Operator TAV Macedonia is engaging with both Qatar Airways and Flydubai over their potential return to Skopje after they discontinued operations to the city at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. TAV Macedonia’s General Manager, Nejat Kurt, said, “We would like to re-establish destinations such as Doha and Dubai, which were discontinued by Qatar Airways and Flydubai during the Covid-19 crisis. We are working towards achieving this goal and have held meetings and negotiations with the airlines, supported by the embassies in these countries, but the decision is ultimately made by the airlines themselves”. Skopje lost nonstop flights to the Gulf following the withdrawal of the two carriers from the market.
Flydubai launched flights to Skopje in October 2012 and maintained the service until March 2020. In its last three years of operations, passenger numbers averaged at around 27.000 per year. Since the pandemic, within the region, Flydubai introduced operations to Ljubljana and doubled its frequencies to Belgrade, while restoring flights to Zagreb, as well as seasonal services to Dubrovnik and Tivat. On the other hand, Qatar Airways has told EX-YU Aviation News services to Skopje will resume once commercially viable. The Macedonian Minister for Transport and Communications, Blagoj Bočvarski, previously held talks with the Qatari Ambassador to the country, where he emphasised the need for Qatar Airways to restore services between Doha and Skopje. “It is especially important for us to renew the flights between Skopje and Doha, in order to maintain business relations between the two countries”, Mr Bočvarski said.
In 2019, the majority of Qatar Airways’ Skopje passengers were transfers. They primarily originated or were destined for the Australian market - 33%, followed by India 7%, Thailand 5% and Singapore 4%. In its last full year of operations, in 2019, Qatar Airways handled 29.856 passengers on its flights to and from Skopje, which was almost the same as the year before, when it welcomed 29.874 travellers on the route. Qatar Airways recently said that the pace at which new routes will be introduced in the coming years will depend on aircraft deliveries which are being increasingly delayed by manufacturers.
Wizz Air is more than welcomed to fly SKP-AUH !!!
ReplyDeleteUff 6 hours on a W6 plane. I don’t know how some people do it
DeleteI did Sarajevo-Abu with wizz. I booked the extra legroom seat and i found it ok. Just bring something to watch and order a few glasses of wine and its fine.
DeleteBut that is the point with lowcost. You alledgedly pay a low fare and then it almost adds up to a legacy carrier price if you pay for extras, to get the same experience you have with legacies anyway...
DeleteIf Flydubai can't make it work from DXB, why do you think Wizz Air Abu Dhabi can make it work from Abu Dhabi?
Deletebecause they are 6 times cheaper and everybody follows Wizzair in the country
DeleteIt could be commercially viable if at least 1 of them returns- 50k pax have used their services in 1 year
ReplyDeleteBtw, between the 2, I route for QR. FZ is more like a budget carrier and it lands at this funny terminal in DXB and then you need to transfer to the main terminal.
But indeed, pre-pandemic times were very cool, with both FZ and QR present in SKP
Flights from ljubljana land on a normal terminal. Same as belgrade and zagreb i think
DeleteI don't know when was your last flight with FZ but they have changed a lot in last two years, service is much better now, planes are modern and they are cheaper than Qatar.
DeleteScrew flyDubai. Bring QR back
ReplyDeleteIt was pretty cool with QR- you could fly to every village (which is not in Germany) with just 1 stop in Doha.
DeletePegasus will operate three daily flights from saw to skp next Sunday and they will increase the route on 9 weekly flights after that.
ReplyDeletenot really, only next week but thx :)
DeleteUnfortunately, I don't think they will come back.
ReplyDeleteOne would think there is enough P2P demand for FZ to work.
ReplyDeleteDo Macedonians need visa to enter UAE?
DeleteYes
Deletethey were quiet expensive though
DeleteQatar Airways should start LJU, more logical destination.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it more logical if they already flew to Skopje before?
Delete@12:49 cuz he wants LJU to have more traffic then SKP, but the truth is, SKP has and will forever have better connection then LJU. Maybe we have flights to random German cities, but at least we have traffic and good passenger numbers.
DeleteU live in the middle of nowhere, your only option is to fly.
DeleteQatar was the only oneworld airline operating to Skopje. Hope we see them back sooner rather than later.
ReplyDeleteWe really need them back.
ReplyDeleteThese two were having issues at SKP even before the covid.
ReplyDeleteTrue
DeleteIssues? What kind of issues?
DeleteSoft demand
DeleteYes, both airlines flew for many years and not once increased frequencies. SKP was one of the routes with the lowest weekly frequencies in QR's network.
DeleteNot true, QR had four weekly flights to SKP.
DeleteI believe FZ might come back eventually, Qatar I doubt it.
ReplyDeleteWhy not QR?
DeleteBecause FZ can attract point to point passengers and transfers while Qatar can only rely on transfers.
DeleteAs usual, SKP has to pay to obtain those routes. I mean if they managed to secure flights to Luxembourg or Finnish villages nothing can prevent them getting back QR and FZ.
ReplyDeletewhat a nonsence. all exyu airports give much more incentives/subs to airlines than SKP
DeleteAs usual, a hateful comment about SKP @13.19
DeleteAnyone remember the Skopje frequencies for these two?
ReplyDeleteIf I remember well, FZ flew twice a week and QR twice to three weekly (depending of season)
DeleteYes that's correct.
DeleteI think that QR is between SKP and SKG for a return and its gonna be only one.
ReplyDeleteThink so to. Interesting that neither has been restored so far.
DeleteThere are many more airlines from the Gulf that should be looked after - not only Qatar and Flydubai.
ReplyDeleteJust look to Sarajevo and Tivat. Or even Belgrade.
Jazeera Airways, Air Arabia, Flynas and Flyadeal.
Salam Air...
Those airlines serve mainly for Gulf tourists which are not so plentiful in Macedonia. FZ and QR were mainly for locals and diaspora.
DeleteTheir rerurn won't be good news for TK.
ReplyDelete* return
DeleteThey would be just fine.
DeleteQR only last month restored some more higher profile routes so maybe SKP comes back in 2024 or 2025.
ReplyDeleteTAV should focus on increasing the frequency of the bus from the bus station to the airport! The people that live in cities that are far from Skopje have to go by themselves or pay vans or random people from Facebook groups to take them to the airport! The wtransporter bus is almost useless, We should be able to reach the airport!! Not fly to Qatar,
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see QR back in Skopje.
ReplyDeleteIf Turkish Airlines starts Australia flights as planned this winter, there will be no need for either of these two airlines.
ReplyDeleteIt will be non stop flights it will stop in malaysia refuel and fly to australia so u lose 2 hours for refueling
DeleteTK is starting MEL this December with 1 stop in SIN. once they receive the new planes the route will be non stop . After MEL , on the radar are SYD, BNE, PER for now .
ReplyDeleteEl Al is to launch non-stop flights to Melbourne from Tel Aviv , maybe EI AL should consider SKP flights .