Etihad tipped to take over Belgrade Airport

Serbia to award Belgrade Airport concession to Etihad

Trade unions have reacted angrily to plans drafted by the Serbian government to award Etihad Airways a twenty year concession contract to operate Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. According to the plan, Etihad will run Serbia’s busiest airport over the next twenty years under the condition it builds a new passenger terminal, runway, airport hotel and car park. The airport’s four unions, who were presented with the government’s plan late last week, have warned such action would give Etihad a monopoly over the Serbian aviation industry and lead to the pull out of other airlines operating flights to Belgrade. In a statement, the unions said, “Belgrade Airport is of strategic interest to Serbia and of great importance to national security. We appeal for the government to take this into consideration when making its final decision”.

According to the plans outlined to the unions by Luka Tomić from the Ministry of Transport, the government also plans to merge Belgrade Airport’s handling division with Air Serbia Ground Services (formerly known as SU-PORT). In addition, the airport’s new operator will form a new company which will take over employees from the current state owned enterprise. During the summer, Serbia’s former Finance and Economy Minister Mladjan Dinkic, who is now serving as the Deputy President of the Committee for Cooperation with the UAE, announced plans for the airport to be put up for concession in early 2014.

The Serbian government has an 83% share in Belgrade Airport with minority shareholders made up mostly of banks and investment funds. Plans to award Etihad a concession contract to operate Belgrade Airport over the next two decades could be part of the secretive Jat Airways takeover deal which was signed between the two sides in August. The deal between the Serbian government and the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates has never been made public and has been marked as confidential, with its contents classified so as to protect the business interests of Etihad Airways.

Comments

  1. Nikola09:17

    što je mnogo, mnogo je. dobili su JU, dobiće i Tehniku, a hoće još i aerodrom. ne može. aerodrom treba sam da se razvija jer se pokazalo da je za to sposoban. ako EY preuzme i aerodrom, stvarno, šta će biti sa drugim kompanijama? ima da bude protekcionizam gori nego kada je JU bio u vlasništvu države

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Relax...finally low cost airlines will have to move to ins or batajnica... This is awesome...new terminal, new runaway, hotel etc

      Delete
    2. Relax...finally low cost airlines will have to move to ins or batajnica... This is awesome...new terminal, new runaway, hotel etc

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:20

      I wonder why the building of a cargo center isn't part of the deal as well, in other to effectively compete with Budapest and take away some traffic from them.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:21

      The cargo facilities at BEG are in a much serious need of expansion than the pax ones, which seems rather adequate for the years to come.

      Delete
  2. I am happy they took over Jat Airways but there is no good enough reason for them to take over the airport. For one, it is profitable and people running it seem to be doing a fine job.
    Give them land so that they can build their terminal if they wish to do so but I see no good enough reason for the whole airport. This also means that they will control the cargo department and that's really bad. Then again, if Dinkic is involved then I am not surprised at all.

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  3. Anonymous09:25

    looks lke "snake on the brests"

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous09:33

    Hmm... well, Abu Dhabi seems to be well run so why wouldn't they run Belgrade well? After all, we have Batajnica which we can always use as a commercial airport.

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  5. Anonymous09:43

    I have a question. If Etihad is given the airport for the next 20 years, does that mean it will be taken off the Belgrade Stock Exchange?

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  6. Great news. without this move Zagreb airport would have become the main hub by 2017. I would like to see more detailed airport development plan first.. Belgrade airport is profitable one for now, but due to corruption not much benefits to the airport itself other then, new tiles, gates and other minor makeover crap. We should start thinking more globally for once.

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  7. Anonymous09:47

    Why don't they first introduce online check-in before fantasizing about a new runway and terminal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:05

      Online check-in has nothing to do with the airport but with the individual airline company. Several airlines do offer it (e.g. Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, Alitalia...) in Belgrade.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous18:37

      My whole point is that before Etihad starts to think about a 20 year concession they might want to deal with simple stuff first like having online check-in first.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:48

    Sve cekam trenutak kada ce ova nasa vlast da proda i Vodovod i Kanalizaciju i EPS i sve. Hvala im za Er Srbiju, al sto je mnogo, mnogo je, imaju i Jat tehniku, a bogami i plodno zemljiste u Vojvodini na kom bi uzgajali GMO.

