Lufthansa is currently the second fastest-growing airline across the former Yugoslav markets for the upcoming summer. It is growing its capacity by 222.989 seats or 19.7%. The Star Alliance member will once again have the most flights to Croatia, with frequencies increasing between twelve and thirteen weekly flights on last year during the peak summer travel period for an average of 62 to 65 weekly rotations. Seasonal operations to Dubrovnik will see the most flights added on the previous year. In Belgrade, the German flag carrier is increasing frequencies from both Frankfurt and Munich, reaching a peak of 42 weekly flights in August. Operations between Frankfurt and Tivat will be doubled for most of the summer and increased on select months from Munich as well. Lufthansa will be Slovenia’s largest airline over the summer, with some 31.000 seats more than Turkish Airlines.
Turkish Airlines will complete the top three, with an extra 184.972 seats or growth of 15.5%. This summer, the Turkish flag carrier is introducing a new four weekly service between Istanbul and Ohrid starting March 27. Furthermore, it is expanding its operations from Istanbul to both Zagreb and Ljubljana. After growing its frequencies from fourteen to eighteen weekly flights to the Croatian capital during the 2024 summer season, the airline now plans to increase flights to 21 weekly, offering three daily rotations between the two cities. These additional frequencies will be introduced starting March 30. From June 11, Turkish Airlines will serve the Slovenian capital eighteen times per week, up from last year’s fourteen weekly in June, thirteen weekly from July to September, and eleven weekly in October. The airline plans to run three daily rotations on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, while two flights will be maintained on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
Top five fastest growing airlines across former Yugoslav markets, S25
Air Serbia will be the fastest growing flag carrier originating from the region. It will continue to hold its position as the largest airline on the Serbian market, with some 2.8 million seats more than second-placed Wizz Air. In addition, the Serbian flag carrier will become the largest on the Montenegrin market this summer, with over 47.500 seats more than runner up Air Montenegro. Meanwhile, Wizz Air remains the largest in Macedonia with over 914.000 additional seats compared to second-placed Pegasus Airlines.
Capacity changes will inevitably continue in the lead-up to the summer season as airlines adjust operating equipment and frequencies.
"the Serbian flag carrier will become the largest on the Montenegrin market this summer, with over 47.500 seats more than runner up Air Montenegro."
ReplyDeleteWow; will Air Montenegro operate with just its two E195 this summer? New CEO, new strategy ig?
Air Montenegro plans to lease another plane and their summer schedule has been made based on that but this summer Air Serbia is increasing Tivat while Ryanair has reduced flights. Air Montenegro used to be something like 5th or 6th largest last summer so this is a big improvement.
DeleteSo AirMontenegro will be -1 plane compared to the last year (wet lease of e190 and a320)
DeleteYes. But the new route to Baku is operating at night time. Plus I think they will have much less charters than last year.
DeleteRyanair is getting massive in Croatia. Wasn't expecting over 2 million seats advantage over OU.
ReplyDeleteCroatia Airlines really needs to step up its game. Ryanair is eating up the market, and it’s clear that passengers are opting for cheaper flights
DeleteRyanair’s dominance in Croatia is both a blessing and a curse. It’s affordable, but it’s a shame OU isn't keeping up.
DeleteThe ten new Ryanair routes from Croatia are fantastic for tourism.
DeleteOnly people who hate Croatia's tourism growth look at FR expansion as a curse.
DeleteAmong other things, FR has such huge growth because its Dubrovnik base will be operational the entire summer. Last year they based planes in June I believe.
DeleteCroatian tourism is booming, they see quite big increase every year, lot of ot thanks to Ryanair...Spain itself is also one of the 2-3 biggest tourist destinations, yet I literally don't know any Spaniard who hasn't visited Croatia..and Croatia is hardly reachable by car from Spain..So what is the conclusion?
DeleteThe conclusion is... that they arrived by train ;)
DeleteCroatia Airlines is really in a problem.
ReplyDeleteCroatia Airlines really needs to adapt. They’re losing out to Ryanair not just in capacity but also in perception. Time to rethink their strategy.
DeleteI hope Croatia Airlines fights back with more competitive prices and better routes.
DeleteWhy should they after 30 years? They are a government run institution for incompetence.
DeleteNo Croatia Airlines is adapting, new strategy, new aircraft, new management and new young people!
