Eurowings plans major expansion into EX-YU markets


Lufthansa’s low cost subsidiary Eurowings is gearing up for a major expansion across markets of the former Yugoslavia during the upcoming 2025 summer season. The carrier will inaugurate a two weekly year-round service between Berlin and Sarajevo, complementing its existing operations from Cologne and Stuttgart. The low cost airline last served the route between the two capitals in January 2020, with operations discontinued prior to the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. This will be its third attempt at operating the route, with its predecessor Germanwings also having maintained services from April 2014 until March 2015. Beforehand, in 2009, B&H Airlines maintained flights between the two capitals. Eurowings will further grow in Sarajevo in 2026 with the addition of services from Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Hannover.

Eurowings plans to enter the Slovenian market next year with flights from Berlin and Dusseldorf to Ljubljana. The airline was the only one to apply to the most recent public call issued by the Slovenian government aimed at attracting new carriers to the country in return for subsidies. The aid granting commission will now determine if Eurowings has met the necessary conditions. The budget carrier aims to launch operations from the German capital to Ljubljana on April 11 and from Dusseldorf on April 12. Previously, the Berlin - Ljubljana route was operated by easyJet on two occasions, from November 2003 until March 2006, as well as from August 2018 until September 2020. Furthermore, Adria Airways maintained services between the two in 2015 and 2016. On the other hand, flights between Dusseldorf were last served by Adria in 2018 and 2019.

During the summer of 2025, Mostar Airport will boast two new routes from Germany - from Stuttgart and Dusseldorf. Although the operating carrier is yet to be announced, Eurowings is tipped to maintain both services, which would mark its return to Mostar after almost six years. The carrier had previously operated both routes in 2018 and 2019. Common to all the abovementioned planned new Eurowings services is that they will be subsidised. Elsewhere, Eurowings is believed to be in negotiations with Niš Airport over potential flights, with the airline reportedly also being approached over a potential base at the airport as well.

For the upcoming summer season, Eurowings has scheduled 1.896 departures from Croatia, which is slightly down on this year, although the timetable for next summer is still being finalised. The budget airline also has 578 scheduled departures planned from Pristina, which is the same as this year, and 136 from Belgrade, maintaining this summer’s operations. Eurowings also plans to run 98 departures from Tivat, as was the case over the summer of 2024.



Comments

  1. Anonymous09:02

    If you pay them they fly

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous09:03

    Had no idea BER-LJU has been attempted so many times. Hope it will work out now

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:08

      It went well with Easyjet even without subsidies, unfortunately covid happened and Fraport increased fees after

      Delete
    2. Anonymous01:44

      and Berlin too after the shift to the new airport

      Delete
    3. Anonymous02:25

      Ljubljana finally getting some love! With Eurowings coming in, there will be better choices and hopefully competitive prices too. This should be great for tourism and for all of us living in Slovenia who travel to Germany often.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:05

    Seems there were flights to Berlin from almost every airport in the region for couple of years and then they were cancelled. Wonder why it should be different this time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:10

      I'm surprised that Berlin can't work from so many ex-Yu markets without subsidies

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    2. Anonymous10:48

      Berlin is a fascinating arabo-turkish city. Strange it doesnt attract enough travellers.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous14:45

      Hahaha especially if you are 'lucky' enough to end up in Neukoln. It's really charming.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous02:26

      Eurowings has a history of testing routes and pulling out, so I really hope they stick around this time

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:05

    Excellent news. One of the better LCCs.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:07

      not really a LCC with their prices. At least out of Germany, they are super expensive.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:12

      They were terribly unreliable last time they had wide scale ops in the region in 2019

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:34

      yes, you got Ryanair service for Lufthansa price... one of the best ever

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:09

      Prices are more than fair imo. Had a return flight to Yerevan for 140€ last summer with a layover in Dusseldorf (from Graz)

      Delete
    5. Anonymous13:28

      That is an exception rather than rule. They are often more expensive than legacy carriers

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  5. Anonymous09:08

    Good news for Mostar.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:13

      Mostar paid it expensively.

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    2. Anonymous09:29

      I really do wonder what is the long term strategy? Keep paying for routes until the end of time? Meanwhile 12 years ago there were more passengers than now without a single route paid for.

