one OU flies from BEG JU sends the most often A319 until the end of October and at the same time OU flies from BEG until September with half empty Q400.
DeleteCan you imagine how "successful" it would be for OU to fly any other Croatian destination from BEG?
There is no doubt that JU is absolute winner when it comes to the air traffic between BEG and Croatian airports:
DeleteJU flies to ZAG year round with ATR72
JU flies to PUY seasonally with ATR72
JU flies to SPU seasonally with A319
JU flies to DBV seasonally with mix of A319 and ATR72
JU will fly to BWK seasonally with ATR72
ZAD expressed the wish JU to fly there
OU flies to BEG seasonally with Q400
JU is proving once again its solid position as a regional, legacy carrier.
DeleteCongratulations for the great achievements and excellent network coverage.
Nis, Brac, Mostar, Toronto... none of those possibilities came from Air Serbia press releases. No official updates on fleet changes. As if Air Serbia doesn't want to make official announcements until new management is in place.
DeleteThat's probably because current management is just counting the days to leave in 3 months.
DeleteDelaying those announcements, esp Toronto until 2019 will hurt sales.
DeleteTrue. Anything past an announcement in November for June launch would be far too late.
DeleteThey put JFK on sale in February and started in June.
DeleteThis time they should just announce it on the day of the first flight. All those other airlines announcing long haul routes 10 months in advance are wasting an opportunity to surprise everyone!
DeleteIf I did not get it wrong, JU will run scheduled flights but agencies will buy all available tickets. These are de facto charter flights. Maybe agencies will offer some tickets outside package holidays, but very few I suppose. The same way we could say that JU will operate seasonal flights to Preveza, Corfu, Lamezia Terme...the only difference will be frequencies.
ReplyDeleteI just spoke with travel agency in Toronto... I asked the owner what is going on with BEG-YYZ... and she said that she does not expect them to start in 2019..She held meeting in Belgrade and they were saying that the problem is Cargo... JU can not make enough money to break even with full planes to YYZ.. Cargo is a huge factor...this is what they are tying to work out. This made me very sad.
ReplyDeleteIt is about breaking even?! Is it ever with JU?
DeleteAir Transat and Air Canada combined from Toronto to Zagreb have a lot of cargo capacity but that didn't stop them. Air Serbia had couple of years to think about Cargo. Not launching Toronto or any other long haul destination could also mean the end for JFK. One plane, one long haul destination is not sustainable.
DeleteI dont believe cargo would be the only issue. JU struggles with JFK, 6 pw in peak summer down to 2 pw during the slow season. YYZ would have to go automatically with another destination. Bringing in another A330 because of YYZ would be financial suicide. JU simply isnt getting the transfer potential on JFK due to a lack of a decent regional fleet, a shortage of a reliable ATR fleet, limitations with its current banks on top of a price sensitive market that will not produce the yield it needs.
DeleteJU going after YYZ and PVG would be worth considering.