Delete^ It would be good for you to stop talking nonsense. There is no new management nor new young people.
DeleteAnon 11:10 seems to be smoking so serious stuff this morning.
Delete11.10
DeleteAnd what happens when you wake up?
People on this page really love OU.
DeleteI did not expect Lufthansa to be second. They are finally waking up again in ex-Yu.
ReplyDeleteEx-Yu loves LH group airlines!
DeleteSad to see that Wizz is nowhere on the list.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's even with the new routes from Skopje.
DeleteIn SKP they will have less capacity than last year even with the new routes. Remember they are removing 5 so adding 3 makes no difference.
DeleteWell, that's their decision, noone's else..Just look what they did in past few days with stopping fuel tanking on BEG..they were dropping passengers in Budapest and Temisoara..Come on! I don't understand management of that company
Delete@Treshnja
DeleteMe too. On top of that Vinci is quiet towards W6 and it's capacity cuts in BEG.
I wish more airlines would focus beyond just Sarajevo in Bosnia. There’s so much untapped potential in cities like Mostar and Banja Luka
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteMostar is like 1.5h away from Sarajevo Airport, with the construction of the new highway even less in a couple of years, so I doubt they have much chance competing against Sarajevo. They should just fly seasonal tourist charters probably.
DeleteSarajevo is still far from reaching its potential, but efforts from all airports are made and all receive subsidy money
DeleteMost of KLM growth comes from Ljubljana, right?
ReplyDeleteThat and they are upgrading plane on BEG route.
Delete3 times daily to SPU, 2 times daily to ZAG and DBV, much more flights on 737 mainline then cityhopper embraers before, so I wouldn't say it's only LJU to produce growth, but it definitely is a good part of it, probably even the most, because of newly introduced flights
DeleteI expected JU to grow significantly more than just 3.9%
ReplyDeleteWhat's happening with the E-jets that were supposed to come and fully replace the Marathon capacity?
Also 2 more A330s result in only 3.9% overall capacity increase? Sounds strange to me.
They still haven't finalized their schedule. For example Ibiza, which they will be starting still hasn't been scheduled.
DeleteThey added 2 more A330s but 1 A330 will be mostly on the ground and used just for back up or charters.
DeleteTo seriously increase flying you first need to seriously increase your staff. Both aircrews and ground personnel.
DeleteIf they can't find use for the 4th A330 on longhaul routes maybe they should use it over the summer on holiday charters that are in high demand.
DeleteI can see it flying to Greece, Turkey, possibly Cyprus. Maybe even a few flights to TIV.
JU needs are turn to TLV market. Every European airline will restart flights in the next two months or it has already done so.
DeleteWho said they can't find use for it? From the very beginning they said that YU-ARC which isn't in great shape would be used as back up until it goes for cabin retrofit. An airline Air Serbia's size added 2 new long haul routes within 5 months which isn't a small feat, despite what some people here think.
Delete^ You are right, most people don't get it. They think JU should be adding A330s to the fleet every month and launching new long haul routes every other month. At the same time they would require JU to be extremely profitable.
Delete09:27+09:32
DeleteThat is a very convoluted way to say that JU doesn't know what to do with the widebody capacity it is paying for so it will have 25% of its most expensive fleet sunbathing in BEG.
YU-ARC is on a power by the hour agreement. They don't pay for it while it is on the ground.
Delete^^^
DeleteSure thing, they got an A330 for free and are only paying its owner if they decide to fly it somewhere.
SMFH...
^ Instead of shaking your head, maybe you should read what a power by the hour agreement is.
DeleteUnlike you I have. There is no power by the hour contract without a minimum amount paid each month irrespective of hours flown.
DeleteSending an A330 a few days a month to RHO, HER, AYT, TIV, FCO would be a great way of advertising ASL
DeleteThe financial loss they would have with that would not be so great.
DeleteThey should launch MIA and get some kind of cooperation with American Airlines to get connections from central and south America.
DeleteDemand for travel to Europe from the US is huge and the US carriers have trouble fulfilling it because of insufficient widebody capacity.
Boeing and Airbus have really screwed them over.
Anon 10:05
DeleteI doubt a full A330 on a maximum 1.5 hour long flight would be loss making.
Airlines in Europe are using them all the time on short haul hops in-between their regular long-haul schedule.
