Air Serbia employs profit-driven approach to long-haul expansion


Air Serbia has said it has adopted a measured and strategic approach to long-haul expansion with profitability at the forefront of its decision-making process. The airline noted its step-by-step strategy ensures sustainable growth while mitigating risks associated with new markets. Speaking at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit World & Awards for Excellence, which is being held in Belgrade, Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, said, “We need to understand who we are. We are a regional airline, so we don’t want to make any kind of decision that can potentially jeopardise our profitability. We start with low frequencies, test the market and if the market is working and we are satisfied, we will grow and densify. For us, this strategy has been working very well”.

Mr Marek reiterated that the carrier’s main focus is now on further growth on the Chinese market. “We started Guangzhou two weekly, Shanghai will begin with two weekly in January and if this works we will continue to densify those routes and potentially we are looking into a third destination in China, which will logically be Beijing but the application process for permits and landing permissions in China takes a lot of time so, at the moment, we will concentrate on the densification of Guangzhou and Shanghai and in parallel we will work on another destination”, Mr Marek said. He added, “When we were operating Tianjin, all the bookings came eight days before departure. Just imagine you are running a long-haul service where you see it’s empty and then eight days before departure it gets full. It is very stressful. We suspended it recently because when we launched Guangzhou, we realised that those people that were coming in the last eight days are using Guangzhou or other points because there is already sufficient capacity for the demand that is currently available in China”.

CAPA Airline Leader Summit, Belgrade

Commenting on future long-haul expansion, the CEO noted, “I would like to highlight the word consider because usually when we say we are considering or looking into some destination the media publishes that we are launching a new long-haul route the next day. There is no secrete because the numbers speak for themselves. If you look at the numbers, the logical choices for future expansion after we densify China, will be in North America, either Miami or Toronto or both and after that Seoul or Tokyo in the Far East. We said that many times already and it is a logical step in our development”.



Comments

  1. Anonymous09:03

    Bravo Air Serbia 🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:33

      LOL

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:26

      Anon 9:33. Cry, cry Chicago, New York, Guangzou, Shanghai... You can only cry, not laugh, lool..... Maybe yoi will establish those routs in 2336. Lol

      Delete
    3. Anonymous19:52

      +1

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:03

    Sorry to kick off on a negative note, but it's not hard to apply a profit driven approach when you have just reduced salaries to cabin crew... Not sure anyone in their sane mind wants to work there any longer...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:07

      They did what

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:10

      Yes, we heard that all employees left JU.

      Marek will fly the planes and serve the drinks at the same time.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:16

      Marek yesterday said at CAPA that wages have been increased several times.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:19

      * since Covid

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:12

      With the increase of minimum wage in Serbia from December or January of next year the latest cabin crew admits would have a salar under the minimum.

      Therefore, to avoid increasing salaries they chamged the methodology for paying out salaries. Before the had a base salary plus an X amount of euro per flight time. Now they included 30 hours into their salaries and they are only getting paid extra from the 31st hour.

      As the taxes grow exponentially for salaries that are above minumum they are getting taxes more and Ju is shifting the burden to emoloyees, de facto reducing salaries. About 4-5 thousand rsd less for the same amount of work is expected

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:27

      @10:12
      That is smart decision from JU management!
      They need to keep personnel costs under control in order to increase profitability.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:54

      @10:27 no, its bad decision. you don't want pilots and FA to be bitchy and all negative while caring thousands of people everyday.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous10:57

      @10:27 According to you, the best thing is having 0 cost for personnel, meaning no employees. Is that possible? There's a breaking point in every business, from which you start loosing even with the lower costs. It's really economics 1.0.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous12:21

      How much the employer is paying the emploees shows how much they are important. Thats all.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:05

    Toronto finally mentioned 😃

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nemjee09:07

    All this is charming but they need to get their act together and do a better job at growing their own fleet. The situation with pilots is becoming extremely problematic and unless they keep on growing their European network, there won't be any room for additional passengers who will connect onto their long-haul network.

