Europe's busiest airline, Ryanair, is to continue expanding in the former Yugoslavia in the coming months, both independently and through its subsidiaries. With a handful of new routes already announced, more are set to follow, in particular to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The budget airline will operate a new service from Vienna to Banja Luka next year on behalf of its subsidiary Lauda and is also tipped to announce another new route within the coming days. “The service from Vienna won’t be seasonal but it won’t operate on a year-round basis either. Within the next seven to ten days we expect for an additional new route to be announced. At this point, I can’t unveil the destination in question, other than it being within the European Union”, the head of operator Airports of Republic of Srpska, Milan Račić, said. For its part, Ryanair noted, “We will continue developing our operations at Banja Luka and we look forward to opening additional services in the future and attributing to passenger growth”. The airline is also expected to finalise its agreement with Mostar Airport over launching services to the city but has not commented on the matter so far.
Ryanair has significantly grown its operations to Croatia this year, primarily through Zadar, and plans to continue expanding. The low cost airline handled some 550.000 passengers on its flights to and from the country this year. Out of the eight new routes launched to Zadar last summer season, all are expected to resume in 2020 with exception to Hamburg. Furthermore, the airline will commence a one weekly flight from Hahn to Rijeka on April 4. In addition, Lauda will introduce services from Vienna to both Zadar and Dubrovnik. Ryanair commenced operations to Dubrovnik this year with flights from Dublin. The company itself noted, "Ryanair has held positive discussions with the Croatian Minister for Tourism regarding longer term traffic growth and route development at its existing Croatian airports as well as potential new airports".
New EX-YU Ryanair / Lauda flights scheduled so far
| Route | Launch date |
|---|---|
| Malta - Niš | NOV 08 |
| Vienna - Dubrovnik | MAR 29 |
| Vienna - Zadar | MAR 30 |
| Dublin - Podgorica | APR 02 |
| Vienna - Banja Luka | APR 03 |
| Hahn - Rijeka | APR 04 |
Click on link for further details
In Serbia, Ryanair, will expand its operations to Niš Constantine the Great Airport this winter season with the introduction of flights from Malta in November, which will be followed up by a new service from Hahn in January. It will compete directly against Air Serbia on its new route from Germany. On the other hand, the carrier has scheduled flights from Stockholm Skavsta to Niš only until the end of the 2019/20 winter season, in late March, indicating the route may be discontinued.
Ryanair has become the third largest in terms of offered capacity in Montenegro behind only the national carrier and Air Serbia. The low cost airline has overtaken Turkish Airlines and plans to handle over 175.000 passengers on its flights to and from Podgorica this year, up from 150.000 in 2018. For next year, the airline has announced it will launch services from Dublin, making it its eighth route to the Montenegrin capital. As a result, Ryanair becomes the first airline to link Ireland and Montenegro with a scheduled air service.
In Slovenia, a market which was once served by Ryanair, the carrier is believed to have approached Ljubljana Airport over potential flights following the collapse of Adria Airways. The low cost carrier previously criticised the Slovenian government for selling Ljubljana Airport to Germany's Fraport, which it has accused of creating an airport monopoly throughout Europe. However, last year the airline began operations from Frankfurt's main airport which is operated by Fraport. Slovenia is currently the only European Union member state which is not served by Ryanair.
What could the new route to Banja Luka be?
ReplyDeleteHopefully BVA.
DeleteParis maybe?
DeleteBVA would make sense since France is not served from any airport in Bosnia even though there is a market.
DeleteGOT, STR, CPH, CGN, DUS?
DeleteHanh
Deletesomewhere were a lot of bossnians live
DeleteLast time they spoke of Ryanair expansion to Banja Luka they mentioned Thessaloniki.
DeleteI am saddened by NYO-INI but not surprised, Swedish economy is not doing well and all of their airports are reporting falling passenger numbers. I think this year ARN has a drop of 5%. With DY cutting more flights this drop will only increase.
ReplyDeleteI guess that's why OU flies seasonally to ARN?
