AWEX to launch Zadar - Belgrade service in May

Start-up to launch two weekly flights from Zadar to Belgrade and Vienna

Start-up airline AWEX Croatia, based in Rijeka, will launch operations from Zadar next month with two weekly services to Belgrade and Vienna. As previously reported, the new carrier intends to run flights from Rijeka, Zadar and Brač to the Serbian capital during the summer. Furthermore, it also plans to link Portorož in Slovenia with Belgrade. AWEX will run its services with a leased 34-seat Saab 340B aircraft. The turboprop, registered UR-ALC (pictured), has already arrived in Rijeka. It is 27 years old. AWEX has signed on a major Serbian tour operator, Fly Fly Travel, as its general sales agent (GSA) in the country.

The General Manager of Zadar Airport, Irena Ćosić, says, "Flights from Zadar to Belgrade and Vienna will launch in May and will operate twice per week. In regards to Air Serbia, they have postponed their planned service from Belgrade to Zadar until next year. This new service will give us a good indication of whether there is demand for Belgrade flights. For now, we still don't know whether there is interest for this route. We will see in May". The resumption of flights between Zadar and Belgrade will mark the first commercial service between the two cities in 25 years. JAT Yugoslav Airlines operated its last flight from Zadar to Belgrade on August 3, 1991. In its last year of normal operations, Yugoslav Airlines was already recording a significant drop in passenger numbers across its domestic network. However, in 1990 JAT carried 340.000 passengers between Serbia and Croatia alone. Travel between the two republics accounted for 34% of all domestic air travel. The final service from Rijeka to Belgrade ran on August 5, 1991. On the other hand, Brač Airport was opened for commercial use in 1993. There have never been scheduled flights from the airport to Serbia.

AWEX Croatia, established in 2012, is linked to businessman Marijan Tuškan, who managed Croatia's first privately owned airline, Air Adriatic, from 2006. With bases in Pula and Dubrovnik, the carrier launched charters from the Croatian coast to northern Europe in 2001, boasting a fleet of up to four MD-82 aircraft at one point. In 2007, the airline planned to launch scheduled services from Zagreb to Berlin, Dusseldorf, Malmo, Moscow, Pristina, Skopje and Zurich and renew its fleet with Boeing 737-700 and two B767 aircraft. However, Air Adriatic ceased operations and lost its Air Operator's Certificate that same year. Later on, it was announced the airline would resume operations under the name Adria Wings with flights from Rijeka to Belgrade, Niš and Pristina, and would lease four Donier 328 turboprop aircraft. However, these plans never materialised.

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:05

    Nice. Perfect plane for this type of route.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Purger09:15

    You can not make profitable operation with Saab 340 today. Even if plane is 100% full you can not make profit with it! Those routes could be profitable just and only if it is financed by Government, local community or company that needs it as feeding (like it was case with CSA or Alitalia). Non of those examples are case here.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:37

      Really? The aircraft costs $1350/hr for wet lease. To cover costs would be $40.90 per passenger (100% full), so I fail to see how it wouldn't make profit. If they sold return tickets for $160 they would double their money.

      http://cbaviation.com/1989saab340b/

      Combine this with the fact that the BEG flights will most likely be organised package tours going to the top European destination for 2016, it is obvious that you don't know what you are talking about.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:26

      Lets hope it works out for this new route. I agree with anonymous here that financially this might make a profit if the loads are high and operation during top demand period does and without direct competition does not require total dumping and bottom of the barrel pricing. Especially since this is not expensive to operate and capacity is not exactly big.

      Delete
    3. From what I have gathered the problem here is that European air traffic services are expensive making it very hard to be profitable with less than 50 paying passengers. This is why you don't see many regional airlines in Europe.

      This makes me wonder how ECA is able to than operate 20 seat aircraft, I can only assume they spend most of their time below 10,000 ft so it either cheaper here or they do most of their flying out of controlled or radar guided airspace.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:03

      By that logic it wouldn't be profitable to operate an ATR42, and TAROM run them daily to BEG and have 7 operational in their fleet, I doubt that air traffic service costs are relevant.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:43

      Which aircraft would be most suitable to fly these routes?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous13:38

      Just a small correction, Tarom will run it 8 times per week.

      Delete
    7. Tarom ATR-42 seat 48 so it's close to my 'logic'

      Also, the last time Tarom posted a profit was in 2007 so maybe just maybe they are not making any money on those 7 or 8 routes.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous15:03

      They sure are on OTP-BEG given that their loads are great and the cheapest fare is €130! Mind you, it's an hour flight.