    At this point JU needs to work on rebuilding its employee base and to make sure it has enough competent, well-paid people working there.

    His comment on the termination of TSN because they launched CAN makes absolutely no sense. Is he implying that their passengers on TSN were all people from CAN who self-connected on their way to BEG?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:17

      I think they had codeshare with Air China between Guangzhou and Tianjin.

      Delete
    2. Nemjee09:20

      I think it was an interline if I am not wrong.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:21

      Yes I just checked you are right. It was interline.

      Delete
    4. Nemjee09:26

      I think the code-share covers VIE-PEK with Air China. Don't know if they have any other routes to China covered with them.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:26

      But it still gave the passengers the right to buy connected tickets and not to buy 2 separate tickets.

      So, it makes sense what Marek said for relation between CAN and TSN.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:36

      CA codeshared on BEG-TSN too
      https://www.exyuaviation.com/2023/02/air-serbia-and-air-china-restore-and.html

      Delete
    7. Anonymous09:51

      Now I have to return to BEG from Tianjin with CZ via CAN :)

      Delete
    8. Nemjee13:23

      Interlines are notoriously non-competitive so I doubt many from CAN would opt for that option. Why would someone do it when they can fly to/from BEG on Turkish Airlines, Emirates/flydubai, Qatar Airways or even on Hainan via PEK?

      All these carriers offer much better options than the JU/CA interline agreement. Heck they could even travel 2 hours to HKG and catch a flight instead of flying on JU from TSN which is not even close.

      What I think happened here is that connectivity from China to Europe (BEG included) improved since they launched TSN. However I think the biggest problem for them was Hainan as well as improved connectivity from Beijing to Europe. Chinese carriers have since added a whole bunch of flights to Europe.

      I still think TSN could have worked long-term had they invested in marketing. It's a big catchment area and they could have stimulated tourists to fly with them.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous19:19

      I think JU prices are too high for standard Chinese tourists

      Delete
  5. Nemjee09:08

    Nothing new, most of his comments are like that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:29

      Toronto, again?

      Delete
    2. Nemjee13:26

      Air Serbia struggles with Chicago and I don't see how Toronto would be any better.
      YYZ is a major star alliance fortress hub. On top of that it is an expensive airport to fly from. Air Serbia could not be competitive there. Just imagine passengers who would be flying on Pupin.

      I think Air Serbia should focus on improving their performance in existing markets before embarking on new adventures. Reducing ORD to just one weekly flight goes to show that they are not doing their best... or if they are then we should all be worried.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:41

      Nemjee I agree 100%
      With so few frequencies you can not get pax loyalty let alone business passengers who greatly appreciate higher frequencies.
      They will use UA instead and then connect with LH, OS, LX.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous19:26

      Nemjee, do not play ANALiticar, please. 1pw lasts only 1,5 month in a slowest season. No need for panic

      Delete
    5. Anonymous19:48

      Where have you been Nemanjee when Air Serbia announced plans for Tianjin, Guangzhou and Shanghai, all at 2 weekly or less? You didn't object and ask for increase in JFK frequency instead of opening new routes. All your foolish arguments against Toronto service have been repeatedly defeated. Air Serbia can be competitive there as there is no direct competitor on the horizon. Pupin is already announced for cabin refurb in Feb and Toronto can't start operating before YU-ARC returns. Air Serbia is already operating at major star alliance fortress hubs like FRA, ORD, ZRH and VIE.

      Delete
    6. Nemjee20:38

      Huh? How can my arguments about Toronto be defeated when the airline did not launch these flights? It only goes to show that their stance is closer to mine than yours. But sure, the only reason why they didn't launch YYZ is because they lack planes. lol

      Where was I? I was here congratulating them and voicing caution as they have some serious structural issues which they are not resolving. Yes they fly to all those fortress hubs and what is their success like? They have not defeated any of the carriers, quite the opposite actually. Are they dominant compared to LX in ZRH? What about VIE this winter where they fly double daily Atr compared to OS which has triple daily E95. They even removed the Atr for winter on VIE-BEG.