"Airlines in Europe" being Turkish Airlines. The cost of operating an A330 on a sub-90-minute route is 3x as high as for an A320. It's not just a question of fuel burn, there's also landing & other airport fees for a long-haul aircraft etc.
DeleteAirlines in Europe such as Air France, BA, Swiss, Edelweiss, Iberia, Air Europa,, El Al.
DeleteTry to stay informed. Our region's airports are not the only airports in Europe.
TUI airlines too.
Delete@09:27 Yes, they added 2 long haul routes, but they canceled 1, you forgot to mention that..So total increase in long haul is only 1 route..and 2 more new planes..Come on..
DeleteThe president also "announced" NRT in his last trip to Japan.
DeleteCapacity certainly exists for it.
Then again he also has "announced" a return to CAI.
@ Treshnja
DeleteNo, the total increase is an extra 3 weekly long haul flights per week, each lasting a few hours longer than TSN. They have also announced that they plan to increase frequencies to China this summer. Application process with Chinese authorities take some time but they will announce it in around 2 months.
@12:31 ok, we were talking about routes, and not frequencies..2 new routes added, 1 canceled.. Total is +1..Maybe you forgot, but Air Serbia was granted flights to CAN long before the actual flights commenced, and most possible reason was lack of aircrafts..Also they were approved 3 flights weekly, they fly 2x now..For this route there shouldn't be problem to increase frequency even now..I hope you're right, and they add extra frequencies on those routes, but they would need to add many many more in order to utilize all capacities they have.. In my opinion that's very unlikely..Air Serbia needs to open new routes
DeleteProcess of obtaining licenses to China is far more complicated than you think. Most people here think you apply and get them the next day. That they can simply launch new routes left right and center. What Air Serbia got months before they started flying to China is just one in a number of permits you have to get to fly to somewhere in China as a foreign carrier, especially a new one.
DeleteNumber of routes means nothing, what you have to look at is the frequency of flights. If they doubled their frequencies to New York to double daily would you say that's nothing because they still have 4 long haul routes but they no longer fly to Tianjin?
Air Serbia is a relatively small airline. Adding long haul routes is an expensive and not so easy process. Yes, airlines like Lufthansa can add new long haul routes tomorrow if they wanted because they are a massive airline. But for Air Serbia which is obviously taking a lot of care with their finances despite what some people write here it is not cheap and not easy.
Unfortunately a lot of the people here writing in the comments purely understand aviation as optics. So they are unhappy that Air Serbia added 2 new long haul routes in just 4 months because they want them to be adding a new route every single month. They scream if Air Serbia reduces frequencies on a particular route because it "looks bad" but they don't know that reducing those frequencies will result in less money wasted because the market is dynamic, especially after covid and demand is constantly changing. What might have worked 2 years ago may no longer work today.
At the end of the day in 2024 they had record passenger numbers, record revenue, they will post record profit and will have the highest load factor the airline has had ever. So despite so many experts on here knowing better, they obviously are doing something right.
Yes, they need to be driven by profit, they are business company, not charity, and they need to research the market constantly..I'm not the one who criticizes closing of some routes, if they were not performing well, nor I'm calling for increase in frequencies in certain routes, if there is no enough demand to prove such an increase..I also understand that hong haul routes are big cookie, and it takes time for them to open and to be operational..Only thing I'm criticizing is acquiring so many wide body , expensive aircrafts, that you don't have a second plan for, if the first plan failed due to market changes..If they planned those aircrafts for something, say opening MIA, or whatever, and plan didn't work out, they had to have back up plan already prepared..Because all those planes shouldn't be sitting around, but flying, and that is just common sense, no need to be expert..So, they have to utilize those planes, or return them to lessor, if contract allows.. So far they didn't show us anything..That's not private company, but state owned ( which means, all of us)...They need to react quickly, they were pretty quick and proactive so far, so I expect them to be like that in this case as well...
DeleteAgain, you don’t understand that good deal for widebodies couldn’t be found at every corner. You can’t take it in the summer and give it back in winter. So, when you see it, you take it. And it’s clearly said that new routes will not be announced before planes arrive, remembering some problems in the past. And last A330 is still due. Take patience
DeleteExpected KLM's growth to be bigger with new LJU route and more capacity to BEG.
ReplyDeleteKLM sure looks very determined to gain market share in our region!
