Low cost carrier Wizz Air has rescheduled its relaunch plans for flights to the Serbian capital. The airline has announced intends on resuming its limited schedule to Belgrade starting next Friday, May 1 with operations from London Luton. Services will run three times per week during the first week, increasing to four weekly from May 11. Tickets have been put on sale. Initially, flights between the two were schedule to commence on May 15. Services will be maintained with the Airbus A321 aircraft. "As we restart selected Luton flights to provide an essential service to passengers who need to travel, our primary concern is the health, safety and well-being of our customers and crew. The protective measures that we are implementing will ensure the most sanitary conditions possible", Wizz Air UK managing director, Owain Jones, said. He added, "Cabin crew will have to wear masks and gloves on flights and distribute sanitising wipes to passengers. Aircraft will also be disinfected overnight. Customers will be asked to check in and make any additional payments for baggage online to help reduce human interaction at the airport".
Flights from Belgrade to Wizz Air’s remaining network of destinations are still scheduled to start on June 1. Services between Belgrade and London are operated with Wizz Air’s UK-based aircraft and crew. Serbian authorities have announced that commercial flights to and from the country will resume “around May 1” although no exact date has been given. The country is expected to be in complete lockdown during the May Day public holidays, however restrictions on freedom of movement, as well as the country’s state of emergency will likely be lifted during the first half of May. Currently, only Serbian citizens and foreigners with permanent or temporary residence permits are allowed to enter Serbia, although this is subject to change in the coming weeks.
Wizz Air’s CEO, Jozsef Varadi, is forecasting a phased return to flying starting in May. “We have four aircraft flying now. We are flying only 3% of capacity. On May 1 we’ll have about 10% of the fleet flying. I think we’ll start seeing some easing during the course of May or into June, I don’t know. What we do know is it is becoming unsustainable. Maybe at the end of May or sometime in June we’ll be at 30%”, the CEO said. He added, “Airlines won’t resume at the same pace. Some will pick up very quickly. Others will continue to be dragged down. My expectation is when we are able to start a market we can start at around 30% [capacity] and within two to three months we can ramp up to about 70%. It could be within five to six months we can be up to full capacity. Fares will be crushed. Very low fares will stimulate the market and people will travel. We’ll see younger people come back first and elderly people last - see leisure come back first and business travel last. Business travel is going to struggle”.
Good to hear
ReplyDeleteMaybe they will bring forward a few other routes for mid May
ReplyDeleteI doubt it. All other flights are operated by BEG based aircraft. There is no point in activating a plane just for one route. If they bring something forward there will have to be enough airports open for them to get one plane out of hibernation at BEG.
DeleteThey could operate flights to BVA, GOT, NYO, MMX and all of Germany.
DeleteThis flight will be operated by aircraft based in LTN and their crew.
DeleteWhat is interesting that even in June not all routes will resume, according to Varadi
ReplyDelete"My expectation is when we are able to start a market we can start at around 30% [capacity] and within two to three months we can ramp up to about 70%. It could be within five to six months we can be up to full capacity."
Well, 70% capacity does not mean that all routes won't resume.
DeleteWhat does it mean? They still offer fewer seats?
Delete*they will
DeleteOr they will have fewer frequencies.
DeleteSo Wizz will be the first foreign airline to come back to BEG
ReplyDeleteMakes sense
DeleteIf you go and book a ticket on Wizz on May 1 on the seat map you will notice already a few seats are taken.
ReplyDeletewhich is bizarre
DeleteWhy? It is possible that some people are stuck there and can't get home. I doubt it's for a weekend getaway.
DeleteIt could also be that it's people who were rebooked from earlier flights.
DeleteMaybe they booked it few months ago
DeleteDoubt it, because flights were cancelled until yesterday. So those that booked have already got credit refund.
Deletewhy bizarre? because when you know that the airport will be closed for Prvi Maj you dont book flights on that day(s)
DeleteAirport is not closed on the 1st of May. Flydubai also has a flight to Belgrade on 1st of May
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2020/04/flydubai-schedules-belgrade-zagreb.html
Good news, maybe now they pay the compensation from almost a year ago:( Avoid them as far as possible...
ReplyDeleteI just hope that before July, we will have the same gift from Podgorica to Paris because we're stuck in Montenegro for a while now... We just want to go home, I don't care if I have to put a mask or dressing like an astronaut ! Please, just a YM, JU or Austrian flight...
ReplyDeleteApparently airports in Montenegro will open on 7th of May so hopefully you can get out then.
DeleteI think they were waiting for Belgrade to open, it's their only destination with enough demand for at least daily year round flights.
DeleteOk so now we know the airport will open on 1st of May. I just don't know who will travel from BEG when there will be a complete lock down on that day.
ReplyDeleteThe same people for whom the government organized rescue flights. There are still around 3000 people stick in the USA
DeleteInterestingly the UK allows foreigners in.
ReplyDeleteQuarantine measures are going to be introduced in the UK for 14 days if entering the country by air.
DeleteAnd your source for this info is....
DeleteDominic Raab or even Cummings?
Hope a few other airlines bring their flights forward too.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for others to return. Can't wait for Belgrade to thrive again.
ReplyDeleteYou are going to wait quite some time before Beg starts thriving again ... not even close to get started yet you are already looking forward to thriving!?!
DeleteOnce the situation returns to normal, I expect flights from China to Belgrade to resume once again. There was so much positive PR in China of Serbia that interest in visiting Serbia has exploded. Belgrade marathon is moved to December but there will be a virtual Serbian-Chinese marathon online and thousands of Chinese have applied.
ReplyDeleteGod. I hope JU launches China flights.
So....you land in BEG and get two weeks holiday in the student dorms as a courtesy of the government?
ReplyDeleteNo that practice has ended. You go home.
DeleteExactly, you are going home to be quarantined there. No more going around and stuff like that. Now you can recover in the comfort of your home.
DeleteWhen this rigid quarantinine regime is going to be halted /suspended? I would like to visit Serbia for personal reasons.
ReplyDeleteNot before 04.05. I think most measures will be slowly dropped after that. After all, almost all industry will be back to normal after that.
DeleteWhen the flight to Malta will resume? We want to go home.
ReplyDelete53 passengers booked on the Luton - Belgrade flight on May 1 as of this moment.
ReplyDeleteWow that's fantastic, I am sure the flight will have over 100 passengers as many who were stranded will rush to book their seat before it's gone
DeleteMany are trying to get back to or out of Serbia. Once this repatriation demand softens there will be very few people flying. Except for limited repatriation purpose, resumption of flights next week is premature.
DeleteOf course, I agree with you but this going to be the same situation pretty much everywhere except major global hubs and cities.
DeleteThe Wizz flight from London for May 1 had around 9 passengers when I checked last night. Now it is up to around 54. People are obviously desperate to get home.
BEG-LTN on May 1 at the moment 29 pax
That would be nice, but 1st BEG airport should place a SOP in regards of health&safety prevention, such as temperature measurement, quick C. tests and isolation rooms.
ReplyDelete