      You need to pull your head from out of the sand. Air Serbia is struggling in many different segments and the commercial department is their biggest problem. Until they fix it they will struggle with sustaining organic growth in the future.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous21:16

      Toronto (and any other destination) not being launched yet is not any proof destination is not viable. Air Serbia also didn't launch Miami or Beijing so using your logic would lead us to incorrect conclusion all those yet unlaunched destinations are destined to fail. Wrong thinking.

      They have not defeated any of the carriers at *A hubs? Well did Air Serbia set out a goal to defeat United Airlines at Chicago O'Hare or Lufthansa at Frankfurt? Of course not. Goal was to carve out enough demand to operate Air Serbia service from those hubs, and they did it. Anyone thinking Air Serbia needs to "defeat" Air Canada at YYZ to attract sufficient demand for two weekly summer seasonal is dead wrong. There is plenty of demand for both groups of passengers, those willing to pay higher fare for nonstop flights as well as those that will take AC/LH transfer option instead.

      You have avoided to comment on other points, from 2pw China flights vs frequency increase for JFK and Pupin cabin refurb. Instead you want to shift topic to new arguments about Air Serbia "structural issues", their "organic growth" struggle and what not. You are not getting away until you concede defeat on those items you avoided. I am not going after you, just your incorrect thinking, and I am doing it with facts and purpose.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous00:48

      Anon 19:48; FRA, ZRH, VIE? Really? It would be first class shame if they didn' serve those. Those are elementary ones. Even Croatia flies to there.

      Oh, and ORD? I think colleague Nemjee said enough. Sapienti sat!

      Delete
    9. Anonymous02:04

      Purgeru znamo da si ti.

      Delete
    10. Nemjee07:26

      Anon 21.16

      Air Serbia has been flying long-haul since 2016, so that's 8 years now. Since then they launched JFK, TSN, ORD, CAN and soon PVG.
      Each time a new long-haul expansion took place, Toronto was overlooked and was skipped. Why is that? If Toronto has such massive potential why didn't they launch it already? So what gives?

      Your argument about Beijing is flawed since there are already flights, they are operated by Hainan. So the market is there, it was just captured by another player.
      As for MIA, no one operates it yet so we don't know what market potential there really is. Marek used to brag about TSN and then overnight it was terminated. A good CEO would have seen the writing on the wall and would have started working on shifting operations to Beijing a while ago.

      Why are you mentioning UA in ORD when I specifically referred to Star Alliance hubs where they face direct competition. Mind you this summer on days when LX would send their A321neo to BEG, JU A319 would fly with 50 or 70 passengers. I am not saying that they are always performing badly but they are not exactly thriving. Same with FRA which is almost exclusively operated by the E90.
      When it comes to BEG-Star hubs, JU isn't exactly the dominant player despite there being a massive amount of local traffic (Frankfurt, Zurich and Vienna). So much Serbian diaspora lives in and around FRA and the best they can do is send their E90. Does it mean they failed to position themselves as a transfer carrier for other passengers there as well? Many non-Star Alliance carriers operate in and out of FRA. There is a good reason for that.

      What points did I exactly avoid to answer? List them here and I will provide you with an answer. Yes, they have structural issues. Are you aware that the first CAN flight was launched at the expense of ORD? Chicago that day was cancelled so that the A330 could operate the flight to CAN.

      What happened to their loyalty program?
      What happened to their corporate program?
      What happened to the JV with TK?
      What happened to all the stories about the MRO facility with TK?
      What happened with them become part of TK or AF loyalty program?
      Why are their code-shares generally useless and overpriced?
      Why are entire departments understaffed at JU?
      Why are pilots still leaving them?
      Why can't they reduce their reliance on wet leases? How many dry lease planes in their livery have they added (narrowbody jet engined ones) vs. wet leases? Why do you think JU has to rely so much of foreign carriers operating flights for them?
      Why is the second E95 late?
      Where are the winter surprises Marek spoke of?