DeleteTrue. I hope we see them even more in the region. In general, they are a good airline and AMS is convenient for transfers.
DeleteBetter than Lufthansa, that's for sure.
DeleteInteresting people here talking KLM and mentioning BEG and LJU only and "forgetting" 7 daily flights to Croatia
DeleteEveryone wants to visit beautiful Dalmatia.
DeleteThe new Turkish Airlines route to Ohrid is excellent news and I think a real game changer for that airport.
ReplyDeleteBest addition in OHD in years.
DeleteExactly what the airport needed.
Delete100%. Just looking at the aircraft TK deployed on this route, it really looks promising..
DeleteIt will be busy route , great target for TK. Deploying big aircraft promise alot. I think this will also impact closer Albanian cities to fly from OHD then going to Tirana ...
DeleteSlovenia deserves more connectivity. Lufthansa is doing well, but we need more carriers.
ReplyDeleteWe really need to see more full-service airlines coming to Skopje. I was hoping Lufthansa would introduce Munich too.
ReplyDeleteI was hoping to either Lufthansa or Eurowings to launch Munich , it is nice to see them in Macedonia ... I dont know why they domt show any interest even with thr subsieides
DeleteLH Group not doing bad in SKP: LH to FRA, OS to VIE, WK to ZRH...
DeleteI hope Air Serbia will consider launching more routes to Africa and the Middle East, where there’s growing demand. Return to Cairo would be more than welcome.
ReplyDelete+1000
DeleteTLV and CAI are must haves.
^ agree
DeleteSaudi Arabia offers large incentives to foreign airlines to start flights to JED and RUH.
DeleteIt is a big and wealthy market and both JU and Belgrade could really benefit from it. Plus all the connections it could get from Saudi originating pax for the rest of its network.
Just my2cents
Don't worry, if JU doesn't take that opportunity oferred by KSA, Jasmin will do it like tomorrow, as soon as he finishes sipping his coffee 🙂
DeleteIt would be a smart thing to do and the A220 is ideal for such flights.
DeleteI fully agree. But it will probably happen about the same time they discontinue ZAG-SPU-FCO and start flying FCO nonstop, which means NEVER. Those people in Buzin are absolutely not capable and not interested in anything else but drinking coffee, gossiping and using ID tickets
DeleteWhat do you expect from a corrupt government entity? Jasmin and his coffee is world famous. All other airlines flying to Croatia have a good laugh as they can make good money flying to Croatia whilst these clowns run the national airline.
DeleteNow it would be interesting to see which airlines have the biggest decline compared to last year.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the numbers. I like these articles because it gives us an understanding of what to expect. I remember last year that it was published during the summer that LJU, BEG, SKP would all have decreases this winter and it all turned out to be exactly that way. At least we were prepared :D
ReplyDeleteSeems like with JU and W6 having anemic or no growth at all this year in BEG plus the suspension of flights to southern Russia BEG will have around 5% growth at best.
DeleteVINCI should really look into attracting more airlines.
+1
DeleteAlong with the city of Belgrade VINCY should advertise and offer incentives to airlines start BEG or increasing their flights/routes.
Wasnt there supposed to be a big announcement regarding new INI flights in January?
ReplyDeleteNo
DeleteAwesome, glad they laundered money building the new terminal so we can have two daily flights. Morava in the making.
DeleteI said that you made up that they said that new flights will be announced in January. What they have said is that they are in discussions with an LCC over a base, they had talks with Ryanair, and Swiss is launching flights this summer.
DeleteOk as long as you say i made it up.
DeleteYou absolutely did make it up. Provide a link where it was written they will announce new routes in January.
DeleteI hope Lufthansa considers adding more direct flights from Sarajevo
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteGlad to see KLM doing well, they’re decent avio carrier. Very pleasant staff, and only major carrier that still serving free drinks and sandwiches.
ReplyDeleteA3, AF and TK still do too.
DeleteA3 offers free meals and not snacks on European routes.
DeleteWith Air Serbia adding 140k during summer season alone, Belgrade needs only 60k more growth from Air Serbia outside summer and all other airlines combined to get to 9M this year. Doable.
ReplyDeleteFor BEG to get to 9 mil. it would need to 636.000 extra passengers. A 7.6% increase.
DeleteIt would be difficult unless there is much more increase in flying by JU and W6 than what they have announced so far.