NEWS FLASH
Low cost carrier Wizz Air handled the fifth-millionth passenger on its operations to Serbia yesterday, some ten years after launching flights to the country. The traveller arrived in Belgrade on a flight from London Luton and received a 200 euro voucher, which can be used on any of the airline’s flights. “Belgrade was one of the first airports we served in south-eastern Europe with services from Dortmund and London. Since then, Wizz Air has been constantly growing its network from Serbia. Today, Wizz operates thirteen routes to seven countries to and from Belgrade, as well as five routes in four countries to and from Niš”, the airline said in a statement. During 2019, Wizz Air handled some 895.000 passengers on its Serbia flights, representing a new record. "We are delighted to be marking such an important milestone at Belgrade Airport. We are very happy with the results we have achieved in Belgrade last year and the feedback we have received from passengers at this airport, which is important for the entire Balkans. Whether travelling on business or leisure, our crew looks forward to welcoming our passengers on board", Wizz Air’s Corporate Communications Manager, Paulina Gosk, said.
It took them only what, 11 years to achieve this? lol
ReplyDeleteThis year from Belgrade:
ReplyDeleteMalmo -1 weekly flight
Stockholm -1
Lyon -2
Karlsruhe +1
FKB is getting a more and more popular destination in belgradde.
Delete3 weekly service is huge for a smalltown of 300 thousand
BSL +1
DeleteDTM 3/5 flights not return right away to BEG, they are going to operate W flights with the BEG plane.
DeleteBasel was three weekly last year too.
DeleteIs FKB a popular city break destination from Belgrade?
BSL was three weekly on easyJet, two weekly on Wizz Air.
Deletewhat happened to HHN and what about the rest of the german cities?
DeleteThere is simply not enough demand for them, the market to Germany is saturated. For Wizz Air this is more or less as good as it gets in BEG. With there no longer being any free gates in the morning I don't see them adding more planes to their stagnating hub in BEG where they have collapsing profits as we read on here some weeks ago.
DeleteFKB is obvioulsy not serving only Karlsruhe (see it as a cheap alternative for STR and the northern parts of BaWü). Gasto-central
DeleteI see FKB is also getting a 3rd frequency from SKP after only 6months from its launch
It was 3 weekly on Wizz Air also. It has been for years, 3 weekly in summer and two weekly in winter.
DeleteFKB could also be a reactionary move to Eurowings launching Belgrade. With two big players offering flights from STR, FKB might lose its appeal. Wizz Air needs to defend the few markets they have left in Belgrade.
DeleteFKB does look a gasto airport indeed. W6 operate flights from BEG, KUT, SBZ, SKP,, TSR and TZL.
DeleteIt is also a holiday airport for Germans to Greece and Spain and has registered more than 1,2 million passengers in 2017!!
Clearly, FKB is the STR alternative and might hurt the current JU and future EW routes as W6 is increasing frequencies.
FKB and STR are also good for those who live in Straßburg.
DeleteMalta on W6 is doing great, full plane BEG -> MLA this (next) Sunday and it is only January!
DeleteMalta seems to be a rare destination that is so good for them. Hopefully they add a fifth flight soon.
DeleteMaybe Wizz can boost BEG with planes from other bases if there is not enough demand for A320 number 3.
Deletenot only Malta according to the last post here, all routes except for 3 seem to be fully booked
DeleteNo idea about the yields of course
Hey admin, is it ok to post the fare analysis of Wizz in BEG now?
DeletePlease find linked -
https://imgur.com/a/pKREuUj
Super interesting Anon 16:09! Thanks for sharing, dude!
DeleteIt seems that MLH and FMM aren't performing great neither.
And just look at LCA! Whoa! I am also surprised about BVA being so high in the ranking.
No worries mate. A couple of things:
DeleteYou need to look at the line to figure out if it's actually doing well, that seems to be Apex's projected 'break-even' line - so FMM is actually doing ok. Lower stagelengths are above the curve at a lower average fare. MLH is a bit below the average, true and BVA is nothing special. For LCA it's not comparing apples to apples since it's a seasonal fare so it's quite inflated and not really comparable.
Hm tha graph says it observes ONLY april to october.
