Flydubai, which maintains year-round operations to Belgrade, Zagreb, Sarajevo, and Ljubljana, as well as seasonal flights to Dubrovnik and Tivat, has announced that its expansion plans have been significantly impacted by Boeing’s latest update regarding ongoing delays in its aircraft delivery schedule. The carrier is currently evaluating its route development plans and potential frequency revision across the network due to a lack of new aircraft deliveries over the next few months. “We are extremely disappointed to learn that Boeing will not be able to fulfil its commitment to deliver more aircraft for the remainder of the year. Boeing’s short-noticed and frequent delivery schedule revisions have hindered our strategic growth plans resulting in significant disruptions to our published schedules. The reduced capacity will ultimately affect our customers as well as our projected financial performance”, Flydubai’s CEO, Ghaith Al Ghaith, said.
Flydubai maintains a considerable network to the former Yugoslavia. This week alone the carrier has 46 flights scheduled from Dubai to the former Yugoslav markets, with 7.788 seats in each direction. It handled over 300.000 passengers on its operations in the region last year. In the past, the carrier had also served Podgorica and Skopje, with the latter attempting to secure Flydubai’s return. “With six new routes scheduled to launch over the next few months, the airline is currently reviewing its schedule and frequency of operations across its network due to restrictions in aircraft availability”, the airline said.
Flydubai was due to take delivery of another fourteen Boeing 737 MAX jets by the end of the year, all of which have now been pushed back. “The aircraft delivered in the first half of the year were from the backlog of previous years and faced extensive delays. Flydubai has more than 125 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on order to be delivered over the next decade”, the carrier said. It added, “To mitigate the delays in aircraft deliveries and to meet the surge in demand for travel and add capacity, particularly during peak travel periods, Flydubai had to enter Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance (ACMI) agreements”. Flydubai operates a single type fleet comprising of 88 Boeing 737 aircraft, which includes 29 B737-800s, 56 B737 MAX 8s and three B737 MAX 9 jets.
Well this is not good.
ReplyDeletePerfect opportunity for Emirates to step in and take over certain routes in ex-Yu :D
ReplyDeleteWell EK said they will ne entering new markets once the A350 start to arrive so who knows.
DeleteMy thoughts too, considering that the EK will have A350 delivered from this year.
DeleteI actually think it might result in EK entering some markets and flying alongside Flydubai, which will reduce frequencies.
DeleteExactly, we want Emirates in Belgrede instead.
DeleteReally hope so. Although EK has also had to move its A350 inaugural by 2 months I believe.
DeleteEK has deemed BEG not having enough premium demand. Shame as the rest of the region.
DeleteThat was years ago.
DeleteWhen is Flydubai supposed to get its Dreamliners?
DeleteSince EK hasn't launched any flights in the western Balkans nor has it announced an intention to do so it seems to me that they still consider our demand as Economy class heavy.
Delete@9.15 the Dreamliners are not due before 2026 at the earliest.
DeleteEmirates already tried serving the region and failed. One of its rare failures.
DeleteThe biggest event in regional aviation history according to some.
DeleteBigger than establishing Air Serbia! Hahahahah
DeleteThat is the most stupid statement I have ever heard.
Anon @09:14
DeleteExactly, and that's the point of A350. Their A350 will be used on less premium routes and won't have first class at all.
When they get enough A350s and B787s, route like Belgrade is natural choice.
There goes any hope of Skopje getting flydubai back.
ReplyDeleteMaybe thats why they dont resume SKP and TGD. Hopfully to see them back next year.
ReplyDeleteTGD was an experiment operated via Sarajevo (with fifth freedom rights) many years ago. I don't think they are interested in returning there. Skopje is a different story.
DeleteI think they will come back next year. Shame that SKP TAV is in talks with everyone for returninh DOH and DXB, they even “considered” Wizz Air with AUH and nothing comes out years after. Same thing with flights to Spain and Italy that they said they were talking about. They are announcing how they pax numbers are growing compared to last year while there are 10K pax handled less then June 2023. Shame on them.
DeleteBut doesn't SKP have huge demand for DXB and DOH?
DeleteObviously not
DeleteThen why did Qatar has four weekly flights to SKP? I am sure they would have returned to SKP until now if they didnt have problem with Airbus for A321s. Currently they dont have any new narrow-body jets except for the MAX series which they use for short-haul routes.
DeleteIt’s amazing how much they have grown in the region since covid. Hope they don’t cut any routes here.
ReplyDeleteThey are expanding like crazy since covid everywhere. They are supposed to launch flights to Basel!
DeleteRiga and Vilnius also in October. They will cover all the Baltic capitals.