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    3. Anonymous10:10

      Paying for routes is pretty common nowadays due to aircraft shortage. Some subsidised routes in the USA get as much as $45 per passenger. Mostar is paying peanuts in comparison

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    4. Anonymous01:42

      I really wonder how many capital city airports in Europe pay for flights to Berlin

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    5. Anonymous02:30

      They’ve tried Mostar before and left when things got tough. What’s different this time? These routes will probably be gone after a few seasons.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:12

    Do they still have Dash 8 planes in their fleet?

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:18

      No. Only A320neo

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:29

      Sorry wanted to write only A320-family. Not A320neo

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    3. Anonymous16:36

      Did they used to wet lease the Dash 8s? I remember they used them to Mostar from time to time.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous01:41

      The Dash 8s were from German Airways after Lufthansa purchased them. It was later purchased from Lufthansa by another company, LH ended the Eurowings contract that German Airways had and the company collapsed

      Delete
    5. Anonymous07:07

      No the Dash 8-400s were from LGW, an airline that ceased to exist.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous17:45

      0707, True. 0141, German Airways exists

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:13

    Well done SJJ!

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  8. Anonymous09:14

    While I understand giving incentives to airlines from time to time, the amount of subsidized flights from ex-Yu region is getting out of hand. Some airports have their entire growth based on subsidies and they are capital city airports!

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:15

      +1

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    2. Anonymous09:26

      That is because they are chasing flights to Germany which is in recession. Economic situation there is not good. First to be affected are gasterbajter traffic. Without subsidies there isn't enough demand to operate flights since gastos are saving up.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:29

      But you have airports like Sarajevo and Ljubljana having all new routes subsidized, regardless if they are in Germany or not

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    4. Anonymous09:31

      If Fraport won't do anything to get new routes then government will have to.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:05

      And if it doesn’t?

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    6. Anonymous11:17

      Germany is not in a recession.

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    7. Anonymous11:21

      It will be officially at the end of December
      https://www.euronews.com/business/2024/10/09/germanys-economic-struggles-deepen-a-back-to-back-recession-looms

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    8. Anonymous13:18

      Thanks for proving my point, Germany is not in a recession.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous14:46

      Germany is not in a recession now but it was. You really think this doesn't impact gastos? Wake up. Germany is in deep trouble and that is why their government collapsed, it was over the economy.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:18

    Ljubljana - Dusseldorf seems very niche. What do the numbers look like?

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:31

      An article from 3 years ago. Although the numbers are from 2019.

      https://www.exyuaviation.com/2021/09/ljubljana-airport-sees-growing-german.html

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:35

    In the text, you forgot to mention that for Sarajevo in 2026, in addition to Hannover and Dusseldorf, there will also be flights to Hamburg, twice a week.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous10:44

    Move over Wizz!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous10:44

    EW is expensive and not that low cost at all.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous10:44

    Eurowings is perfect for INI. Hope it happens.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:48

      +1

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    2. Anonymous13:14

      Considering they only fly seasonally to Belgrade (basically a couple of weeks), I wouldn't be too optimistic.

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    3. Anonymous13:17

      If half a year is "couple of weeks"...

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:19

      The difference is they would pay to fly out of Nis. German airlines are opening bases in different European cities next year because of the crazy new taxes being imposed in the country. Condor just announced it is opening bases next summer in places like Prague because of it.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous14:22

      EW in Belgrade has HUGE competition, unlike in Nis.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous16:35

      True 10 routes served to Germany

      Delete
  14. Anonymous10:45

    The good thing is that they offer connecting flights through Lufthansa.

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  15. Anonymous10:48

    What's the sudden interest in ex-Yu region from Eurowings?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:49

      Subsidies

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:19

      What do you mean "sudden interest"? Eurowings flies hundreds of flights to Ex-Yu every week, every summer, all summer. It has a flight to Croatia every 30 minutes for all of August.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:22

      By sudden interest I mean the launch of several new routes. They haven't launched anything new to Croatia this year. In fact they still haven't restored many pre Covid routes to Croatia.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous23:35

      You‘re wrong. HAJ-PUY for example was new this summer

      Delete
    5. Anonymous02:29

      Let’s be real—Eurowings only seems interested because of the subsidies. Once those dry up, there’s no guarantee they’ll stick around. This feels more like a short-term cash grab.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous10:57

    How is EuroWings compared to other LCC?

