Air Serbia on track for third consecutive year of profit, passenger record


Air Serbia is on track to achieve its third consecutive year of profitability in 2024. It is expected to handle a record number of passengers since its 2013 relaunch and approach the 4.53 million travellers welcomed by its predecessor, JAT Yugoslav Airlines, in 1987. Speaking to EX-YU Aviation News, Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, said, “We are continuing with passenger growth despite the more modest year in terms of expansion. Financially, our second quarter was very good, the third quarter is also very good, and the fourth quarter will be key. The year will definitely be profitable, so we will have a third year in profit without any government support, since the Covid-19 outbreak”.


Mr Marek noted that demand for air travel has been weaker across Europe this year, pointing out that, for the first time in recent years, there is available aircraft capacity on the market during the summer. He also mentioned that major sporting events like the Euro Football Championships in Germany and the Summer Olympic Games in Paris did not generate the expected spike in demand. “You see a lot of capacity reduction by a lot of airlines, even lowcost carriers. Everyone is using the engine issue as an excuse, but it is not only engines, it is demand. Another thing we are noticing is that after Covid-19, the season was extended through September, October and even November, which were very strong months. Last year it was already a bit softer. This year, for example, is the first year where we saw charter capacity reduce in the double digits, percentage wise. This is partly because of geopolitical issues, mostly driven by Egypt, but also partly because we now have a significant number of leisure destinations in our schedule, which is becoming more of a preference to the classic charter operations”, Mr Marek explained. He added, “Many aspects are influencing how the year will end. If Q4 goes well, we might even surpass the JAT record, but it will be tight”.

Air Serbia has seen its on-time performance improve this year, however, the carrier’s CEO noted there are still bottlenecks. “It is obvious that the year is performing much better operationally than last year. We learned lessons and most of our suppliers were unprepared for the growth. The supply chain took much longer to adjust. This year was one of stabilisation, so we were much more pragmatic in terms of growth, and we started to deal with suppliers. One of the main ones is ground handling [in Belgrade], which has been taken over from VINCI by Menzies Aviation. We didn’t expect quick miracles because it is the same business taken over, but the main thing that already changed is the equipment, management, and the processes”, Mr Marek said. He added, “It’s still not at the optimal level we would like it to be so we will use the winter season to work with Menzies on how to further improve. With this new set-up, it is now much more transparent where the real problems are since previously the same company ran both the ground handling and airport infrastructure and we will be addressing that”. Another major problem the airline, like others, has faced this summer is air traffic congestion. “We see an aircraft ready to depart on time and then a slot is given for two hours later than scheduled”, Mr Marek concluded.




Comments

  1. Anonymous09:01

    Bravo Air Serbia!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:46

      +1

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:50

      Overall loss since 2013 greatly exceedes overall profit. Enough said!

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:15

      And you keep forgetting pandemic years.

      Congratulations!

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:23

      @Anon12:50 You mean it would be better that they continued with losses? What a pointless comment.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous14:39

      Bravo Air Serbia, other European big 3 should look for potential consolidation. Results for small player like JU are excellent. Bravo Marek, bravo JU!

      Delete
    6. Anonymous16:47

      Good to see JU performing so well. The question I have though is, how did the old JAT manage to process the same number of passengers in the 80s with even smaller terminal and Air Serbia is complaining and is in need of more space and gates with the already extended terminal??? Were there less foreign airlines flying to BEG in the 80s?

      Delete
    7. Predrag17:00

      If I understand this correctly, the reported figures for the airline; not for the airport. According to their books, Air Serbia carried some 4.19M passengers in 2023. During the same time, the airport LYBE (BEG) handled 7.94M passengers.

      JAT of the 80s had a dozen other airports it flew from (Zagreb, Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Skoplje, Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar, Rijeka, etc.). While Beograd handled the highest number of JAT passengers, it was just a fraction of all JAT traffic.

      Delete
    8. Predrag17:02

      Not to mention, Air Serbia is far from the only airline flying to/from BEG.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous17:05

      Exactly as Predrag wrote. In 1987 when JAT set that record, Belgrade Airport handled 3,404,665 passengers (and that was all airlines, not just JAT).

      Delete
    10. Anonymous20:32

      @Anon 16:47

      Don't forget that very significant portion of the traffic was domestic traffic (no passport control, no customs, much more relaxed security).

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:03

    That's pretty good considering the investments they have had this year in getting A330s, buying extra seats for cabin retrofit etc.

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  3. Anonymous09:04

    "This year, for example, is the first year where we saw charter capacity reduce in the double digits, percentage wise."

    Interesting

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:14

      It is not that surprising. He gave the reason why that is the case.

