The number of airlines using wide-body aircraft on flights to and from the former Yugoslav markets is still below pre-pandemic levels in 2019. This August, there will be 117 flights departing the region on wide-body aircraft down 25% on the same month five years ago. Total capacity offered by airlines operating wide-bodies to the former Yugoslav markets will decline 25.2%. Much of the drop is being generated on the Croatian market, which unlike five years ago is no longer served by American Airlines, Air Canada Rouge, Emirates and Korean Air. In August of 2019, Qatar Airways, which back then operated year-round flights to Sarajevo, performed eight services with the 260-seat Airbus A330-200 jet to Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital, while Iran’s Mahan Air ran nine flights with its 210-seat A310 jet from Tehran to Belgrade, which it no longer serves.
This August, there will be the most wide-body capacity from Belgrade. Air Serbia will operate a total of 49 flights from the Serbian capital using its two A330-200 jets, one of which has the capacity to seat 268 passengers and the other 257. In addition, Hainan Airlines will be using its 292-seat A330-300 jets on its nine flights from Beijing to Belgrade. Overall, wide-body flights and capacity have increased 114% and 124% respectively out of Belgrade on the pre-pandemic 2019.
Wide-body capacity by route, August 2024
In Zagreb, next month sees three airlines operate wide-body services. These include seventeen flights from Toronto by Air Transat and fourteen by newcomer T’Way Air. The Canadian carrier will deploy its 332-seat A330-200 aircraft on its Zagreb service next month, while T’Way will operate with its 347-seat A330-300 jet. Due to the absence of Air Canada Rouge, Emirates and Korean Air, overall wide-body usage from the Croatian capital will be down 59%. Capacity will decrease 58%.
Dubrovnik is the only other city to have scheduled wide-body services in the former Yugoslavia, operated by United and TUI Airways. In August, United Airlines will maintain eighteen flights from Newark to the coastal city with its 231-seat Boeing 767-400, while TUI will deploy the 325-seat Boeing 787-8 from London Gatwick on five services and on another five flights from Manchester. In 2019, Dubrovnik was not served by United but American Airlines maintained operations from Philadelphia. As a result, despite having the same number of wide-body flights, capacity is slightly down, just 0.8%. Unlike last year, United is now utilising the larger -400 version of the B767, compared to the -300 version in 2023, adding an extra 28 seats per flight.
Although wide-body usage is still down on 2019 levels, it has improved compared to last year, with twin-aisle jets deployed on 13.6% more flights. This is primarily due to the launch of T’Way Air’s new Seoul – Zagreb service and additional flights by Air Transat on its Toronto - Zagreb route.
Bravo Air Serbia 🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸
ReplyDeleteZagreb really had an impressive number of wide body operators before the pandemic, even though they were all seasonal. Hope some of them will return.
ReplyDeleteYes but makes you wonder why they didn't come back? Especially KE and now we see Tway terminating ZAG early (they cancelled the last 4 flights from ICN).
Delete09:03
DeleteNarocito imajuci u vidu da je dolazak EK u Zagrebu veci dogadjaj od osnivanja Air Serbia!
Хахахаха анталогијска изјава, ретко шта је изречено а да је у тој мери глупости. Prehuge.
DeleteSlazem se, mada mu je stvarno zestoka konkurencika
DeleteIroniju ne kužite?
Deletepuno previše ili puno premalo?
DeleteУ његовој изјави није било ироније.
DeleteFingers crossed Air Canada comes next year, to any country in the region.
ReplyDeleteBy capacity New York is number 1, Toronto number 2. No comment.
DeleteYes but Toronto is seasonal. While New York is year round
DeleteSeasonal makes more sense. For example Air Canada sends Boeing 777-300ER with 450 seats daily to Athens but it's only seasonal. They don't have phobia of seasonal widebody operations.
Delete@anon17:33 Air Canada sends seasonal 8/week YUL-ATH 77W and daily YYZ-ATH 77W and 4 weekly YUL-ATH 789 plus Air Transat 5 weekly YUL-ATH 333 but Athens airport has 50% more passengers than whole Ex-yu airports combined; Air Canada has 64 wide body airplanes and it is not comparable at all!
DeleteMissed the whole football.
DeleteWhen will Zagreb FINALLY get flights to US? Conditions are good for the US flights, especially with the US visas abolished.
ReplyDeleteNever. There isn't enough premium demand from ZAG for US carriers to be interested and OU is in no position to launch their own flights. With so many flights to European hubs no one sees this as a valid opportunity.
DeleteYou mean when will Zagreb to New York flights return.
DeleteJAT served it for years.
And they'll return as soon OU get a wide body or the A321XLR
Let OU first introduce the A220, afford it and then we can speak of the A321XLR.
DeleteJasmin first needs to go on a well deserved holiday to relax for the next 10 years after working so hard to introduce the a220.
DeleteI can't wait for CZ to schedule flights to BEG. What makes me happy is that JU's first CAN-BEG is more or less sold out. Hopefully this encourages CZ to speed up their flights as demand is definitely there.
ReplyDeleteI think this year BEG will for sure cross 9 million mark especially since growth should be strong from September.
I expect a lot more than 9 mil.
DeleteAnon 09:14
DeleteDon't hold your breath. June numbers indicate that there is not enough capacity for it.