      Delete
    9. Purger00:49

      Even Tarom who owned those ATR-42 have most of them grounded. When ever you lend in OTP you can see at least 5-6 ATR-42 parked far away from terminal. And ATR 42 has 48 places, Saab 340 has 30 places.

      In Europe just Loganair (all Saab 340 routes are highly subsidies as PSO). In same time in last 10 year lot of companies bakrupt because they use Saab 340 (Air Ostrava, Estonian air, OLT, Amber air, Moldavian airlines, Vildanden, Direct fly, Carpatair...).

      For sure you know that leasing is not only cost in price of ticket.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:53

    Great news. And like the GM says good way for Air Serbia to see the demand for this route.

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  4. Anonymous10:25

    one more banana company... I am sorry about people who buy tickets

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous11:02

    I am usually very skeptical about these types of (Croatian) start-ups. I cannot think they will succeeed only because they announced flying to Belgrade and only because I love BEG.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:04

      So if they were based in BEG it would be a guaranteed success then?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:57

      Absolutely not. Actually,I cannot imagine any private Serbia-based company. Foreign carriers have trouble establishing their seasonal and charter lines, let alone some Serbian company.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous11:11

    It seems the Croatian airline industry is growing, there are currently 4 successful operating airlines in Croatia, Croatian, Trade Air, Limitless and ECA. I'm not sure if Sea Air is actually flying at the moment, but if they are then them and AWEX would make 6! I suppose this is the advantage in being based in a final destination country, there is a good demand for air travel and plenty of scope to find a niche in the market.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:33

      Ali Air Serbia je veca po broj putnika od njih sviju, hehe. Ok, dosta je kompanija, ali sve je to sitno osim mozda Croatia Airlines.

      Delete
    2. From a passenger's point of view, pax numbers are irrelevant as long as the price is right, which isn't alway the case with monopoly. But also have in mind that Croatia has more annual pax tan Serbia because of all the foreign carriers which makes the market more competitive.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:08

      Zahebane Nislije ne mozes ti njih navuci da prave aviokompanije kao Dalmose i Primorce.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous16:37

      Actually, from pax POW only these transition periods are beneficial; the thing is, our very poor market cannot sustain enough demand to warrant so much competition.

      So, if Serbian gov't introduced subsidies to LCC or airports did the same, we would enjoy a year or two of lower prices. However, that would result in someone eventually retreating or going under (JU, of course). I don't think W6 or FR or whoever would keep rock bottom prices if they would hold a monopoly.

      So, it's a balancing act. What works for tourist and industry powerhouses such as Germany or UK wouldn't necessarily work in the Balkans - from a passanger point of view, of course. For WizzAir and such, this would be much more profitable market than developed markets in the West if they got hold of monopoly on certain routes, or even the whole market (see MK, or even HU, Western RO).

      Delete
  7. Aэrologic14:33

    >>> CIS weekly digest >>>

    - PS launching Ankara daily from W2016 aiming primarily at transit pax

    - Belavia reporting ~80% LF from Kiev on 4 daily flights, 75% from Odessa daily and <50% from HRK (worst in the network), proximity to Kiev and Belgorod blamed

    - Turkish banned into DNK due to disagreement with local authorities

    - Aeroflot upgraded to 4* rating after AZAL and Air Astana, third in CIS

    - Rostov crash due to pilot error, says MAK

    Wish you all a nice weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:02

      I think you posted thison the wrong website ;)

      Delete
    2. Aэrologic10:39

      Well, as long as you're able to understand the language i guess it can't be that wrong...or you aren't?

      Delete
  8. Anonymous14:52

    Red letenja je prvo minimalan osim ako ne uvedu jos neku destinaciju .
    Ali trebali su uzeti drugi vazduhoplov posto je ovo glupost ako nema subvencija.
    INN-NS

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:39

      Pa to je slican avion kao sto koristi Etihad Regional, ako njima odgovara onda ce i ovima.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous17:12

      ER se raspada od zarade.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous17:25

      Ne raspada se, to su samo zli jezici i tracevi. Oni lete za AZ i AB i rasturaju se od para G Hogan zna sta radi kao i G Kondic.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous00:56

      I Alitalia i Air Berlin su raskinuli sve ugovore sa Etihad Regional! Potpuno je neistina da Etihad Regional leti za AZ i AB. Jedan jedini avio je još uvijek u AZ ali u wet leasu, u AB ni jedan više.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous01:02

      Jeste, jest, rasturaju. Od 25 aviona spali na 4. Otpustili 70% radnika, zatvorili 80% linija, lete tek 4 linije, zatvorili 5 baza, ne lete više ni za Air Berlin. I to sve u 2 godine ukinulo od kad ih preuzeo Etihad.