DeleteSo the seasonal argument does not stand. On top of that LCA is not seasonal right now, don't know about last year.
thanks anyway, very very interesting
So Wizz has high fares and high loads in BEG. Their argument of charges hindering their growth doesn't stand after seeing this. They just want to rip Serbs off by not adding more seats to the market this expanding it further. Thanks but no thanks.
DeleteRe: LCA - possibly. I haven't kept track closely. By the way, they state they have *observed* Apr-Oct, however the actual flights operated might've been shorter, or quite optimized in shoulders as they normally do. Perhaps someone else who's kept track can throw in their 2c. Anyways a couple of interesting data points to bring some insights to whoever's taking notes.
DeleteAh yes, and you will also have posts like '17:03' who'd post the same thing regardless of possibility for an educated conversation. Cheers mate, always worth a laugh.
DeleteYet again we see why FKB is very important as a route when it comes to BEG.
DeleteFKB is nearer than DTM but still makes more money. NYO is a disaster....50€ and almost twice as far.
This shows that BEG makes around 55€ per passenger rough average in the summer season which also explains why W6 is not giving it much priority.
The golden destinations are BVA, EIN and MMX to an extent given the frequency and capacity.
Bless you 17:10, I thought it'd be years until I saw a reasonable analysis like this around here..
DeleteJust 2 comments, the line is not the break-even but their average earned fare for a specific distance.
Delete1) The actual break even line is lower because on average Wizzair makes a profit in BEG
2) We can really compare only if we assume that airport charges are quite similar for those airports. LCA is quite on the top but imagine if they charge 20 EUR airport tax and the rest 5 EUR :) I guess for outliers like NYO we can easily assume that it underperforms but for smaller differences it is harder to say.
Makes sense 17:19. Thanks for the comments.
DeleteAnon 17.19 I think those are only W6 fares without airport taxes, it's just what they charge, their own share not the final price paid.
DeleteIt’s the final price 18:40. Fares have been inclusive of taxes for a while now.
DeleteThe real question is if these are only flight fares without a carry-on luggage and other optional fees. My guess is yes.
God bless you Wizz Air for everything you have done in Belgrade. <3
ReplyDeleteI hope good will truly bless them. I think wizz is god's favorite airline in eastern europe.
DeleteGod doesn't need an airline.
DeleteOK, he can use helicopter, but for longer distances ...
DeleteEasyjet is the better product in all segments and I hope one day they push Wizzair away from the market
DeleteWell easyJet already forced Wizz Air to drop the W pattern for BEG-BSL flights. Because of the rotation to OSI the flight used to arrive after midnight back in Belgrade. That's no longer the case.
DeleteI think there is very little for Wizz to celebrate in Belgrade. The market is booming and it's mostly thanks to legacy carriers. Only shows how lucrative the market must be for carriers.
ReplyDeleteIs it booming?
DeleteDo we know exact figures?
Ok, BEG finished 2019 at 6.2m pax, but what is the breakdown between o&d and transfer passengers and by what % did each category grow compared to 2018?
BEG increased the lead in passenger numbers during 2019 over EVERY other airport in the ex yu region. It is clearly booming within the scope coverage of this site.
DeleteNot only that but foreign airlines and expanding rapidly their presence in Belgrade and they are not relying on transfers in BEG. This shows local demand is becoming healthier and Wizz Air doesn't know how to make the best of it. I guess they are too busy complaining about high airport charges while they themselves keep their fare unrealistically high. How can they be as expensive as JU-AF to Paris when they fly to BVA in stead of CDG?
DeleteI used to fly with them on regular basis from Luton to Belgrade. Horrible value for money especially in recent times when their fares have considerably gone up on this particular route. I am speaking about being more or less the same as JU from Heathrow. Last winter we had to go down to the tarmac via stairs while snow was falling. The stairs were covered in ice and I was surprised no one fell and broke their neck.
ReplyDeleteWhen flying from London you can find a really good deal with LH or OS for as little as 150 Pounds. No need to be ripped off by JU or W6.
what is the "normal" price of JU and W6?
DeleteIs there a big diaspora in LON?
Is BEG a popular weekend destination for Britons? They love their stag-dos in affordable cities.
Wizz Air in summer is never less than 25.000 Dinars without luggage, that's around €210. Very often prices are higher than €300.
DeleteHope to see them launch AUH-BEG in the future. The market is massive and fares are high.