Main problem is Wizz which cut 25%. All of this capacity will be back from September and some routes are going to have more flights than before major cuts. I expect double digit growth from September my good old Anon friend.
DeleteYou can expect, hope and pray but the Pratt engine situation is not getting better before 2026.
DeleteNor is the capacity constraints at JU being fully resolved this year.
JU should demand compensation from Marathon for all the lost business.
Are you aware that Wizz already loaded those increases? So you are implying they are lying to all of us collectively? JU will have an extra A330 plus a few more E95. Are you also implying those are not coming in the end? I do not understand the point you are trying to make.
DeleteIt is good to have Wizz at BEG but for any prospect of real growth another lcc has to arrive.
DeleteYes Wizz Air will have more flights in BEG but still the capacity is down, they will have four A320s not four A321s like last year. Also, the growth of W6 is only for September and October.
DeleteBecause winter schedule is not fully loaded yet.
DeleteBEG will have double digit growth this year. Your personal expectations of its (under)performance is there to rock your internal boat.
Delete^^^
DeleteWhat we can definetely say is that BEG this year won't have "a lot more than 9 mil." passengers.
For sure BEG airport will not reach nine million pax this year.
Delete@13:35 The winter schedule is finalised. The summer 2025 is not yet.
Delete^ no it is not finalized at all. They just updated the 2024 summer season timetable. I understand that you wish and hope for something badly but there is no need to misinform people about it.
DeleteThere are 3 new ATRs already in service. 2 Bulgarian E190 replaces Marathon from last summer. Two new E195 starts next month. 2 more A330 comes soon. 4-5 seasonal destiantions becomes year around. 3-4 new winter destinations announcing soon. 3 new long haul routes starts this year. Wizz is growing back from September. There are more charters this season. Load factor is better with JU, LH, LX, TK…
DeleteYes, I think BEG is going to have a lot more than 9 million. Maybe even more than 9.5 mill by the end of the year
US and Canadian carriers have issues with getting enough widebodies form both Airbus and Boeing.
ReplyDeleteAnd so they have chosen to direct their limited capacity to touristy Mediterranean destination where demand from North America is insane right now.
True dat. US capacity to Eastern, Central and Northern Europe is still way down compared with pre pandemic 2019.
DeleteBut in Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece the increase is huge.
They are just going where they can have the biggest profit margins and do not care at all about connectivity to new markets.
+1
DeleteI think there is enough demand for 2 weekly JFK-SKP in summer.
ReplyDeleteEK could offer a DXB-SKP-JFK route like it does with MXP or with ATH to EWR.
Delete@anon 09:47: you’re comparing a city like Milan and Athens to Skopje…
DeleteYes but SKP has a large catchment area with lots of demand to teh US. Why do you think OS send A321 and A320 to PRN. It's not because of transfers to INN or CPH but because of US transfers.
DeleteWith A380 could easily work
DeleteNope, SKP can't handle the A380 but A350 should be ok. EK is getting a lot of them now.
DeleteThere is no logic in EK operating a triangle route involving Skopje. There is not a lot of premium demand in order for EK to sell enough Business seats and that automatically will make them not want to serve this route. They can’t even fill enough seats with a 737 to Skopje and you want them to send an A350 on a triangle route to JFK?
DeleteCan EK connect ZAG to North America, New York or Toronto? Would bilaterals allow for that? If not with the mainline fleet, then with 787s FZ is about to receive...
DeleteIt could fly to US from ZAG, but not Canada.
DeleteFor SKP, Toronto makes much more sense than New York. Toronto is second largest Macedonian city, after Skopje. Several hundred thousands Macedonians live in a greater Toronto area. Many of the complain they have to change several planes when they want to visit the old land.
DeleteWhat is this stupidity. We will never get long-haul flights unless we have our national carrier which will also never happen. Luthansa and Austrian are sending A321s to SKP, LOT is sending E195s and increased the flights to 9 weekly and thats it. The demand is covered. LH can launch MUC as well and maybe KLM or AF will work because of the transfers.
DeleteFlyDubai and Qatar Airways are still not returned, even though they served the diaspora from Australia, Singapore and other parts in Asia and here you are talking about Emirates launching JFK from Skp.
Anonymous 12:27:
Delete"Several hundred thousands Macedonians live in a greater Toronto area"
😂😂😂
Yes
DeleteMaybe the government can lease some charter airline to operate with subsidies SKP-JFK and SKP-YYZ from June to September. Both can be two weekly? I can see it working out. Maybe Gullivair or HiSky
DeleteGluposti strashni i toa
DeleteI think Wizz air may acquire A330 and start SKP-JFK for 120 euro ticket price. That way SKP may have long haul flights. But also Tuzla, Maribor or why not Trebinje should be considered by Wizz
DeleteAt this point it is not even worth explaining and arguing with you.
Deletei meant for 18:08
DeleteI was sarcastic, I am not original poster. Original poster thinks that SKP is the center of the world,. But actually it's small airport of a small country with poor economy and without it's own legacy carrier.
DeleteCroatia rules! 🌞
ReplyDeleteWith what? With seasonal flights?
DeletePretty much with all...
DeleteWith all pretty much...
ReplyDelete