airBaltic will expand in the region next week with the introduction of flights from Riga to Ljubljana, followed by the launch of operations from the Latvian capital to both Skopje and Pristina the week after. It comes after the airline commenced seasonal operations from Riga to Belgrade and Tivat last summer, as well as from Tallinn to Dubrovnik and Split, all of which are being restored. airBaltic’s Vice President for Network Development, Mantas Vrubliauskas, said, “Historically, the Balkan region has been underserved within the airBaltic network. Our objective is to bridge this gap, facilitating smoother travel between the Baltic and Nordic countries and the Balkans through seamless transfers via Riga Airport. With this, we aim to strengthen our position as the leading airline in the Baltics, enhance connectivity, and continue our growth. We can't wait to welcome our passengers aboard airBaltic for their exciting adventures."
The new services are primarily targeting transfer traffic. As airBaltic’s CEO, Martin Gauss, recently explained to EX-YU Aviation News, “We find that this region is becoming increasingly interesting, and I do not mean only the destinations on the Adriatic coast. We believe we can offer a good connecting product between this region and destinations in the Baltic and Nordic countries. In fact, we already see this working quite well on our destinations to Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro. We are able to offer more connectivity here, which will also help us to further offset the traffic losses from Russia and Ukraine”.
The airline plans to serve Ljubljana on a year-round basis, while the remaining destinations are currently scheduled to run seasonally. “Slovenia is investing a lot in branding itself, and we actually get a lot of feedback from our customers asking for flights there, because it is actually really difficult to get to”, Mr Gauss noted. airBaltic has been granted the Slovenian government’s subsidies aimed at improving the country’s air connectivity. For its upcoming Pristna service, airBaltic has reduced its planned schedule from two to one weekly rotation for the first three weeks of operations. Services will begin to run twice per week from May 21.
Slovenia is investing a lot in branding itself, and we actually get a lot of feedback from our customers asking for flights there, because it is actually really difficult to get to
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad state of Slovenian aviation
how is it really difficult to get to ?
DeleteYes! Bring back Adria! Because before, Slovenia was so darn easy to get to. No one ever used foreign airports. But you seem to forget that the main usage of VCE and TRS started when Adria was at its peak. Dear Slovenians, don’t see everything so negatively. Get outside more and travel, to other places than Croatia preferably, and you’ll see that Slovenia is actually doing quite well. So is LJU.
DeleteThe quote is from CEO of Air BALTIC yet you folks are mad at slovenians? nice
DeleteThey have terrible flying times to Belgrade.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me on Vueling. I hope the result won't be the same.
Their flight times are perfrct for transfers.
DeleteTerrible times? Does it MAYBE looks like JU times out of all regional airports that fly around 0200-0400 in the morning in order to arrive in BEG around 0600 just in time for morning wave?
DeleteIt is EXACTLY what AirBaltic is doing.
Yeah but BT is carrying people from Serbia not the region. First flight from BEG is at like 06.00 (KLM). So they have to be super duper cheap to compete with others.
DeleteYeah, the same as BT is carrying people from Serbia to Riga and then further the JU is carrying people from region to BEG and further.
DeleteIt is exactly the same principle. I do not see how people get confused. Difference is that BT is having wider "catchment area". Thats all.
Maybe tourists from PRN going to Norway to enjoy the fjords or in winter to see the northern lights? I guess they are after those guys and girls.
Delete@19.41 gosh
DeleteSomething tells me they won't be back in Pristina next year if they already reduced to 1 weekly during the start. Seems it will be a repeat of LOT in Pristina.
ReplyDeletePRN has flights to HEL, MMX, VXO, GOT, OSL and maybe Stockholm. I dont know what they are targeting here.
DeleteIn Pristina, only gato routes work.
DeleteYes, the point is connections to gasto places such as Anon 12:01 mentioned. Understand?
DeleteSo ljubljana will be the only one year round?
ReplyDeleteYes, it is also the only one they are paid to fly to.
DeleteAnd the only one where they added flights.
