Serbia and Kosovo accelerate flight plans

Serbia and Kosovo discuss Belgrade - Pristina service and routing

Serbia and Kosovo have agreed to accelerate plans to establish flights between Belgrade and Pristina. At last week's high-level EU-moderated reconciliation talks in Brussels, the two sides discussed ways in which to avoid drawn-out bureaucratic procedures and unresolved airspace issues which could delay the service launch. Since Serbia and Kosovo have not regulated portions of their airspace which border each other, the Serbian delegation has suggested for Air Serbia's aircraft departing Belgrade to fly into Macedonia before turning north-west towards Pristina, and thus avoid direct entry from Serbia. The routing would add an additional fifteen minutes to the journey. Kosovo's Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Petrit Selimi said, "During our next round of talks, it is very important that we find the best and most affordable way to travel by plane between Belgrade and Pristina, but that surely isn't via Macedonia". He added, "Airports across the Balkans are very interested in handling passengers from Kosovo. I believe Skopje and Tirana, but especially Belgrade want a slice of the cake".

Late last year, the Serbian Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vučić, spoke of the importance of resuming services between Pristina and Belgrade in order for travellers to transfer onto Air Serbia's planned flights to New York. He added that Air Serbia hopes to tap into the large "Albanian diaspora living in New York". "We want our national airline to land at Pristina Airport", he said. New York City was Pristina Airport's busiest unsereved route during 2015. Some 13.000 travellers flew from Pristina to JFK and Newark Liberty airports last year. Of those, 10.000 were headed for JFK Airport to which Air Serbia intends to launch flights this June. Other routes in North America which saw a notable number of passengers departing Pristina included Chicago, Washington and Toronto.

Due to the difficult and sensitive past shared by the two sides, it has been suggested for Air Serbia to initially run flights to Pristina with its Aviolet branded aircraft, so as to avoid Serbian signage and branding at Pristina Airport for the time being, though the Kosovan side has not requested for such measures. If all goes to plan, flights between Belgrade and Pristina could launch at the start of the 2016/17 winter season. Meanwhile, Pristina Airport saw its busiest January on record. It welcomed 120.531 passengers, an increase 12.8% compared to the same month last year. Furthermore, it registered 1.019 aircraft movements, up 10.4% on January 2015.

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:07

    I'm glad both sides seem to be willing for these flights to happen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous18:37

      Yes,you are glad...Do you think that they will have flights because love and we to be happy?
      Its conditions for America flights to open that rute.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:15

    I feel sick! They have no available aircraft to operate any flights from INI, but do have it to operate PRN. This is ridiculous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:20

      You do realise Air Serbia has little say in whether this route will be launched or not. Serbian government and the EU have been pushing for this. Also I think there will be more passengers on this route than INI-BEG.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:25

      ... letove iz Prištine sigurno ne bi trebalo subvencionisati... toliko kompanija do sada je pokusalo sa INI. Ni po prirodi ni po potencijalu ove dve destinacije nisu za poredjenje. INI je na dobrom putu i bilo bi sjajno kada bi uspeli da dovedu jos jednu LC kompaniju.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:35

      Već sigurno dve godine dobijamo cene iz Abu Dabija za letove ka Prištini. Dakle u pustinji se dosta dugo razmišlja o letovima ka PRN.
      Koliko ja vidim, letovi će ići u podnevnom špicu i leteće B733. Barem smo mi tako dobijali.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:41

      Samo da dodam da block time stoji kao 45 minuta što je malo puno no dobro.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:43

      ^ Flights time makes sense if flights first go into Macedonia.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:50

      Well, block time includes taxying, take off, landing and all that so 45 minutes is not that unrealistic. They usually give 20 minutes for taxying before and after take off/landing

      Delete
    7. Let za Pristinu predstavlja dobar potencijal trzista Kosova i Metohije za letove Er Srbije. Er Srbija ima i pogotovo imace prave destinacije za putnike sa Pristinskog aerodrome. Svakako da Srpska nacionalna kompanija ce uvesti nove tipove aviona, pogodnijih za ekonomicnost letenja u jugoistocnoj Evropi uvek do sada siromasnih ljudi. Cena karata i velicina aviona su glavni preduslovi da bi se letelo sa Pristinskog, Niskog, Kraljevackog, Uzickog... Mnogih drugih ptimarnih, pogotovo sekundarnih u ovom delu Evrope. Ko bude imao fleksibilnu floutu, realne cene za potencijalne putnike imace dovoljno putnika. Pogotovo za transver na duge destinacije. Buducnost letova sa pomenutih aerodrome je realnost upotrebe aerodroma. LCC, kargo, carteri jesu buducnost Srbije. let Er Srbije za Pristinu su neminovnost. Kupovina manjih aviona za ovo trziste si izvesnost.
      Pred let za Sydney i srecan dolazak proleca, sa pocetkom radova na aerodromu ✈MORAVA✈ ostajte u dobru. U ovoj obecavajucoj godini. Pored ostalog i za aerodromsku infrastrukturu Srbije. ✈😊R✈🌏✈☀✈✴✈M✈