DeleteSkavsta has +3.1% jan-sep. the reason is lack of demand
DeleteIf I'm not mistaken, drop in pax numbers is in part due to the effort by the government to make transportation greener by reducing air travel in favor of other means of transportation.
DeleteI hope they open BVA from Nis. There is a big diaspora in France, particularly Paris area. Don't know why they avoided it, along with JU.
DeleteRyanair is cutting Gran Canaria and Memmingen from NYO, I guess the airport is following the overall Swedish trend. I think Norwegian is cutting almost all long-haul from ARN which SK has moved HKG to CPH. Not good at all for Sweden.
Deletenot true Mmmingen is available in summer again
DeleteThen this was revised, on a Swedish forum it was reported the route was being cut. They just loaded the flights into the system. I don't see this route lasting long, it's bound to fail since there are way more options from ARN to MUC. Just like Wizz Air's VIE-MMX adventure catastrophically failed.
DeleteI think they just haven't loaded NYO-INI in the system yet but that the flights will go ahead.
DeleteThem starting Ljubljana would be very interesting. It would certainly shake things up.
ReplyDeleteYes and also whether expanding LJU's low cost offer could have an impact on ZAG.
DeleteWhy did they fail in Slovenia anyway? They used to fly to Maribor right?
DeleteI think subsidies ran out in Maribor.
DeleteThey did not get the subsidies they requested.
DeleteFrom MBX they could open Barcelona, Paris, London, Berlin, Memmingen...
DeleteAccording to an article on ex-Yu
Delete"The budget airline briefly maintained flights between London Stansted and Maribor in 2007 and 2008. Despite solid loads, the route was terminated after the budget airline hiked prices for a joint advertising program, which was turned down by local authorities."
I bet Fraport management wasn't planning to convert LJU into a LCC heaven like SKP.
DeleteAnd look how that turned out for LJU, particularly if compared to SKP's success story.
DeleteAfter a while LJU will most likely get out of this even stronger with better traffic structure and better connectivity with a mix of legacy and LCC airlines, but probably without insane growth rates. Which is fine. One thing to learn from LJU story is that it is not a very good idea to carry all your eggs in one basket. In case of LJU that basket at least was a "national carrier" and everybody thought nothing could possibly go wrong.
DeleteAnd talking about SKP's succes story, yes at the moments it seems like a great succes, but SKP and basically all country is getting more and more dependend on the sole airline, which is an LCC and is foreign - that means you have no control over it, except for subsidies and incentives. And when they decide to shift their strategy or maybe favourable economic situation comes to and end all that kind of airports could be in big trouble overnight. And even today, with all that traffic SKP has one of the lowest connectivity indexes in Europe.
This doom and gloom prediction has been about SKP has been going on for ages now. In that time, all that has happened in Skopje has been Wizz Air increasing their presence year on year. The argument for "being held captive" to Wizz Air's demands has been unfounded, if anything they have been a key aspect of the country's development. This idea that they will leave because the registration on the tail is Hungarian belongs in the past - they have as much interest in being in SKP as the Macedonians do.
DeleteOn the other hand, what is true is that LJU management didn't entertain LCCs and now they find themselves losing traffic to surrounding airports. Not suggesting they should have turned it into low cost hub but it was a short sighted decision that has led to a tragic loss of passenger traffic with Adria now gone.
'Connectivity index' is a primarily a made up metric to justify legacy carriers' existence. Not saying it's worthless but I wouldn't look too much into it in case of SKP. SKP has benefited an order of magnitude more with a dedicated LCC than if they had a legacy / hub model with 1/4 of the traffic and 'BeTtEr cOnNeCtiviTy'.
DeleteConnectivity index might be debatable metrics, but at the end of the day I would rather have multiple daily connection to few major hubs with legacy carrier on which you can travel anywhere in the world with one short stop and directly to big European cities. With LCC base you can have more passengers and more direct connections but mainly to secondary EU airports from where you can't even reach the city in under an hour. And traveling to anywhere outside Europe would take at least 2 connections or some strange unprotected combinations on LCCs. In which case your economy and people benefit the most?
DeleteOn top of that SKP lost Adria now which had a mini hub in LJU and offered one stop options to several destinations in Europe. Besides JU, has anyone responded to that in SKP?
