Lufthansa will enter the Montenegrin market next year by launching flights from Munich and Frankfurt to Tivat. Services from both German cities will be maintained once per week, starting April 13 and 14, with the airline's 136-seat Airbus A319 aircraft. The carrier will compete directly against Montenegro Airlines on the Munich route. The development comes following talks between operator Airports of Montenegro and Lufthansa earlier this year. At the time, the head of Airports of Montenegro, Danilo Orlandić, said, "Lufthansa, as one of the most important carriers in Europe and the world, should be our partner. The German market is extremely important for our tourism industry. Furthermore, German airports have excellent worldwide connectivity, so the launch of new routes to this market is vital for the public".
Other Lufthansa Group-member airlines serving Montenegro include Austrian Airlines from Vienna to Podgorica, Brussels Airlines to Tivat, as well as Eurowings from Dusseldorf to Tivat, with the latter two being seasonal. Mr Orlandić noted, "There is strong interest from major global carriers this year that were not directly present on the market in the past". Talks have been held with Vueling concerning potential new services between Barcelona and Podgorica, as well as British Airways over flights from London to Tivat. Other airlines which have already confirmed new flights to the Montenegrin market next year include Laudamotion from Stuttgart to Podgorica and Enter Air from Poznan to Tivat.
Montenegro's two international airports have registered strong passenger growth this year, with Podgorica and Tivat to handle a combined total of over two million passengers. During the January - October period, Tivat Airport handled a record 1.198.316 travellers, representing an increase of 9.9%, while Podgorica welcomed 1.066.341 passengers through its doors, up a notable 15.7% on 2017. Both have already overtaken their 2017 end-of-year result. The two are expected to be put up for concession next year as part of a single package. Some fifteen companies are said to be considering placing a bid.
Details for the new Munich - Tivat service can be found here, while additional information for the Frankfurt flights can be viewed here.
Great news for the country, bad news for ASL
ReplyDeleteOf course it's bad news for Air Serbia. Everything is bad news for Air Serbia. It is not bad news for Montenegro Airlines but it is for Air Serbia...
DeleteAir Serbia is the second largest airline in Montenegro by passenger number after Montenegro Airlines so sure it could effect them. But I doubt it will anyway.
DeleteIf you look at their times these are more for tourists rather than for onward connections, especially the FRA flight. JU will be unaffected by this. If anything YM is getting direct competition.
DeleteJU will definitely be affected when LH will be offering flights to its biggest hub.
DeleteMontenegro is JU's biggest foreign destination.
Burying our heads in the sand does not change reality.
this won't affect JU in any case. arround 85% of their paasengers to Montenegro are O&D, and of those 15% transfers, German passengers are miserable
DeleteYou're saying their one-weekly flight is gonna affect their 30-something weekly ones?
DeleteLook at the LH schedule. What exactly will TIV-FRA connect to?
DeleteLH is going to affect JU in Montenegro?
DeleteAre you serious?
Nice. I would really like to see more of Lufthansa mainline in the region. They only serve Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia but no flights to Ljubljana, Podgorica, Pristina or Skopje.
ReplyDeleteLufthansa is well fed by Adria from Ljubljana!
DeleteAlso from Pristina.
DeleteOS is also part of the LH group and it operates all these markets
DeleteTrue but OS has been sleeping for a while in the market. No new routes and no major frequency upgrades while the competition is launching more and more flights and opening new routes in the region.
DeleteEx-Yu is a very cost sensitive market. There is a greater chance of seeing Eurowings more in the region (which we already are to some extent).
DeleteI can't speak for other ex-YU markets but LH and OS have not been sleeping in BEG. OS added a 19th weekly flight and many flights this winter, even in November, were operated by A319 and A320.
DeleteSame for LH, offered seats are through the roof this winter. The A321 is very common on the overnight flight.
I think it all depends on how a certain market responds to their product.
LH will introduce 7 more weekly flights MUC-BEG starting from next March.
DeleteAdditionally LX is going to introduce new 7 weekly flights ZRH-BEG.
Congratulations BEG!
Well done Tivat. Lufthansa doesn't fly to much larger markets in the region so this is a scoop for them.
ReplyDeletePrelude for 4K buying Montenegro Airlines? ;)
ReplyDeleteExcellent news for the airport and passengers.
ReplyDeleteStar Alliance is starting to build a nice presence in Montenegro - Turkish, Austrian, Adria, Aegean, LOT, Brussels Airlines, now Lufthansa.
ReplyDeleteStill a few missing in my opinion - Swiss, SAS and Croatia Airlines.
DeleteMore competition for JU and YM but also more choice for Montenegrins.
DeleteJU isn't in the business of transporting German tourist groups so this only affects YM.
DeleteAnd they cannot do this at SKP? Real shame.
