EXCLUSIVE
Flydubai considering Skopje launch

Skopje on Flydubai’s radar
Flydubai has begun a feasibility study into launching flights to the Macedonian capital Skopje, a source at the airline has confirmed for EX-YU aviation news. The low cost airline is pondering at the prospect of tapping into the Macedonian market, following last year’s launch to Belgrade. Currently, data and costs are being crunched, although the airline has been enticed by subsidies which are being offered for low cost airlines by the Macedonian government. The subsidies are set to run until at least 2015. Furthermore, there is a sizable number of transit passengers the airline could carry from Macedonia.

Before a decision was made to look into Skopje, Flydubai was considering launching flights to Zagreb. However, the airline decided against the move due to operational purposes. While Flydabai’s Boeing 737-800s can make it to Zagreb, the crew’s duty times would expire on the return leg. Thus, this would require a mandatory rest period for the crew in Zagreb, which would increase costs for the low cost airline.

Late last year, the Macedonian Civil Aviation Agency said that flights between Skopje and Dubai would be launched in 2012, although it never revealed the airline in question. This summer, Flydubai will operate five weekly flights to the Serbian capital, its only destination in the former Yugoslavia. It has so far had mixed success on the route. Flydubai’s potential service to Skopje would indirectly compete with Turkish Airlines, which takes the bulk of Macedonia’s transit passengers (some 14% so far in 2012). If all of the numbers add up, Flydubai will launch services to Skopje later on in the year.

Comments

  1. JU520 BEGLAX09:57

    Today two flights of Fly Dubai in BEG. Was the flight yday cancelled due to technical in BEG?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:45

      There are two FZ's flights DXB-BEG-BEG today because of demand. The same will be on SUN22nd. FZ's LF for BEG flights is over 70% in April. FZ will SKP from W12/13, most probably two weekly.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:49

      And there was not any scheduled nor cancelled FZ's flight to BEG yesterday.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:05

      feasibility study? give me a break!

      everyone is doing feasibility studies for everything.....

      they will launch when our ludicrous gov is gonna pay them

      Delete
  2. Purger11:47

    I am sorry to continue previous discussion as it is locked, I don’t want to discuss about other things, but I just have to demand one statement that is totally not true.

    @ "Is that why all the DC-10 from North America always landed first at BEG and then eventually went to ZAG (but not always), even if Zagreb was westernmost?”

    That is not true. Most of flights from North America stop in ZAG first. Last "normal" JAT time-table before war (winter 1990/91)

    JU505 New York-ZAG-BEG
    JU521 Los Angeles-Chicago-ZAG-BEG
    JU523 Chicago-ZAG-BEG
    JU533 Chicago-New York-ZAG-BEG
    JU561 Toronto-Montreal-ZAG-BEG
    JU571 Cleveland-Detroit-ZAG-BEG

    Just JU531 was JFK-BEG-ZAG (2 times per week, and other 2 times was JFK-ZAG-BEG JU505 and JU533)

    They also had most of flights to Western Europe via ZAG:

    JU011 Stuttgart-ZAG-BEG
    JU015 Dusseldorf-ZAG-BEG
    JU021 Hamburg-ZAG-BEG
    JU033 Algiers-ZAG-BEG
    JU153 Prague-ZAG-BEG
    JU163 Berlin-ZAG-BEG
    JU211 London-ZAG-BEG
    JU244 Paris-ZAG-BEG
    JU251 Madrid-ZAG-BEG
    JU255 Barcelona-ZAG-BEG
    JU261 Amsterdam-ZAG-BEG
    JU295 Brussels-ZAG-BEG
    JU347 Munich-ZAG-BEG
    JU373 Copenhagen-ZAG-BEG
    JU417 Milan-ZAG-BEG
    JU428 BEG-ZAG-Istanbul !!!!

    Only flights to start from ZAG vie BEG was those to Moscow and Far East.

    In same time you had
    Air Canada 4 flights per week to ZAG, non to BEG
    Pan Am 4 flights per week to ZAG, non to BEG

    Adria Airways had Zagreb as hub for Migrant workers flights, and that was on Wednesdays and Saturdays from BEG, DBV, OMO, SJJ, SKP, SPU, TGD via ZAG to SXF, DUS, FRA, HAM, HAJ STR. JAT also had Migrant workers flights from exYU via ZAG to Germany.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:55

      Of course that the DC-10 had to have the last stop in Belgrade, all the DC-10s were based there and all the service was done there. What would be the point of flying them back to BEG? So it didn't go directly because ZAG was more important but because it made more sense due to logistics.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:38

      PanAm operated flights to Belgrade from Frankfurt.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous17:40

      When? I can not find thet in any time table!

      Delete
    4. Anonymous19:00

      Using their B727 which was based in Frankfurt. If I remember correctly they used their B732 at some point too.