DeleteThey were planing to launch ljubljana anyway… subs were just a nice add on. And they are paid so little…
DeleteAnd where did you get that they were planning to launch Ljubljana anyway?
DeleteCeo statement
DeleteCould you point me to where he said that?
Delete“Slovenia is definitely interesting for us too, and I think A220s is the right aircraft type for this market.“ - use google mate, dont be such a boomer.
DeleteHe said it was interesting to them. He didn't say they would launch it, mate.
DeleteLJU need winter conection with Finland and other Baltic states.
DeleteSKP is doing a lot to promote this Riga route. Hope it works
ReplyDeleteYes and that makes me believe that the route wont work.
DeleteIt will not. Both SKP and PRN do not make sense. And PRN is a better bet. My guess is they will abandon SKP soon and keep PRN only...and even that may be difficult...Riga is out of the way, and gastro likes direct flight to western Europe. Absolutely zero touris potential from PRN.
Deleteyeah same story with every new route from SKP
Deletelook at the comments in the artcile when LOT started SKP... they didnt mature well and look where LOT are now ...
@12.31 dude they have reduced PRN already, read the article
DeleteThere is no logic to keep PRN which is full of uknown carriers operating flights to Finland, Sweden and Norway and to end SKP. LOT failed at PRN while WAW-SKP flights will operate 9 times per week now, almost 100% increase since they first launched the route.
DeleteRiga has a horrible location to be a hub. First thing first, the Nordic region isn't densely populated so growth potential is limited from the start. Same with the three Baltic states.
ReplyDeleteBefore the war in Ukraine they could rely on Russia, Belarus and Ukraine to fill their seats. This market is now off limits.
That is the main reason why BT was forced to 'discover' ex-YU as they had to find new markets from which to get passengers. It's still too early to judge how successful they are going to be. For their sake I hope they will succeed as they have to find a way to employ all those A220s that have arrived and that will keep on arriving.
You seem upset that we are getting better connections to the Baltic states and Scandinavia. 😕
DeleteWhere did you see he is upset?
DeleteNemjee, Baltic states have much better traffic figures compared to their population. Only Riga had 5 million passengers:
Deletehttps://www.riga-airport.com/en/media/2146/download
Air Baltic has a staggering number of 47 A220s with an average of 4 years:
https://www.planespotters.net/airline/Air-Baltic
And not to mention it was named one of the most punctual in the world:
https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/airbaltic/airbaltic-is-the-most-punctual-airline-in-europe-according-to-oag/
So, hold your horses and Balkan mentality apart.
You just posting several well known facts doesn't change what I wrote. Riga will still have a bad geographical location and BT won't have access to the Russian, Ukrainian and Belorussian markets. I don't see why you are triggered by this and why you feel the need to bring the Balkan mentality into discussion. Stick to facts, not insults.
DeleteFurthermore, BT isn't doing all too well on the financial front. Last year they managed to record their first profit since 2018 and they are struggling with paying back €200 million to bond holders. They are looking to raise €100 million and they even said the Latvian government might have to get involved.
As for RIX, besides the Baltic region and Finland, I don't see them being extremely competitive with such a low number of frequencies. If you are going to Denmark, Sweden or Norway it's easier to fly non-stop or with a more direct routing via WAW, MUC, FRA or VIE.
@10:30
DeleteExactly!
Nemjee not many want to travel to Russia or Belarus.
DeleteIn 2023 airBaltic had a turnover of 668 million Euros and a net profit 33.7 million.
DeleteThey'll get all the financing they need for their continuous growth.
Nemjee, I like your more realistic and less emotional posts now.
DeleteYou now actually also take into account things that actually matter: finances.
airBaltic an airline from a country (Latvia) that has only a population of 1.8 million had 4.5 million pax last year and it will carry 5 million this year!
DeleteIt is truly an example for all airlines in our region.