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    2. Anonymous09:15

      Also worth mentioning that the post Covid travel demand generated by the fact that people could not travel for 2 years and also had more savings is coming to an end.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:26

      Tour operators should do more to diversify their offer. Spain has taken off recently even though it was very popular in the 80s but then almost nothing for 30 years. I think there are more markets that could work.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:31

      Markets such as?

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    5. Anonymous09:33

      Jordan for example

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:34

      Also Algeria is a cheap alternative. There are some very nice beaches and restorts there.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous09:35

      *resorts

      Delete
    8. Anonymous09:41

      Tourism in Jordan is impacted by the Gaza war and I think we need visas for Algeria.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous09:44

      I didn't mean in particular but Jordan has been accessible for years. Yes, visa is required for Algeria but so is for Egypt and it is not that big of an issue.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous09:49

      Algerian visa isn't difficult to get but it is very slow. They require usual documents and there is an Algerian embassy in Belgrade but it takes them a month to approve the visa! Might be a more speedy process if you do it through a tour operator.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous10:47

      But nobody has mentioned how manzly charter flights and destinations turned into the schedule destinations. Great job JU

      Delete
    12. Anonymous11:25

      Do Serbians need visa for Jordan?

      Delete
    13. Anonymous11:27

      Yes but it is just a formality. It is visa on arrival, you don't need any documents, and the process takes 30 seconds. Basically the entire prices is you paying a fee with your card.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:09

    There is no way Air Serbia made profits like this without creative Accounting and lot's of hidden state support by the Government of Serbia.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:11

      And why exactly would there be "no way"? You think it is impossible for an airline to achieve profitability? Mind you and airline with a network of over 80 destinations, high loads and an airline that is flying full planes to several destinations in Russia with fares selling at up to 1000 euros per passenger in economy.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:14

      https://www.exyuaviation.com/2022/11/state-eliminates-direct-subsidies-for.html

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:16

      @anon 09:09

      This is nothing but jealousy.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:57

      Could you analyze your statement please, Mr. ANALiticar?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:07

      Anonymous 09:09

      I love the toxic jealousy that is spewing out of your pores. I live for comments like that because then I know we are on the right track. hehe

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:40

      I love how people get angry when they hear about these things. Of course if the government wasn’t there Air Serbia would be a financially damaging company. All those new destinations etc would be nothing without the hidden money they get from the government.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:43

      I love how angry you get when you hear about Air Serbia's profit. You have 0 proof of the nonsense you wrote. Most new routes launched have been performing extremely well, just take Lisbon for example. And if they don't perform well, they are cut instantly. They don't keep them around in order to produce a loss. But there is no help for you so it is not worth wasting time.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous10:45

      So anon 10.40 you are suggesting that they are opening new routes for what? For show, for the fun of it? That all the routes they have launched in the past years are loss making? Some people really need help urgently.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous11:02

      If you truck that guy; every positive post about JU he has a negative and manipulating comment. Just ignore him and his fake statements. He is well aware that JU is in a great shape.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous11:24

      ...and it hurts him the most!

      Delete
    11. Anonymous11:28

      I don't truck that guy.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous17:44

      JU is AV's political pet project. There is nothing transparent about, same like any other GoS economic project.

      Delete
    13. Anonymous20:37

      Well, as the saying goes, i ćorava koka zrno ubode. While I have no love for AV and the ruling party, they cannot be wrong all the time about everything.

      JU is a great project which has brought a lot of benefits to the country, and benefits to the economy. Lets not state the obvious again. And personally I don't care if JU is actually in the red and the state covers tens of millions of EUR debt (which is not the case), as I actually find that a worthy cause.

      If it were possible, I would have spent the 2.7 bn that will go to Dassault fighter jets for a new JU fleet. Just imagine how many planes could be purchased for that amount of money. Unfortunately, EU rules do not allow for that...

      Delete
    14. Anonymous01:25

      And it's allowing to OU and croatian government? Who cares about EU rules? They don't

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:12

    Their LF must be very high this year. The other day I saw E jet sent to SJJ and even A319 to OTP.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:53

      Yes and ATR's to ATH in july and august for the night flight ! Indeed what a great LF !