      Delete
  3. Purger12:29

    Of course it made more sense. I was just reacting on sentence:
    "Is that why all the DC-10 from North America always landed first at BEG and then eventually went to ZAG (but not always), even if Zagreb was westernmost?”

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous13:11

    Hope this route materializes!!It will be a big step towards boosting pax number and better conections eastwards!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous16:03

    Great news for Macedonia! i wanted all the time to see flights from Skopje to Dubai!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous17:11

    To add twice weekly services to Skopje to the five weekly from Belgrade would make more than sense!

    So also people from very south of Serbia could
    use Skopje airport which is less distant.

    Turkish airlines in every case seems to have problems to fill his flights to Belgrade.

    First they sent 737 800 the days when FZ also used them.
    The result is that they regularly have to downgrade to A319.

    And sometimes instead of the double daily flights they cancelled the second flight as a whole and
    upgraded the left one to A321.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous18:59

      Please do not write nonsense, Turkish Airlines has not yet launched double daily flights. Flights will be increased to a total of 14 weekly in summer, now they operate double daily flights only on some days.

      Delete
    2. ZEK ZEK21:43

      ...Yes,and that double flights yesterday were reduced to one single flight with bigger ac.

      Everything correct....
      so what nonsense?

      Monopoly of TK is now gone...FZ route will
      become more and more profitable .

      winter season for FZ was not so good but this was only due to
      1. Then dominance of TK
      2. Bad start...very experimental probably because of bad planning.
      3.winter season is lower demand then in summer.

      TK will recover from loosing dominance
      and double daily will become successful ,

      and FZ will because of upcoming summer
      and because now some experience with this route also become profitable.

      There will be 3 winners..
      FZ,TK,and people who fly from Belgrade(not only Serbians).

      Delete
    3. Anonymous01:16

      Yes, cause lots of Croats fly from Belgrade as well. I am from Zagreb and i know it, although many don't want to admit it. In Zag you're pretty stuck, choices are very limited, you have to transit Germany in order to get virtually anywhere for a decent price.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous06:26

      LOL

      Delete
  7. Anonymous22:28

    How dare you suggest a route to BEG is not working (TK) you have offended all Serbs on here who take great offense at anyone questioning the greatness of there airport. Naughty boy when will you learn Serbia is the centre of the aviation universe!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous00:08

      Very good point:-)))I am also fed up with this frustrated people!!
      When will they realise that like it or not Serbia is no more and will never be the centre of the ex-yu region..
      Because of this golemosrpski mentality it will never be a single carrier although it would have been reasonable.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous01:35

      This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous06:47

      Belgrade is not the centre of the universe but it sure is the centre of the ex-Yugoslav region. Maybe Zagreb is with their outdated terminal and struggling carrier? FYROM which doesn't have a national carrier, or maybe Ljubljana which is so small that two airlines can rarely compete on the same route...

      Delete
    4. Macedonia10:39

      Macedonia

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:15

      Western part (geographically) of ex yu is far more developed than Serbia.
      In spite of paying 10000 EUR per working place to foreign investors, there are no jobs and Serbs are massively emigrating all over the world, busting BEG pax numbers.
      In contrary, very little number of Slovenians are abroad.
      Most of them, coming to Serbia to have good drink for low money.
      These are facts.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous13:25

      If Serbs were that poor and leaving Serbia to look for work then they would not be taking the plane, but rather a train since it is cheaper.

      Of course there are not many Slovenes outside Slovenia, there are not many Slovenians in Slvoenia to start with.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous22:49

    Don't forget QR entering the equation of BEG->Mid/Far-East. TK will really suffer here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous02:04

      When will Qatar begin Belgrade flights?

      In Wikipedia every information about those flights are izbrisan and even Ex Yu Aviation
      skipped them from its new route launches list.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous02:43

    For it to be in Wikipedia a concrete date has to be given. They said "in September". But nothing will be more precise until they agree with the Turks on BEG-ESB rights. Then they can give a date and start selling tickets.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous17:13

    Qatar Airways would be happy if they could skip ESB at all.
    To compete in Belgrade direct flights would be of advantage...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. frequentflyer13:40

      Yes, but don't you have a word wrong on that one? 'Qatar airways' needs to be replaced with 'I'...

      QR have a FLEET SHORTAGE at present - something that has been mentioned numerous times on this (and other) forums. They need many more 320s as they are proving their worth for quite a few destinations in Europe, Asia and Africa, but are absorbing as much fleet addition as they can cope with at present.

      Delete
  11. QR92101:53

    It would be great to have an alternative to ESB and brake the TK monopoly, personally i don't mind the extra stop.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous13:27

    dear all

    due to huge demand flydubai have double daily on 17 and 22 apr , all flights full with 189 pax on board.

    Non stop opeartion has no competition , plus have in minfd that even non stop flydubai is cheapest on the market to Dubai.

    ReplyDelete

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