    I samo se plasim da ukoliko sada budu odbijeni, da se Arapi ne pokupe 2018. i kazu "ok, mi sad idemo".

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous23:03

      hm.. da nisi ti vec poslao slican komentar gore? ovo je prilika veka za beogradski aerodrom, jer sada kakav je, cak i posle najskorijih renoviranja, ne lici ni na sta. u eri u kojoj se uvode prosrtani mokri cvorovi sa tus kabinama i prolazima bez vrata na aerodromima oni su smilisli da guraju putnike u gejtove bez wc-a, ili sa nekim jednokabanskim wc-ma. da ne pricamo o drugim stvarima. zato, opusti se.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:52

    I cant believe, if one company is doing well, why would it be retrieved by another? We have also Kovin airport, 45kms far from Belgrade, so they can take it and make it profitable, but not BEG.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My hometown is few kms from that airport, and I always hoped that one day I'll see scheduled flights operating from it. Now, runway is used to make a shortcut when you are going to Pančevo, to bypass Kovin, for motorcycle races (iživljavanje lokalaca). I think there is no control tower there. There are really only few military flights a year to Kovin. But airport is in an ideal geographic position for secondary airport. Local bus neeeds 1h to Belgrade. If there is a train line, that would be even better. And yes, runway is in poor condition.

      But there is a local legend that there is something under the airport. Nobody can confirm me what, but maybe some underground hangars or somthing like that.

      Delete
    2. Kovin sounds like a perfect airport for Ryanair... shame that it lacks the appropriate infrastructure.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:49

      I agree with Anonymous December 9, 2013 at 9:52 AM

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:55

    There is no free lunch. Sooner or later you pay the bill. JU was only the mask in order to get the airport without much noise.
    This is a proof also that neither EY believes that this airline Air Serbia will be sometimes profitable.
    Globally thinking yes, privatisation ok but why EY? Make a tender call choose the best offer and sell it. This is the most corrupt way you could do.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:58

      I do not understand your logic. If they did not think JU could be profitable then why invest millions into it? This only goes to prove that they believe that JU can become something great hence why they want a new terminal, runway...
      It's great that someone is finally seeing Belgrade's geographical potential.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:11

      Well the logic is more than logical - without the option of owning the airport this JU is minus worth cause the airport per se is a cash cow and the airline would never pay out the initial investment. But once they get the airport with a deal in 4 eyes they will cover it's losses and even pocket in millions + maybe some GMO or whatever is else more hidden..

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:15

      Well, the reason why the airport is a cash cow is because they have been ripping off Jat Airways and charging it far more than they charged the other carriers. Not to mention that they have even charged them to use their own property, ie Terminal 1. Thieves.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:22

      Yeah, EY pulled out a false flag with Air Serbia and invested tens of millions only to conceal its true intention - to get a concession on the airport of 3.5 M pax and 5 M euro profit. That's one hell of a conspiracy, I must admit. The plan worthy of the intelligence of the person who opened our eyes with it. :)

      Delete
    5. I think they will use BEG for importing their pure mountain fresh water to Serbia just to ruin Serbian
      facilities like Knjaz, Vrnjci, Rosa, Minakva etc...it is real conspiracy indeed!

      Delete
    6. Anonymous15:12

      Airports can be extremely profitable, actually almost all airports in Ex-Yu are profitable, I can name few airports in Croatia that aren't.

      Osijek - 35000 pax
      Brac - 52000 pax
      Losinj - 12000 pax


      All other airports in Croatia are doing well, even Rijeka Airport which has its ups and downs, posted 1.2 million kuna profits in 2011, 1.5 million in 2012 and is set for 2 million kuna profit this year.

      Zagreb airport had $8 million profit in 2011 and 5.5 in 2012, not sure how much in 2013 but should about 32-35 million kuna.

