Several airlines are in talks over the introduction of flights between Serbia and Georgia according to the “Aviatica” portal. Negotiations are taking place for services to be launched from Belgrade to both the Georgian capital of Tbilisi and the country’s third largest city of Kutaisi, as well as between Niš and Kutaisi. Talks are being facilitated by the Georgian embassy in Greece, which covers Serbia. “Currently, airlines are interested in initially operating seasonal summer flights in order to test demand. Although negotiations are still taking place, the initial plan calls for flights to be introduced as early as May 2022”, the portal notes. Kutaisi serves as a base for low cost carrier Wizz Air.
In 2019, Georgia and Serbia signed a joint declaration in Tbilisi with the aim of advancing cooperation between the two states. An emphasis was put on the launch of nonstop flights. The matter was discussed in more detail at an Intergovernmental Economic Commission in Tbilisi later on but plans to establish flights were halted by the Covid-19 pandemic. There have never been scheduled nonstop services between the two. Georgian Airways, the country’s national carrier, has a limited network outside its immediate region but maintains operations to key European cities including Vienna, Brussels, Prague, Paris, Berlin and Barcelona. Within southeast Europe, it is only present in Athens.
Belgrade Airport has seen growing demand for flights from the main gateways in the Caucuses, which combined with transfer traffic to and from Western Europe and North America, could provide healthy loads on nonstop flights. Out of the three main Caucasus nations - Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia - Belgrade saw the highest volume of point-to-point traffic with Tbilisi. According to OAG data, during the pre-pandemic 2019, 4.734 passengers flew indirectly between the two cities on a single itinerary, it was followed by Baku and Yerevan. There was also limited demand from the Caucus region of Russia, with almost 2.500 indirect travellers between the Serbian capital and Sochi.
Belgrade Airport's top unserved routes in Caucasus in 2019
Turkish Airlines and Pegasus are NOT going to be happy about this.
ReplyDeleteThey would still be able to compete with good prices.
DeleteAnd they would compete with more frequencies than non stop flights.
DeleteDo you know how much cost ticket BEG-TBS-BEG via IST? If you don't know, I'll tell you. 65.000 rsd. And what do you think how much will cost ticket on direct line BEG-TBS-BEG?
DeleteDifferent dates, different prices. On google flights random November dates show 15.300 rsd return on LH and 29.000 rsd on LO.
DeleteWhy you are talking about LH and LO, then I am comment Turkish and Pegasus?
DeleteTK and PC are some of the carriers operating the route. What is the problem that LH and LO are mentioned? Generally speaking, passengers tend to book lowest prices, combined with good schedule and availability. It's not like TK and PC are the only operating carriers on the route.
DeleteIf there is an option to go for cheaper price, I am sure passengers will go from there and that is why, when you already talk about prices, to have everything included. Also, different dates - different fares available. Simple as that.
Опет ви нисте прочитали пост о Туркишу и Пегасусу. Човек каже да ће те две компаније увести нове летове на релацији ИСТ-ТБС, да ће снизити цене карата. То се неће десити. Туркиш има један лет дневно. Лет око 18:00 из БЕГ се лепо уклапа са око 2 сата чекања у ИСТ. У повратку исто. Из ТБС се полеће око 5:20 и опет се чека око два сата на лет за БЕГ. У Варшави, Минхену и Франкфурту се чека од 4 до 10 сати. Признаћете да то није занемарљиво чекање.
DeleteJU i Aegean imaju OK konekcije preko Atine ali iz nekog razloga Aegean ne leti za Tbilisi od marta do juna.
DeleteInteresting that this involves Kutaisi too.
ReplyDeleteAnd Niš!
DeleteThis could also be beneficial to MKD
DeleteCould it rsally work?
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed it's Wizz Air.
ReplyDeleteWould Wizz be allowed to operate between two non EU countries?
DeleteI don't see anyone else operating from Kutaisi. Georgian Airways does not fly from there and I doubt Air Serbia would operate both Tbilisi and Kutaisi.
DeleteWizz couldn't launch this route.
DeleteCould be a good route for Air Serbia to get transfers.
ReplyDeleteHow long would this flight last?
ReplyDeleteTwo and a half hours.
DeleteTomorrow's IndiGo flight from Tbilisi to Belgrade is scheduled to last 3.25 minutes, although flights from east heading west are always longer than the other way around.
DeleteThis will be yet another Ural and Red Wings announcement. Nothing will happen in the end. It's just PR fluff pieces.
ReplyDeletePR fluff piece for who exactly?
