Middle East rivals vie for Bosnian market


Hybrid carriers Air Arabia and Flydubai have stepped up their battle on flights to and from Sarajevo as the two go head-to head in an attempt to win over the Bosnian market, from their respective hubs in Sharjah and Dubai. A further shake-up will come in November when another Gulf carrier - Qatar Airways - launches flights from Doha. With three airlines vying for similar customers, the competitive nature of the market has already had an impact on the carriers.

Air Arabia, which launched three weekly flights from Sharjah to Sarajevo last month has reduced its operations to two per week. Despite plans to operate six weekly services from July 1 throughout the summer, the airline now intends on maintaining those frequencies during the peak months of August and September. Furthermore, the carrier is now putting a greater emphasis on connecting flights, in a bid to attract transfer passengers on the route. Recently, the airline promoted its Sarajevo operations in India, noting that flights to and from the Bosnian capital connect to thirteen cities in the subcontinent. Despite the reduction in frequencies, Air Arabia is confident in its Sarajevo service. "Bosnia and Herzegovina is rapidly emerging as a must-visit destination for tourists seeking great culture and history alongside an incredible backdrop and outdoor activities. Sarajevo adds further strength to our broad network of destinations in Eastern Europe. It is a great all-year-round destination and we anticipate very healthy demand for the service", Air Arabia Group CEO, Adel Ali, says.

Flydubai has responded strongly to Air Arabia's entry onto the market. It will operate up to twelve weekly flights between its hub and Sarajevo this summer season, up from the initially planned seven weekly services. The airline will run two daily flights on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between July 7 and September 12. Flydubai introduced two weekly services to Sarajevo in December 2014. The city has since become its most served destination in the former Yugoslavia. "This is an important market for Flydubai. Demand for this route remains strong as passengers are able to travel to Dubai and beyond through its efficient aviation hub, offering links to 264 points around the world”, the airline told EX-YU Aviation News last year.

Qatar Airways has pushed back the launch of its flights from Doha to Sarajevo just several weeks after putting tickets on sale. The service, which was initially scheduled to commence on September 7, has been pushed back to November 2. The airline gave no reason for the delay, however flights will operate three times per week as originally planned. Bosnia and Herzegovina is becoming an increasingly popular destination for tourists from the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar. Arab investors are building homes and hotels around Sarajevo and heavily promoting the destination to middle class families looking for cheaper alternatives to Western Europe, fuelling point to point travel from the Middle East to Sarajevo, particularly during the summer months. Whether there is room for three players vying for a similar customer base remains to be seen.

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:04

    It's interesting. I think the market will be oversaturated with so many seats available and I think Fly dubai and Qatar will stay in the end while Air Arabia will have to end flights. But kudos to Sarajevo for getting all three.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:07

      Winter is the main problem. During the summer all flights are packed but in the winter that's not the case so that will be the real test.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:35

      Winter is coming, tonite.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:07

    as I said before: Air Arabia fares are ridiculously expensive, nobody needs them (and no Bosnian knows where Sharjah is)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:14

      I agree. Air Arabia will loose in the end. Just like they did in Tuzla and just like they did in Pristina.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:10

    What's going on with Qatar? Apart from delaying Sarajevo they still haven't put Skopje flights in the system. I know I read here they applied for slots but still. I'm worried they might not even start the flights.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:08

      I think they are still experiencing a fleet shortage. Unfortunately neither SJJ or SKP are high on their list of priorities which is why there are delays.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:17

      Fleet shortage, delay in deliveries...