      If you think JU doesn't have structural problems then you are delusional.

      I regularly fly on JU and I support them whenever I can. However, one should not ignore the flaws they have including those Marek as the CEO failed to address and solve. He's been at the helm of the airline for a while now and it's not like he upgraded JU in any way.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous08:03

      With 3 new leisure destinations and all that long haul mess it's look like JU is shifted more and more away from Hub & Spoke model towards the leisure, where the money is. At least they are pro-active in something.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous08:15

      They would not make the change if they were succesful in what they did before.

      Delete
    13. Anonymous13:35

      If YYZ was so popular Air Transat would launch flights. Also QR their codeshare partner is reducing BEG this winter

      Delete
    14. Anonymous14:31

      If certain destination was popular, airlines would have launched it - common fallacy among aviation enthusiasts and self-proclaimed analysts. That statement is not a fact and falls apart once airline starts a route. Couple of examples:

      Two months ago, everyone could look like an expert saying: "If Greenland was a popular tourist destination, airlines would have launched it by now". Then on 10 Oct United Airlines announced Nuuk, Greenland and everyone who said that sentence looked like a fool. Or consider another example: back in July everyone talked about North America leisure demand to Italy and Greece, saying previous Rouge destinations like Prague would have been launched if they were popular. Then Air Canada recently announced PRG for 2025 and those who used said "argument" completely failed.

      Most airlines employ in-depth analysis when deciding what routes to launch. Sometimes it's fleet availability or geopolitics or other reasons preventing them from service launch of seemingly great destination choices. If you don't want to look like a foolish self-proclaimed analyst, please stop using statements "if certain destination was popular, airlines would have launched it".

      Delete
    15. Anonymous17:51

      Nemjee: What points did I exactly avoid to answer? List them here and I will provide you with an answer.

      Listed in comment 21:16. Go back to your comment at 13:26 and response at 19:48.

      Nemjee: If Toronto has such massive potential why didn't they launch it already?

      Comment at 14:31 explains why you should not use that as an argument.

      In short, I don't care to shift focus to all those questions you listed. Argument started about Air Serbia Toronto service. After dozens of examples showing YYZ would work for Air Serbia if done right, for example by operating only summer seasonal, those who repeat same old "Toronto won't work" are now looking like flatearth and chemtrail conspiracy theorists. Despite plenty of evidence all around them, they still repeat debunked claims and refuse to accept reality. You are smarter than them.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:08

    About time they think about profitability as a driver, duh

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:10

      But people get upset if TSN is suspended

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:20

      People get upset for JU not seeing they will not be profitable in TSN.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:08

    Idemo dalje...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous09:10

    I was a fan of JU's long haul but Marek starts to annoying me with this BS.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:16

      That's because it's one thing what he says and another what he does

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:18

    To me this looks like a message to the government: let us do our job and stop creating enormous expectations.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nemjee09:21

      I think it's quite the opposite, I think the government is aware that JU is struggling. If that wasn't the case then Serbia would be giving subsidies to JU to launch flights to Kazakhstan. Also I noticed that national teams are no longer flying on JU when playing matches abroad.

      Goes to show capacity restraints are serious.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:28

      Then I don't know to whom he says: "We need to understand who we are. We are a regional airline"?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:32

      I agree with you anon 09:28.

      Yesterday we heard that "it is of essential importance for Serbia to have flights to Kosice and Bratislava".

      Of course that given message is addressed to the individuals giving this kind of statements.

      JU is certainly not struggling, but they simply refuse any idea of flying to Kazakhstan only because someone has a wish for it. As they refuse to fly there some form must be found press conference to look good and that form is that "Serbia is going to subsidize foreign airlines to fly between Kazakhstan and Serbia".

