Belgrade readies for second long haul route


Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport says preparations are underway for it to handle its second scheduled long haul service later this year. The airport's General Manager, Saša Vlaisavljević, noted, "We are expecting our second long haul route, which will be to Beijing. The service will launch in the second half of the year, although talks are still underway on the exact date". The HNA Group, which owns Hainan Airlines and another dozen carriers in China, has inked a letter of intent with the Serbian government to commence services between the two countries. Serbia's President Elect, Aleksandar Vučić, will travel to Beijing tomorrow where, he says, details of the new route will likely be made public on May 16 when he holds talks with the Chinese President and Prime Minister.

Hainan Airlines' Senior Vice President, Hou Wei, said that economic growth campaigns like the Belt and Road Initiative, of which Serbia is a part of, and various bilateral free trade agreements have led to a rise in people-to-people exchanges, which is spurring demand for flights to certain destinations. "Even though Hainan Airlines is a latecomer to the global market, pursuing a differential competitive strategy is necessary for the company, as other carriers have already scooped up many market resources", Mr Hou said. He added that traffic rights for routes connecting major cities are tight, so direct flights to second-tier cities are practical. On the other hand, HNA Group CEO, Huang Qijun, noted, "We will launch more routes connecting China with the Belt and Road countries and help our counterparts build and manage airports to improve local transportation services". The HNA Group is bidding as part of a consortium with China National Aero Technology for a 25-year concession for the financing, development, maintenance and management of infrastructure at Belgrade Airport.

Belgrade Airport's General Manager noted that the ongoing expansion and overhaul of its facilities will have it fully prepared to welcome a second widebody jet on a regular basis. "We are expanding capacity because there is a real need for it. Once the reconstruction of Terminal 1 is completed later this month, we will have 33 new check-in desks, including 28 standard ones and five self check-in counters for passengers to use at their disposal. The new check-in desks will be connected to a new baggage sorting system", Mr Vlaisavljević said. On the other hand, the Tourist Organisation of Belgrade said visitor numbers from China to Belgrade grew 124% during the first quarter, while the number of overnight stays increased 116%. "This gives us reason to be optimistic in the lead-up to direct flights from Beijing and we are certain numbers will further grow with the new service", the head of the Tourism Organisation added.

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:03

    It's just a matter of whether it will be an A330 or a B787.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I heard 787 but who knows

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:05

      A B787 would make more sense because it has fewer seats but I'm not sure if they have enough of those aircraft to deploy it on this route.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:04

    Do we know the exact date of launch of new rout or at least date when it will be announced?

    ReplyDelete
  3. On the other hand, the Tourist Organisation of Belgrade said visitor numbers from China to Belgrade grew 124% during the first quarter, while the number of overnight stays increased 116%.

    Fake news. Many esteemed experts that frequent this site told us there would be no increase of Chinese visitors. Who are we to believe?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:25

      124% od 14.000 Chinese visitors are not a big deal. It is same number as 15% on 100.000 Croatia had last year.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:32

      Well you got to start somewhere and this route will definitely help improve numbers. Of course we can't compete with Croatia in the tourism sector. Most countries can't.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:34

      124% is a big deal

      Delete
    4. Nemjee09:40

      Triple digit growth is a big thing, especially for a country like Serbia which, until recently, had completely neglected its tourist potential.
      Sure we might not have the sea but then again I highly doubt these Chinese tourists are looking for that.

      Overall these are great news and I am happy Montenegro has joined Serbia in offering a joint product. Wonder if Bosnia might be next.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:43

      It has joined

      Putevima Valtera: BiH i Srbija zajedno privlače kineske turiste
      Srbija bi se u turi fokusirala na glumca Batu Živojinovića, njegov lik i djelo, a u BiH bi se obilazile lokacije iz filma.

      http://balkans.aljazeera.net/vijesti/putevima-valtera-bih-i-srbija-zajedno-privlace-kineske-turiste

      Delete
    6. @ Anon 9:25

      When did anyone claim that Serbia would suddenly overtake Croatia in the total number of Chinese visitors?

      Delete
    7. Anonymous09:48

      thats the way to go, the region should work together as one

      Delete
    8. Nemjee09:55

      Brilliant. I knew Bosnia showed interest but I didn't know they actually did something about it.
      With the three countries joining forces PEK-BEG will definitely be a success.

      This is a major win for both BEG and Serbia.

      Delete
    9. Love it when they use percentage and not the figures.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous10:24

      The actual number is widely available, you make it seem as if they are hiding it which is not the case.

      Delete
    11. Where is the number of visitors in the article? No where.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous10:58

      The actual number can be found in previous posts, this is not the first time this portal has written about the flights to China.

      Also, what exactly are you implying? That Serbia is trying to overestimate the number of Chinese who visited the country? No one is saying or doing that.

      Serbia has had a very sober approach while dealing with this project.

      Delete
    13. Where in THIS article are the number of visitors? I don't care about some anons' figures. Why isn't Tourist Organization publishing that number, but they are more than happy of throwing percentage?

      I'm not implying that Serbia is overestimate the numbers of visitors, but they are so nicely use the numbers that look so much nicer.

      Delete
    14. Anonymous11:36

      Jesus Christ. The official number was presented on Ex-YU Portal in the past, a few weeks ago. I think it was on the topic of how three different airlines are interested in launching flights.

      Also, the fact that there is triple digit growth is good enough, no need to spin it. Especially when talking about a country that is not known as a tourist destination.

      Don't see why you are getting so worked up about this. I think they expect around 100.000 visitors this year. Next year it might go up to 300.000 for the whole year.

      Delete
    15. Anonymous11:40

      From an article published here 27th of March

      "In 2016, some 24.000 Chinese tourists visited Serbia, which is not a large number considering China's size, but for Serbia the trend is encouraging as in 2011 only 12.000 tourists from China came to Serbia. "We hope that the visa free regime, the establishment of a direct flight, joint presentation with our neighbours, as well as the strengthening of regional cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe will have an influence on Chinese tourists to perceive this region as more attractive than before", Milica Čubrilo, the Secretary for Tourism in Serbia's Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said".

      Delete
    16. Jesus Christ what exactly? Was it posted in today's post? No. Do you expect me to browse previous posts? Like hell I will. I was pointing out the fascination with the pretty numbers, compared to the actual number of the visitors. End.

      Delete
    17. Anonymous11:47

      So you are saying that we shouldn't be fascinated that we recorded a triple digit growth? You didn't complain when people were excited since DBV recorded a 45% growth last month despite their overall numbers for that month being rather sad?

      Last year there were 24.000 Chinese tourists in Serbia, 100.000 this year. Joint packages with Bosnia and Montenegro are already available while Serbia is working with Hungary.

      Delete
    18. Anonymous12:13

      Actual numbers:

      Serbia March 2017 number of tourists from China: 2046.

      Croatia March 2017 number of tourists China: 1873.

      So you see it is not just some irrelevant number, like you are implying but Serbia had more visitors from China then Croatia cause of improvement.

      But it doesn’t really matter to you, you just wanted to downplay today's news and report of growth.

      Delete
    19. Anonymous12:17

      lol. Doesn't the great mighty tourism definition of the universe, Croatia, have 100,000 Chinese per year?

      Ouch. lol

      Delete
    20. Anonymous12:17

      So 2.046 Chinese visited Serbia in March, if there were three weekly flights that would be around 170 passengers per flight.

      Delete
    21. Anonymous12:20

      2.046 Chinese visitors would equal to 4.092 passengers at BEG. I think the Chinese will really boost the numbers this year.

      Delete
    22. Anonymous12:29

      March 2016 number of tourists form Israel: 606

      4 weekle flights – 19 passengers per flight.

      Reasons for Arkia and Israir to lunch flights absolutely non.

      March 2017 number of tourists form Israel: 3568. Jump of 591,7%

      Still no reason?

      Delete
    23. Anonymous12:41

      I might be wrong but Israeli charters started in autumn 2016, there were none in March 2016. I guess those 606 arrived on JU.