Delete16:44
DeleteCurrent solution offers much more than any other would have. I offered a number, 1/4, since I have looked at the economics, and haven't ignored the fact that there's already Turkish, Austrian, Croatia and Air Serbia offering one-stop connections to Europe and whatever Turkish' network offers. So incremental connectivity of any single double daily is an order of magnitude worse in comparison to Wizz Air's current network and pax #.
You might have had an argument if there was a high unserved potential in SKP, but there isn't. Propensity to travel is already the highest in the region (excluding coastal tourist regions) if you look at population figures and take into account true traffic.
Good thing that DBV got them to fly under the same conditions as all other airlines. That's rare.
ReplyDelete+1 good work.
DeleteBad news, keep Ryanair out. They are doing a lot of long term damage to the aviation industry!
ReplyDeleteYes by giving thousands of people the opportunity to fly and increasing tourism numbers in places most people have never heard of.
DeleteLike cars did long term damage to horse and carriage industry.
DeleteI'm not a Ryanair fan but I agree that small airports for whose name most people have never heard of - example - Nis, Osijek, Maribor - should pay them to fly there. If you want to get tourists you will have to give money to Ryanair to put it on the map.
DeleteI'm not sure if it's true or not but I heard that Ryanair has a tendering process where airports actually send in their bids to them. If it is that's quite crazy. Why waste your money.
DeleteRyanair is a viable option only for 2 types of airports.
Delete1. secondary cities airports with no other traffic and local communities being prepared to give them money in return for some traffic and tourists. All that combined can have positive effects on the whole region without any major risks
2. Big, major airports for which Ryanair represents only small market share and can be a good addition to other traffic. Also at these airports Ryanair is not able to set their own rules.
For majority of other airports, going to bed with Ryanair as someone else mentioned, could be very risky. They are powerful enough and will probably scare away other airlines and then start to demand. And, except for some cheap holiday options, there is not really much benefit neither for business nor other passengers and also connectivity.
WOW Banja Luka. I also heard Ryanair are starting flights OMO/DUB in 2020
ReplyDeleteThat would make sense. Hope it happens, for Mostar's sake.
DeleteAny chance for them to open Dublin-Osijek?
ReplyDeleteMaybe if they change useless director of the airport.
DeleteI think Croatia Airlines tested this route around Christmas/New Year a couple of years ago and it didn't really work out.
DeleteIt is a route that can work during Summer season but not year round.
DeleteThe fastest growing Croatian diaspora is in Ireland and the emigrants are primarily from Slavonija.
DeleteRyanair used to fly to Osijek. They pulled out in 2017.
DeleteOSI was never meant as a passengers airport, population is tiny in that region and mostly poor. Back in Yugoslavia it was supposed to serve as a cargo airport half-way between Belgrade and Zagreb.
DeleteFor Croatian government best would be to just shut it down. With manufacturing in continental Croatia dying out I doubt there will any need for cargo flights in the future.
I really don't see a solution for OSI at all.
DeleteCan't wait to see what they have planned.
ReplyDeleteWe already see :)
DeleteNis - Hanh are not on sale anymore (were they ever?) maybe they will switch flights to Banja Luka
ReplyDeleteThey were on sale. I think it's just a glitch and should be back shortly. I also think ARN will continue.
DeleteSmall correction, they flew from NYO, not ARN. :)
DeleteYes, NYO sorry. Although they still fly there :)
Deletethey finally realised JU are flying there as well
DeleteI think it's just a glitch.
DeleteLJU to Manchester/Liverpool, please.
ReplyDeleteIt would actually be nice to see a LCC option to Ljubljana that does not involve the UK.
DeleteWell you have Amsterdam and Charleroi.
Deleteand Berlin
DeleteWake up Ryan Air! they should launch to/from Pristina too same like Wizz Air, easyJet, Eurowings and others are operating to/from PRN. Ryan Air has very good chance if someone reminds Ryan Air about Pristina.
ReplyDeleteWith the prices PRN has and no subsidies I doubt we will see Ryanair in Pristina any time soon.