      Split and Dubrovnik even manged to save enough money to start construction on their new terminals. Dubrovnik

      Pitty Zagreb airport could have done the same, it has reserve of around 200 million kuna (saved up for new terminal) but this money was used to pay for land bought from the Croatian airforce and will be used to move some 250 families (villages Bapce, Selnica, Crnkovec and Lekneno are to be totally demolished to make way for new runway) of that are on flightpath of 2nd runway which will be built there between 2017 and 2020, no specific dates given, only plans after new terminal is done.

      I think it would be logical for Ethiad to take over Belgrade Airport, and although current terminal has more than space for new traffic (terminal can easily handle 10 million) I guess when you're having ugly and old terminal that alternatives would be to get a new nice looking terminal.

      I even can see a spot for new terminal, 600m long terminal can be built right next to terminal 2 connecting to terminal, parallel with the runway, problem is, that it would be limited in size cause of the runway and taxiway.


      Projected max capacity of new terminal ~ around 9 million, with this and old terminal Belgrade airport would have capacity of around 20 million pax per year. although, i'd knock down terminal 1 and 2, once terminal 3 was finished and build brand new much larger terminal 1 there for 20 million pax.









      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:55

    Well, if you think about it we should give them the concession. They are ready to invest millions into the Serbian aviation sector and it is only logical for them to secure their investment. Anyway, we know that our government already signed the deal so it's only a matter of time before it happens.

    On a more positive note- at least now we know that we are getting intercontinental flights in a few years. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely true.They will invest in Utva and make aviation industry in Serbia works again.I am little bit shocked that people who barks here against Arabs capital don't mention that Serbia is in Russia hands regarding energy, they have all monopoly here and nobody protested except some good experts and few independent journalists. I would like Etihad starts to sell the cheapest fuel in the Europe in BEG and blow up Russian monopoly

      Delete
    2. Wow...so true man.... I wish Arab capital and fuel way more than Russian ..... We should remember NIS being given to Russians for almost

      Delete
  12. Anonymous10:15

    First - Belgrade will get one of the flashiest, most modern and functional airports with intercontinental flights as well.
    Second - This is a sure sign that Batajnica will become Belgrade Int'l 2.
    Overall, I'm quite happy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:17

      Well, we all know how much the Arabs love bling bling so I am sure it will be ubermodern and high tech.

      Delete
  13. Just look around us...Skopje, Phristina, now Zagreb (30 year concession I think), Ljubljana is now selling Adria in package with airport....simply doing nothing was not an option. In 5 year we would be nothing, BG airport would be an insignificant ... This way we make sure we are in the game. I'm sure Belgrade airport would be stunning one...can't wait to see new terminal, runaway, hotel..awesome news

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous10:18

    Great news!!!
    However, it will be interesting to see reactions of
    1. Airport employees:
    In the ex-Yu region they are usually overpaid, in average incomplete secondary school educated, convinced that they are not replaceable, ..whereby each exYu airport has been built and maintained with more or less state suport.
    2. Political opposition:
    barking against everything whatever the Government does, either good or bad
    3. Media and so-called analysis (! these are special case):
    One thing is for sure: No consistent and honest approach should expected.

    All in all: Let the party begin!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous10:19

    One, they will not kick out anyone from Belgrade airport because if they do then they risk facing the same scenario around Europe. These airlines are here to stay. Furthermore, even Abu Dhabi has a lot of competition so there is nothing to worry about.

    What I can see them doing is building a terminal building to the south of the airport while the current infrastructure would be used by other airlines. There are 16 gates plus a few remote ones which is more than enough for them.

    ReplyDelete
  16. The only issue I have with this is the secrecy.

    I was surprised (and I have probably stated as much before) that they managed to find someone to take over Jat without including the airport.

    In general, the private sector can handle these sorts of things more efficiently than government. Why should the government run any business? They can make the same money selling the airport, get out of running it completely and just take taxes and make the same money without all the hassle of running the place.

    Why the secrecy, though? If it was a condition to take Jat, why not just say so?

    As for the plan to refurbish a passenger terminal and build a hotel... I'm not sure I get it. Belgrade airport is fine, more or less, as it is. There's no need for any drastic changes. Like someone said, if they want to build a hotel, why not let them do that without giving them the whole airport?

    If the airport could use anything, it's a fast rail link to the centre.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, you are totally right about fast rail link to Prokop new station...it would make crooked taxi drivers there to give hands up and go away....

