The operator of Macedonia’s two international airports, TAV Macedonia, is prepared to provide support for the introduction of nonstop flights to North America. The company’s newly appointed General Manager, Nejat Kurt, told the “Lokalno” portal, “Skopje Airport is ready to serve intercontinental flights and we would support any airline that is ready to establish the first nonstop service to North America. Currently, our diaspora travels to North America by transferring through airports in Istanbul, Belgrade, Vienna, Warsaw and Frankfurt, the latter being added as a new destination this year”. So far, Istanbul has proven as the busiest transfer point for Skopje travellers heading to or from the United States.
Based on data by global travel provider OAG, the United States is Skopje Airport’s busiest unserved market, with New York being one of the Macedonian capital’s busiest unserved routes. Chicago is Skopje’s second busiest unserved destination in the States, followed by Miami, Detroit and Washington. Prior to the pandemic, Skopje Airport’s operator said, "Skopje Airport is operationally capable to handle such transatlantic flights and ready to support carriers which would consider operating. A nonstop flight to North America would lead to additional feeder flights from the Balkan region to Skopje. The airport would attract many passengers from surrounding countries". Over 40.000 passengers originating from Skopje travel to North American destinations each year.
Skopje Airport has previously attempted to secure flights to New York. In 2017 it submitted a joint proposal with the Macedonian government for Turkish Airlines to introduce services to the United States via Skopje. Macedonia and Turkey have an Open Skies Agreement in place with both the United States and Canada, which permits for a Turkish carrier to be issued fifth freedom rights by regulators from all parties involved. At the time, Turkish Airlines said it would study the proposal and expressed interest in the potential service. "Turkish Airlines is one of the world's leading carriers. We believe that there is a chance that, for the first time, Skopje could have an intercontinental service that would cover the needs of Macedonians living abroad. It would also greatly increase passenger numbers at Skopje Airport and would help turn it into a regional hub", the Macedonian government said at the time.
Has Skopje ever had flights to North America?
ReplyDeleteThere use yo be charters in the late 70s and early 80s with JAT. Once per week with B707. Yugotours was selling them.
Delete*to be
DeleteTo which city?
DeleteDon't know about North America, but in 1977-1978, JAT had once weekly scheduled flight, on B707 , Sydney-Singapore-Kuwait-Skopje-Belgrade
DeleteBilo je pri povratku letova i preko Ohrida. B707
Deletethey flew to YYZ weekly charter via LJU in the early 80's
DeleteDirect flight Detroit - Skopje back in 80s
DeleteIf they start flights all albanians from kosova which they travel 70-100k of them from usa to kosova will use skopje
DeleteSkopje better finish the highway from skopje to kosova border
Kosova spent 600 milion dollar highway from prishtina to elezi han in macedonian border
I see potential 100k plus a year
If this flight starts
Air serbia will lose 15-20’percent of new tork flights
If funny reporter said macedonians
DeleteSon macedonia is multi ethnic country with 35 percent albanians
55 percent macedonians and rest serbians turkish gypsy etc…bigest costumers 80 percent of them are albanians from macedonians…theyres 60k albanian from macedonia in usa and like 10-15k macedonians from north macedonia or mostly muslim macedonians or torbeshi from north macedonia
Forgot to mention, I'm talking about kosova.
DeleteKosovo*
DeletePozdrav Svima,
DeleteAdria Airways operated SKP-YYZ-SKP charters in 1965 and 1967 via DC6-B.
JAT operated one charter flight SKP-YYZ-SKP in 1968 via DC-6B.
JAT operated SKP-YYZ-SKP charters from 1971 to 1980 via B-707.
JAT operated OHD-YYZ-OHD in 1981 and 1984 via B-707.
1980:
JU 560 BEG-SKP-YYZ
JU 561 YYZ-SKP-BEG
1981 and 1982:
JU 560 BEG-OHD-LJU-YYZ
JU 561 YYZ-LJU-OHD-BEG
1983:
JU 532 BEG-ZAG-YYZ
JU 533 YYZ-OHD-BEG
1984:
JU 540 BEG-OHD-LJU-YYZ
JU 541 YYZ-LJU-OHD-BEG
Information sources: Yugotours charter flight brouches, Canadian Air Charter Statistics; and Transport Canada charter flight data [Library and Archives of Canada].
Geography Professor
Quebecair operated YYZ-SKP-YYZ charters in 1978 via B-707.
DeleteWorldways operated YYZ-SKP-YYZ charters in 1982 via B-707.
Pan Am operated 1 ORD-DTW-BEG-SKP-BEG-DTW-ORD charter in 1978 via B-707.
Geography Professor
Seems everyone wants to have flights to the US.
ReplyDeleteThe way Kradeze is destroying Croatia, seems Skopje will get North America flights before Zagreb
DeleteHmm Miami number three in the US for Macedonian transfers. Seems like it's going to be the next destination for JU from BEG in North America too.
ReplyDeleteFor sure
DeleteMore passengers travel from SKP to YYZ than MIA
DeleteFor Lagos, Nigeria, too
DeleteNo flights to LHR, AMS, CDG and MUC but it's ok, SKP can support trans-Atlantic traffic.
ReplyDeleteExactly they need to focus on getting on big European hubs then the Americans transfers will follow through.