ReplyDeleteIt is needless to say that W6 never gave Serbia a priority. It is also needless to say that TSR managed to persuade notherners to fly from it, especially those going to UK and Spain. It is clear that with 2 weekly LTN frequencies in February from BEG, W6 is nothing but serious compared to 5 weekly from TSR.
ReplyDeleteTSR-VLC will also compete with the future BEG-VLC JU route.
LTN is three weekly on A321 all winter and 4 weekly during the summer. I agree about flights to Spain though.
DeleteWizz Air is suspending two routes from TSR, it's hardly a success story for them.
Deleteyou forget that Romanians dont need visas for Uk plus they can work there.
DeleteAnd even with all that TSR can't get a daily rotation to Luton.
Deletecome on they have 10x weekly from TSR to Luton in summer schedule.
Deletethey serve 10 romanian destinations from London airports. that is massive
Exactly because there is a large Romanian community in London. There isn't a Serbian one so the number of flights isn't as big.
DeleteExactly. Both TSR and BEG have the same number of W6 planes based, showing how unserious and passive they are in BEG. How come you have so many few flights to Luton??
DeleteMacedonians also need visa for UK but SkP has more flights. Same goes to TIA.
Additionally, TSR currently has cheaper prices to Spain compared to BEG.
Vinci should try and approach W6 and talk with them for more routes.
TSR doesn't have LHR flights, BEG does. So at least people who fly from BEG have a choice of two London airport, do people in Timisoara have the same luxury? I would say no.
DeleteAlso if flights to Spain from TSR are cheaper than they are from Belgrade,it can only indicate that their performance isn't great. You know since Wizz has a monopoly there and the flight time is some 35 minutes longer than it is from Belgrade.
TSR finished 2019 with 1.59 passengers, hardly impressive. At least not given the way you write about them.
Last Anon, LOL
DeleteHave you ever heard of OPEX? Flight distance is not the only cost airlines have. What a conclusion, made my day haha
TSR might have handled 1,6 million passengers - this is 26% of what BEG makes - still a huge figure for a regional airport with this size and notbeing a capital.
DeleteIf the trend continues then the 26% might reach 40% around 2022.
exactly. im sure that fanboy isnt even from BEG :D comparing a regional TSR with capital BEG is hillarios. both are doing great btw.
DeleteTSR is slowing down. FR left, Wizz brought another plane and ended up suspending two destinations. Do they even have anything new announced for 2020? I know BEG has a lot, maybe even most in a wider region. Things are looking up for Belgrade. It's their time to shine now.
DeleteTSR expanded much more when it comes to new routes. What about TLV and MAD?
DeleteNumbers in BEG are because of TGD and ZRH mainly but okay. Time will show. Thank you.
I think what we are seeing here are delusional comments caused by a mental breakdown from seeing JU's growth. What about MAD and TLV? JU not only launched MAD but increased it in 2020. To TLV you have three airlines flying: Air Serbia, Israir and Arkia.
DeleteZRH and TGD are definitely busy but they hardly have 3 million passengers combined. Let me remind you IST has 21 weekly flights, 25 this summer. Moscow is 35 weekly this summer, CDG 21, VIE 37 weekly and so on.
Hope you recover soon.
You can't compare TGD and ZRH to CDG or Moskva...molim te.
DeleteJust imagine giving W6 a chance to launch BEG-TGD using A321 230 seater.....this is the real route!
As opposed to others that are fake? Please stop embarrassing yourself.
Delete2.5 million people that got home at an affordable price. Thank you Wizzair
ReplyDelete:)
DeleteOnly a fraction of those were afforable. Many paid very expensive tickets, for example to London during summer. No thanks from me.
Delete"During 2019, Wizz Air handled some 895.000 passengers on its Serbia flights"
ReplyDeleteWhat are the BEG figures for 18 and 19, is there an increase and by how much?
They had very good growth. Added around 100.000 passengers
DeleteI am curious to see how they peform in 2020 with the cuts.
DeleteGreat performance this week out of BEG.
ReplyDeleteFlights are full (DESPITE all the haters) except for:
DTM
GOT
LCA
Shame about GOT but Sweden is slowly going into a recession, even TK is reducing GOT.
DeleteTK is reducing flights because of its own problems.
DeleteBoth ginafinan and fleet shortages due to MAX disaster.