DeletePRN have volume-based discounts effectively identical to SKP's 'subsidies'.
DeleteI wish Ryanair good luck and a lot of pax! I hope to see further growth from other airports in ex-Yu.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that they have never considered Pristina.
DeleteExtremely high fees, which are set by the government not the airport. Limak can't do much about it except offer subsidies like they do.
DeletePRN should have used the chance when Ryanair decided against flying to Macedonia a few years ago.
Deletethey didnt decide against ... Wizz simply chased them away by opening their routes on their own
DeleteThere are still some routes Ryan could give a go to SKP.
DeleteLike which ones? No routes that make sense are left unserved.
DeleteBravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteRyanair expansion in Serbia and Montenegro is bad news for JU.
ReplyDeleteYes Dublin-Podgorica will really hurt JU.
DeleteInteresting that it's only bad new for JU but their expansion in the region is not bad news for OU and YM. I guess they are such strong companies they are immune from competition.
DeleteHahahahahaha @Anon 09.33
DeleteYou made my day, thanks :D
Just keep away from LJU please.
ReplyDeleteYes because LJU has so much going for it at the moment...
DeleteIn 2011 Ljubljana Airport proposed for Ryanair to start flights out of Dusseldorf, Madrid, Oslo and London to LJU.
DeleteThis would be great. All those destinations proposed in 2011 would still make a lot of sense today except for maybe London.
DeleteConsidering the loads on Easyjet and Wizzair even London would make sense. Or even better, some other UK airports.
DeleteManchester or Liverpool would be good.
DeleteFor an airport like LJU its very dangerous to go to bed with Ryanair. Once they have a monopoly they will begin demanding. History has shown. Ryanair at big airports works only if there is strong competition or if the airport pays.
Deletedefine big airport pls
Delete:D
DeleteI hope they eventually open a baae in INI.
ReplyDeleteNo chance due to government support for JU.
DeleteAnon 09.40 please stop with conspiracy theories. People like you also claimed JU would be chasing the out of INI which obviously didn't happen. Give us a break por favor.
DeleteIt's not a conspiracy. With a JU base in INI it is difficult to see Ryanair doing the same.
DeleteYeah yeah yeah
DeleteLCCs have found out in recent years that single aircraft bases are very unprofitable.
DeleteCan't see any LCC basing 2 or 3 aircraft in INI.
Well, as long as you can't see it ...
DeleteOf course no plans for Sarajevo...
ReplyDeleteI think that SJJ needs to wait for new terminal. I was there few days ago, it was complete mess, out of 2 scanners at security only 1 was working. Full house of people, all nervous, complaining, multiple call outs for passengers, etc.
DeleteYou can thank Lufthansa group for that.
DeleteWhat does LH group have to do with Ryanair flying to Sarajevo??
DeleteEven when the new terminal is completed, nothing will change in terms of LCC presence in Sarajevo.
DeleteДали Краљево има шансе да добије Рајнер или Визер?
ReplyDeleteБар између априла и краја октобра. Или ће Морава бити
под монополом Ер Србије. Ипак у овом времену то није могуће. Јер војна писта је преслаба да прима авионе теже од
50 тона. У року две ипо године, по изградњи паралелне, цивилне писте, биће реално слетање свих комерцијалних авиона до изнад 200 путника. Наравно и карго авиона...
До тада ваља радити на тржишту и даљем обучавању
земаљске оперативне службе. И припремити тај Краљевачки аеродром за само одрживи саобраћај у центру Србије.
Другог лека нема. Оправка и преправка војне писте је неисплатива. А за војно ваздухопловство довољна и независна од цивилног саобраћаја. Који је посебно
захтеван. Растом привреде Србије ни аеродроми немогуће
се смањивати. Насупрот. Као и ауто - путеви. Србија неможе бити ван света. И није. Што је разлог напора да се потпуно
држава потпуно преобрази и промени. Има доста људи који
на томе раде. Има и оних који одпомажу.