      Delete
    2. I think Etihad demands secrecy whenever it decides to purchase a company or make a new move. We did not know it was going to purchase Darwin until the very last minute while the whole deal with Air Serbia was just as secretive.

      Though I am not too crazy about this whole takeover, it does make me think what plans they might have for Belgrade. Nowhere else in Europe do they have so much support for what they are doing. Their stake in Aer Lingus is pathetic, Air Berlin is still a mess and they have to share Berlin airport with Lufthansa and others... in Belgrade they are getting everything they want in addition to cheap workforce and, as we can see now, a whole airport. It will be fun to watch how things develop from here. So far they seem to be doing a fine job, hopefully they keep it up.

      Delete
    3. As for the rail link, that's where Batajnica has an advantage as the Beovoz line passes right next to it. Another alternative for BEG is to extend the tram line from Blok 45 but then again, that wouldn't solve anything as there is a bus line already.

      Delete
    4. to be fair, Dusan, they (more or less) took care of the taxi scam thing over a year ago.

      Delete
    5. But Doot, imagine how nice it would be to get from BEG to center of the city in 10 minutes and pay few dinars for the ride

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    6. of course.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous12:28

      @Nemjee 10:51
      Unfortunatelly, Beovoz is far away from the Batajnica airport. Almost the same story as with "Nikola Tesla" / Beovoz.. Probably, it would be wise to have: Airport Batajnica-ANT-Prokop rail link.

      Delete
    8. Doesn't Beovoz start from Stara Pazova which is rather close to Batajnica?

      Delete
    9. Aэrologic13:17

      There is already a double track electrified rail-line that is part of the Belgrade railway bypass Batajnica - Ostruzhnica/Beograd ranzhirna (cargo only) that passes in the vicinity of the airport and that has a station in Surchin.

      http://www.bueker.net/trainspotting/maps/beograd/beograd.gif

      Delete
    10. So Serbian railways and Belgrade municipality could build a railway link from Surcin station to Nikola Tesla airport...not so expensive i think, but it wont be 10 minutes ride,20-30 maybe

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    11. Anonymous13:47

      Easily.

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    12. Anonymous13:49

      It could be a Beovoz stop, or even terminus (Beograd Centar - Batajnica - Aerodrom T1).

      Delete
    13. Doot13:53

      how it that circuitous route better than just taking the Jat bus?

      Delete
    14. Jat buses ( A1, A2 ) coasts 300 dinars and they are not enough for more passengers in the future, GSP bus 72 is slow and you need almost one hour to reach Zeleni Venac.I really think that railway link will the best option in future

      Delete
    15. Anonymous14:08

      Have you looked at the map?

      Delete
    16. Anonymous14:13

      That was a question for Doot. Cause obviously he doesn't know where the airport is.

      Delete
    17. Doot14:19

      Yes I have; have you?

      Centar - Batajnica - Nikola Tesla makes a big arc

      Delete
    18. Anonymous14:26

      Not necessariliy, it could be linked with Zemun station, 2km away.

      Delete
    19. Anonymous14:28

      Batajnica is about 4km but could make use of existing infrastructure and have trains departing to Novi Sad as well.

      Delete
    20. Doot14:38

      then that's something different.

      guy said centar-batajnica-surcin

      try not to let your antipathy towards me cloud your eyes :)

