All three national airlines from the former Yugoslavia plan to significantly expand their destination networks in 2023 as the aviation sector continues its strong recovery.
Air Serbia is the only flag carrier from the former Yugoslavia participating in this year’s World Route Development Forum currently taking place in Las Vegas, which brings together over 2.000 decision makers from airlines, airports and destinations around the globe to negotiate new air services. The Serbian carrier has already revealed it plans to introduce a new two weekly service between Belgrade and Chicago from the start of the 2023 summer season in late March. This will be followed up by a dozen new shorter routes. “We will continue to work on expanding our destination network primarily to tourist destinations, which has proven to be a complete success this year. We are also looking at Central Asia, countries like Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia, for which Belgrade would be a good option for connecting to Europe. We also have the Middle East on our radar. In addition, we will work to further deepen and strengthen our regional network, to ensure good connectivity onto our long haul flights”. As recently reported, the airline has held talks with the likes of Portorož and Ohrid airports and is also expected to return to Cairo next spring.
Croatia Airlines has confirmed it plans to expand its network as it continues to implement its post-Covid strategy, which will culminate with the delivery of new Airbus A220 aircraft. Similar to this year, the airline is primarily eying new routes originating from the Croatian coast. “This summer season, Croatia Airlines launched new routes from Split to Amsterdam, Bucharest, Dublin, Milan, and Stockholm. All these new routes achieved expected results. However, the company sees room for improvement and innovative steps in strategic positioning”, the company said. It added, “We are planning new routes from Croatia’s other coastal airports in the summer of 2023, but this plan still depends on different factors, both internal and external, and will definitely not be ready for publication before the end of the Slot Conference [in Melbourne] in November”.
Air Montenegro is also on the lookout to add new destinations to its network, with a total of five new routes planned for the summer of 2023. The airline will focus on introducing destinations in Scandinavia, as well as Central Europe, following the success of its Prague service launched this summer, which has registered strong results. “If we finalise all of the negotiations currently taking place, we will have to lease two larger aircraft for next summer season”, Air Montenegro’s CEO, Dragana Frantov Nikolić, said. The airline will also continue developing its charter network. This year, it operated over 300 charters to the likes of Tel Aviv, Katowice, Yerevan, Bratislava and Cairo.
.gif)
Air Montenegro will have more developed network in Scandinavia after 2 yaers of flying than Croatia Airlines after 30+.
ReplyDeleteOU had a good network to Scandinavia before Covid but they didn't resume most of them.
Delete"OU had" - past tense.
DeleteOU has a better Scandinavian network now than before.
DeleteHow so exactly? They used to fly to Stockholm, Oslo, Helsinki...
DeleteWhy this obsession with the network? One needs to fly where one makes money, simple as that!
DeleteOf course, ZAG-FRA only!
DeleteI agree with the anon at@13:08 if he talks about privately owned airlines. If we talk about state owned airlines then his statement has no sense. State owned airlines have a different role, they need to keep the country connected to those markets that are essential for its cultural, economic or family ties (of its citizens). If market criteria (undiscriminatory) applies to state owned airlines then they should not exist at all.
DeleteGood to see all of them developing.
ReplyDeleteHow will JU be able to sustain so many new routes with current fleet?
ReplyDeleteMore wet leases probably
DeleteNew dry leased planes will join the fleet.
DeleteThere is a rumour 4 A320s are coming.
DeleteBut will these just replace A319s or will actually be an addition to the fleet?
DeleteIf they plan so many new destinations new 4xA320 won't replace A319's.
DeleteThey were 4 aircraft short this summer. 1 A320 just arrived, rumour is 4 A320's will join the fleet for next summer, so they should be 1 narrowbody up compared with this summer. I don't think the A319's will be going anywhere anytime soon. I expect around 2 aircraft will be wet leases next summer. I also think 1-2 ATR's will join the fleet as well to support frequency increases and the addition of OHD. 1 A330 will be joining as well and I wouldn't be surprised to see it again on regular European flights.
DeleteHope so. Additional aircraft are needed as we speak, let alone in summer.
DeleteWhat other holiday destinations could Air Serbia add?
ReplyDeleteMalaga is the only one that comes to mind for me.
DeleteI would definitely add Mallorca, Aqaba and Catania to the list.
DeleteCorfu, Palermo, Varna
DeleteWhat about Constanta in Romania? I wonder what happened to their resorts. They used to have many charters and seasonal flights in the past to Mamaia and Eforie.
