Air Serbia has revised its schedule for the upcoming month, removing an average of 23 weekly departures from Belgrade across its network. Most of the reductions amount to one weekly frequency per route over the four-week period, although some destinations will see cuts of up to three weekly rotations. As a result, services to Skopje will operate an average of eleven times per week in April, down from the planned fourteen, while Frankfurt will see frequencies reduced from thirteen to ten weekly. Bucharest will also be affected, with operations decreasing from ten to eight weekly.
The remaining destinations will each see one weekly frequency reduced, including Ljubljana, Athens, Larnaca, Budapest, Istanbul, Sofia, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Venice, Krakow, Bologna, Brussels, Geneva and Malta. The airline will also extend its winter frequency on flights to Chicago into April, with the service operating once per week instead of two for most of the month, with the exception of the week of April 13 - 19.
Despite the frequency reductions, Air Serbia will still operate more Belgrade flights than in April of last year. The carrier is set to increase its number of operations by 4.1%, although the figure previously stood at 8% prior to the latest network adjustments. Capacity will remain largely flat, with a marginal increase of 0.3%. This comes as the airline has replaced its wet-lease partner, with airBaltic now operating 145-seat Airbus A220-300 aircraft instead of the 180-seat A320s previously flown by GetJet Airlines. Furthermore, the carrier has begun retiring its 144-seat A319s in favour of 118-seat Embraer E195s.
Significant reduction. Is this driven by fuel price surge or something else?
ReplyDeletePossibly lack of pilots. I can't see why demand during the Easter would be so weak.
DeleteHow is it weak when there are more flights than last year?
DeleteLack of pilots? All aircraft types are affected, even A330 but only for a couple of flights in April with exception during April 13 to 19? That's not lack of pilots. Whole lack of pilots story is fake. Something else, like softer demand, is likely cause.
DeleteThe growth is much smaller than anticipated by JU and compared with the overall market. It is not lack of general demand for flights but rather the affect of stronger competition and W6 attracting leisure flyers to its destinations that would otherwise travel to wherever JU is flying.
Delete^ with exception to one less flight to Larnaca none of these routes are leisure. So your theory doesen't really make sense.
Delete^
DeleteLjubljana, Athens, Larnaca, Budapest, Istanbul, Sofia, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Venice, Krakow, Bologna, Brussels, Geneva and Malta with the exception of Dusseldorf all have significant to majority leisure demand.
What stronger competition on flights to Chicago except for one week?
Delete@9.46 it is one flight per week less. And no, Brussels is definitely not a leisure route from Serbia lol.
DeleteAnon 09.48 competition to Chicago from KL, OS, LH...
DeleteSo it's not lack of pilots and it's not stronger competition
DeleteHave you maybe thought that demand has fallen in recent weeks for travel as people, especially in the west which are more price conscious are preparing for a full blown recession?
Delete@9:51 How come competition from KL OS and LH is not strong enough for one week but is strong enough on other weeks? How come competition wasn't strong enough in 2023, 2024 and 2025? Competition had a decade to also affect JFK fligts but didn't. It's not that.
DeleteSure it isn't. