Air Serbia drafts development strategy


Air Serbia is in the process of finalising a five-year plan in an attempt to increase revenue and mitigate the escalating cost of fuel and services in the aviation sector while balancing seasonality and maintaining growth. The airline's development plan, which involves a review of its fleet, destination network and business model, comes as Air Serbia prepares for the next five years of Etihad Airways' involvement in the business. The carrier has already unveiled a shift in strategy towards a hybrid model by retrofitting its short-haul Airbus fleet with slim seats, winding down its economy class catering offer, and introducing an airport check-in fee in Belgrade for selected economy subclasses, which can be avoided through online check-in. However, the carrier still has several options it is working through and may adopt in the future, such as pre-paid meals and luggage-free fares.

The airline has completed the retrofit of its ten Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft, which has resulted in a capacity increase of 12% across its narrow-body fleet. Air Serbia says the increase is equivalent to it adding an extra Airbus jet and notes that this will drive revenue growth. Consequently, the carrier is offering one of its Airbus A319s for lease during the winter season, which will be available from October through to March next year. Questioned whether the airline's order for ten Airbus A320neo aircraft, which are due for delivery from next year onwards, still stands, Air Serbia's CEO, Dane Kondić, told EX-YU Aviation News in late March that the jets were "still on the table". As part of its five-year plan, the company is also looking into the renewal of its regional fleet, noting that "there are a few options being looked at". It has so far voiced its confidence in ATR-manufactured aircraft due to its good economics, which fit in with the airline's short routes. Furthermore, Air Serbia has said it has no plans to order additional wide-body jets to join its sole Airbus A330-200 but has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining long haul flights. It previously noted that within a period of five to ten years it could have a fleet of 25 to 26 aircraft but added that this process is being continually evaluated.

Air Serbia has confirmed plans to consolidate its network prior to any major expansion, explaining that new routes require significant investment. The airline recently introduced services to Venice, which will be maintained throughout the winter as well, but will suspend operations to Abu Dhabi in October. Under its plan for the next five years, the carrier wants to better utilise its aircraft by focusing on flying to European markets. Last year, Air Serbia said there were half-a-dozen to a dozen points that could be covered in the future. It highlighted Florence and Venice at the time, the latter having been launched earlier this month. Air Serbia's dedicated charter brand, Aviolet, is also under review. The carrier is exploring the potential to broaden its charter offering in the next five years. While Aviolet remains a good option for Air Serbia in its current form, the airline is also evaluating options to expand its core objective. The wide-ranging review of its business comes as both part-owners Etihad Airways and the Serbian government have requested more from the airline, which has resulted in a shift in business and sales strategy.

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:04

    So it seems the NEO ordered hasn't been cancelled like some people claimed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:27

      The answer the airline gave isn't "yes they are coming 100%". It's that they are still in play which could mean that they will get differed.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:28

      If you check orders on Airbus website, you would not see an order for AirSerbia. But strangely enough, there are 10 a320neo for Etihad ordered just a couple of days after what was displayed as signing of the contract for order by Dane Kondic in 2013. So maybe Etihad will lease them to AirSerbia.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:29

      It was publicly said that a bulk order was made and paid for by Etihad and that ten of them will go to Air Serbia.

      Delete
    4. on the contrary. lets calculate 2+2

      on current airbus fleet JU has installed equipment for WIFi & streaming, plus it has installed slimmer seats.
      if they were to return the a/c in the next 2-3 years it would mean that they would need to uninstall this equipment and spend heck a lot of money.

      so neos are not happening

      also, dane says "it's still on table" meaning they are definetly not a plan A

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:12

      who said they will be returning current planes? they plan to have 26 planes, so with the new NEOs and current fleet it makes exactly that number

      Delete
    6. ?
      21+10=31

      also they have a load factor problem. if they take neos in, they would be very hard to fill, and all we saw so far was donwnsizing.
      not to mention the question will they have enough resources to finance such an investment

      Delete
    7. Anonymous12:36

      exclude 733s and you have 27

      Delete
    8. Anonymous14:36

      I think they will retire b733s and lease back maybe 2 A319 and get those neos.
      Or maybe i'm yust dreaming.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous16:06

      @AnonymousJune 19, 2017 at 9:04 AM

      10 A320 NEO, are supposedly on the table, from definitely being in the play, to perhaps.

      This should tell you enough.

      10 A320 NEO were part of Etiahd commitment to air Serbia, this commitment in light of recent financial events at Etiahd are now questionable.