DeleteAnon 09:09
DeleteYou’re so right
We dont need those big europian hubs, we already have hubs for connecting flights, what we need is more direct flights.
DeleteFirst connect with the European continent and then connect with North America.
ReplyDeleteThey just said they would provide support if someone wants to start flights to North America. Understandable, considering support is provided to Lufthansa for flying from Frankfurt and Wizz Air for several destinations.
DeleteDon't see anyone as a possibility of launching these flights. Highly doubt TK would reroute one of its flights to land in Skopje when you can just catch a TK flight to Istanbul and fly from there.
ReplyDeleteLet’s just be honest, which US carrier could fly to SKP ?
ReplyDeleteMaybe Eastern Airways. They were interested in Sarajevo a couple of years ago and the few routes they fly are all for diaspora.
DeleteSorry I meant Eastern Airlines not Airways.
DeleteNeverending story
DeleteAnd lets start the sunday insanity 😂
ReplyDelete😂😂😂😂😂😂 hangover party
DeleteOk I don't think there is a chance of it happening but with flights from Skopje to North America, it could also serve Albanian and Kosovo passengers too and that market is quite big.
ReplyDeleteAs well as Bulgarians
DeleteDelta can potentially start seasonal flights from Detroit or American from Chicago, other than that I'm not seeing any other potential flights possible for the time being...
ReplyDeleteI see Delta starting flights to Croatia and a number of other European markets before they venture into Skopje.
DeleteDelta is thriving in Greece and they can introduce Croatia but there’s no way they will fly to SKP.
DeleteAnd lets not forget that Delta discontinued Dubrovnik.
DeleteOther than saying that they will provide support, why not actually try to attract a US or Canadian airline.
ReplyDeleteI really don't think anyone is interested.
DeleteIt would be crazy if Skopje gets flights to the US before Zagreb.
ReplyDeletelol true
DeleteNot gonna happen in this decade
ReplyDeleteIt could happen but I doubt it.
ReplyDeleteIs Canada a bigger market from Macedonia or the USA?
ReplyDeleteIt says in the article
Delete"Based on data by global travel provider OAG, the United States is Skopje Airport’s busiest unserved market"
Let’s be real here there is not a single one American carrier that will fly to Skopje. TK is more possible but don’t expect American or delta in SKP lol.
ReplyDeleteTAV manager want to show he is doing something but I as a regular SKP user know this i not gonna happen.
ReplyDeleteBe realistic, and support flights to countries like Spain. There are already decent amount of opportunities for transfers to North America (Istanbul, Vienna, Belgrade, Frankfurt, Warsaw).
ReplyDeleteSKP is ready but so are ZAG, SPU, TIA, SOF, SJJ, OTP, SKG...
ReplyDeleteFrom media reports, AA and UA had previously expressed interest in serving OTP and SOF with A321XLR from their East costs bases in 2024. I just see it difficult for the rest of the region to get direct connections with US at the moment.
DeletePRN too!
DeleteFrom those mentioned above SKG, ZAG and OTP are most likely to get long haul flights.
DeleteOnly Zagreb, Belgrade and Sofia could support intercontinental flights. Its nice TAV made a statement but its one of those statements that wont do anything.
ReplyDeleteEven Budapest doesn't have direct flights to north America, and they're much better connected to the Yug/Balkan countries.
Always good to dream big and I'm happy that they don't rule out TATL flights.
ReplyDeleteWhat a joke from TAV , they first should connect us with main European hubs , and then we will have more options to choose when traveling somewhere , Vienna Istanbul , Warsaw , Frankfurt is not always a good option , we should have CGD , AMS , Munich , Madrid , even LHR , and the other hand they cant even bring back the old routes such as Doha , Dubai , Barcelona and they want direct flights to the US what the f*ck is wronf with this people ..
ReplyDeleteAs price sensitive market the Balkan is, there is no way that even if DL, UA, AA start this flights that many people will use them. If there is cheaper connecting flight option vs more money direct flight most of the people will go for the cheaper version. Turkiah with inlimited baggage is good example 😀. Flying domestic in Usa with the big 3 is already crazy expensive.
ReplyDeleteI can see this only seasonal with some taxpayers subsidies done by some agency. Who will provide the plane doesn't matter but the flight will not operated under their name. Is might be some tour agency, or some airline that can start a joint company in SKP and provide plane if needed (something like air Albania), or somebody can hire Wamos or GiluvAir, or some of the US based chartes (but more $$$).
No way for regular year-round flights by some good airline company.
I am also ready to become a millionaire 🤣🤣🤣
ReplyDeleteThis year 2023 is late for nonstop flights to/from SKP because summer season already started and diaspora already made reservations to/from SKP via other airports which nonstop flights will be empty!
ReplyDeleteEven if they manage to introduce direct flights from SKP to USA, I doubt they would be daily which makes it not flexible compared to TK or LH. I don’t think all of those “more than 40 000 passengers” would prefer direct connections over a flexible departure/arrival date.
ReplyDeleteIf they starts skp to jfk
DeleteYou will have another 30k passenegers from kosova going to skopje
They will be loaded
Macedonian diaspora in the north American continent is well over 300.000. That is only Macedonians if we add minority diaspora from Macedonia I would say a direct flight will increase much more than the current trafic to and from USA and CA. Also many travellers from Kosovo, Albania, South Serbia will also use the direct flight.
ReplyDelete