Delete@anon 9:13 JU already flies to Palma de Mallorca, summer schedule.
DeleteFocus more on Greece HER, RHO, CFU, CHQ, JMK could all work out.
DeleteHurghada could be turned into a scheduled route.
DeleteOnly routes in EU will get scheduled flights instead of charters. In Spain that's Malaga for sure, in Italy either Palermo or Catania, in Greece it could be Heraklion, Santorini, Mykonos, Chania, etc... I would also add Nice in France.
DeleteNothing in Turkey or Egypt will be scheduled because there is bilateral between the two countries. JU would need to give something to their carriers which is what they don't want to do.
Well TK recently launched BEG-ESB and SM is already flying BEG-HRG with plans to launch INI-SSH if I remember correctly, so I don't think it's impossible to see JU flying scheduled BEG-HRG and BEG-AYT
Delete@15,09
DeleteTK got ESB-BEG as JU got INI/KVO-IST. JU and TK agreed on extra frequencies on the BEG-IST route with both increasing frequencies. TK is interested in ADB-BEG so something should come from JU as well.
Why won't Croatia Airlines consider new routes from Zagreb?
ReplyDeleteFR
DeleteWhy don't they fight for their market in ZAG as JU does in BEG against W6?
DeleteToo busy with feeding Cartel.
DeleteThey don't have a huge fleet so if they add a couple of new routes from the coast, I think we can rule out new destinations from Zagreb.
DeleteTheir main focus should be Zagreb and trying to deal with Ryanair.
DeleteZagreb is unprofitable for OU. They are being overcharged by Zagreb Airport whilst Ryanair get discounts.
DeleteWhen you have a bloated back office and incompetent politically appointed management, every airport is unprofitable.
DeleteVlad +100000000
DeleteI really wouldn't blame either FR or ZAG. It is their own doing.
DeleteThey gave up without even trying.
DeleteFR in ZAG is doing great in times of war, political correctness, bio bs policies, etc.
DeleteBravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDelete😂😂😂
DeleteNot seeing Adria and FlyBosnia on the list is really sad. It also seems that MNE has serious plans regaining its position and expanding its network.
ReplyDeleteFlybosnia was a joke but B&H Airlines had a real chance. Especially with Turkish as a part owner. Too bad the government didn't act as a partner and did nothing.
DeleteAgree about B&H. BiH really needs a proper carrier. A country with diaspora and tourism and many places to see and visit.
DeleteTurkish Airlines destroyed B&H.
DeleteThey do not needed them. OU is in similar situation fighting for survival against LH.
DeleteGood thing we got rid of our national airline. Now the market has taken care of itself in Ljubljana
ReplyDeleteLJU today is just another German airport. LH Group have cemented their position there and Fraport definitely loves it. No wonder why the AF/KL Group come second before the Germans.
DeleteThey are always just another German airport. No return from 1991.
DeleteCompared to other airports they manage, I just don't get Fraport's strategy with Ljubljana.
DeleteOnly one strategy: feeding LH Cartel.
DeleteSlovenia and Croatia should established JadranAir - joint venture
ReplyDeleteWet dreams...
DeleteHonestly, OU can grow only if they find new locations instead of ZAG. Slovenia could be great since they don't have their own national carrier plus there is a lack of connections.
DeleteNot find locations instead ZAG but making ZAG transfer hub by developing network, something what should have been done 20 years ago. And honestly, they need small number of good and capable people to do it, instead hundreds of incompetent Uhljebs mentally stuck in 1950's drinking drinking coffee and gossiping in Buzin
Delete@ Pozdrav
DeleteAnd like JU, they need a huge government backup and support, using their international connections and influence to help domestic cartier.
They have huge government back up and support, financial and political, just like JU. But in case of JU, that back up and support is used for growth and development, and in case of OU, that back up and support is used to feed Cartel and be Uhljeb sanctuary
DeleteMy guess for Air Montenegro - Copenhagen, Stockholm, Skopje, Vienna and perhaps another destination in Germany.
ReplyDeleteATH maybe too, I hear Aegean is performing pretty good on ATH-TGD they are sending A320 to TGD this summer too.
DeletePossible. They made a gamble by launching TIV-IST and it paid off big time. To the point that Turkish launched the route too.
DeleteHopefully Dubrovnik gets new routes by Croatia Airlines.
ReplyDeleteThey talk about airports other than Split so maybe Pula is an option too.
DeletePula and Zadar seem to be their focus, as we see this winter.