      Delete
    24. Serbia with its smart visa policy attracts more and more tourist passengers.

      Number of tourists from Israel is obviously growing fast and at the same time we have Atlas who brings with A320 or A321 every day tourists from Turkey to Belgrade.

      Tunisair flies 2 times pw to BEG as its only destinations in Balkans (excluding IST) thanks to Serbian free visa regime and soon we expect Chinese tourists to start visiting Belgrade / Serbia massively

      Delete
    25. Anonymous13:15

      We should also add that KK added three more flights after flying for just a month and a half.

      Delete
    26. Anonymous15:01

      Chinese tourists in Serbia

      2015. 14.000
      2016. 24.000

      By which mathematics that is 110% more? And I am not talking about first quarter like in article but data that was published few weeks ago for yearly increase.

      Serbia plan to have 300.000 Chinese tourists in 2018? More than Czech R. (Prague), more than Hungary (Budapest), 3 times more than Croatia. Congratulation for reality.

      Delete
    27. Anonymous15:04

      Well it has already overtaken Croatia in March so you never know.

      Delete
    28. Anonymous15:19

      The 110% growth is for the first quarter of 2017 as in for the period January-April 2017.

      You compared 2015 to 2016 which is not the topic of discussion.

      I guess your bitterness is not allowing you to see the reality.

      And yes, the plan is to have 100.000 this year so 300.000 next year is not crazy.

      Delete
    29. Anonymous15:53

      You know how sensitive they get when you touch their precious tourism. lol

      Delete
    30. Anonymous15:57

      300% this year and than 200.000 more next year, another 300%, or 1200% on top of this year?

      To make it better than Prague or Budapest.

      And you don't find this crazy?

      And what happened with Vučić announcement that this year there would be more than 500.000 Chinese tourists?

      Delete
    31. Anonymous16:22

      Somehow I find Serbian tourist or any data highly questionable, reminds me of Greek GDP data, inflated so the country can join the Euro €, and we now have a mess that we have. Reason why EU won't be expanding or accepting new members any time soon, well at least till 2030 now it seems.



      Delete
    32. Anonymous16:23

      Sure. If it does not suit your argument then it is made up. Sick.

      Delete
    33. Anonymous17:50

      Is Taiwan included, since it is also part of China?

      Delete
    34. Anonymous18:44

      @AnonymousMay 10, 2017 at 5:50 PM

      Taiwan isn't part of China. This is like saying Serbia is part of Russia, I know some would love that, but lets just keep it real.

      Croatian numbers for 2016, FYI are as follows.

      124 000, this number does not include 97000 Taiwanese visitors to Croatia. If you include them as well, total number of Chinese visitors to Croatia in 2016 is 221000. Number for 2017 add 15-20%. Season starts in April for Chinese visitors to Croatia, Italy, France and Spain.

      Croatia is normally packaged with Austria and Italy and number of Chinese visitors who visit Austria and Italy also visit Croatia.

      Projected number of Chinese visitors in 2017 from China/HK, is expected to be around 150 000. There are no direct links between Zagreb and China yet, due to strict EU visa regime.

      The visa regime will only get tougher once Croatia joins the Schengen, which is expected either this July or Next year in July, there's no rush on Croatian side to enter Schengen or the € it seems. However, Croatia must enter € and Schengen by July 1st 2020.

      anyhow, this blog posted info there's interest among some Chinese airlines to start direct flights to Zagreb, these might happen in 2018 or 2019, there's no rush, with only projected number of 150 000 visitors in 2017 and 200 000 in 2020, the likely direct link between Zagreb and China might happen in 2019 or 2020, when 320 000 chines visitors are projected to visit Croatia.

      Chines visitors to Croatia. Projections for 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

      2016: 124 000
      2017: 150 000
      2018: 200 000
      2019: 250 000 (high chance of direct link with China.
      2020: 320 000 (most likely chance of direct link with Zagreb and China, year round).




      Delete
    35. Nemjee19:35

      It was the Chinese ambassador to Serbia who mentioned 100.000 tourists. Given the current growth (triple digits) I don't think it's that unrealistic.