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:16

      @ 09:53
      ATH is Aegean's playground. Leisure wise, Serbs like more northern part of Greece, Halkidiki in particular. Islands also. And yes, if it was 65-70 pax at ATR, it was good LF.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:10

      Great part of JU's fleet is the ability to rotate aircraft around their network by demand. If a certain flight shows weaker demand, downgrade the aircraft. More demand, increase capacity. All 3 mentioned will have increases next summer according to preliminary schedules.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:16

      I wouldn’t say ATH is A3’s playground when it comes to BEG flights. A3 has never been able to outplay JU.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous13:31

      They schedule daily flights for next summer again

      Delete
    6. Anonymous13:35

      Aegean schedules all sorts of things and then removes flights before the season begins.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous15:53

      Well this year they operate 6 weekly and in winter 5 weekly which is an increase compared to last year.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous00:24

      And that's despite the problems they are experiencing with neo aircraft.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:16

    My guess is the profit will be somewhat lower than in 2023 but still a profit.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:17

      It's obvious the amount of profit will depend on Q4 performance.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:17

    "Financially, our second quarter was very good,"

    Wait, wasn't a certain expert predicting no one would fly with them after Marathon incident?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:20

      Not only after Marathon, but also after delays they had last year.

      "Nobody would fly with them anymore". 🤣

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:07

      Also all those predicting catastrophic scenarios for Ju due to high number of wet leased planes? They were all so sure that JU will make a loss, as these "planes are not cheap".

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:15

      And how the reality proved them wrong....

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:24

    Recently flew JU for the first time in 2 years from Brussels. Good flight, almost completely full, nice crew and I really like the new uniforms. We got a sandwich in Air Serbia branded packet and water complimentary. After that they did sale. Overall, for European standards, it was a good flight.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous09:44

    Will be interesting to see if they manage to surpass that JAT record.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous00:23

      Might happen in the last days of 2024.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:45

    I hope they use all of those profits to invest more in their product.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:47

      Air Serbia earmarks fleet and product as upcoming investments
      28 June, 2024
      https://www.exyuaviation.com/2024/06/air-serbia-earmarks-fleet-and-product.html

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:53

      Good! Thanks

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:46

    I am wondering, would it now not be the best time to sell a stake in the airline? Vucic himself said last year how they should sell a portion of the airline to be better prepared in case of a new crisis in the aviation industry.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:53

      Is there anyone that is actually interested?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:04

      Well they didn't signal that they are looking for anyone to take a stake in order for anyone to be interested.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:25

      Why? The company is profitable and is growing admirably each year. Why let the profit be syphoned off to some other country when we can have our bread buttered on both side?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:27

      Foreign partner could accelerate growth and help with acquisition of new aircraft. I mean BEG was profitable but they gave it up for concession so the expansion could be funded and occur quicker.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:32

      I think the major difference there was that BEG, before the concession, had been always a state-owned enterprise and never had any foreign enlightenment. JU, on the other hand, has had the opportunity to acquire the knowhow of a major foreign airline and now can use that knowledge to fly with its own wings.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous11:16

      The only ones that could be a partner in JU would be an east Asian or Latinamerican airline. If there would be a partner. The Arabs and Europeans are direct competitors so maybe they would improve JU but only slightly and not to the level of being a big airline. But JU isn't a competitor for the east Asians so could work well together

      Delete
    7. Slav.Man11:21

      How things end up with VINCI will be interesting The concern is the airport still many delays impacting travelling and now Marek saying how it impacts JU. VINCI needs to do better because as JU operations grow delays and issues at the airport will have a bigger impact.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous11:24

      Foreign partners have shown to not be reliable, as evident with the Etihad deal in JU and Vinci in BEG. JU have done an excellent job during and post Covid so why force a foreign partner onto JU. There are other ways JU could be indirectly supported by the Serbian government such as through adequate infrastructure investments to the airport improving it's accessibility.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous12:42

      That's why I included in my comment that the European and Arab partners wouldn't be good for JU. As they're not good for BEG. Because BEG and JU are direct competition against their own interests. For example the more routes that BEG and JU have the less they will use UAE or paris, amsterdam as a transfer hub for example. But no such issue with other institutions like the Chinese, Japanese, south Koreans.
      Who should have won the concession for BEG airport

      Delete
    10. Anonymous15:23

      What a nonsense comment. Like VINCI gives a damn about whether you transfer in CDG or AMS, they have nothing to do with those two airports.

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:48

    It is amazing that we have now airline that will soon have 4 wide body planes, that flies to JFK, ORD, TSN and soon to CAN and PVG, airline that covers so many destinations in Europe, airline that has increased number of planes in their fleet and airline that after all makes profit!

    If I just remeber what Jat Airways looked like back in 2013 this is extreme improvement!

    Well done Air Serbia!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:52

      +100

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:27

      JU has come a long way. It has had its ups and downs throughout history, but it's now undeniably at its strongest, even though some still harbour residue nostalgia for the old JAT.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous09:52

    "He also mentioned that major sporting events like the Euro Football Championships in Germany and the Summer Olympic Games in Paris did not generate the expected spike in demand."