DeleteAs we have seen neither PUY nor ZAD are in CA focus.
DeleteCaucuses would be a good region for Air Serbia to get transfers.
ReplyDeleteI am sure some new destinations will come from this part of Europe.
DeleteWould be a nice addition. I see JU operating BEG-TBS.
DeleteI think this is going to be another hit for Air Serbia's transfer business.
DeleteExactly.
DeleteI wonder which destination they will choose in Caucuses. Out of the three (Yerevan, Baku and Tbilisi) I'm guessing they will only go for one.
DeleteI think Yeravan, becasue Armenia is the only one that has a big diaspora in west europe and the USA. While the Georgian and Azerbajdzani diaspora is primarly located in ex su countries. Georgia is the most attractive for tourism of these countries and the closest, so that's also an good option. With the absence of Russian, Ukrainian and Belarussian airlines JU has a chance to go into the caucasian market
DeleteEVN looks like will be added next summer. Russians are using EVN as a hub for onward connections. I think they could of launched the route this winter. EVN will see some added routes and frequencies next summer.
DeleteEVN has a lot of competition unlike TBS. Let's see.
DeleteBoth?
Delete@12,38
DeleteNot really. The notable difference with TBS is that it has several flights a day to Istanbul (both IST and SAW), which outdoes the capacity offered by other airlines in EVN. TK is usually sending a mix of A321, B738 (SAW) and A332, PC A320 and A321. EVN doesn't have flights to Turkey which is why there is 2 European carriers more in EVN (SN and OS), A320 and A321 respectively.
EVN has more flights centered around Russian cities, TBS more with the Gulf countries. EVN would be great not only for Armenian pax but Russians connecting via EVN. Connections via EVN for Russians can be quite long, I've seen a number of them at 20+ hours. Prices are high as well. Aviasales is a great site to play around with if you want to see what connections via EVN looks like.
EVN has flights to Turkey.
DeleteArmenia and Turkey discontinued diplomatic relations like decades ago, border crossings are shut down.
DeleteSo what flights are you talkin about? TK will never consider EVN. They introduce now and then only couple of low cost flights to IST, but you can't even transfer to nowhere, travelling to Turkey is extremely hard for Armenians.
@16,26
DeletePC has some charter flights from EVN to AYT, not intended for transfer pax.
17:28 I just said that there are flights between Turkey and Armenia, that's all. Chill the frick out.
DeleteJATBEGMEL There are scheduled flights to SAW as well.
Well there used to be many scheduled flights EVN-IST. But none of them were profitable, simply because there's no demand, no economic nor political ties between them, just like with Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.
DeleteJU should absolutey take the adventage of this situation, BEG could be literally one of the their closest transfer hubs after OTP and ATH.
Since when is OTP a hub, anon 18:39? lol
DeletePegasus has scheduled fights to EVN from Istanbul SAW.
DeleteNice!
ReplyDeleteAnyone have an idea whether JU will launch something new in the Middle East or are we talking about resumption of Tel Aviv and Cairo and potentially launch of Amman which was planned twice already?
ReplyDeleteAren't these 3 airports already big step forward?
DeleteI think they are.
They should consider returning to Abu Dhabi in the Middle East
Delete^ What do they have to offer over Wizz Air on this route except higher prices?
DeleteConnections?
DeleteWould it be enough? Wizz is going 5 weekly on this route with A321.
DeleteHonestly, there is no point. Best would be for Etihad to restore this route.
DeleteLet's hope this materializes considering the situation in Europe.
ReplyDeleteThings will calm down by next summer.
DeleteI'm glad they are all exploring new routes. This is best strategy they could have under current circumstances.
ReplyDeleteAir Serbia will also probably launch Beijing and Shanghai during next year.
ReplyDeleteLet's wait and see if they launch Tianjin in the first place following yesterday's news.
DeleteWhy doesen't Croatia Airlines try to restart discontinued flights from Zagreb like Helsinki, Oslo, Stockholm, Barcelona, Lisbon, Milan?
ReplyDeleteBecause their reason of existence is being humiliated servant and feeding the Cartel
DeleteAll are now served by other airlines.
DeleteAt least they could start MAD and BER
DeleteBerlin was tried several times by Eurowings. Didn't work.
DeleteLast Anon: that's not quite right. Germanwings flew the route until Lufthansa opened small hubs in Berlin and Düsseldorf. After the restructuring, all cities except for FRA and MUC were decentralized and taken over again by Germanwings/Eurowings until they were discontinued. it is not true that the attempt failed several times
DeleteAir Serbia needs to launch Manchester!