      If they had no plans to further develop this potential then they wouldn't be introducing direct flights. The ones to BUD would suffice.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:09

    Letovi ce krenuti u drugoj polovini septembra 3 puta nedeljno, a plan je da u drugoj polovini aprila 2018 broj letova bude 5 nedeljno. Dalji razvoj ce zavisiti od potraznje.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:10

      Nice. Thanks for the info.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:13

      @9.09: any news on the aircraft type?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:22

      Nemam tu informaciju

      Delete
    4. @9:09am Jer si siguran?

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:09

    Yield to and from Beijing are low at best meaning the government will have to throw some serious subsidies to entice those Chinese carriers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If it's the chinese, who cares? :)

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:17

      The Chinese government (or regional governments) already offer subsidies for most international routes. Just look at how many secondary cities in China are linked with the US.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:12

    BEG handled 5 of JAT's widebodies during the 80s as well as a Qantas B747. I don't see why it would be unable to cater for two A330s this time around.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:25

      Not only average 3 daily flight on JAT''s DC10 and Qantas 747, but also Air China (CAAC at the time) B767, ALIA (Royal Jordanian) L15, Iraqi Airways 747...

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:17

    The full conclusion of the Sava project development will make Belgrade a tourist Meka for the Balkan and southeastern Eurppe region!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:34

      Paris of SE Europe, please...

      Delete
    2. Dejan10:45

      +1
      Haters of Belgrade's tourist developments can not tolerate its rise as a cultural and tourist destination for visitors from all over the world.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:01

      Пси лају, каравани пролазе. Док ви шкрабате ваше ,LOL' и нападе, Србија се све више приближава успостављању директних летова са Кином.

      Свака част свима који су радили да се овај пројекат реализује.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:33

      Kome brate pišeš ćirilicom? Ovaj blog je prvenstveno na engleskom. Ako neznaš da pišeš engleski dovoljno dobro, onda koristi našu latinicu.
      No offence intended, just being realistic.
      Peace out brother.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous14:17

      Не знаш се пише одвојено.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous14:28

      REKT

      Delete
    7. Anonymous16:24

      This is a prank?

      Nujork of Balkana :D

      Delete
    8. Anonymous18:16

      Belgrade is the European "city that never sleeps" like the ASL add for foreign markets was saying.
      New York is the American "city that never sleeps".
      So the comparison is fair.

      Delete
    9. Bunch of other European cities are "city that never sleeps". Don't make Belgrade the capital of all happenings in Europe.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:17

    So we might get 3 widebodies - Air Serbia, Etihad and Hainan next year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:17

      Airport can't handle three at the same time using bridges. Expansion that would add more gates is cancelled. If Emirates also decide to launch the route, BEG will have a problem.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:21

      Not necessarily will all planes be there at the same time.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:40

      There won't be a problem, Chinese flights arrive in the early afternoon meaning that both JFK and AUH (if EY starts sending their widebody) would have departed already.

      By that time A10 should be ready so there won't be a problem.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous16:33

      I think that expansion is not cancelled,just delayed,until consessionare come.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous16:40

      @AnonymousMay 10, 2017 at 10:17 AM

      Yes it can, T2 has 3 positions for wide body A330/B767 size aircraft. Belgrade can't handle A380 cause slots are too small, i mean too narrow, measuring 66x84m, A380 needs 90x90m box. go to Google Earth, and look it up if you're questioning this.

      So 3 A330 200, B787 or 3 B767 300 will fit inside just fine. B747, A380 or B777, that'll be a problem, I guess you can always park A380 where 3 ATR 72s on Google Earth are. That section is 138x160m, can host any wide body aircraft.

      Belgrade airport platforms are really narrow, designed to handle only narrow body aircraft, however there are 3 positions for 3 A330 type aircraft, and that is all Belgrade needs anyways. Not any time soon will someone be sending A380 to Belgrade, anyway.