      Once press conference is over nobody will even think of it.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:38

      Did anyone ask him when will flights to CAI be restored.
      The president himself announced it back in July with flights supposedly launching two months later.
      "President: Air Serbia to restore Cairo service"
      https://www.exyuaviation.com/2024/07/president-air-serbia-to-restore-cairo.html

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:49

      The president also announced Bratislava recently...

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:55

      I could see BTS as a two weekly ATR route.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous13:25

      This guy Nemjee is consistently spreading lies on here and manipulating people. I am FA for JU and we definitely transport our teams everywhere like I personally dod last week our football team to CPH and back. We have more then enough crew for our operation and we did not get any major issues with people leaving. We actually have people asking for more hrs. Stop with lies please.

      Delete
    8. Nemjee13:28

      Yeah that's why our national team flew on Carpatair the other day.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous21:19

      Nemjee yiu really need to stop at some point. I am sure JU attempts to service national teams as much as possible but they do not operate 100s of AC which would give them flexibility between regular operations and ofs for such a events. In my opinion for a small country JU is doing a great job and they are constantly looking to improve something. We saw new entertainment system being tested, free food on linger flights, refurbishing of330s, new routes. You seem to be never happy and never recognize anything positive. I could only imagine to deal with such a negative person daily.

      Delete
    10. Nemjee07:38

      I am not negative, I am just being a realist.
      Air Serbia is no longer Jat Airways, they are no longer in the same league as Tarom or Croatia Airlines.

      They decided to play in the major league so new and more strict rules apply now. Air Serbia can't carry our national team, not because they lack planes but rather because they don't have enough staff to operate them - especially pilots. There is a reason why so many of their initially planned increases for winter were removed. Even with these cuts BEG is performing well which indicates that the market is there.

      What new entertainment system? It was tested months ago and nothing came out of it. I had at least 10 flights on JU in the last couple of months and haven't come across it.
      Free food on longer flights? That's the norm on over 90% of all carriers that operate long-haul.

      I have no problem if JU wants to be a basic, small carriers serving the Serbian market. That's fine. However they want to be a hub carrier with a serious network and a significant international presence. In order to achieve this they need to pick a fight and beat well-establshed carriers. In order to do that they need to have all of their departments do an impeccable job.

      By tolerating their flaws and shortcomings you are not doing them any favors.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:21

    Profitability would be generated by having 4 A330 in the air and not 2 of them sitting on the tarmac in Belgrade most of the time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:41

      True but probably they realized (just now?) that the new long haul routes take longer to mature and become profitable or at least cashflow neutral.
      So they rather have the planes parked in BEG and just pay the monthly leases than having them all fly and with the exception of JFK generate loses.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:07

      9:21 What are you mumbling about?? JU have two widebodies now and both are fully utilized

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:09

      It has three

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:12

      The blissful ignorance...

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:15

      10:09 Try to keep yourself updated, before writing ignorant posts. One is on the service more than a month. Another goes service early next year. Keep calm, stay safe

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:30

      @Anonymous10:15
      ALL airlines for ALL the aircraft they are flying, having parked or being serviced pay their monthly leases to the lessors.
      Keep calm, stay informed.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:32

      It depends. They have a power by the hour contract for YU-ARC. Not sure for YU-ARD.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous10:34

      @Anonymous 10:32
      Source about the YU-ARC contract terms?

      Delete
    9. Anonymous19:30

      10:30 So, you are implying that JU should not send their aircrafts to regular maintenance, in order to keep being profitable. Are you insane??

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:24

    It's true, they said it many times before. Toronto and Miami were first mentioned in 2022:

    https://www.exyuaviation.com/2022/12/air-serbia-seeking-third-a330-eyes.html

    Problem is, they have not been able to decide if it's going to be Miami, Toronto or both. It is almost two years now and they still repeat the same. Wow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:28

      It seems to me that they are at this moment concentrated on Chinese market and actually do not care much about destinations in North America.