      Air Serbia 5 year strategy is quite visionary I should add, reminds me of Tito's 5 year plan, very visionary. The fact, non of these plans ever materialized, totally different matter.

      2018 will be crucial for Air Serbia, we'll find out of Etihad has any interest in Air Serbia or not. If not, Vucic will need to find some other excuse for all the porkies!!

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:05

    Let's see how these new plans turn out. It is a big risk to change your strategy in such a way. Sure it can work and attract new customers but you could also loose the ones you already have.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous09:05

    Air Serbia has already retrofitted all Airbus planes, the last one came back in service yesterday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:11

      They are actually quite good. Pity about business class though.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous17:31

      Not sustainable with such low load factors.

      When you see suits travelling on the likes of Ryannair and easyjet, you know that the genuine business class market in Europe is long dead.

      They should never have have gone down this road in the first instance.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:07

    It's normal to review your strategy after some time. The main aim is to bring in cash.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous09:07

    With their strategy they will never be able to match Wizz and Ryanair which slowly eat into its business.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:06

      That is true for all small short haul carriers in europe... JU, OU, JP and YM will all be wiped out once serbia, montenegro, bosnia and macedonia become part of the Eu or their countries become signatories to phase 2 of the ECAA... it will allow EU carriers to fly between ex-yu countries

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:09

    I wonder what they are thinking of doing with Aviolet. Regional LCC?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:16

      Some 15 years ago, Jat planned to establish its own LCC for regional routes with its ATR fleet. It was supposed to be called Inter Air Link. But it all failed because pilots threatened to go on strike because they would have been considered as working for a new company with lower pay.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:20

      That was actually a good idea. Today they would have been able to compete against Wizz Air on some routes.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:25

      If they were a LCC on regional routes how would that make them competitive against Wizz Air? Wizz Air does not fly inter ex-Yu or any regional route from BEG or any other ex-Yu city.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:50

      It was to be called Centavia, I think.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous11:12

      Yep, Centavia was founded by the guy who was Jat CEO when he wanted to establish Inter Air Link.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous11:21

      Vujović, or something like that. I think he still writes for some other aviation sites from time to time. Must be close to 80 now. He was probably one of the best JAT CEOs.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous11:41

      The guy who said that the lease for A332 is $5 mil. a month?

      Delete
    8. Anonymous12:00

      He was suffering from temporary insanity. If he said that.

      Delete
    9. JATBEGMEL15:53

      Centavia was something different. It actually flew for a couple of months with 2 BAE 146 ac before shutting down. Before Centavia, Vujovic attempted to launch Air Maxi with the B737.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous16:26

      He did say that and a lot more.

      http://www.vreme.com/cms/view.php?id=1370282

      Delete
    11. Anonymous19:11

      You shouldn't give too much importance to an old Communist ... he's about as relevant to aviation today as is Yugoslavia to current world geopolitics

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:11

    It's just a matter of seeing how low cost will they go.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:21

      Food and drinks will probably go next.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:54

      There is no food left (unless you call a sandwich as food)!

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:56

      The so called sandwiches are tasteless. Not to be confused with timeless.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:46

      I never, ever understood why is it a problem to make a decent sandwich, wrap or anything of sorts. They could have served heated wraps (similar to tortillas) and that would have been fine. A319 are equipped with the ovens.

      That said, I would actually welcome an introduction of paid meals. Then, I suppose, you could count on getting some real food, as opposed to this thing they call a sandwich - no one likes it, and it costs money to the airline.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous16:13

      @AnonymousJune 19, 2017 at 11:46 AM

      Are you fat ???

      Are you telling me you can't go without a food for 4-5 hours?

      I never eat before 4 in the afternoon, having only water of can of coke from time to time. How you mange to survive a flight without a food for 4 hours is amazing.

      Who eats on 2-3 hours flights these days, everyone is in to fitness and getting that six pack, clearly not you, food is on your mind all the time it seems.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous16:24

      @4:13 PM

      WTF?!

      Delete
    7. Anonymous16:56

      Anon 4.13

      HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA that made my day, maybe if you ate before 16.00 you wouldn't be as bitter.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:15

    From what I see at the moment, there will not be any other cuts to winter other than Abu Dhabi. Frequencies for other cities remain the same like last winter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:32

      Will they add any new routes? They will have a plane available that was doing the Abu Dhabi rotation.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:39

      They are getting a plane from AUH while they are leasing out an A319 so there are no changes.