Deletewow
DeleteMr fly Dubai please don't cut BEG
ReplyDeleteI hope not but with 2 daily flights, it is likely to have a bigger chance of being reduced than destinations with 3-4 weekly flights.
DeleteBut then again there is a lot more demand than to other destinations with less flights
DeleteAir Serbia should have started Dubai long time ago with their A330s that are sitting and doing nothing.
DeleteThere is no point for Air Serbia to fly with A330 to Dubai. That would be suicide!
DeleteWhy? People prefer a widebody over a 737 to DXB and JU has long history on the route having operated there since 1980 well before EK was even a thought bubble. JU used to send DC-10s to DXB on their way to SIN-MEL-SYD, BKK, CCU-PEK, and KUL-SIN. It was not unusual to have up to 2 or even 3 JU DC-10s in DXB at one time. It was well and truly a crew base in the 1980s and early 1990s. They even flew there with 737-300s via LCA and BEY in the 2000s. JU restarting DXB is a no-brainer.
DeleteI remember seeing once a photo of 3 JAT DC10s at Dubai Airport back when it used to look like a shed. Amazing sight.
DeleteAnd the JAT crew used to stay at the Chicago Beach hotel, the best one in Dubai at the time and the first resort hotel in DXB :)
DeleteIf it's Boeing I'm not going!
ReplyDeleteAs time goes by, this is becoming real.
DeleteYou should tell airlines to stop buying them!
DeleteWell, there isn't a whole lot of choice for airlines.
DeleteAnonymous 09:12
DeleteAirlines fear an Airbus monopoly more than delays from Boeing.
So they really have no choice.
Sure that is the only reason.
DeleteGood thing that we are going to get Q200/300/400 NG so at least there will be some competition for Atr
DeleteThe MAX is cursed.
DeleteBoeing is a complete mess. Imagine them informing you 14 aircraft you have been expecting this year, which are already delayed god knows how long, are not coming.
ReplyDeleteThey certainly seem frustrated in their comments.
DeleteAnd it is not only them. FR is furious too.
DeleteI don't think Boeing cares that much. They know airlines have no alternative. Airbus also has a massive backlog and has been delaying deliveries too. Boeing just has worse publicity at the moment so these problems are more visible.
DeleteAnd far more accidents than Airbus lately
DeleteAnd most of them with United. FAA should look into their maintenance.
DeleteThat’s because they are one of the biggest operators. Stop spreading unfounded allegations.
DeleteWouldn't be surprised if they turn Sarajevo into summer seasonal this year.
ReplyDeleteWhy?
DeleteBecause traffic from the Gulf is extremely seasonal. Flydubai goes from 3 daily flights to Sarajevo in summer to 3 weekly in winter.
DeleteI'm sure SJJ won't be cut, there are solid amount of passengers, both point-to-point and also people going to Australia or the US.
DeleteAre you suggesting that anyone from Sarajevo goes to Dubai to catch a flight to the US?? Emirates/flydubai does not even sell tickets to the US from Sarajevo and I highly doubt anyone purchases two separate tickets just to fly from Dubai to the US, which is twice as expensive as flying from Sarajevo via virtually any other city in Europe.
DeletePeople definitely are not flying from Sarajevo to US via Dubai, but they are to Australia.
DeleteI doubt they will reduce anything in ex-Yu.
ReplyDeleteI remember the same exact comment when sometime in November last year this site published how Wizz Air will be cutting frequencies throughout its network in S2024.
Delete^ hopefully it does not come to that, at least when ex-Yu is concerned.
DeleteFingers crossed.
DeleteOuch
ReplyDeleteWeren't some expert commentators saying here just a month ago how there are no longer any supply chain issues in the aviation industry. lol
ReplyDeleteIndustry insiders :D
DeleteIt would make most sense if they just cancelled plans for all the new routes they plan. But from the statement, it seems like they plan to start these anyways and in order to do that they will cut frequencies on other routes.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteI do not expect a lot of cutting in their network. Now its peak summer season and at this moment they need the most aircrafts. By the end of the summer season, a lot of European seasonal routes will be suspended anyway, so they can use that aircrafts to maintain planned winter schedule.
ReplyDeleteYes, they have some Asian seasonal routes and increases, but that is still less than increases in Europe.
Keep in mind they are launching Basel, Tallinn, Vilnius and Riga this winter.
DeleteYes, but they will end operations to Mykonos, Tivat, Dubrovnik, Trabzon, Corfu, Santorini, Batumi, Olbia... maybe more, I can not remember all seasonal routes
DeleteThese are routes they operate every summer. Keep in mind in winter many aircraft go into maintenance, checks and their B737-800 fleet is being retrofitted with new cabins. I don't think they would say they will cut frequencies across their network if they don't plan to actually do it.