It is not a matter of being "triggered". Just showed you basic facts. Latvia is also very close to the Nordic and rich countries and therefore has much better geography where all the Balkans are poor. So what is your point? Russians will always find a way to enter Europe. BT has a base in Canary Islands, they operate on behalf of Swiss. They fly to Dubai, they connect other Baltic capitals to other destinations. Again, a country with barely 2 million has a fleet of 47 aircraft even if the diaspora is high. I doubt you visited RIX or the Baltic capitals because you always talk about Cyprus. Expand your horizons. The Baltics have got nothing to do with the Balkans. Meanwhile JU is "proud" with the JFK and Tianjin route while BT have a fleet of 47 NEW planes and even with the presence of Ryanair.
Delete^ Your need to bring JU into the discussion says everything about you.
DeleteAnon 11:35 facts are facts.
DeleteAgain I'm asking what was the need to bring JU into discussion as it had nothing to do with it.
DeleteYou keep repeating how Latvia has low population, however, BT doesn't have a base only in Riga, right?
DeleteSecond, it is EU company, you cannot compare it with ASL by anyhoe..
@11:32 your lack of point was shown when you mention JU for a discussion about the involvement of airBaltic to the JUG.
DeleteFirstly Warsaw and LOT are much better transfer hub for the JUG nations. LOT has a larger fleet, better geography, long haul routes and is a genuine hub with large variety of aircraft to be a real hub, not just in a self-described claim like airBaltic make.
and yes airBaltic do have a brand new fleet, and how many of their shiny new aircraft are still grounded?
@12:00 Yes they dont have a base in RIX only but their base in Vilnius and Tallinn is so small with only one to two jets deployed there.
DeleteIf we are to look at the past decade then BT has accumulated 400.500.000 in losses. Yes, last year they managed to record a profit of 33 million while losing 54 million the year before that or 134 the year before that or 278 before that or 7.7 before that.
DeleteThey will find a creditor because they are government owned so the chances of them going bankrupt are slim.
You seem to attack the Balkans quite a bit yet it is in the Balkans that we have profitable carriers such as Aegean, Sky Express or Air Serbia. Meanwhile the rich and developed Baltics are home to perpetually loss making airlines. Whether it's airBaltic or a plethora of failed carriers from Estonia to Lithuania.
You still have not proven my argument regarding RIX as false. How is their geographical location good especially now when they lost access to the three important markets? You say that they are profiting from having a base next to the rich Nordic region. If that were true then why have they accumulated over 400 million in losses? Maybe getting all those shiny A220s was not such a wise idea at the end of the day.
Once again you are resorting to personal attacks which only goes to show how weak your arguments actually are. You seem to be more focused on bringing down the Balkans with a special focus on JU.
There seems to be a BT fanclub over here which is clearly ignoring the reality. They might be a modern and punctual carrier, they might have shiny new planes but they are not the most stable and lucrative business.
Their small home market is what forced them to lease out their A220s and to open bases in other parts of Europe. Their financial report has profited from plane and crew shortage in post-covid Europe. Remains to be seen what becomes of this as the aviation sector keeps on recovering.
Bravo Fraport!
ReplyDeleteThe A220 is perfect for BT's hub model.
ReplyDeletedefo a fresh breeze in our markets! Welcome!
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteWould be interesting to see from which or to which destinations they get most transfer traffic for SKP/LJU/PRN.
ReplyDeleteSweden?
Deletepossible because Sweden is geting too expensive for lcc airlines. Malmö flights are geting less and less :)
DeleteMalmö's biggest international destination is SKP followed by BEG.
DeleteairBaltic will get some of that market.
I dont see the point using BT from SKP to CPH when we have daily flights to CPH and MMX combined. Unless it is cheaper with BT when W6 fares are high like 150 euros.
DeleteOk but ARN, HEL are unserved plsu the whole baltic region
DeleteMaybe times are better via RIX? Also Wizz is NOT cheap from SKP
DeleteWizz Air is cheap from SKP. My flight to Malmo was 10 euros on 29.12 and from CPH to SKP was 15 euros on 02.01.24. My flight to BLQ last summer with 10kg checked in luggage was 45 euros and MLA-SKP with 10kg luggage was 60 euros. My round trip flight to VCE last month was 30 euros. My flight to HAM in May costed me 30 euros, CPH-SKP on May 6th costed me 55 euros and my flight from TSF to SKP in mid May which i bought yesterday cost me 10 euros. So Wizz is cheap as expected.