      Delete
    3. If they manage to do that. A lot of people have spare metal in winter.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:22

    So EY is staying for another five years?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:27

      Yes

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:37

      I doubt EY will be around much longer once Hoges pushes on.
      I don't see any material benefit JU brings to the table for EY.

      Delete
    3. http://rs.n1info.com/a217692/Biznis/Etihad-ostaje-u-Er-Srbiji.html

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:43

      How about being able to milk the Serbian government?

      Delete
  10. So there are no real plans, just sviranje onoj stvari until further notice. What will happen to the 733s? Will they replace the ATR -200? How do they plan to maintain long haul flights with just one airplane, which will fly only 3 pw flights to NYC?

    I think that Dane is getting more and more confused every day and this just shows that they, again, have no real development strategy. :-/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:28

      The A330 flies 5 times per week for most of the year. It says that they do plan to replace ATRs.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:30

      ... and that they will replace them with ATRs probably.

      Delete
    3. I'm sorry about the A330, I forgot to add "in the winter season". It's no problem in summer season when the aircraft has a lot of work.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:39

      Not even that, they said that they are considering rejuvenating their regional fleet and that they have a high opinion of the Atr. So he was even more ambiguous than that.

      Delete
    5. i was just about to give same comment as citta. there are really no new revelations in this article, besides it's saying that EY and Government of Serbia were not happy with airline performance (it makes you wonder why, with all that profit they keep showing) and all of this is done so that Etihad would accept to prolong it's engagement in JU.

      there are major unanswered questions:
      - what happens to regional aircrafts strategy and with 30y old ATRs?
      - what happens to B737 & Aviolet??
      - what exactly happens with neo order and advance payment from JAT era?
      - what is the JU status inside EY family?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:05

      If they say they are finalizing a plan for the next five years of Etihad's involvement in Air Serbia, doesn't that answer your last question?

      Delete
    7. even if EY stays, i am just worried that with so few traffic between BEG and AUH the significance of JU inside the group is diminishing and it will become more of political nature than a practical "feeder to EY traffic" relationship, which was an original strategy.
      if i remember & understood correctly, when the cooperation started there were 14pw EY flights AUH-BEG and 7pw from JU. Now it will be just 7pw from EX

      not to mention lost traffic synergies inside the group with looming exit of AB and AZ.
      it will be interesting to see what the new CEO (the one that comes after this interim) will think of.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous11:50

      @Petar

      As I recall, there were never 14+7 rotations to AUH. At times it was all EY (14p/w), and at times one flight was with EY, another with JU (7+7). Remember when JU800/1 was operated by EY metal?

      I don't really know if EY decided what to do with the route. Like I said couple of days ago, it's impossible to book Far East destinations ex BEG after winter season starts. Technically it is, but the booking on the inbound flight is a two stop, via FCO or other cities - and no one is taking that with QR, TK, SU and others offering one stop (at a lower price).

      Delete
    9. Anonymous12:00

      It is possible to book with one stop, via AUH.

      Delete
    10. JATBEGMEL16:08

      JU800/801 was never operated with EY metal. The initial JU ac were registered A6-SAA and A6-SAB, being operated mainly of Serbian speaking EY crew, who flew for JU in JU uniform. SAA became API, SAB became APJ. This was while JU was training crew for the A319/A320.

      E71/72 on the other hand was flown by JU, with JU staff except for 1 EY ambassador on the flight who was an Arabic speaker, a language requirement on all EY flights. The ambassador wore EY uniform, while the other crew wore JU uniform. They also operated AUH-MCT, where the JU crew layovered during this period.

      It is disappointing to see JU drop AUH after the effort in building up its CLF on the route. That flight also fed into some regional routes.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous16:23

      @12:00PM

      Well, if you use etihad.com, no, it is not. Try, for example, BEG-PVG in November. The only option for the inbound flight is a 24h journey via AUH and FCO.

      @JATBEGMEL

      Yes, sorry, my bad - EY72 was operated on JU metal, not the other way around. The point was, at no time were there three dailies between BEG and AUH.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:34

    That would mean that their first 5 year plan was completely unrealistic if they have to make such drastic changes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:36

      For this sort of price sensitive market it certainly wasn't the smartest.

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:38

    The only thing I got from the article is that Dane has mastered the art of saying a lot without actually saying anything.

    My bet is that their next five years will be the same of the old; as in an airline without an agenda, without a plan.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:45

      They have given a clue in what direction they are going. If they just said everything they planned then they might as well distribute their business plan to the competition.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:47

      They gave no hints, they just presented a wishlist. I mean, what difference would it make if they gave their competitors their business plan? They change them every few months.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous17:05

      This is stuff that Dane has already said on previous occasions.