DeleteWhat Red Wings announcement? There was none. As for Ural they did not get a permit from Serbian CAD.
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2021/07/serbian-regulator-blocks-ural-airlines.html
DeletePR fluff pieces by the Georgian embassy in Athens. Red Wings also announced all those secondary Russian destinations and then nothing happened in the end. Ural the same. Just megalomania from the Russians. I am not talking about Moscow flights which got banned.
DeleteThey applied for permits from Russian regulator and got them. It has nothong to do with PR, it is how the system works. It was mentioned that it is up to them if they want to pursue further. And yes I'm sure the Georgian embassy in Athens really needs PR.
DeleteNice!
ReplyDeleteIndiGo has a TBS-BEG flight tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteIt's a stop to transport Indians to both Georgia and Serbia since Georgia is also a quarantine destination for them.
DeleteWhich equipment are they using?
DeleteHas nothing to do with Indians going to Georgia, it's a refuelling stop since the A320/321neo they use can't make it to Belgrade from DEL.
DeleteWould be a nice addition. I see JU operating BEG-TBS. Not sure about the rest
ReplyDeleteNice to include secondary cities as well.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
ReplyDeleteWho on earth is going to fly Nis-Kutaisi. Don't see it working.
ReplyDeleteThis would be excellent. Georgian Airways would be a nice addition at BEG.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Air Serbia would maybe consider this route?
ReplyDeleteit's outside of their flying range and so would mean having to break their existing bank structure ... i therefore doubt it
DeleteAir Serbia is slowly moving its morning bank of departures by an hour.
Delete@9.49 what are you talking about. How is 2 1/2 hour flight outside of their flying range? The flight is shorter than Belgrade-Moscow or Belgrade - London.
Delete@09,49
DeleteJU for the past 2 years has been adjusting departures outside of their 4 waves. This summer, LCA had a 10am rotation, ROV at 20:30. ZRH and LJU have midday departures. Just a couple of examples.
As for sector length, CAI, MAD, ROV, OSL are examples of 'longer' sector lengths they were/are operating. TBS wouldn't be much different.
I'm surprised there is more demand for Tbilisi than Baku.
ReplyDeleteWhy?
DeleteSeriously, why? Georgia is a tourist destination without complex visa policy: Azerbaijan is exactly the opposite.
DeleteI think this is going to be another heavy hit for Air Serbia's tranfer business.
ReplyDeleteHow exactly?? They don't even fly there or have any codeshare to there.
DeleteGood decision - makes both economic and tourism sense.
ReplyDeleteThis route would have to be sustained by connecting traffic on either end
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. Therefore, I am more inclined that it will be a JU.
DeleteThere would be very little connecting traffic via Tbilisi. Georgian Airways offers nothing to Serbian passengers. The only destination for transfer would be Yerevan. All of their other destinations are in western Europe which are offered by Air Serbia and it would make no sense to backtrack to Tbilisi to fly to Paris.
DeleteWhen politicians will stop to talk about aviation?
ReplyDeleteWhich politician is talking about aviation here?
DeleteWho the hell would fly Tbilisi- Belgrade?
ReplyDeleteThe same kind of people who fly from Sofia to Baku or who flew from Belgrade to Minsk.
DeleteI would, as a tourist
DeleteSerbians dont need visas for Georgia.
DeleteIts a very affordable and sought after destination.
Btw, Tbilisi is f....g pretty and interesting. It is visited by a lot of countries.
DeleteThey also have a coast and mountains and still pretty cheap and down to earth. Loved Georgia a lot!
More good news for BEG.
ReplyDeleteFun fact Georgian Airways has a codeshare agreement with Delta!
ReplyDeleteWell that's more than JU has managed haha
DeleteGeorgian Airways' Embraer jets would be perfect for a route like BEG.
ReplyDeleteIf they sign a codeshare agreement with JU then this route could easily work.
DeleteFinally a direct air link that will connect David the Builder and Constantine the Great!
ReplyDeleteI wonder who these 4000+ people are. Are they mostly Georgians? Serbians? Tourists? Business travel?
ReplyDeleteI assume a bit of everything.
DeletePeople who haven't visited Georgia really should. I went this summer and it is a fascinating place and very tourist friendly too. Tbilisi is a beautiful city in so many ways. But also the Georgian countryside is beautiful. The food is amazing and everything is cheap. I highly recommend it.
ReplyDeleteGeorgia has become an absolute hit with tourists from Gulf, especially this year.
DeleteAre there any visa requirments?