Надајмо се у оне који практично мењају начин рада и живљења... ✈🌐✈
Rodney Marinkovic, Sydney.✈
Neće biti ni Wizz Air ni Ryanair na Moravi u skorije vreme zbog nemogućnosti da bilo koji avion sa više od 70 sedišta sleti tamo.
DeleteWizz Air is getting more and more some serious competition. Wizz was smart to enter this market early and I'm surprised others have been so reluctant.
ReplyDeleteWizz startegy solely relied on east europe - west gasto routes so no surprise really ...
DeleteWizz Air's focus in the last 2 years has been Vienna and UK (Brexit implications). Get informed.
Deleteand before that? lol
DeleteI vote Banja Luka to Manchester, in that way I would have direct flight :-)
ReplyDeleteDon't think there is enough critical mass for that :)
DeleteBosnians need visa for UK: won't work.
DeleteNot surprised about Montenegro being successful for them. The country is in need of low cost airlines. They used to refuse them to protect Montenegro Airlines under the pretense that Montenegro is the Monaco of the Balkans and is chasing after high-end customers. Glad they finally got to their senses.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteMaybe a Ryanair base in Ljubljana? It's always nice to dream.
ReplyDeleteMay your dreams come true ;)
Delete+1
DeleteIt's like building new roads. In the beginning they are deemed unnecessary then traffic comes.
Ryanair base in LJU for who? Slovenia is a small market, no diaspora and we don't want to have mass tourism. It would be really hard to fill 189 seat airplane few times a week to Vaxjo or Memmingen for example. Or Girona, Valencia, Hahn, Porto, or any other such airport. For those few slovenes flying with Ryanair you have a nice base in Treviso. Considering driving time, additional costs and all the hassle with Ryanair I'm more than happy with possibility to go almost everywhere in Europe with LH group from LJU for around 150€.
DeleteFR doesn't have a base in Treviso.
DeleteTrue, they don't have a base technically, but are operating some 20 daily flights, which is not insignificant.
DeleteGood for Yugoslavia and mostly ME for really working hard bringing more and more airlines.
ReplyDeleteInteresting fact is that FR are actually pulling out of BUD in favour of the new Polish Ryanair subdivision - Buzz.
My thought is that the Croatian coast and ME one will definitely benefit from Buzz and expect more Hungarian and Polish tourists in summer.
I heard that Buzz will expand to Europe´s coastal cities, Egypt, Jordan too.
Shame the Manchester to Zadar route has been cut short next year. Nothing in April or the last week in October.
ReplyDeleteIt was the same thing last year and they added April and October after Christmas.
DeleteRyanair definetely has to start flights from OHD (or SKP). They can do very well in OHD from everywhere since it's becoming a popular touristic place and they can use the Macedonian and Albanian diaspora too.
ReplyDeleteWow had no idea about the new Hahn-Rijeka flights. Nice addition.
ReplyDeleteYes but it replaces the route Frankfurt Main - Rijeka. So it's actually not great since flying to Main was better,
DeleteKeep this cheap unreliable lcc as far away as possible from LJU... We don't have masses of cheap tourists and drunks to go abroad and we don't need such guests here either. Go damage the environment somewhere else...
ReplyDelete"We don't have masses of cheap tourists and drunks to go abroad"
DeleteGoOpti would disagree.
I wouldn't worry too much. LJU is going to be a lonely island for years to come.
Delete@Anon 18:31. I really think that this general perception how slovenes are masively flying on LCC from all the nearby airports is overestimated. It would be interesting to see the number of passengers GoOpti and other shuttle providers are taking to Treviso each day and for how many different flights. If you have 10 pax from Slovenia on each of FR flight (and probably it is even less), you in total have some 200 pax on 20 flights in Treviso each day from Slo. I don't think such numbers (and even much higher) would sustain FR flights to LJU. And every time I travelled to Treviso or VCE, or VIE I didn't see masses of travellers from Slo. Few of them here and there.
ReplyDelete"other than it being within the European Union" - ofc... there is no destination outside EU operated by EU company from WB and it is not allowed anyway.
ReplyDelete"And suddenly you know: It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings".(Meister Eckhart)...start TIV.
ReplyDelete