      They could expand wide body platform by covering what little grass there's left, 54m extra space could just do it, part right next to the taxiway.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous16:52

      AnonymousMay 10, 2017 at 9:17 AM
      EY ce leteti sa a321,
      JU ce suspendovati JFK,
      dakle ostajemo na jednom najavljenom sirokotrupcu

      Delete
    7. Anonymous16:53

      They should expand apron, soon, because, of the cargo and lcc.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous18:06

      @AnonymousMay 10, 2017 at 4:53 PM

      Apron where 3 wide body position are, right next to the taxiway, yes this is what I am suggesting should Belgrade ever want to accommodate A380, as is, it can't.

      As to the extra platforms for LCCs, no need for that, Belgrade airport has 7 LCC positions already, that are always empty. As is Belgrade airport has 27 positions for narrow-body aircraft or 21 positions for narrow body and 3 for medium wide body 767/787/a330.

      This is more than sufficient for Belgrade's needs for next 15 years. 300x160m platform can be added right next to General Aviation platform sometimes in the future, this would allow for additional 12 narrow body positions. But that is a long term investment, circa 2030.

      and even further down the line, 500x150m platform can be added next to deicing platform, where 3 atr 72s are parked if you look on google earth.

      This would allow for 10 additional narrow body positions, or a grand total of 49 narrow body positions. But traffic demand for so many platforms is for an airport that handles 30 million pax, not barely 5. So what I am saying the expansion of platforms isn't necessary, only for wide body if there are plans to allow A380, A350, B777 or B747 800 to be connected to the terminal, ideally. As is airport can't accommodate above super-jumbo aircraft.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous22:52

      What if next summer there are following planes (not all at the same time) at BEG airport:

      Air Serbia A330
      Hainan 787 or 330
      Etihad A330
      Emirates 777
      Air Canada Rouge 767

      Delete
    10. Anonymous23:49

      @AnonymousMay 10, 2017 at 10:52 PM

      Wet dreams ey,

      Emirates 777 & Air Canada Rouge 767 do not fly to Belgrade, nor they plan to fly any time soon if ever.

      Etihad A330, no idea where that came from. No chance of Etihad sending big bird to Belgrade. And Emirates won't fly to Belgrade cause Etihad is already there. If Belgrade was a big airport like Munich or Frankfurt, entirely different matter. Just look at all European destinations Etihad is flying to and try to find Emirates as well at the same airport. Unless airport has over 20 million pax, you won't see it. I already checked. Even looked at Edinburgh and Birmingham, both airports over 10 million, but one is served by Etihad, the other by Emirates. They only fly to same destination if airport has over 20 million pax. Feel free to check for yourself.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etihad_Airways_destinations

      Reason why I think Etihad won't fly to Zagreb. Qatar and Emirates is it from that part of the world. I think.

      You put too much faith in Hainan, if Southern or Eastern China airline said they're flying to Belgrade, I'd take this seriously, Hainan is a 6th largest Chinese carrier but they are upstarts with few wide body aircraft. I am not saying they won't be flying to Belgrade, but won't be able to keep up daily schedule. So I wouldn't worry about 2 A330 being parked at the same time in Belgrade.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:18

    I wish they had just kept quiet and announced the route when everything was finalized.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:20

      +1

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:29

      That way, I could have taken it more seriously.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:54

      Couldn't agree more. By the time the ink dries up plans change .... again!

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:20

    Good news. They are a good airline.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous09:22

    This is great news and it will definitely help Belgrade grow even more. 5.5 million doesn't seem so unrealistic.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous09:23

    The thing is I have a feeling these flights are being conditioned with the airport concession and I would rather someone else get it.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Alen Šćuric Purger09:27

    If it would be more than 2 flights pw + if it will have connections to Air Serbia flights it will be huge for BEG. Real huge!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If there is a proper codeshare with ASL (not any of that Air China via VIE for 1500 eur rubbish) and the waves connect then it could be a huge success. Could go to daily quick in that case.

      Delete
    2. Agree with you Purger.
      I do not expect PEK-BEG-PEK to be less than 3 times pw at the beginning of this route (someone mentioned it would go to 5 times pw starting from spring 2018).