ReplyDeleteNo, on neither side.
DeleteThis air-link would be a superb foothold for the entire Caucasus region.
ReplyDeleteTbilisi is a no brainer for JU. They just need more planes to start this route.
ReplyDeleteThey could start it with current fleet. I mean one of thei A319s sits every week for 12 hours in Dubai.
DeleteDXB is on the A320, not the A319.
Delete@ 10,25
Alot of talk on new routes lately suggests we will hear some news about their fleet in the next couple of months. They were short of 2 ac this summer, wouldn't be surprised if 4 A319's join the fleet next year.
Today our options from western europe to Tbilisi or Batoumi are TK or 6U.
ReplyDeleteJU is well positioned for those destination but they need a 100 seater max .
Sorry which airline is 6U?
DeleteUkraine International Airlines
DeleteWhat are you talking about?
DeleteOther airlines flying to Tbilisi or Batoumi:
LH (from MUC), AF, LO, Georgian Airways + many lcc routes
Since when did UIA become 6U instead of PS?
DeleteAF is mid day flight so no go , LH has bad connexions, Therefore if you want late afternoon or evening flights, the option are restricted.
DeleteFor leasure Batumi do not have flights with LH and AF ( at list i never managed toi get those ) . When you mention "many" LCC. Please go to tbilissi web site and see how many flight you have per day for a city that is about the same size (- 10-15%)as Belgrade. You have beetween 30 and 40 flights per day.
Maybe looking at a reservation system looks good , but when you travel for real then options are restricted
for the last Anonymous, Sorry you are correct still when you are 50 and more you tend to use old stuff . 6U is the former Air Ukraine or somethink like that. PS is the correct code.
It would be wonderful opportunity to advance tourism between two countries and transfers for JU by launching 2 weekly flights.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteIt would be great to have connection with Georgia.
ReplyDeleteThe route is more then adequately covered by Turkish/Pegasus via Istanbul.
ReplyDeleteTurkish and Pegasus also cover Dubai but you still have flights from Belgrade...
DeleteAnd they are actually both expensive to Tbilisi.
Delete"Causasian threesome" would be a great addition to JU network (Tbilisi, Yerevan and Baku).
ReplyDeleteNo idea why they do not join the club and start flying
No chance flying all three could be successful.
DeleteI googled that but a whole different thing came up. Wouldnt recommend to do that when in public.
Delete^ Hahaha, thats so incredible !
DeleteLet's hope this materializes.
ReplyDeleteIf OTP couldn't sustain such flight I wonder how BEG or INI will do...
ReplyDeleteSo? OTP didn't have flights to Minsk for example, while they were very successful from Belgrade and have only been suspended because of sanctions.
DeleteCurrently, the cheapest option is Budapest to Kutaisi with wizz, but only for fully vaccinated people
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean? Georgia is only open to vaccinated passengers?
DeleteAgain a missed opportunity for JU.
ReplyDeleteTbilisi and Yerevan are as long as the Rostov and Krasnodar route.
That both routes would be a perfect mix of O&D and transfers.
I wouldn't say it is a missed opportunity. There is still an opportunity for them to launch it :)
DeleteIt would definitely be a perfect addition to JUs network .
DeleteInteresting figures. @Ex-Yu would it be possible to see figures for TBS for Zagreb and Ljubljana? I'm really curious
ReplyDeleteI'm interested too :)
DeleteLJU had 3.530.
DeleteLjubljana - 3.530
DeleteZagreb - 3.625
Croatia and Zagreb have double the population of Slovenia and Ljubljana but demand is roughly the same.
DeleteThe underperformance of the Croatian market is so much disappointing.
How much is Serbian market bigger than Croatian (which is disappointing) and how much is Serbian demand bigger than Croatian? It's literally the same. Slovenian market is well above both obviously
DeleteWhy not Batumi (beautiful coastal town) instead of Kutaisi?
ReplyDeleteSo clearly Yerevan is not the best option from Beograd. Reminds me of the Skopie Kyiv scenario where there was initial demand but slowly faded away after halting the flights.
ReplyDeleteTime for BEG to focus entirely on Russia, Turkey, China and India , where this is the demand is.
The only way to see if a route works is to try it out.
DeleteEverything else is purely speculation.
tbilisi is one of the hippest and trendiest cities in the world at the moment..
ReplyDeletei have been already a couple of times.. i would devinetly recomend everyone who lives in Belgrade to go for a weekend if there are direct flights..
...And its not expensive at all !
DeleteHave been there too.