      The only master here, is the author of the article who has rehashed what has already been said into an article for today

      Delete
    4. Anonymous17:41

      The problem is that the CEO speaks too much. Better to be silent and to have success be the talk of town. Unfortunately it's all about bragging while the results are nowhere to be found.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous17:43

      The business has grown 3x in the last 3 years. How is that not a result? Jat was handling under 900,000 passengers in its last years. Was overtaken by Adria too.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous18:02

      Yeah but they are still not making money or making their business model work. Too many changes indicate a management that is clueless.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous18:03

      Also, let's not forget that this growth has come only thanks to the billions of Dinars that were handed out to them from the national budget!

      Delete
  13. Anonymous09:51

    Letter sent to JU feedback.com may be of interest to some... FYI LF on this particular flight=126
    Prekljuce (subota 17.06.2017) sam leteo na letu JU654 da relaciji Beograd – Moskva. Kao vas cest putnik zelim da napisem nekoliko reci o utiscima sa tog leta.
    Da krenemo od pohvala ...
    - Zemaljsko osoblje na cekiranju profesionalno i ljubazno
    - Osoblje u avionu jednim slovom –perfektno
    - Polazak / dolazak na vreme
    - Prelazak na terminal “E” u Moskvi je dobar poslovni potez

    Nekoliko primedbi...
    - Kupio sam / doplatio oko 1000din sebi sediste 3C koje je u sistemu oznaceno kao mesto sa vise prostora za noge. Nema apsolutno nikakve razlike u prostoru izmedju treceg niti bilo kog drugog reda (izuzev emergency izlaza) te je neprihvatljivo da uzimate za taj red dopunski novac.
    - Sedista biznis klase (ako se ista jos tako moze nazvati) su apsolutno neadekvatna I sa malim prostorom za noge. Ranije sam redovno koristio uslugu “instant upgrade” sto vise nema nikakvog smisla!
    - Iako pruzaju malo vise mesta za noge od prethodnih, nova sedista su maximalno neudobna za sedenje, covek ima utisak da sedi na drvenoj klupi koja uopste nema tapacir sundjer
    - Catering proizvod je srozan da nije ni blizu onoga sto je bio
    - Kapetan G. Aleksic je pozeleo dobrodoslicu putnicima u avion pre leta ali je mogao da pruzi i neku informaciju za vreme samog leta

    Zakljucke donosite sami ali kao cest putnik na ovoj relaciji koristeci se uslugama Aeroflota kao i Air Srbije mogu da kazem da je Vasa trenutna usluga po kvalitetu “in flight” proizvoda postala inferiorna u odnosu na Aeroflot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:58

      Hmm, I wouldn't agree with him on the seat comfort because I think they are much better than the old ones. There is more pitch and they don't have those boxes underneath like the old ones. I would agree with him about the "proffered seating" concept. If he was in row 3 I would assume that is the one right after business which does have a bit more leg room. But the thing is they also consider the row behind that one as "preferred seating" too which is dumb because it is a standard seat. As for business class, the service offered is still the same like before - catering, menus, hot towel, ipads. The difference of course is the seat.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:09

      He is right that the appeal of flying Air Serbia instead of Aeroflot has faded. Unless JU's fares on this route are lower.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:42

      There is no additional spacing at all between rows 2 and 3 since business class spacing is the same as in economy.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:44

      Then that's really cheap of them.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:48

      the only extra thing you get in row 3 is the curtain in your face from the "business class" not worth the extra cost!

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:49

      They charge more because you get off the plane quicker and you get served by the crew first, not because of legroom..

      Delete
    7. Anonymous12:15

      If that is true, then that is a new low. Truly penny pinching your 'guests'.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous13:00

      With SVO going back to daily in winter, they are going to be even less competitive compared to Aeroflot which offers double daily flights.

      Delete
  14. Anonymous10:00

    Their future business model will depend highly on what Etihad plans to do. It seems that Etihad will keep Air Serbia but will end ties will Alitalia and Air Berlin. EY will focus on its own business but may be more lenient in giving cash to Air Serbia since they will no longer have the burden of its other European investments.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous10:01

    What I expect to see in the next five year

    - Replacement of ATRs
    - Retirement of B733 (won't be replaced), A319s will be used for charters.
    - 2-3 new routes in Europe
    - Continue down the road of LCC/hybrid model

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:25

      exactly

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:11

      Agreed, but hopefully more than 2-3 new routes. There are still many untapped markets and room for frequency upgrades.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:26

      Which ones?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:55

      Pristina, Kiev, Munich, St. Petersburg, Tehran, to name a few. Some of these cities need frequency upgrades.