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:22

      But they didn't even announced a start date for the SKP service! This is really strnge.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:51

      They wait for the 320 NEOs (which are perfect for ex-YU ops).
      But it seems QTR don't know yet if they have to change the engines?
      The Pratts have problems with hot ops.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:28

    Admin, mala greska u tekstu. Letovi Doha-Sarajevo pocinju 2 novembra, a ne sedmog kako ste vi naveli u tekstu!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous09:31

    Ako ćemo iskreno što se tiče Flydubaija i broja putnika i rotacija na toj liniji- Sarajevski aerodrom je pomeo Beograd i Zagreb...ako će Emirates uspostavljati liniju za ex yu SJJ bi trebao biti prvi.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:19

      +1

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:22

      Well, SJJ may get pax only from one region (gcc) and extremely seasonal with poor demand ex sjj. Sjj wont ever see ek before croatia or serbia, and I dont expect them soon there. Ek functions on transfer long haul, fz is right fit for sjj. Besides, what are fz pax numbers and frequencies for sjj outside summer? Really low. Think abt that before exaggerating.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:24

      Хахаха да, да... Емирати не долазе у Југу и ако буду долазили то ће бити прво у Београд или Загреб.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:50

      Anonymous 10:24 - Flydubai SJJ-DXB double daily, DXB-BEG 4/7, ZAG-DXB 3/7. Priča počinje i završava. Možete se busati koliko hoćete ali treba stati na loptu i reći onako kako je.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:58

      možeš se i ti tješiti ali znaš da SJJ nikad neće dobiti EK prije ZAG ili BEG. ;)

      Delete
    6. Anonymous11:04

      Dobro ljudi ne lupajte. Uz FlyDubai ZAG ima 10x Qatar (uskoro 14x), Beograd 14x Etihad/Air Serbiu i 4x Qatar. No, ovih 12x FlyDubai je tu zato da maknu Air Arabiju. Vidjet ćete da je to privremeno i da će iduće ljeto to biti 7, eventualno 10 letove tjedno.

      Nema u SJJ kruha za 2x Arabiju, 12x Fly Dubai i 4x Qatar. Na kraju će to to biti 7x Fly Dubai i 4x Qatar, eventualno 10x FlyDubai i 7x Qarar, no to je maksimum.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous11:21

      Sarajlije, dajte ne lupajte...to sto FZ sezonski ima toliko letova i to stvarno bez ikakve relevantne konkurencije stvarno ne znaci da postaje najpotetnije odrediste u regiji. Pa dajte pogledajte ukupan broj frekvencija godisnje, broj putnika itd...koje gluposti, boze sacuvaj...

      Delete
    8. Anonymous21:06

      Ako cemo iskreno, najvise ljudi iz tog dijela svijeta dolazi u Sarajevo, daleeeko vise nego u BG a pogotovo Zagreb...mislim da ste vi iz regiona jako malo upoznati s arapskim investicijama po Sarajevu, njihovom masovnom turistickom dolasku, hotelima te vec izgradjenim naseljima i buducim projektima, ljudi bukvalno sebi grade naselja u Sarajevu, tako da ako cemo konkretno i realno da govorimo onda je potraznja za Sarajevom daleko veca iz gulfskih zemalja nego za trziste okruzenja...sad koliko je to politicki dobro ja nisam siguran, ali je najveci razlog njihovog dolaska u Sarajevo zbog religije...

      Delete
    9. Anonymous21:49

      Pa poanta je da EK kao i QR leti u 150 destinacija, FZ je dobar fit za SJJ, iza GCC zemalja DRASTICNO pada promet. Zato su i totalu i za QR i za EY i za EK potencijalno zanimljiviji ZAG ili BEG.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous22:38

      Pa cekaj naravno da oni ciljaju i na transfer putnike, prvenstveno BH dijasporu iz Australije, turistickih dolazaka iz Malezije, Indonezije...mislim da zaista niste upoznati s vezama izmedju Sarajeva, BiH i tih muslimanskih zemalja, njima su BiH i Sarajevo jako interesantni...drugo mora se misliti i na business i first pax ovdje kad vec govorimo o EK, e upravo i za to mislim da je SJJ jace trziste zbog vec pomenutih investicija, ovo je sve nedavno pocelo ali ubrzano raste, pa ljudi moji FZ je poceo sa dva leta pw prije godinu i pol a sad su na 2 dnevno...eventualno vidim EK na BEG cisto zbog jakog trzista, ali nikako za ZAG.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:55

    The distance between Sharjah Airport and DXB is around 20 km. I don't see at all the point of these flights of Air Arabia.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous10:45

    "Bosnia and Herzegovina is rapidly emerging as a must-visit destination for tourists seeking great culture and history alongside an incredible backdrop and outdoor activities. " - LOL.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:01

      Yes that is a bit of a stretch...