      Uspeh, baš uspeh!

      Delete
    6. Anonymous08:59

      Potrebno je sve to bilo kako bi opet mogli rasti i postali opasni igrac na evropskom nebu, bas kao sto je JU morao da ukine linije da bi opet mogao da raste ovog leta. Tako to funkcionise u ovom biznisu. Nasa sreca pa imamo gospodina Kondica koji je strucnjak i zna da vodi firmu bas kao sto je Vucic zahvaljujuci kome imamo Er Srbiju. Nemojte biti maliciozni.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous23:35

      Pa kad raskasapiš flotu za 80%, broj linija za isto toliko, zaposlenih za 70%, ukineš 5 baza, baš si na dobrom putu da postaneš opasan igrač! Elem, čestitam!

      Delete
  9. Anon 1: 08 PM. Ne radi se ovde o nagovoru Nislija da kako Vi kazete prave avio kompaniju, za razliku od Hrvatske. Za pocetak, drzavna podrska i liberalizacija za osnivanje i dozvolama su neuporedivo restriktivnije u Srbiji. Bar za sada. U Srbji jos preovladjuje mentalitet Marksa, Broza & Co... Svjedno, da Srbija i ima turisticki potencijal kao njen sused stvari bi bile iste. Mada trenutna Vlada nastoji da liberalizuje, rezultat je spor. Ocigledno zbog neizmenjenih zakona iz doba ''samo upravljanja''. Ljudi kao kameleoni se adaptiraju. A koriste svaku mogucnost da se predupredi privatan biznis... Stalno ponavljajuci 'u nacionalnom interesu''. Sto bi se govorilo za vreme vadavine ''boga'' iz Kumroveca, ''u ime naroda''. No kada se ovde u Srbiji u dovoljnoj meri proslost pohrani u muzej, a Nacionalna kompanija bude dovoljno rezistentna za stvaranje nezavisne male avio kompanije za domaci i blizi regionalni saobracaj. Kako god okrenemo, Hrvatska ima pet, sest malih kompanija. Pa i ako neka od njih nestane, druga se pojavljuje. To se u zemlji ''samo upravljaca'' , ovde u Srbiji ne desava. Bar za sada. Za cetiri godine? Videcemo. Verujem da sam dovoljno ''skrivio'' drzavnom interesu, nada zadnja umire... Verujem u liberalizaciju Srpskog trzista u buducim vremenima. Ocigledno da se nacin zivljenja sporo menja u mojoj Otadzbini. Koliko se godina prolongira zavrsetak aerodroma Morava Kraljevo. Samo mali primer.
    Rodney vam je na raspolaganju, pa ako je u Sydney - u. Ne menja stvar. Nagrdite ga. Svako dobro. Skoro ce i Vaskrs. Pa valjda i ✈Moravi✈. Time vill rell. ✈R✈

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:53

      Radovane, ni jedan postojeci zakon NIKOGA NE SPREČAVA da otvori avio biznis. Već više godina uspešno rade manje kompanije Air Pink i Prince Aviation.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous17:21

      Tebe je Raso neki samoupravljac dobro nategao. Tada su postojale vise drzavnih aviokomanija letelo se na 5 kontinenata, a sada gase ove pod LH. Niko vam ne brani da osnujete aviokompaniju. Kraljevo nije u
      nikakvom planu to je bio samo reklamni predizborni trik Borisa Tadica.

      Delete
    3. Uvazeni Anon 5:21 PM
      Nije sam ziveo pod samoupravljacima. Vi ocigledno prepuni razuma, znanja... natezete svoj razum na nedostojnog ''Rasa'' kako me nazivate. Svako dobro Vama zelim.
      Za ostalo kako Bog da, a ljudi pristanu. ✈Radovan✈ KVO✈SYD✈

      Delete
    4. Anonymous00:52

      A ti nisi živeo pod samoupravljanjem, ali znaš da je bilo jako loše.

      Delete

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