ReplyDeleteThese flights are for tourists. Now if LH launched TGD then you could be asking about SKP.
DeleteEurowings cancelled Dusseldorf-Skopje before it even started so I doubt we will be seeing Lufthansa anytime soon.
DeleteThey did fly to Skopje a long time ago.
DeleteOHD is more likely then SKP. as someone posted above these are leissure routes one weekly
DeleteSKP is clearly a gasto airport. The DOH-SKP route has a low LF and has been decreased in winter when usually most Europeans travel to the hot countries via DOH.
DeleteEven Barcelona was stopped this winter!
TGD is transforming itself to an important regional airport combining the Polish, German, UK market and a neat niche of FR destinations.
Most airports in ex yu are gasto airports and they still have LH flights.
DeleteDon't quite get your point
Yeah but LH probably thinks SKP market isn't big enough for both LH and OS.
DeleteTGD is transforming itself to an important regional airport bahaha
DeleteHas LH flown to Montenegro before?
ReplyDeleteBravo Crna Gora!
ReplyDeleteHopefully in 2020 they start Podgorica too.
ReplyDeleteGood news
ReplyDeleteCould Lufthansa mainline really work year round from FRA and MUC to TIV?
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed.
DeleteLuštica Bay is lobbying a lot for these flights and they are prepared to pay as well, just like hotels are paying easy jet to fly to Tivat or Porto Montenegro is helping Flydubai with Tivat route. Luštica even held direct talks with Lufthansa.
ReplyDeleteThe new Lufthansa livery is so ugly. Still I will be happy to see their planes in Tivat :)
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteMontenegro's market will continue growing as the tourism industry does. Montenegro could do so much more with its tourism if it had the right infrastructure in place.
ReplyDeleteThings are slowly improving on the infrastructure front. Same with the airports. Five years ago it was unthinkable that there would be so many airlines flying to Podgorica and Tivat including real LCCs.
DeleteThey realized that the only way tourism can develop is by improving air connectivity which meant enforcing the EU free sky agreement.
DeletePassenger growth is impressive for two relatively small airports. Congrats CG.
ReplyDeleteWhich German cities does Montenegro fly to?
ReplyDeleteFrom Podgorica to Frankfurt and from Tivat to Leipzig and Munich this year.
DeleteThanks. Germany is obviously a growing market. Enough space for LH and YM.
DeleteIt is interesting to see that LH enters Montenegro market taking in consideration ideas about 4K taking over YM.
ReplyDeleteIt either means that 4K is not going to take over YM or that LH does not stand behind 4K.
Otherwise LH would not make the competition to 4K if they really intended to let 4K to take over YM for LH.
Excellent. There will be more options for passengers to fly to Europe and beyond.
ReplyDeleteSomewhat true but both cities are just once per week and the timing of the flights show its targeting leisure P2P passengers
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThey should enter Macedonian market, flights FRA-SKP or/and FRA-OHD, as well as MUC-SKP or/and MUC-SKP, or flights from Nurnberg, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, etc would be VERY good, because MANY Macedonians live in Germany, from day to day more and more Macedonian emmigrate there. I can free say this because I live in Macedonia, and a lot of our relatives emmigrate in Germany. They may become between TOP 5 airlines from SKP and OHD. As well as Eurowings or any other German Airlines. [probably just dreaming ��]
ReplyDeleteMK markert is way too small and not very rich. Yes, many Macedonians and Yugoslavs live in Germany but if you check closely with you realise that Skopje is connected to overwhelmingly 10 German destinations, beating even Serbia comparable to the Croatian coast.
DeleteSXF, DUS, CGN, FDH, NUE, DTM, HHN, HAM, HAJ, FMM
With a network like this, you no longer need Lufthansa.
HHN is FRA alternative and FMM is MUC one.
TZL and SKP are perhaps the largest gasto airports in Yugoslavia.
As for Montenegro, the situation is similar to Croatia. You have a nice mix of gasto and tourism in the coast.
After all Budva and CG itself are becoming very popular.
Yes, but all those routes are served by a low-cost airline (Wizz air), for Macedonians travelling to Germany is better Wizz because of the price, but for Germanians is not a problem flying Lufthansa, there are a lot of German tourist in Ohrid thoughout the year, especially in summer. Route FRA/MUC-OHD would be super nice, I think. Also, many Chinese,Japans, Russians are visiting Ohrid, FRA would be the best connection for the people from everywhere, to get to Ohrid. I vote.
DeleteThis Orlandic guy the new CEO of Airport Montenegro after 20 years seems to be doing a good job. Very proactive guy.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteSmall Montenegro quietly growing. People finally looking for a new and mostly undiscovered destination on the coast.
ReplyDeleteNice work Tivat!
ReplyDeleteHope they extend them to year round.
ReplyDelete