      Connections to JU flights are a must and taking in consideration there was JU code share for flights from VIE (that I highly doubt many passengers used) it is more than logical flight PEK-BEG-PEK to have local connections to JU destinations in Balkans.

      Delete
  14. Anonymous09:39

    It's a bit surprising they won't link it up with another destination.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dejan Milinković09:58

    Probably topic related :). Here are a few photos of Deer Jet's Dreamliner my six old years son and me took yesterday - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B5BQ5KlupgSRbDB5azlxX0NSYkE?usp=sharing. There are also two photos of Air Cargo Global's B747-400 that was parked on the Apron B. At the moment, three different widebody types were at the airport, Air Serbia's A330 being third one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:00

      Great pics as always Dejan. Thanks for sharing!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:03

      Bravo! Niko od ovih blogera nema snimak.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:49

      Where was it parked?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:03

      It has a very nice interior.
      http://www.exyuaviation.com/2017/05/dream-jet-lands-at-belgrade-airport.html

      I guess the plane coming was a vote of confidence from HNA group.

      Delete
    5. Dejan Milinković11:04

      De-icing platform.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous11:13

      @11.03 I agree it looks quite tasteful. I can imagine if it was owned by a company from the Persian Gulf. Gold plated with heavy wood finishes.

      Delete
    7. AirCEO15:05

      Most 787 passengers, esp in economy class, will find experience much less enjoyable than in Deer Jet. In fact, seat width in LOT 787 is less than seat width in Air Transat A330 3-3-3 config according to Seatguru. While Boeing screwed up most important decision when designing a new plane (cabin width), they nailed it with almost everything else. I had close-up experience with it (not 2-DEER but N787BX), I flew on 787 and saw it put together (quickly) at Everett factory and it's really a fascinating machine, esp it's amazing wings. Hainan -8 will look good at BEG, hope they will from time to time send special livery like Kung Fu Panda on a -9 to BEG!

      Delete
  16. Anonymous10:05

    Wondering how Aeroflot will respond. They carry the majority of people to/from China to Belgrade.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:10

      Well Qatar Airways has just released a big promo from BEG to China. Beijing from 360 euros and a few other cities in China for travel from August to next March.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:14

      Interesting. Thanks.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous14:15

      There are Aerflot adds plastered across Belgrade trams advertising Beijing and Shanghai.

      Delete
  17. Anonymous10:06

    I hope this announcement comes to fruition.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous10:07

    Bravo Srbija !!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:31

      ti si onaj brat od onog "Bravo Hrvatska"

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:47

      Bravo Hrvatska has !, Bravo Srbija has !!!
      how many ! do we keep?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:51

      Bravo for both countries, stop it please.
      It´s gonna be a bright year for ex-Yu. The big bravos will go to:

      DBV
      INI
      TZL

      Delete
  19. Anonymous10:33

    Very positive news and also good luck to Hainan on their new route.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous10:48

    Amazing, HNA Group is the biggest group per capital. They dont do mistakes in there plans.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous11:13

    How many extra passengers could this route bring on a yearly basis?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:14

      * how many yearly passengers to Belgrade Airport I mean.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:48

      Say they launch 3 weekly flights and deploy A330 with a rough estimation of 220 pax per leg, I would say approx. below 70000.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:00

      Well they are expecting 300.000 next year and I assume most of them would fly directly into Belgrade.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous16:47

      @AnonymousMay 10, 2017 at 12:00 PM

      If you believe that nonsense, you only can blame yourself for situation Serbia is in.

      If Serbia attracts 50 000 Chinese visitors next year, consider yourself lucky.

      Belgrade and Serbia aren't tourist mecca as you like to think. Reason why Ljubljana gets more foreign visitors than entire Serbia.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous17:24

      Ljubljana gets more foreign visitors simply because it's a very small country which is used as transit to/from Italy, Austria, Germany...