DeleteThats true, but still I don't think it will be a lot of cutting. Also, in my opinion its better to maintain existing network, which is operating for a while, than open new routes. If you have to choose between that 2 options.
DeleteI agree with you that they should keep existing network and delay launch of new routes but reading from their statement it seems like they still plan to go ahead with new route launches. We will see.
DeleteAnon10:02 Funny how Flydubai flies to Corfu and Tivat and not in BEG…
Delete^ flydubai flies twice per day to Belgrafe year-round.
DeleteIs that BEG on the photo?
ReplyDeleteYep
DeleteLove it
DeleteWe will find out soon enough. Considering FZ issued this warning, they will probably be finalizing their winter timetable in the next month.
ReplyDeleteYou just know LJU is getting reduced 100%
ReplyDeleteWhat that means, someone cancel flights to LJU?
DeleteThis winter many airlines are cancelling or reducing LJU.
DeleteLjubljana is daily in winter ...
DeleteThey are constantly changing it. It was daily, then they reduced it to 4 weekly, now its daily again.
DeleteShame really
ReplyDeleteA good moment for Air Arabia to expand in the region.
ReplyDeleteThey are based in Sharjah
DeleteAbu Dhabi too
DeleteWizz Air Abu Dhabi would be great tooo but the Pratt engine issues have messed up their expansion plans.
DeleteAt least Wizz Abu Dhabi flies to BEG and SJJ so its not completely absent.
DeleteAir Arabia also flies to Sarajevo - from Abu Dhabi and Sharjah but they are seasonal.
DeleteActually I think Air Arabia would make sense to Skopje if Wizz Abu Dhabi is unable to start it. It would be a good option.
DeleteSharjah is just twelve kilometres norteast of Dubai airport.
DeleteIf people in Ex Yu would know this Air Arabia could become a real alternative to Flydubai.
People who live or work in the Arabian peninsula know that already.
Thats why Air Arabia is such a big airline.
True. Pity Air Arabia never started flights to BEG. They put them on sale in 2019 but then cancelled them. They just needed better marketing.
DeleteAir Arabia should have advertised their flights as Belgrade - Dubai/Sharjah airport flights.
DeleteIf Ryanair can call Charleroi airport Brussels South Air Arabia can do the same with Dubai..
Agree. Lack of any sort of marketing was their biggest mistake. No one even knew they were starting flights to BEG. Similar to Jazeera Airways last year.
DeleteNot looking at seasonality but their 737 fleet usage has already at some of the highest daily hrs in the world. I expect with the opening of 6 new routes from Sep onwards cuts will have to be made on some other long sectors like CMB/ZNZ/PEN/KBV/DAC to accommodate the Baltics expansion and Basel. Then the two new Iranian routes are no issue as you can swap a GCC frequency almost like for like. Kish is only a 20 minutes flight. They can work closer with EK and offload a DAC or India/Pakistan frequency to make room. The issue is 75% of their network doesn’t have EK and FZ to the same airport. And many of their long runs are daily and ideally you want to add another sector 12hrs apart too. Other routes with high frequency are highly profitable so you can not cut them. They’ve been gradually expanding to existing destinations over the past year or so to grow market share. Again you can not cut that. And buying an Airbus now will get you one in 2030+…? So I’m guessing what will happen is that they will wet lease even more 737’s on longer contracts to cover delivery delays and make Boeing pay for it. The 787 will arrive in 2026.
ReplyDeleteGood analysis. Thanks
DeleteI do not think they will make cut on KBV because that route was doing very well for them in high season. Maybe UTP will be reduced , from 2 daily flights, probably to 1 daily. That area is already good covered with a lot of EK flights in Bangkok.
DeleteThis is the perfect opportunity for Etihad to come back to Belgrade !
ReplyDeleteWhy on Earth is that perfect opportunity? Even if they reduce BEG,they will reduce maybe 2,3 weekly flights. And you think that's opportunity for Etihad lol
DeleteOf course it is.
DeleteIt will be three to four times a week at least.
Thats enough frequency for Etihad to begin with.
Somewhere excess flyers will have to move over, its called spillover effect.
I think Etihad might return next year. They are in expansion mode and have nothing in Eastern Europe.
DeleteHow three times per week is competitive when there’s Wizz too tho? Mind you they fly double daily in ATH with Wizz Air also in the route and now Aegean also starting the route year round three times per week. Trust me if there was demand Etihad would be here!
DeleteI work for EK. We are not coming to BEG nor ZAG any time soon:(
ReplyDelete