      Delete
    21. Anonymous15:03

      What's clouding your eyes is the lack of an optician...dO-Ot

      Delete
  17. Anonymous10:32

    Najbbolja iformacija posle objave formiranja AIR SERBIA
    u ovoj blagoslovenoj godini za pocetak preporoda razvoja
    komercijalne aviacije, a sada sa Bozjom pomocu I sa ljudima sposobnim i spremnim za brzi razvoj, izgradnju kompleksa, haba, BAC-S. (Belgrade Airport Center of Serbia) Ovo je prava sansa za dinamican i veliki razvoj
    ANT Beograd i razvoja vazdusnog saobracaja kakav jugoistocna Evropa nije imala do sada. Kada bi ga sama Srbija gradila ni 50 godina nebi bilo dovoljno! Protivnici "porobljavanja", "okupacije" sindikalisti i ostale
    "dusebriznicke snage" ce me silno naruziti uveren sam. Dosta je komunizma, muljanja, ljuljanja, penzionisanja od 40-te pa navise,burazerovanja,"trangefrange" biznisa.
    Vreme je da se radi organizovano, iskreno. Da se plati svaki dinar i da se vrati svaki dug i obaveza do zadnjeg dinara, bez otpisivanja i placanja poreskih obaveznika.
    Potrebne su INVESTICIJE!. Ovo je jedna od mnogih bez kojih ce Srbija biti sa 100 godina samoce. To je vec ova drzava okusila... Sa najboljim zeljama i nadom u Vaskrsenje vazdusne luke BEOGRAD, pozdrav za sve, Naravno i one koji ce mi pogrdne reci slati. Od vlade Otadzbine Srbije se nadam da investitore nece odbijati i da ce putnicku avijaciju i SRBIJU razvijati sa kompanijama koje mogu, hoce i ne ucenjuju.
    Sa zimovanja u Otadzbini pored praznog aerodroma MORAVA-KRALJEVO, Rodney Marinkovic, AME (ret.)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Eight10:38

    If one owns an apartment, one can live in it, rent it out, rent out a room...

    However, it seems illogical to sell the entrance door.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous11:06

    Haha, negative comments arriving faster than you can count them... Same 'domacinska kuhinja' as in the case of Jat takeover, 'foreign enemies conspired to take Serbia's greatest national treasure, if you give a concession to them they will disassemble both terminals brick by brick and take them to UAE, alarm, alarm, alarm...'

    I can't believe how even some smart users bought and supported the same union crap that we all laughed at last week while following the events in Zagreb.

    Goodness, 400 employees and FOUR unions... And you people buy their mumbo jumbo just like that? Geez...

    ReplyDelete
  20. If this happens, I think it will be almost certain that we will see long haul in the next few years. JFK, LAX, SFO, YYZ.
    Maybe Etihad will convert their options for 787-9 into orders for Air Serbia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. why is this certain?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:36

      Because:

      1. Hogan said so and he gave 2016 as a year by when they expect to launch intercontinental flights. So far whatever he said has come true.

      2. If they are taking over the airport and building a new terminal and runway it sure as hell won't be for flights from Varna, Ohrid and Banja Luka.

      3. With so many new aircraft joining the fleet soon it only makes sense for them to expand beyond the bilateral restrictions Etihad faces.

      Though nothing is certain in life, this is the closest to certainty we have ever gotten when it comes to this.

      Delete
    3. ^+1
      In Ex-Yu, there is a lot of talk, but very little gets done. So far, Hogan has only been about business. If Etihad will build a new terminal and everything mentioned in the article, that must be at least 200 mil investment. BEG does not need a new terminal for flying to Warsaw and Varna, a new terminal is needed for intercontinental.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:04

      The only problem is, James Hogan never set 2016 as the timeline for anything. He said there is no reason Air Serbia does not go long haul by then, which is all but a promise. He is a capable CEO who knows better than giving promises he may not be able to deliver. One can't promise long haul to a company that has been brought back from the dead, nor he can promise regional transatlantic hub while armies of unions, politicians and employed-by-the-party experts are preparing to fire heavy artillery on everything EY, JU and BEG need in order to become regional leaders here.

      Business plan is there but its execution is far from certain and Hogan knows that. There are factors that are beyond his reach. That is why he made no promises whatsoever.

      Delete
    5. Well, we all remember when JU unions tried to sabotage the deal how the government silenced them after one meeting. I don't think the unions are to be taken seriously.

      Delete
    6. It would be nice, but I personally don't see it.

      Belgrade airport has 3.5 million passengers. That's the traffic of a small country airport in the USA.

      I don't see how AS can compete with star alliance for trans-atlantic flights to BEG, nor can I really see turning BEG into a low-cost hub for european flights. Maybe, possibly, in theory somehow, but I just don't see it happening in reality. AMS, FRA, LHR have that market locked-down.

      Delete
    7. I think Air Serbia is currently expanding within regions where it will face little or no serious competition. From these markets it will draw transit passengers towards western Europe which will allow it to increase the number of frequencies- thus becoming more competitive on two fronts. Once that occurs, only then we can think of some wider expansion.