      Once they cover in China what they think they need to cover they will start thinking about Toronto and/or Miami.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:41

      As they said in the news article, next step is North America after China. Two years ago they said next destinations in NA will be MIA or YYZ. They had two years to figure out which one (or both) and they still couldn't. How many years will they need to decide if 2 years are not enough?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:43

      Well, planes are not at BEG yet. Are you any aware of that fact?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:49

      I am aware of the fact Guangzhou was launched before third A330 arrived. JFK was launched before first A330 arrived ss well.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:53

      @09:43 you do know that airlines normally make preparations, launch a route and sell tickets for it months before actual flights commence, right?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:12

      JU currently operate TWO widebodies. It is clearly said that new routes will not be introduced before planes arrive. So sit back and relax. I understand it hurts that more widebodies will arrive and more routes will be introduced, but try to keep your hysteria under control. None of your funny posts will change these facts. Although it's funny to read them from time to time.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:31

      @10:12 your anger towards facts is very amusing!

      Delete
    8. Anonymous10:41

      For a long time Air Serbia was very specific about wanting to fly to Shanghai, long before current planes were on the ground in Belgrade. As opposed to for example Toronto. Air Serbia never said it wants to fly there, just it would evaluate it. That's the difference.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous11:01

      And what did they say about Tianjin? "It's profitable from day one" if I recall correctly.

      Delete
    10. Ok, lets see if 4th plane is arriving in December, or they will cancel the lease...If this plans announced by Marek are gonna be carried through the entire next year, Air Serbia definitely doesn't need 4 wide body aircrafts...It looks like their departments don't have good communication..You acquire new planes, but you don't know where are they gonna be flying to?

      Delete
    11. Anonymous12:23

      @11.01
      It was profitable. It stopped being profitable when Guangzhou started.

      @Tresnja
      Marek said yesterday at this conference that 4th A330 is coming before the end of the year.

      Delete
    12. Nemjee13:31

      I still think improved connectivity from Beijing to Europe/BEG killed TSN. When this route was launched options were more than limited so many from the region were forced to use it.

      Since then the offer from Beijing (both airports) was improved so TSN's importance faded.

      Delete
    13. @12:23 then I don`t understand what all those plane are for...Obviously they cannot densify Chinese routes until they figure out if the routes are working well and need densification or not...which is gonna take probably a year...they already announced densification of NYC...but all together that`s not enough flights per week...

      Delete
    14. Anonymous19:40

      10:31
      Treshnja

      Guys, stop panicking. 4th plane didn't even arrive and you are already in some kind of stress, how it will be utilized. In January starts new route to Shangahai. We should not expect another long haul route in winter season really. If the plane arrive until New year, there are still 3 months to decide new route until summer season commence. Even 5 months if new route start in May, which would be expected. Maybe it will be Bejing, if the permits are OK, maybe it will be Toronto, we will see. Until that time, one plane will be out of service. Now is Tesla and then goes Pupin. Third widebody (if arrives on time) will be utilized on short haul routes, do not worry.

      Delete
    15. Nemjee20:40

      Ok, we will not worry. Thank you.

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:56

    Did Marek gave an update about the timetable of Pupin's cabin refurbishment?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:57

      Yes because cabin retrofit on one plane is something you discuss at an aviation conference.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:00

      ^^^
      Why wouldn't you discuss this in an aviation conference when you talk about your airline's long haul plans?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:01

      Because few people care or know about it. Why weren't you invited to the conference and asked him yourself?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:21

      Speaking about the conference, a well known self proclaimed aviation expert from Croatia proclaimed that this event is nothing special. He claimed it's not CAPA's main annual event, even though CAPA itself says it is, and then listed GAD conference as a more important CAPA event. Nevermind that GAD is NOT a CAPA event and nevermind that GAD is an airport event (GAD = Global Airport Development), not an airline event. Of course the main issue is that no one invited him, and no one knows about him except airport excutives in Bosnia.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:29

      Like he know a bit about it...