      Delete
    5. PRN not possible due to political reasons
      KBP tried with JP plane but they gave up this destination (low yield?)
      JU flies to LED
      MUC too big competition with LH
      IKA too far and quite unsafe destination for company having strategy changing

      Delete
    6. Anonymous17:44

      PRN should be profitable when politics allows. Hopefully within 12-18 months.
      KBP did well, LF was improving, plus transfer pax to Balkans. Dropped because of a lack of JU aircraft. JP flew this route on behave of Air Serbia.
      MUC - how is it that JU can survive in FRA and not in MUC?
      IKA - perhaps wider region is unstable, but big potential is there for transfer pax from Iran.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous20:03

      Samo decko uzmi svoje pare pa leti ove linije.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous10:05

    Sad fact is that JU had no vision nor strategy 5 years ago, neither has it now for the upcoming period. All what they do is wandering around.

    The model they are rolling out these days is nothing but low cost service at full fares that for sure will result in customer's disappointment and their shifting to other carriers, while JU will have to attract completely new clientele.

    JU urgently need to get rid of its expensive and useless CEO

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:14

      Five years ago they did have a strategy, but it proved to be ineffective.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:06

      They thought they had one, but from day 1 they failed on delivering what was supposed to be. In other words their strategy heavily depended on funds available at the beginning. When funds evaporated the same has happened with their strategy. So much about its vision and strength.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous17:27

      The last time i looked, they have continued to grow their business year on year.

      If this is failure, then ok, so be it.

      When they resort to selling slots, then maybe we can agree that their strategy has failed.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous17:39

      Grow it how? It's been two years since they added a narrowbody aircraft? Also, leasing out an A319 is far from 'growing your business.'

      Such a shame they didn't inherit any extra operational B733s. They could use them these days to get a few more crumbs on the market.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous17:59

      Pax no.s and rev has grown each of the last 3 years... no point to grwo destinations if you don't grow rev and pax no.s

      Delete
    6. Anonymous18:01

      Growth of revenue has been below profit lines otherwise they would be adding new destinations and aircraft and they wouldn't be cutting their service.

      Also, if their initial model worked they wouldn't be changing it every other week.I guess the CEO still didn't have enough time to gather the necessary experience. XD

      Delete
    7. Anonymous20:00

      That's precisely the point why they need to get more out of the assets that they already have, before sinking more cost into a highly seasonal business.

      They achieved load factors of 72% - while better than their ex-yu competitors - is still below where you need to be in order to make money.

      They need to be generating LF in excess of 80% year round. Once they do this, then they are on the road to turning their business into a profitable one.

      Growing rev and pax no.s is critical. if that is not growing, then they a dead. What they need to do, is to accelerate this. Once they hit + 80%, then they can add aircraft and cost to their base.

      Until then, they need to sweat their existing assets harder to turn a real profit.

      Delete
  17. Anonymous10:17

    With Hogan leaving in 10 days, let's see how things develop and whether their plans will change again.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous10:21

    These 'hybrid' model airlines have never worked out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:25

      +1

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:30

      What about Aer Lingus, Air Baltic?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:35

      Adria too :D

      Delete
    4. Anonymous16:39

      BA on short haul is also transitioning to this model - they don't come any bigger than BA

      Delete
    5. Anonymous16:54

      So just because BA is doing it it's somehow the right thing to do? KL isn't going their way and they seem to be doing just fine.

      Delete
    6. BA88817:06

      Yup. Have a look on Skytrax about comments RE BA.

      And...For £250 (LHR-BEG-LHR in September) I could prob get to NYC off peak. If JU introduces luggage only fares they will serously have to re-think they "with luggage" pricing! It is monopoly and shame W6 did not recognize this (so far).

      Overall, I am not sure full price, LCC product by any carrier goes down better than shit sandwich with lot of us...

      Delete
    7. Anonymous17:07

      They sure are ... they have done it with Transavia.

      That aside, i would say that the above comment is incorrect. It hasn't failed for either Air Baltic or Aer Lingus - infact, it proved to be the saviour of their businesses

      Delete
    8. Anonymous17:38

      Transavia has not impacted the level of service at KL, quite the contrary actually.

      Well, let's see what happens at JU. As long as that CEO (what's his name again?) is there things won't improve.