      Delete
    2. Anonymous21:12

      Not so sure whats so funny about that sentence?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous22:32

      EVERYTHING is funny about that sentence!

      Delete
  8. Purger12:22

    LUFTHANSIN PROJEKT EUROWINGSA OČITO OGROMAN

    Lufthansa pregovara oko parnerstva ili potpunog preuzimanja Condora kojeg bi involvirala u projekt Eurowingsa. Ukoliko to uspije Eurowings bi dobio 42 avona, te još 3 naručena. Uskotrupna flota su A320 i A321 što je kompatibilno sa Eurowingsovom flotom, širokotrupaca ima 16 i 3 naručena (767-300ER koje ima i Eurowings), no flotu 757 bi Eurowings vjerovatno rasprodao (13 komada)

    Za sada znamo da je Eurowings zamišljen kao LCC kompanija koja:
    - prvenstveno pokriva LCC linije i to iz njemačkih i drugih sekundarnih aerodroma na P2P linijama
    - istovremeno pokriva turističke destinacije
    - će u dvije godine potpuno involvirati Germanwings
    - imati flotu od 121 aviona (trenutno 29 aviona i 30 naručenih, te 62 Germanwingsa)
    - ima i long-haul linije (trenutno 3 širokotrupca, 5 naručenih)
    - osim njemačkih hubova, najavili su i baze izvan Njemačke (prva je već u Beču)

    No, ono što je indikativno je da je Lufthansa krenula u vrlo jako pregovaranje sa drugim kompanijama oko ulaska u projekt Eurowingsa. U ovom momentu znamo da:
    - razmišljanju o involviranju Brusselsa u Eurowings
    - pregovaraju sa SAS-om oko ulaska u Eurowings
    - vrlo vjerovatno je preuzimanje Adrije od 4K čiščenje i konsolidiranje tvrde da bi se čista prodala Lufthansi za involviranje u Eurowings
    - pregovaranje sa Condorom
    - u gornjem svjetlu relno bi bilo da se u Eurowings involvira i Austrian, Croatia, a možebitno čak i Swiss

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:19

      sta se tice flote:
      EW nema 767-300, a bez 13 757-300 od Condora nece operativno funkcionirati.

      Trenutna flota od EW nece obstati, zato sto CRJ 900 idu u LH City Line (trenutno jos 13 kom.)

      ADR ne vidim u EW (uskoro), zato sto CRJ 900 nije za LC kompaniju. LH treba ADR CRJ 900 za regionalne fidere u hubs.

      A Swiss nikako nece u EWG, zato sto imaju jos bolji Yield od LH. To bi bilo totalno kontra-produktivno!

      Brussels Airlines vidim 100% u EWG, pitanje je samo kada. Trenutno se ceka, da BRU gradi/popravi Terminal.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous14:22

      Skužim da znam naš jezik, ali što znači 'involvirala' ???

      Delete
    3. Anonymous14:26

      Purger, we are also reading the aviation sites and portals , you dont need to rewrite here whats written there...

      Delete
    4. Anonymous15:02

      Anon 2.26

      why not? I am enjoying his posts. If you don't like them you are more than welcome to skip them.

      Delete
    5. JU520 BEGLAX16:58

      I love Purgers post if they just would all be in English.... but my fault instead of going to the Wednesday afternoon classes and learn the language, I preferred to play football :-)

      Delete
    6. Anonymous18:07

      Where did you grow up?

      Delete
    7. Anonymous18:22

      Agree. Far from everyone here speaks HRV/SRB.

      Delete
    8. JU520 BEGLAX20:20

      Grew up in ZRH

      Delete
    9. Anonymous22:13

      Been to Zürich many times, great city. I thought JATBEGMEL was from Zürich?