      As many here, I would love to see long-haul flights but I think there is a lot of work to be done until then. We will see how well they perform in December. Though their November numbers were good, let's not forget that they only carried around 95.000 passengers which is nothing. If they keep their growth between 7% and 15% then we can talk of something more serious.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous15:18

      I am sceotucak abiyt EY involvment about the airport, but I cannot simply think about any other reason to build the terminal or other things they mentioned exept of a serius plan about long haul flights. They do not need a new terminal for BNX flights, right.

      Delete
  21. OT:
    This morning A319s flew to Prague

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:40

      Yes. YU-APC.
      A319 will fly to Ljubljana tomorrow as well.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:28

      Tomorrow we can expect to see you-ape is service.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:34

      lol...:D

      I hope so. It was delivered quite a few days ago.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous20:53

      According to beg.aero in the morning there are 3 flight with A319, Pariz,Brussels and Ljubljana. One A319 will be in AbuDhabi (I suppose A6-SAB). Probably we will see YU-APE in service

      From yesterday JU move morning flight to Paris fromm 7.20 to 6:50..

      Delete
  22. Hey Admin,
    Great job on this article today. You gave the information very well. Least biased article I have seen today.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous12:06

    Jfk anf YYZ is dreaming territory. Lax is in its own.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17:10

      Lax is in it's one what?

      Delete
  24. Anonymous12:23

    I don't think that it is a good idea to create a full monopoly by leaving the complete airport, the technics and all the ground services to Etihad. It would be more reasonable to let EY their own terminal, let them have one handling agent and probably Jat Tehnika. The airport holding could be privatized at a later stage with an international, global airport company of at the least run through joint venture. A full 100% Etihad control of all things at the airport is not got at all. But I think that could be the "secret" part of the deal. The profits from the airport and the ground handling will covering the losses from Air Serbia......

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous12:33

    Ethihad may decide to outsource handling to a company like swissport.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Marko15:03

    Great news but I think they(government) should include INI and KVO in this deal.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous15:23

    Include the construction of an express train service to Prokop Central and this will work out well for all concerned.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:31

      +1

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:40

      Well, doesn't Ada Bridge have a special area in the middle made for rails?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous15:45

      For trams. Beovoz uses a different bridge over sava. Connecting airport to beovoz's existing rails is much cheaper. Beovoz is already at Tosin Bunar.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous18:35

      Ah thanks for the clarification. I did not know it was for trams... shame.

      However, the other day I was passing by the area between Gazela and Ada Bridge and the area will look so much nicer once Stari Mlin is up and running. :)

      Delete
    5. Anonymous20:42

      The railway gauge on the bridge is made so that the standard gauge (for trains) can be applied.

      Delete
  28. Anonymous16:42

    Air Serbia and Etihad management (and legal counsel) will have to pay close attention to reaction from EU that may attempt to block JU & BEG expansion plans. Lufthansa Group stands to be the biggest loser at BEG. Despite no longer being state owned, LHA’s interests are frequently seen as Germany’s interests and Merkel & Co may attempt to influence French to link Serbia’s future EU ascension talks to limiting Etihad’s role at BEG & JU. French have motivation to join the effort as their takeover deal (again private, but with strong government influence through ADP) at Zagreb Airport may not seem as profitable now that BEG airport expansion plans are out in the open. This development might explain why Etihad’s takeover of BEG was kept “secret” until French consortium ZAIC formally took over ZAG few days ago. Pressure is mounting on EU bureaucracy to launch legal action against Air Serbia and Etihad, and possibly even leverage North American allies to limit JU’s overseas expansion plans. If they are doing their due diligence (so far on this deal they seem to), Hogan and Kondic are busy working on a plan to neutralize that threat. In the long run investors are more likely to align with BEG than others in the region, as business case for BEG/JU expansion seems more solid. EU opposition efforts will likely end up futile while they may put up a dent in the short run.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:54