      Delete
  19. Anonymous10:26

    Po ko zna koji put receno je mnogo toga, a zapravo nista jasno i konkretno... Mislim da je krajnje vreme da prestanu sa takvim pricama... Puno srece i uspeha u daljem radu.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous10:36

    What do people suggest they actually do? Competition is rising, the core market is getting poorer. What else can they do then go down this path?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous10:40

    OT: Air Transat will arrive today 1st time with A330-300, C-GCTS in special 30 years livery

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:41

      It is not the first time. Last year a few weeks after they launched the flight they also sent a A330-300.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:19

      @AnonymousJune 19, 2017 at 10:40 AM

      Is A330 300 being sent cause of high load or just cause they lack aircraft ?

      I saw Air Transat A330 200 cabin layout and in all honesty would never fly with that airline. A 330 300 i'd imagine is even worse.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous21:15

      If I remember correctly Air Transat has 3-3-3 in economy on their -200s but 2-4-2 on their -300s.

      Delete
  22. Anonymous10:42

    Nice that they are making a 5 year plan. Let's just hope they are around to put it into practice!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:45

      Unfortunately for you they will be alive and kicking.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:16

      How do you know that?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous21:27

      Haha do people seriously think this is some kind of crisis for Serbian aviation? Remember Jat survived when they had just a couple airworthy planes and they were moving less than 1 mil pax per year. They were having to run triangle routes because of a lack of passengers and aircraft.

      You can start cheering for Air Serbia's collapse once they have 4-5 airworthy planes, a plane grounded for years in Istanbul, having to run beg-ams-bru-beg four times per week, and having tabloids run stories about how the national airline is flying planes with hand tightened bolts.

      ������

      Delete
  23. Anonymous10:58

    It's an ad hoc development strategy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:26

      Quite literally. I doubt they ever believed their initial strategy would fail.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:35

      As you should have faith in your strategy, but it turned out to be wrong. And Kondić is a master of spinning information.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:40

      It is easy for us to be arm chair critics after the fact, but boutique airline?!?! Come on man. In Serbia, the Balkans? This region is anything but boutique.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:54

      The trouble is - they never really given it a chance. JFK flights started spending too much of their cash reserves and they were unable to persevere... But, they should have been perhaps more aggressive prior to this and to actually invest something in new markets.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:06

      Yeah, and they are not helpful JFK by reducing their BEG network.

      Delete
    6. @anonymous 11:40
      At the time when they started operations Air Serbia based its strategy on connnecting passengers so boutique concept was created correctly and not only for Balkan passengers.
      I truly believe their boutique strategy could have worked and it was the only way how they could beat competition by offering more to the passengers who never heard for Air Serbia before.
      Now you will have one more airline (still quite unknown to many people out of Balkans due to bad marketing) that will decrease its service level by keeping the same (or even increasing) price of the tickets.
      How do they think to attract the passengers working on that way?

      Delete
    7. Anonymous17:53

      Why do you need a 'boutique concept airline' to connect passengers? A hybrid model can do it just as well.

      Don't forget Balkans are price sensitive market above all. People don't care about being pampered for a 1-2 hr flight.

      When I want to travel somewhere I do a search to find available flights. I will usually pick cheapest fare, but will consider transit time, airport location, and time of flight. Don't care if it is boutique or Low cost.

      Delete
  24. Anonymous11:52

    "escalating cost of fuel" - what are they talking about?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:04

      Yeah, I also noticed that absurdity.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:07

      Oil prices have increased quite a bit from last year.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:09

      What are we talking about in terms of percentage? Less than 5%.

      Delete
    4. What about the time when the fuel price was extremely low and they still kept charging fuel tax?
      I don't recall Kondic saying anything about it at that time

      Delete
    5. YQ/YR (fuel surcharge) is now mostly used to get some non-taxable income, not just by JU but by most airlines in the world.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous16:21

      The CEO was quoted in an earlier article stating that fuel costs for 2017 will be almost 50% higher than they were in 2016...

      Delete
  25. Anonymous12:07

    And we are still waiting on the financial results of 2016. Why are they not publishing them?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:00

      if someone only knew the reason...ah, the loss and the way to polish it?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:38

      Fear not conspiracy theorists - results only needs to be sumbitted to APR Registry by end of June and then it is up to them when they publish it

      Delete
  26. Anonymous12:12

    I don't know if its just me but whenever I enter to read the comments on this site they are all so negative, no matter the topic. Everything is criticized, everything is bad, everything is a disaster. I'm not talking just about Air Serbia but every single topic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:23

      You sound confused. Constructive criticism is always welcome, and most of the comments today are realistic with no malicious intent.
      Would you prefer that we all say how great things are at AS?