Ginafian is definitely a reason but the state of Swedish economy is to blame here. Many airlines have reduced flights to Sweden. Norwegian cut all long-haul from Stockholm. SAS moved HKG flights to Copenhagen. Flights to Shanghai have been suspended in winter. Tarom just announced the suspension of flights until the summer season. SK discontinued Oulu just yesterday. EK numbers in 2019 fell by 9%. TK downgraded one A330 flight to A321...
DeleteSweden is definitely not doing well and their currency has lost a lot of value.
Sweden's economy is in a far better state than Turkey's.
DeleteYet it's not only Turkish airlines closing or reducing flights to Sweden. What's up with that then? Explain!
Deletewhat is Ginafinan?
DeleteProbably autocorrect XD
DeleteIt disgusts me how disrespectful some people here talk about the so called "gasto routes". These people went there to work and survive and are sending back home billions of Euros.
ReplyDeleteSo please allow them to fly the gasto routes on a gasto airline, come and bring home money. Money that benefits all of you. You can then fly the premium airlines with metal cuttlery financed with state tax money.
So you are complaining how others are disrespecting gastos but then you go on disrespecting those who stayed behind? You are no better than those you attack.
Deletegasto route is a nice synonim we use here for distinguishing between leissure routes, routes catered mostly for biz and transfer passengers, routes mainly used for VFR (aka gasto or officially etnic traffic which i find very xenophobic). Im a gastarbeiter child and I also use gasto routes (Balkan humor)
DeleteJust wait and see how those two A320s end in Abu Dhabi at the end. And I am so glad that you will be so happy. Than we wait for them to leave N.Macedonia and than you don't have to bother yourself anymore about writing hate comments. This forum would become better place, despite 50 people staying with no job with pretty nice salary, but who cares.
ReplyDelete+1
Deletecrazy how the notion of a "national carrier" can blur the eyes of so many people here
Airlines come and go. Sometimes it's fleet shortage as with short TAP presence in Belgrade, sometimes it has to do with slots (British Airways) or other business decisions (KLM). Sometimes they go and come back, like Air France. There were no bitter emotions, no one cursing national carrier and no drama when those airlines let go local employees. Wizz is no different.
DeleteWhy were my comments deleted especially the one where I said A320s are not going to AUH but rather A321neo which they do not have stationed in Belgrade meaning Anon 15.01 was wrong. Very wrong I would say.
DeleteWe would like some Wizz Air flights from Belgrade to Valencia or Andalucia, also to Morroco :)
ReplyDeleteYes, dear <3 :*
DeleteAndalucía is just precious. Málaga, the city of Antonio Banderas..amazing Sevilla with its flamenco and Cádiz tapas yummy. Granada, Nerja, Ronda are all incredible places!
W6 actually flies to 13 Spanish airports vs FR's 26! Just unbelievable that only SKP is connected to Spain by W6 to BCN.
So many possibilities:
BEG-VLC
BEG-SVQ
BEG-PMI
BEG-AGP
BEG-SDR
ZAG-SVQ
ZAG-PMI
LJU-BCN
List can go on and on...time for more Spain --> ex-Yu routes. We saw what happened with IB on the MAD-LJU route upgraded to A321 and JU to MAD and BCN and also FR BCN-TGD.
W6 are just obsessed with VIE and LTN but will lose the battle with Lauda and OS.
They forgot their Eastern European origin and now make money from AUH but forgot that G9 is huge in SHJ.
They should focus on the Balkans, Caucasus and also connect Russia as they finally expanded in LED and launched 5 new routes because of the visa abolishment in LED region for EU nationals.
A big city like BEG must have at least 5 or 6 LCC jets parked in Nikola Tesla at 5 in the morning ready to connect not only German secondary or tertiary airports but Iberian peninsula, Portugal, Greek islands, Israel, Jordan, Ukraine, other Russian or different Moscow airports: VKO, DME, ZIA.
On BEG-Spain market the battle was lost for Wizz Air. Not only has JU expanded but there is also Vueling. The market is well covered and that means that if they were to enter it their yields and finances would have to take a big hit. Something they are probably not too keen on. Look at LYS and how fast they cut it, they didn't even want to let the route mature. What did they expect, that people would stop flying on easyJet from GVA just because Wizz Air flies to LYS now?
DeleteFact is that the Serbian market has moved on, expanded without them. They have been stagnant for many years now. They have no one but themselves to blame for that. Sorry but not sorry.