      Delete
    8. Anonymous11:03

      Radovane nema ekonomicnijeg od ATR aviona. Praviti ASL express za ove
      bezvezne destinacije nema smisla. Kraljevo Beograd uskoro 80 minuta auto putem.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous12:35

      Koje bi destinacije išle iz Niša? Priština ima veći potencijal jer je glavni grad tako da birokratija mora putuje, isto tako ljudi iz institucija EU. Dva miliona ljudi koliko ih ima na Kosovu je naviklo sa putuje iz Prištine, kao što su ljudi sa juga navikli da idu u Beograd, koji još uvek ima dovoljan broj low cost letova. Niš je ostao nažalost sa četiri leta nedeljno i to je naša realnost. Ono što Niš može da pokrene nije Air Serbia koja ima običaj da dumpinguje cene ka Varšavi i manje profitabilnim destinacijama do besvesti, a zato nabija cene za Pariz, Moskvu, Prag i ostale za koje uvek ima potražnje (kako bi kompenzovali ovo pređašnje).

      Nišu je potreban neki dobar low cost do Nemačke, Belgije, Holandije.. To narod može da plati.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous20:09

      ASL bi mogao da uvede linije iz Nisa do Beca i Ljubljane...

      Delete
    11. Anonymous23:02

      Slazem se! Sumnjam da Bec ne bi bio isplativ!

      Delete
    12. Purger00:47

      Ljubljana bi bila potpuni promašaj.

      Ne bi moglo omanuti ali apsolutno i 100% sigurno prolazi:
      Beč
      Istanbul

      eventualno Zurich, Frankfurt i Munchen, te tijekom ljeta jednom tjedno za Tivat. Mogla bi se napraviti i linija koja povezuje letove sa Banja Lukom npr:

      BEG-VIE-BNX-INI-IST-INI-BNX-VIE-BEG

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:56

    The story says there are 10,000 pax going from PRN to JFK.

    Are there similar figures from BEG or other airports in the region?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:59

      "143.000 O&D (origin and destination) passengers flew between Serbia and the United States last year, or some 392 per day."

      "Combined, JFK Airport and Newark Airport accounted for 36.175 passengers between these two markets in 2014 (26.234 from/to JFK and 9.941 from/to Newark)."

      There is more info on other destinations here
      http://www.exyuaviation.com/2015/11/strong-demand-for-belgrade-us-flights.html

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:58

    Does anyone remember how long was the flight when it operated before in the late 90's?
    And with what kind of planes, if JU was using ATR's back than or DC9/733?
    They will have more than an hour one way if going through Macedonia...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:01

      I think DC9s were primarily used. Going through Macedonia won't add much time. They simply have to enter the airspace and stay in it until they approach Kosovo.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous14:31

      According to an old JAT timetable from 1976, JAT used the Caravelle that year, and the flying time was 45 minutes.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous10:41

    JU stats in January
    Altogether 142750 passengers, minus 11.5% than last year. Aircraft segment movements 2177, minus 12.5%. Load factor increased by 3% ie. has reached 60%.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:44

      Source?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:46

      Ugh... I never understood when people ask for a source when everyone knows JU doesn't publish their monthly statistics. All we can rely on are these unofficial ones from airline employees.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:08

      That is disastrous...

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:35

      Not really disastrous. Increased LF coupled with MUCH higher prices compared to Jan 2015 means increased profitability.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:36

      Anonymous 12:35 PM
      No airline is profitable with only 60% load factor....

      Delete
    6. Anonymous12:42

      Is it safe to assume that the passenger drop came from the reduced number of transfer passengers?

      Delete
    7. Anonymous12:45

      If you are reducing connectivity options to only a few days a week transfer passengers will move to your competitors who offer daily frequencies.
      Especially those who travel for business reasons and are the most valuable of your customers.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous13:13

      You can be sure as hell it is because reduced connectivity. How can you gain any transfer pax with Moscow only 7pw, Frankfurt, Berlin, Rome only 6pw, Stockholm only 4pw...