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:31

      With SJJ CEO fired and constant replacements in BNX, he is running out of executives even in Bosnia.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous14:31

      @ anon 10:21

      It has become already unpleasant to read all that s...t he wrote.

      For him top CAPA2024 meeting with so many CEO's is nothing special, but at the same time the conference he attended in Uzbekistan and Kazahstan are huge happenings. 🤣🤣🤣

      Delete
    8. Nemjee16:58

      No sane person taks him seriously. His opinions and comments are a good source of daily laughter.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous19:32

      There will always be fraudsters and scammers like him. Onus is on media, airlines and professional aviation organizations/conferences to expose him and then ignore him. At least media from all sides of political spectrum in Belgrade are now ignoring him, as well as main airlines serving BEG airport and respectable professional organizations and conference organizers.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous22:39

      So it should be.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous10:28

    Feels like something is brewing between Marek and Vucic lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:29

      I more think he was addressing people like the ones that comment here who think Air Serbia should have a fleet of 100 planes and fly everywhere while being profitable.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:25

      The CEO is arguing with portal comments at an important aviation summit? I hope he is not.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous02:26

      Looks more like a statement that they will not launch routes that are politically driven.

      Delete
  14. Anonymous10:34

    I am surprised India as the most populated country hasn’t been mentioned for looking at long haul. It could create a steady flow of transfer traffic to New York and other destinations Air Serbia fly. It will take some time for the New Air India to get itself sorted so could be an interesting market to explore over some of the other countries mentioned and Belgrade at least has a growing Indian and South Asian Diaspora.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:15

      +1000

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:20

      There's a visa regime between Serbia and India. True, there's with US too but obviously pax stream can justify flights to JFK/ORD.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:59

      The Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi markets are well covered by Fly Dubai, Qatar airway and soon Etihad.
      JU can't afford to go to battle with them.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous12:01

    Air Serbia is performing well on Russian routes.
    Why they are no more reports, news about it?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous12:03

    Air Serbia is performing well on (middle- haul) routes to Russia. Why they are no more reports, news about it?

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous13:20

    When's the 4th A330 coming?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous15:16

    Long haul must be strategy-driven. Almost all airports where JU flies to get pax and transfer them via BEG are growing and gaining new destinations which may be limiting factor for JU's further growth at those destinations. But do you know which destinations those airports are not getting and will not get them (in significant scope at least) anytime soon? The long-haul destinations. Shortly, long haul is fundamental for JU's growth and profitability of long haul should not be judged without total profitability of the company.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous20:12

    Marek also said that next week tickets for new leisure routes should be on sale. Also, he said that there is huge demand for some closed routes. Nice is already back. Others are Trieste, Marseille, Cairo, Florenze, Tel Aviv, Cologne. Maybe I am forgetting something

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They closed Naples during winter as well..Tianjin off course

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:32

      He didn’t mention seasonal routes. Only former (discontinued)

      Delete
    3. @13:31 ok, yes you`re right, just Naples was not seasonal route, till now...They obviously converted it to seasonal, since I see it`s back on schedule from April

      Delete
    4. Anonymous17:10

      ^ it operated only for two months last winter
      https://www.exyuaviation.com/2024/10/winter-202425-air-serbia.html

      Delete
    5. Anonymous17:59

      Strange they didn't utilize A72 for a winter season. Seems it would fit perfectly

      Delete
  20. Anonymous11:29

    is there any other non-profit driven approach at all that makes sense?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous18:15

      Officials from Montenegro and Croatia spoke repeatedly of reasons government support for their flag carriers is needed for strategic reasons or something to that effect. Tourism is considered as critical for those countries and governments want to support their airlines regardless of profitability.

      Delete
  21. Anonymous14:30

    For me is interesting that there is still functional loyalty programme and no words expect once few months ago. Loyalty programme would for sure attract more passengers, or getting in one of already existing groups

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous23:46

    Forget China or any Asian country for that matter right now. Focus on Toronto as there are half a million Serbs living in the GTA area.

    ReplyDelete

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