      Delete
    2. Bravo Bravissimo13:40

      Except the "Bravo Croatia" dude, surely? No one can dampen his enthusiasm.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous14:43

      That guy is a mostly brainless provocateur.

      Delete
  27. Anonymous12:13

    Air Serbia revenue is quite good, thanks to horribly high fares. It is the expenses side which is critical. They need just to fire 2,000 excess employees to make real good profits.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:18

      +1mil

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:34

      They have about 2700 employees in total - covering airport ground handling (600), catering (300) and Technical (180) - tht's 980 people in subsidiaries, leaving about 1700 in the core airline.

      Where and how do you get rid of 2000 people ??

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:35

      **apologies - that's 1180 people in subsidiaries with abt 1600 people in the core airline....

      Delete
  28. Anonymous12:21

    Not worth of commenting. This is fourth of fifth time over the last three years that JU is "finalizing" a five-year plan. When they do that, normally, company leaders move for a few days into some luxury resort for "intensive" brainstorming.

    Unfortunately, at its 90th birthday, with no clear vision and lack of leadership, the company is falling into a tailspin which will be very difficult to get straightened out. Just a strong support from both Serbia and EY can clear the mess made.

    I agree that the first immediate action should be the replacement of the CEO and some of his cronies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:26

      I like the tailspin pun.
      But true dat to your comment.

      Delete
  29. Anonymous14:28

    Basically, they're clueless about what they're doing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:39

      Who, people that make comments about the doom of Air Serbia? Yes they are.

      Air Serbia made the right moves to prepare for the next 5 years. They are now in the holding pattern. Etihad has the next move.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:44

      Oh, yeah! You are totally right. The "holding pattern" mean circling around, i.e. inefficient and costly usage of time, fuel and resources. That's exactly where the incapable executives brought the company - into a "holding pattern". That was the worst possible outcome.

      If the company is waiting for Etihad's next move, as you claim, that means JU has no strength to act on its own. How do you expect someone from UAE will solve the situation if no one in Serbia takes a lead? EY has its own urgent priorities.

      Being in "holding pattern" is even worse than in "tailspin". The later needs immediate action, holding can last very long as a status quo.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:27

      Anon at 2.28pm ... i love comments like yours. They say everything about what sort of person you are - clueless and brainless.

      Since you believe that they are clueless, why not show us all just how smart you are and tell us what you think they should be doing that they aren't ?

      Perhaps then, once you have provided solid arguments and thought behind why you believe they are clueless, can you then stand up behind such a comment.

      Ofcourse, if you are unable to do so, then that is ok as you are entitled to comment on whatever you want. BUT, to be taken seriously, you should support your assertion. Otherwise, continue to troll on...

      Delete
    4. Anonymous16:53

      I am not the Anon above but I think it's safe to assume that Dane is incompetent. This is like the 5th business plane in the past two years.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous17:11

      There was only ever 1 business plan, which was part of the TFA and that was done in 2012/2013, prior to Etihad's entry into JU.

      Much has changed over the past 4/5 yrs, with even greater change over the coming years.

      What was relevant back then, even 6 mths ago, requires constant monitoring and adjustment to ensure that a business remains relevant going forward

      Delete
    6. Anonymous17:23

      Anonymous at 2.28pm ... you must know something that the experts at ATW don't. It was only 3 mths ago that they awarded Air Serbia with their 2017 Market Leader Award.

      I figure since they write about aviation for a living - while you don't - they know a hell of a lot more than any of us who post comments on this website.

      And, before any one gets too excited about responding, no, these awards cannot be bought, purchased or influenced. The editorial committee makes these decisions INDEPENDENTLY.

      And for those who are genuine aviation enthusiasts who contribute comments on this website, they will know who and what exactly is ATW and the authority that they are in the world of aviation

      Delete
    7. Anonymous17:35

      Tell me then, how is JU a market leader? In what section and what new thing did they do in order to be a leader? Those awards are a joke and the fact that they gave it to JU only goes to prove that.

      Also, the fact that you are so aggressive only goes to show how insecure you are in proving your point.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous17:54

      I didn't prove any point except that you proved that you know little about aviation, in saying that an award from ATW is a joke.

      Look up the website of ATW to see who won their 2017 awards and there it will tell you exactly why they awarded them with this accolade.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous17:59

      How about you start by telling me how JU deserved that award?