      Serbia has been expanding cooperation with countries such as Russia, China and the UAE since 2007.
      With these new investments coming in from Abu Dhabi I do not see Serbia being any longer that keen on joining the Union. It's not like we will get much in return for selling our soul to Brussels and its overpaid technocrats.
      Personally, I would rather have Air Serbia, new terminal at BEG, Mubadala factory... than the few perks that come along with a EU membership.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous17:33

      Hilarious theory. You think that Germany would hamper the EU accession of an entire country because their privately-owned flag carrier is losing ground at a single, relatively small airport. No comment.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous18:02

      The game is becoming very exciting.
      The battle began immediately (one day! 2nd Aug 2013) after Etihad's acquisition of JAT. More data and excellent discussions on the issue is given at the link here
      http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/general_aviation/read.main/5896684/?threadid=5896684&searchid=5904158&s=etihad+serbia#ID5904158
      The Brussels's bureaucrats and their owners (Lufty) hoped to frighten Serbian's Government (potential ban on Air Serbia's birds landing in EU!).
      Seemingly they did not know that legal matters have been (and still are!) covered by masters of these things.
      Regards

      Delete
    4. Anonymous18:28

      AnonymousDecember 9, 2013 at 5:33 PM

      Actually yes. The German government has been protecting its domestic airlines (that is Lufthansa) from additional competition. This is most obvious when looking at how often they have been refusing to grant Emirates additional destinations in Germany. Politics and aviation are closely linked to each other.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous19:16

      yes, everyone is afraid of your airport and etihad, of course germany protects its national carrier, thats no secret, but, c'mon guys, you're not that powerful

      Delete
    6. Anonymous19:20

      You are still missing the point. This has nothing to do with Serbia, it has to do with Etihad.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous01:08

      It's not about Germany being afraid of Belgrade airport or Air Serbia, it's about using their political leverage to protect their interest even if it's relatively small. For example, Canada blocked Emirates from having more than 3 flights per week to Toronto even though Air Canada (public, not government owned airline) does not fly to Dubai. Emirates weekly capacity to and from Toronto is just under 3000, compared to Toronto's average weekly passenger traffic of 654000, which represents less than 0.5% of overall traffic at Toronto Pearson airport. So why is Canada in diplomatic row with UAE over less than 0.5% of traffic and no direct competition between Air Canada and Emirates? Because they want to protect Air Canada's revenue on flights to destinations in Asia, where Emirates offer connecting flights through Dubai. Agruably it's a miniscule impact on Air Canada's bottom line, but goverment is using their leverage because it's in their interest.

      Delete
  29. Here is an interesting picture taken in 1961. Final touches. :)

    https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1459279_628274990562137_1063974568_n.jpg

    Picture taken from here:
    https://www.facebook.com/Crno.beli.Beograd

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous17:39

    when are they going to paint the atr's?

    ReplyDelete
  31. Anonymous18:26

    If Etihad takes over BEG i dont fear they throw out the other airlines.
    They will do everything to attract other airlines to stay there/to come there.
    You only make money by attracting as much airlines as possible also low-cost!
    You only have to watch how airports are run in the UAEs.
    These airports are pure cash-machines!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ya, no kidding

      Delete
    2. Anonymous19:02

      Be nice Doot, no biting.

      Delete
    3. In case you hadn't notice, I'm agreeing with the original poster.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous20:05

      I know but be kinder to people. :) It's the tone buddy.

      Delete
    5. the tone of what? I was agreeing with the OP

      Geeze. I guess my no-nonsense posting has caused some people some trauma.

      This pleases me :)

      Delete
    6. Anonymous20:27

      Not trauma, excitement. :P

      Delete
  32. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Anonymous19:35

    Qatar Airways will next april start flying to Cyprus.
    Maybe instead of Ankara they could fly to Belgrade via Cyprus daily.
    But with traffic rights between Cyrus and Belgrade.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It could work especially since the market from Larnaca to the Middle East is too crowded. Qatar has to compete with Emirates, Etihad, Royal Jordanian, Egypt Air...

      Here are the times for Doha-Larnaca route:

      LCA DOH 14.10-17.45
      DOH LCA 8.10-12.00

      It's four times per week.