      Delete
    6. Anonymous17:42

      @AnonymousMay 10, 2017 at 5:24 PM

      Worst excuse I've ever heard, it is like saying, Berlin gets more visitors cause it is used as transit to/from Poland to Czech Republic. Seriously man, your geography sucks big time.

      Also google Ljubljana, check out Ljubljana on google earth, this will give you some clue why it is more popular.

      If you said Ljubljana is on transit point between Croatia and Austria, that might hold some water, I said might, but it doesn't. Cause most Austrians, Germans, Dutch.... who ever don't stop off in Slovenia, they continue on to Croatia.

      Again, your logic is really bad.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous19:31

      So you are saying the number of Chinese in Serbia will drop next year? This year there are going to be 100.000 of them so next year there will be a drop of 50%?

      Delete
    8. Anonymous21:10

      @AnonymousMay 10, 2017 at 7:31 PM Why not million Chinese visitors, I mean i can make numbers as I go, why not billion Chinese visitors, there's a though, billion Chinese tourist in Belgrade this year !!! You either live in a cloud or in a bubble totally ignorant of the outside world. Belgrade won't get 100 000 visitors this year, it won't get that many next year. Perhaps in 2019 if they really work really hard. 24000 Chinese visitors visited Belgrade and Serbia in 2016, 40 000 Chinese visitors if they visit Belgrade this year, I'd be really really surprised.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous23:21

      Ok, stay tuned in order to get surprised then.

      Delete
  22. Anonymous11:54

    What about flight from China to ZAD? Are there some new info about it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There were also rumours that ZAG wil be directly connected to US and China.
      According to some fellows here it was the question of days these routes to be announced.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:46

      It wasn't a rumor. Beijing Capital Airlines applied to fly Beijing - Zagreb from June 2017 but they cancelled plans after talks with Belgrade started.

      http://www.exyuaviation.com/2017/03/beijing-capital-cancels-zagreb-launch.html

      Delete
    3. Thanks for reminding me.
      Do you know what happened to almost announced flights from US to ZAG?

      Delete
    4. Do you still believe any flight from China to Zadar! Impossible!

      Delete
    5. Anonymous15:37

      Don't be so worried about it Nebojsa. :) Talks are going on and NYC service from ZAG starts next year

      Delete
    6. Anonymous15:43

      And next year, it will be the year after. Blah, blah, blah.

      I don't think he is worried about your airport. He's just pointing out this Zagrebovanje.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous15:43

      According to ex-yu it should be next year

      http://www.exyuaviation.com/2017/02/croatia-new-york-flight-talks-in.html

      Delete
  23. Anonymous15:45

    Good news. With Zagreb and Belgrade with long hauls, which other ex-Yu city could get them potentially?

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous16:02

    Have they decided will it be Beijing or Shanghai? Because they said it would either be one or the other.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:03

      If you read the text, the BEG CEO says Beijing. I assume he would know that mich.

      Delete
  25. Anonymous16:49

    OT:
    SOF 564.065 +48.5% in April. The airport have surpassed 2 mln. PAX

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17:03

      Svaka čast, samo trebaju biti svesni da će to trajati koliko i rat dva prevoznika, nakon toga bez imalo objašnjenja jedan će se povući ili osetno smanjiti broj linija pa će i ovaj rast osetno opasti

      Delete
    2. Anonymous17:19

      I think that this shows the potential of the Balkans. Only liberalization is needed. I hope that Vucic will realize it at some point.

      Delete
    3. Nemjee19:30

      Since we are sharing some news from outside the ex-YU, in the first three months of 2017 LCA was the third fastest growing airport in Europe with +27%. Number one was KEF (53%) and KBP around 30%. I think this year they will handle 7.5 million passengers while the two airports will pass ten million. Impressive for a small country of only 830.000 people.

      I agree with Anon 17.03, we will have to see what happens with the market once one of the two carriers ends up victorious. I have my money on Ryanair.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous19:41

      More great figures in the region:

      Budapest Airport has witnessed its best-ever start to a year, resulting in the Hungarian gateway breaking the monthly one million passenger mark in April, a month earlier than it did last year. Following its 40th consecutive month of growth, Budapest recorded an impressive 17.5% yearon-year increase in passenger traffic in April.