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:58

      Sam as all others except it's usually more expensive than other LCCs. The upside is you can buy connecting flights with them onto Lufthansa.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous02:28

      Eurowings’ service is spotty at best. Cancelled flights, delays, high fees—it’s a budget airline with lots of headaches. I’m not sure this will be as great as it seems.

      Delete
  17. Anonymous10:57

    Will Banja Luka recognize Eurowings intentions to expand and try to attract them?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous11:02

    Bravo Fraport!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous11:05

    Great news for Mostar.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:10

      But would they have considered this route without subsidies?

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    2. Anonymous11:16

      Probably not. But that's how all of these small airports start out. It's normal.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:19

      The issue is in ex-Yu it's not just "small airports". It is capital city airports too. Ljubljana and Sarajevo have had over 90% of their new routes in the last year launched through subsidies only. In my opinion that's a disaster. Because we are not talking about subsidies to some exotic destinations. We are talking about subsidies to places like Berlin.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:20

      Why is that a "disaster"?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous13:24

      If you think it's normal to hand out cash to sustain basic flights from one European capital to another then ok.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous17:45

      Unfortunately it is balkanista mentality. If a route needs subsidies it shouldn't exist.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous20:39

      The external agency conducted research on the profitability of these subsidies for the economy and calculated that these subsidies will bring back three times more money. That is why they decided to subsidize through the Sarajevo Canton's Ministry of Tourism.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous21:54

      Do you trust any politician or government appointed agency in this part of the world?

      Delete
  20. Anonymous11:17

    I'm surprised they didn't even apply for the Macedonian subsidies :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:21

      I think Dusseldorf-Skopje has potential

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:24

      A couple of years ago Eurowings scheduled flights to SKP, put them on sale and then removed them and never launched flights.

      Delete
  21. Anonymous11:25

    When will they start selling tickets for new flights?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:47

      They usually start selling tickets for new routes in December

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:14

      Thanks

      Delete
  22. Anonymous11:47

    Launch Tuzla Flights!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:03

      If they pay they will come.

      Delete
  23. Anonymous12:16

    As they keep growing their fleet, we will definitely see more of them in ex-Yu. There are a lot of untapped opportunities in the region.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous12:16

    Good news :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous14:00

    Would be great to see Eurowings on BEG-BER sector. Wizz and JU fares are pretty high

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:47

      Thats also because BER is crazy expensive, can't have cheap fares.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous20:46

      It is possible to have how you can fly from Italy, Spain for less than 100€ a/r

      Delete
  26. Anonymous14:37

    Would be good to see them in Skopje too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:06

      Hopefully they apply for the next subsidy tender in December.

      Delete
  27. Anonymous14:43

    Problem whit Berlin Brandenburg is costs. Its so expencive airport and high charges dosnt atract Airlines to open new routes for our region. And airport even increse it few times in last period

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous16:05

    I don't get it. Eurowings as lcc is not low cost at all... Fares are very high compared to Ryanair or Wizz.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:19

      Eurowings is competing with Transavia and Vueling.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:21

      Indeed, Ryan & Wizz are ultra low cost. Eurowings is just low cost

      Delete
  29. Anonymous20:52

    When people will start to complain about subsidies. Let’s face there is shortage of aircraft first of all. Secondary ex-yu market is small and not so popular comparing with tourist destinations as Italy, Spain, Greece, even Poland. Thirty, unfortunately standard in Serbia, BiH, Macedonia is not so hight and people cannot afford more than 1-2 trip during a year if at all. Subsidies are totally fine if they are realistic and will bring tourists in region which will spend money for accommodation, food, etc

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous01:48

    In 2019 they used to fly Stuttgart-Ohrid but never came back :(

    ReplyDelete
  31. Anonymous02:24

    They’ve tried Berlin-Sarajevo a few times before, so hopefully, it sticks this time with year-round flights. More options are always welcome!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous02:24

    Thrilled to see Eurowings expanding in former Yugoslavia! Sarajevo and Ljubljana deserve better connectivity with Germany.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Anonymous02:28

    Not holding my breath for long-term service for any of these

    ReplyDelete

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