      Delete
    10. Anonymous18:50

      Silence. Of course.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous19:26

      @4:27 - I am one of the regular posters here and i told them back in 2013 what they should be doing. Unfortunately, only 30% of that plan was realized and still seeing cuts. LOT and Aegean realized that same plan back in 2014 in-spite of a much less favourable geographical location and we can see where they are today.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous19:30

      I didn't give the award, ATW did, so you should ask them or check on their website.

      Better yet, since you are a follower of this website, you must have missed their coverage on this subject, so here it is for your benefit - enjoy, it should give you what you are looking for...

      http://www.exyuaviation.com/2017/01/air-serbia-wins-atw-award.html

      Delete
    13. IR 72019:32

      @3:34 - Best comment ever! +1000

      Delete
    14. Anonymous20:00

      'Look up the website of ATW to see who won their 2017 awards and there it will tell you exactly why they awarded them with this accolade.'

      So you can do it for others but not for JU? You are such a troll.

      Delete
    15. Anonymous20:39

      If you don't care to look it up, it's totally ok... no need to lose any sleep over it. But it is there for others to see if they wish.

      If not, it's all cool.. life goes on and you can subscribe to whatever you want to believe - makes no difference to my life at all.

      Enjoy !

      Delete
  30. Anonymous15:31

    OMG I like when people who could not run a kiosk comment on CEOs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:51

      Well, the CEO mentioned showed he can only run the company when someone else supplies funding. He demonstrated excellence in spending. He proved to be the best Hogan's student. The later is known as a superb spender with a track record of four billion dollars burnt in just three years.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:31

      Many people make such comments about how dumb and stupid various CEO's are, by making such throw away comments.

      Very few however, provide supporting arguments about how differently they would do something.

      That's the difference between someone who provides a worthwhile comment vs someone who is here to troll

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:51

      Many people on here provide examples of what should be done. I can think of a few.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous17:12

      So enlighten us ...

      Delete
    5. Anonymous17:36

      Go through the previous posts and you will see. There is no reason for me to do it just because you were reckless enough to ignore them.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous17:51

      What an awesome reply - just as i figured - another troll with no arguments.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous17:58

      You do realize that all you've done is to bark without actually writing anything useful on here. It's as if you work for JU. LOL!

      Delete
    8. Anonymous18:13

      ^ you have done pretty much the same though.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous18:50

      I actually pointed you in the right direction where you can find the answers to your questions. So not quite the same. ;)

      Delete
    10. Anonymous19:33

      That's like a blind man saying that he can see in the dark !

      You pointed no one anywhere, except to yourself, to show how much of a troll you are

      Delete
    11. Anonymous19:59

      The fact remains that the answer is out there, you are just choosing to ignore it.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous20:07

      If it was out there, you would share it or enlighten us. The fact that you don't, says it all.

      You are the one who made the comment, yet are not prepared to support it - instead making vague references to "the answer being out there"... you have watched too much of the X-Files !

      Delete
  31. Anonymous16:59

    OT: Is Trade Air flying for Israir on BEG-TLV route?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17:31

      Yes, many times in past three months with A320

      Delete
    2. Anonymous20:09

      Not true at all. A simple check with the Serbian CAA will confirm no such thing

      Delete
    3. Anonymous20:13

      ^ what are you on about? 9A-BTG which Trade Air has wet leased to Israir operated flight Tel Aviv - Belgrade - Tel Aviv. A simple check on flightradar will confirm this.

      Delete
  32. Anonymous18:36

    Well maybe ASL could update the Aviolet website? It still shows the charter schedule for 2016! Pathetic.....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:47

      Agree, not good... but it isnt their flight - it is the tour operator's. So anyone travelling will be looking to and be guided by their tour operator, not JU

      Delete
    2. Anonymous20:03

      Wait.. wut. Are you saying that tour operators are in charge of Aviolet's website? :D

      Delete
    3. Anonymous20:14

      No, not at all. I am simply saying that people who have purchased their holiday package, have done so from a tour operator, who is the actual operator of the flight. Therefore, people have no reason to visit the aviolet website to get details of their flight, because this would have already been provided to the customer by the tour operator.

      People who purchase a tour package, actually have nothing to do with aviolet, until such time that they turn up to fly

      Delete
    4. Anonymous23:27

      Yes, and they have just to enjoy Aviolet's early morning departure times from Belgrade to Greek islands, Antalya such as 2.50am, 4am, 5.20am.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous23:36

      Einstein, it's so they get a full day at their destination and not robbed by paying an additional night when they arrive at 8 or 10pm in the evening.

      Delete