    This is odd but is something I have heard. Air France has reported major financial losses for the duration of the Olympics because there were much less passengers. In fact it was crazy that you could find award space availability on almost all their flights for the duration of the Olympics in peak summer season.

    Anyone have an explanation why there was so little demand for this sporting events which usually generate a lot of interest?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:06

      Actually, yes. All service and goods prices, including transportation, accommodation, food, beverages, etc, went to sky before those events and people just canceled their plans due to huge expenses. Similar was with Expo in Dubai. Hopefully, we will not repeat same mistake here in 2027

      Delete
    2. Visit to the games is expensive. I saw an interview with some super-olympic-fan who spend approx 10K USD to come to Paris, covering mostly basics and events. Everything became so expensive that it became a deterrent, even those empty seats were selling at high rates and remained empty. People who could have afforded it flew in and out private.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:27

      Interesting, thanks for the response.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:41

      For months before the Olympics there were articles about how disrupted the city would be during the games. I was in Paris at the end of June and you could already see it.
      In general, Paris is a major tourist destination. People who would normally come to visit the city were repalced by the sport fans. Given the high prices, not that many people could actually afford it.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:46

      It didn't help that most Parisians also left the city.

      Delete
  14. Anonymous09:56

    Excellent news

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous10:06

    Great work by Air Serbia!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous10:09

    Will the employees of JU get any money out of the profit?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:14

      How yes no

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:19

      Only pilots

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:32

      Lol. They’ll get as much as they get in any “western” capitalist country.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:38

      If that is the case it is shameful for the current management!

      Delete
    5. Anonymous15:27

      JU is not a mature business, you can't expect them to do profit sharing initiatives when they have yet to recoup what has been invested in them by the state so far. When they start doing €100M+ in profit and have a stable business, that's when you can expect profit sharing. Until then, it's logical to reinvest all profits into business growth.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous00:22

      +1 last anon

      Delete
    7. Anonymous21:29

      Mnoge kompanije ne isplaćuju dividende deoničarima a kamoli dele profit zaposlenima. Vidim da ne znate više kako da kritikujete Er Srbiju.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous17:17

      Airlines in generally are terrible businesses. As the well known saying goes - the quickest way to become a millionaire is to start as a billionaire and buy an airline.

      Delete
  17. Anonymous13:36

    That's pretty neat.
    Well done.
    The next focus areas should be (obviously) the Caucasus and (not-so-obviously) North Africa.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous00:22

      Agree but don't think we will be seeing either anytime soon.

      Delete
  18. Anonymous16:41

    I really don't know who are those commenting possitive or optimistic comments about AirSerbia?! My recent travel was delayed for 45 minutes, because "online checkins were not in sync with the system", so all these people were checked in AGAIN at the gate. Arrival was whole hour and half because of missed landind window. And do I get email of apology? No! Who cares I missed connected train etc...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:51

      You really need to realize that this is what summer travel in Europe looks like.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous17:52

      @16:51 That is a very poor excuse and a low bar approach!

      Delete
    3. Anonymous20:49

      These things happen. For me, I travel weekly and expect everything and anything, and was still super triggered by (obviously) new cabin crew member - I changed from one seat in ATR to the one accross the aisle, as it was an empty pair of seats, and I had a pretty heavy-built seat mate, which the case with me as well. After "cabin secure", she approaches me and asks me to unbuckle and return to my seat, at the point where the aircraft is already taxiing to the runway, with a very stern explanation about how I didn't pay for seat selection...

      While unpleasant and completely unnecessary, this was also a breach of safety rules, and I complained to the cabin senior on my way out - they didn't admit what has happened, but I could see they agreed with me. Followed up with an email, never got a reply. This was right after they hired dozens of new cabin crew in the south. Just a power trip.

      But, in perspective, 45 minute delay is not worthy of a comment, honestly.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous21:13

      Zvuči kao onaj visoki Anon koji se žalio da ga vrat boli što Er Srbija nema pokretljive naslone za glavu. Posle je hvalospev A220 koji ima te naslone stavio u putopis pod svojim imenom :D.

      Očekujem budući putopis sa nekom drugom aviokompanijom koja mu se emailom ispričala zbog kašnjenja :D

      Delete
  19. Anonymous04:51

    I just hope they can maintain this, steady as she goes! No crazy decisions and just small steps to improve the overall product and connectivity.
    Hope in 10 years time they are a regional superpower, with great product and service.

    ReplyDelete

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