      Delete
    2. They would be stupid if they wouldnt try this!
      Wonderful idea and under all circumstances better than the useless stopover in ESB.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous02:43

      ^ Not to forget Gulf Air from Bahrain!

      Delete
    4. Yeah, Gulf Air too. They even codeshare with Cyprus Airways to Athens.

      I think they would receive the right if they applied for it. From the top of my head the only airline that has them now out of Larnaca are Emirates which operate four weekly Dubai-Larnaca-Malta. A few years ago Gulf Air even flew Bahrain-Larnaca-New York but then shortly after they discontinued the flights despite the loads not being that bad.
      The current Air Serbia flights are really bad for the O&D passengers. First the flight arrives in the middle of the night and unless you are going to Larnaca (which almost no one does) you have to force someone to drive 40 to 60 km to pick you up. On top of it all, the first bus to Nicosia leaves at 05.45 so you have to sit for two hours and wait for it. Introducing the daytime flight, Qatar would snatch 95% of the O&D traffic.

      Delete
  34. Anonymous20:01

    I just heard on news one of JU directors said they will start direct flight Prague Abu Dhabi in summer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous20:04

      This makes no sense... especially since OK already flies the route and cooperates with EY. Aviokarta wrote something similar about it but it said they will offer it via Belgrade.
      So maybe the passengers will remain in the A319 which will fly PRG-BEG-AUH.

      Delete
  35. 9A-CRO20:09

    I see you're very happy about this news... I'm not so happy. You know why?

    If Etihad takes over your main airport as it has your company it will have monopoly and it can go 2 ways...

    1 way - offer cheap tickets and great service so people get via Belgrade
    2 way - as you are the only serious player on that airport you dictate the price and people have no other choice but to travel with you...

    Same thing happens with CA but CA has serious competition and has been "forced" to constantly lower the price which is great for all passengers.

    What will really happen? Time will tell.

    One big plus is that Serbia is non-EU country and as such is great investment base for all of those that don't want to invest in EU country with EU rules.

    Pozdrav svima ljudima dobre volje!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Anonymous22:35

    How will EY run Belgrade airport,when they do not even run Abu Dhabi airport?

    ReplyDelete
  37. The company that runs Abu Dhabi airport is ADAC -
    Abu Dhabi Airports Company...
    Maybe that Mubadala is not only owner of Etihad but also of ADAC?

    ReplyDelete
  38. Anonymous10:54

    Second Transaero B737-800 in two days has arrived in Belgrade for maintenance. Really nice to see them have their hands full. Maybe they will consider expanding their facilitiess soon?

    ReplyDelete
  39. Anonymous11:34

    I have been following flights on Flight Radar 24 for several years now but only now did I have to see aircraft land in Belgrade circle in order to wait for others to land. :)
    Really nice feeling.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. dude... that's just sad.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous21:01

      What's sad? That I am happy my home airport is finally getting busy? Sorry that I care, dick.

      Delete
    3. No, the "I've been following flights on flight radar 24 for several years now" part

      Delete
    4. Anonymous17:12

      Yes, so? I am sure that there quite a lot of people who have been checking flightradar24 for several years.
      It's not like I have been living on it thus not having a life.

      Не буди буквалиста дегену.

      Delete
  40. Anonymous11:40

    Aviokarta strikes back:

    '...TAROM-a na istoj ovoj liniji, koju ova kompanija uspešno održava već dve godine.'

    Tarom launched flights to Belgrade the same period Malév did, that is December 2009. According to Aviokarta blog they started flights in 2011. Things like that make me appreciate ex-YU blog even more.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Anonymous12:14

    they finally updated codeshares on beg.aero

    ReplyDelete
  42. there remains a competition among many airport as how they manage different things like time management, customer treatment, punctuality etc. one should travell comfortably through Secure Car Parking Gatwick

    ReplyDelete
  43. The company that runs Abu Dhabi airport is ADAC -
    Abu Dhabi Airports Company...
    Maybe that Mubadala is not only owner of Etihad but also of ADAC?

    ReplyDelete
  44. For one, it is profitable and people running it seem to be doing a fine job.
    Give them land so that they can build their terminal if they wish to do so but I see no good enough reason for the whole airport. secure airport parking gatwick

    ReplyDelete

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