DeleteI recommend you to follow their fares for some time before purcshasing a ticket with them. Also usually, flights are the cheapest 8 to 4 weeks before the scheduled departure. Even just a few days before the flight tickets go to as low as 50 to 60 euros, at least in all of my 50 cases till now.
DeleteWould be fun if they based one A220 in LJU along with Cyprus Airways
ReplyDeleteAirBaltic should base 2 aircraft in LJU and collect most of the slovenian subsidies and end nonsense about national carrier.
DeleteIt seems more realistic that Cyprus Airways will do this.
DeleteHear me out - SkyAlps with their Q400!
DeleteWhy they need to finance rich Slovenes?
DeleteExcellent news. Wish them good luck.
ReplyDeleteVery good airline, punctual, easy connections in RIX and their business class is a very solid product.
ReplyDeleteThis route will work for SKP for summer thats for sure , AB wants too see if they can make it in future to be all year round. It is good for transfer because we dont have Helsinki , main airports in Sweden and Denmark , not only that we dont have any direct connection to Baltic only Olso in summer ,but it is also cheaper place to spend couple days vacation too ...so I think they will be succesfully in SKP , they are new airline , and in tradition our people wants to see new airlines and routes.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you just not for the part that we dont have direct flights to main airports in Denmark and Sweden. We have CPH, GOT and MMX, only Stockholm is far away i.e. it is in the middle of nowhere.
DeleteThe flight from SKP to Copenhagen,Malmo and Gothenburg with Wizz is on tha main airports ? I didnt know about this ...
DeleteHow many airports do you think these cities have?
DeleteCopenhagen has 2 ,Stockholm same , Malmo and Gothenburg has couple but small airports ...
DeleteCopenhagen has one airport. Its called CPH, Malmo also has one airport and it is MMX even though the city is not big, there is diaspora which lives there so the route is launched for people in MMX, GOT is also the main airport in Gothenburg. Only Stockholm is far away from the world ie from Arlanda.
DeleteAlso Stockholm has three airports not two.
DeleteIt's crazy they're not flying to SJJ yet (and are to PRN and SKP) but hopefully from next year according to the announcements.
ReplyDeleteIn what SJJ is better then SKP and PR in this moment ???
DeleteSJJ handled 250pax in three months which is what SKP nearly handles in one month. I dont see the delusion here why SJJ is not launched but SKP is.
DeleteSKP and PRN are bigger airports in terms of subsidies and LCC wars which translates to overall pax but Sarajevo is by far the most appealing tourist destination of the three and I guess the locals have the best standard so more of them would visit the Baltics.
DeleteHow is SKP bigger in terms of subsidies? Do you hear yourself? SJJ is the one pleasing airlines to launch routes all the time. Thats why u have Ryanair now and other routes. In SKP we give subsidies to Wizz once every three years for new routes not for the existing ones.
DeleteSJJ may be the most appealing tourist destination out of the three for you, everybody has their own opinion. But i am not sure if Sarajevo has the best standard, the numbers of pax handled show that.
SJJ launched its first ever subsidy last winter while SKP and PRN were doing it for years and depending on gasto routes while Sarajevo has relied on domestic demand above all
DeleteLJU - RIX - LJU (30.05. - 02.06.) with airBaltic (economy) 248€
ReplyDeleteLJU - CPH - LJU (31.05. - 03.06.) with Norwegian (economy) 138€
LJU - HEL - LJU (30.05. - 01.06.) with Finnair (economy) 403€
LJU - RIX - HEL - RIX - LJU (30.05. - 01.06.) with airBaltic (economy) 297€
AY is very expansive, looks also that flights are full, until the end of the month AY is also planned to fly with mixed A319/A320 instead of predominantly E190 initially planned.
DeleteAlso with A321 on Tuesday, from May due Asian tourist. Mostly AY passengers are agency turist.
ReplyDelete