      Delete
    10. Purger00:19

      Kakve veze ima što Adrija trenutno ima samo tri aviona A320 obitelji? Najmanji problem je pretvoriti ih u LCC i eventualno bazirati još jedan ili dva A320. Konačno, ja tvrdim da osim tranformiranja u LCC Lufthansa kani na istom području organizirati i ispostavu Citylinea koji feeda MUC, FRA, VIE, ZRH. Znači CRJ 900 u CityLine, A320 obitelj u Eurowings.

      I ja mislim da Swiss neće u Eurowings, ali bog te pitaj što je Lufthansi na pameti. Kako su krenuli...

      757 u LCC. No, to bi bilo stvarno revolucionarno. I opet, bog te pitaj što je Lufthansi na pameti.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous14:12

    Air Arabia is no biggie. Sharjah airport is useless for long haul connections, though once you land there you can have an affordable taxi to DXB but in any case no connecting flights this way.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous14:19

    Great news for Sarajevo airport, hope some new carriers (routes) will follow!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous14:56

    OT: Air Serbia denies they have something to do with text messages sent to voters on today's elections.

    http://www.b92.net/biz/vesti/srbija.php?yyyy=2016&mm=04&dd=24&nav_id=1123844

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:15

      LOL

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:43

      Gospode boze, gde mi zivimo.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous19:18

      No one wants to comments this? Interesting!

      Delete
    4. Anonymous19:53

      Kakve sinergije! :)

      Delete
    5. Anonymous20:35

      Pa koje su Gluposti ovo.
      INN-NS

      Delete
  12. Дечко Тзар16:19

    Air Serbia A330 YU-ARA is in the air right now, still under EY9001:

    https://www.flightradar24.com/ETD9001/982a39b

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:45

      Landed back in AUH. Flew over Abu Dhabi and Dubai, not far from Burj Khalifa:

      http://postimg.org/image/68vf6spzr/

      Delete
    2. Anonymous23:43

      Anyone made a picture or video of that takeoff or landing?

      Delete
  13. Anonymous19:35

    Odlicne vesti za SJJ sto se bore Blisko istocne LCC.
    Ali zanimljivo je da FZ ima najvise prisustvo u SJJ.
    INN-NS

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous21:12

      Evo ovo je upravo primjer sto sam gore napisao o tome kako su ljudi u regionu jako malo upoznati s time koliko je prisustvo Arapa iz zemalja zalika u prvenstveno Sarajevu pa i BiH. Imate brdo njihovih investicija u BiH, njihovih naselja, hotela, masu turista prvenstveno iz UAE, ne razumijem zasto vas onda cudi da ima toliko letova iz UAE za SJJ.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous21:56

      Znam ja to ali opet BEG ima vise letova .
      Ali FZ je sam pa moze to.
      INN-NS

      Delete
    3. Anonymous22:42

      Pa dijete drago jeli iko ovdje usporedjivao SJJ sa BEG? Hajde odrasti vise godinama si ovdje i isto pises, kao da ne rastes nikako. FZ je sam i u Skoplju pa je ostao na 2 leta pw. Sam je i u ZAG za UAE pa je i tamo ostao na par letova sedmicno.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous22:59

      Pa to je dobro za SJJ nista nisam negativno napisao .
      INN-NS

      Delete
  14. Anonymous02:29

    Dobar je novi format ali se u Year Popular listi sa strane pojavljuju vesti od pre tri godine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous03:24

      Not sure of the new format, looks good but will give it a few days to see how it goes.
      It almost looks like it says EU Aviation News.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous05:07

    I suggest to admin to change the logo since initially I was like I did not choose to see EU news lol

    ReplyDelete
  16. JU520 BEGLAX07:43

    Admin: looks very advanced this new format, congrats fm ZRH! The title might not be ideal.... but lets see, in a couple days we might got used to it
    when I hit one of the comments on the the last comment side, it didnt direct me to the comment, just to the news the comment was made. U might wanna adjust that. Tx

    ReplyDelete

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