      I hope Hainan combine BEG with BUD or SOF.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous19:57

      Wow... who drove all that growth at BUD?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous19:57

      KBP huge growth should show the ex-yu airlines that this is a market that they should really try to fly and promote it properly.
      It is a country of 40 million and it is close.
      It also want have competition from LCCs dumping fares.
      Ignoring it is just plane dumb.
      My 2 cents

      Delete
    7. Anonymous20:14

      Anon 7:57
      +1.000.000

      SOF growth without having to give any subsidies to W6 or FR is proof that if you let competition work and do not try to protect some national carrier the country's economy is the big winner.

      Nemjee I looked up LCA statistics and they are very impressive too! In two years time they have increased in passengers of over 50%!!!
      Where do all these tourists stay? :)

      If the growth rate of the first three months is sustained for the rest of the year and PFO airports has a moderate single digit increase the two airports will have close to 11 million passengers!
      That is almost as much as Croatia and Montenegro airports combined!

      Delete
    8. Anonymous22:52

      Vama treba da se crta da ne smeju turisti u arapske zemlje?

      Delete
    9. Anonymous22:59

      AnonymousMay 10, 2017 at 7:41 PM
      "I hope Hainan combine BEG with BUD or SOF."
      -Not, only direct flights.

      Delete
    10. Aэrologic09:56

      The fact is, no matter what happens next, the number of passengers at SOF is not going anywhere down. Once one of the two airlines fail the other will take over their passengers, pure and simple.

      "...in the first three months of 2017 LCA was the third fastest growing airport in Europe with +27%. Number one was KEF (53%) and KBP around 30%."

      So, LCA is booming, so is BUD, KBP... What all these markets have in common? That Air Serbia either completely failed in them or keeps on retreating. So how's that possible? I didn't mention Sofia on purpose cause i'm alrady waiting for the answer behind the corner "yeah, it's because of the LCC", so let's put that aside.

      "It's worth watching the video.

      http://www.b92.net/biz/vesti/srbija.php?yyyy=2017&mm=05&dd=10&nav_id=1258859 "

      The price of petrol has increased for EVERYBODY. So now, it's time to make another bet. Kondich saying "A319 from AUH will be redirected somehwhere". Let me bet you it won't unless it's to the lessor.

      This reflects an airline without a vision, without a strategy, without a proactive approach to the developments in its surrounding and which is cannibalizing its own customer base (O&D) in order to stay afloat. The huge increase at KBP is mainly driven by PS transfer policies: they opened Ankara, fly to Yerevan, Teheran, Tbilisi amongst other. Hybrid airline doesn't mean butchering your network and LO and PS are the very proof of that.

      The moto of Air Serbia seems to be: do less, work less, pay less, think less.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous10:34

      JU is falling apart.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous10:37

      Aerologic: you are comparing markets that have nothing in common. Cyprus and Serbia? Cyprus and Ukraine?

      Delete
    13. Aэrologic10:39

      Where am i comparing Cyprus and Serbia?!

      Delete
    14. Aэrologic10:44

      ...or Ukraine for that matter. I'm talking about the fact that a transfer airline can be from Albania or the Faroes Islands, it doesn't matter as long as it's properly managed and able to take advantage of its geographical position.

      Delete
    15. Anonymous11:11

      Don't forget the booming economies of Hungary and Bulgaria. For 2017 they are expected to top the growth in SEE - Hungary is expected +4% and Bulgaria 3.9%

      Delete
  26. Anonymous21:25

    OT: Tuzla Airport recorded 100% increase in April
    APR 2016: 25.261 PAX
    APR 2017: 50.615 PAX
    YTD 128.951 +46,50%
    Projection for Tuzla Airport is to handle 510.000 PAX this year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous22:25

      Look, listen and learn BNX!

      Delete
  27. Anonymous11:39

    China flights to BEG will most probably be operated by LuckyAir, if they materialize.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:40

      Where is this info from?

      Delete

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