ReplyDeleteThey won't launch anything in UK or Ireland until they drop visas for Serbs.
DeleteThey were actually considering Manchester for summer 2022.
Delete@11.24 False information.
DeleteWhat the hell?? Why didn't Croatia Airlines send anyone to Routes? Are they that sort on cash?
ReplyDelete*short
DeleteIt's not about cash. It's about political decision to remain feeder for Cartel. They already fly to MUC and FRA. Nothing else is needed. Why sending anyone to the Routes? Routes are meant for growth and development. They are not after that. They are after buying the most expensive regional aircraft on the market to continue feeding Cartel. They don't need Routes for that.
DeleteI just find it bizarre. It really is one of the biggest industry events. If nothing, they could have negotiated charters to several markets.
DeleteI remember I saw current OU CEO attending Routes which is out of his domain. Even some other OU guys came, for wine and dine unfortunately
DeleteJust goes to show how important flag carriers are.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteI hope to see Lagos on theselists in the future. Would like to inform you that I was in ExYu for the first time in my life. I will send trip report Los - PHC - Fra - Zag and back. Hope it will be published. With kind regards. Owu
ReplyDeleteI hope to see Lagos on these lists in the future. Would like to inform you that I was in ExYu for the first time in my life but only for couple of days with high expectations to come back. I will send trip report Los - PHC - Fra - Zag and back. Hope it will be published. With kind regards. Owu
ReplyDeleteLong haul to ZAG via FRA!!! Wow, I'm so surprised! 😃
DeleteIt's OU's fault that there are now directs flights between Nigeria and Croatia.
DeleteLagos should be among top choices for JU in Africa for transfers.
Delete200 mill population,
important member of OPEC + (Russia, Emirates OPEC+ members and connections with Belgrade)
huge and affluent diaspora in UK, US, Canada (flights to NY, London by JU)
this one is no brainer choice
I really hope all three airlines announce the new routes and put tickets on sale. Almost all airlines already have for next summer.
ReplyDeleteThat's SF for our airlines. I mean, JU doesn't have a clue about when they'll launch next long haul destination which should be...these days. JU reacts great but plans little.
DeleteJU typically announces the bulk of its new routes around mid-late January for the upcoming season, as it has done the past several years. A few routes were announced outside of this, ZAG, IST, KZN, AER to name a couple.
DeleteAir Serbia could utilize the midnight wave for most of these destinations and connect them to US services... (I hope).
ReplyDeleteNo they can’t. Those flights would be too long to fit into midnight wave. The only option for those is to schedule them like they have scheduled KZN. In that way connections would still be possible with transer time of some 3 hours, which is acceptable.
DeleteThey obviously can't resisit to launch flights to China instead of focusing on transfer market to USA & Canada. How delusional can they be, the Chinese have forgotten Serbia, what potential are they talking about?
DeleteThis year there're far more Indian tourists than Chinese tourists in Serbia. Does that mean that they should consider flights to India as well? Delusional politicians from Serbia and incompetent JU's management with an average IQ 50 think that one flight per week will be profitable. Also the Chinese entry restrictions won't be lifted anytime soon.
So what's the rush with China, I still don't get it?
Anonymous18:52
DeleteEntry restrictions will be lifted soon. The wait was due to late development of MrNA vaccine by Chinese pharma. It's just my guess. Honk Kong is already open and they had an early access to mrna Vaccines.
So still no Toronto...shame
ReplyDeleteThey still haven't scheduled Tianjin and Chicago? What Toronto did you expect?
DeleteI'm wondering if airserbia will add more destinations to France. There is huge need for north-west part of France. Or at least good connection flights from rennes or nantes to Belgrade.
ReplyDeleteThe Balkans are connected to Germany, who is the big boss in the region. France is connected to Algeria, Morocco and its colonies. Paris has 3 airports 2 of which much smaller in traffic compared to London. No demand for France in general compared to UK, Germany, Spain or Italy for instance.
DeleteThere’s a significant Serbian diaspora in France as well. How can you say that there’s no demand. That’s why they scheduled Lyon and the tickets are almost always sold out.
DeleteSerbs also live on the Cote d Azure so they might try restoring Nice once again.
Wizz Air flies Belgrade-Nice.
DeleteStill waiting for Havanna as a holiday destination. That is what people want.
ReplyDelete