      Actually, out of 33 destinatons, only ones that go more than 7 times per week are:

      Ljubljana, Paris, Podgorica, Prague, Vienna, Zagreb and Zurich.

      This is a shame, but a good move because we all knew the money was just leaking out.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous13:14

      @11:46 ....a razumno je da poverujes na rec nekoj anonimnoj osobi koja nesto napise?

      Delete
    10. Anonymous13:29

      Pa to sto je napisao i nije tako cudno imajuci u vidu opstu situaciju u firmi.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous14:44

      Why is ASL so tight lipped about their results. When any firm is so quiet about their results,I always ask myself what are they trying to hide.? Should I invest in a company that doesn't give their results. Would be nice if they were a bit transparent so that at least the citizens of Serbia know what is going on.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous14:54

      U opste nije istina da je nizak LF toliko preko 70 % je i stalno se popravlja od kad je smanjen red letenja i dobit se povecava.
      INN-NS

      Delete
    13. Anonymous15:00

      Results are expected. Wondering if further reduction of passengers in 2016 is needed for increased profitability.

      Delete
    14. Anonymous15:03

      Hehe.. Pa u ovo doba godine kada je LF bio veci? A vi otkrivate Ameriku ;)

      Delete
    15. Anonymous15:17

      @INN-NS 2:54 pm

      Then please give us actual figures and a source. If not you do not have any credibility.

      Delete
    16. Anonymous16:04

      cinjenica je da je LF oko 60 procenata, kao sto je cinjenica da je to sasvim ocekivano za ovo doba godine.

      Delete
    17. Anonymous16:24

      60% LF is so so for January, but def not bad. The LF should slowly rise from March.

      Delete
    18. Anonymous16:58

      Inn, ne ponavljaj iste floskule. Tvoj kredibilitet je isti kao kod onih koji tvrde da je 60%. Dosadan si i ti i oni.

      Delete
    19. Nemjee17:10

      JU seems to have revised their OTP schedule once more.

      12-4567
      BEG-OTP 00.30-02.50
      OTP-BEG 05.10-05.40

      --3--67
      BEG-OTP 12.55-15.15
      OTP-BEG 15.45-16.15

      It's a shame that they are removing the A319 from this route because now they can't offer daytime connections from AMS, BRU, CDG... to OTP; it works fine in the other direction though.
      However, shifting OTP to a nighttime departure could also be a way of freeing up an Atr to operate some of the seasonal flights to Croatia.

      Delete
    20. Anonymous17:23

      Myeah... they are also increasing some of the destinations that are popular with transfer passengers originating in BEG.

      AMS 11x
      TXL 8x
      DUS 8x

      Delete
    21. Anonymous19:17

      Any other changes to report? Are foreign companies in BEG changing their schedules a bit?

      Delete
    22. Nemjee19:40

      A few of them are. So far we have:

      - Ural will be flying two weekly from DME.

      - Lot will have daily flights, I think it was five weekly before.

      - Aegean is adjusting its schedule so that it offers more convenient connections in Athens, not to mention that most flights will be on an A320.

      - Tarom will be increasing BEG from six to eight weekly flights. It will improve onward connection via OTP.

      - Alitalia will adjust its schedule to BEG so that there are no more overlaps with JU's FCO flights. However, it's a shame that they will be flying six times per week and not daily. That said, most flights are on an A320 unlike last summer when most of their flights were on an Embraer.

      Delete
    23. Anonymous22:32

      Increased competition for Air Serbia.

      Delete
    24. Anonymous23:24

      Well it's good for Serbs are fares will be cheaper!

      Delete
  6. Anonymous11:53

    I saw that Eurowings will be returning to BEG from STR between 01.08 and 08.09. I wonder if we might see them add some more flights and frequencies.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous17:30

    OT: Serbian pilot that safely landed Daallo A320 with a hole in the fuselage on the incident:

    http://news.yahoo.com/pilot-emergency-somali-airport-security-zero-143534883--finance.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous18:16

      Great piloting skills! JU should offer him a job, not jokes.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous00:51

      He worked for JU! But left company.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous07:43

      Oh wow... thanks. Do you know if he left from Jat or Air Serbia?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:35

      That crew did a fantastic job.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous14:22

      Pilot from Serbia (father Slovenian etnicity)
      Co pilot from Italy
      Among the Cabin crew 1 from Bosna and Herzegovina

      Delete

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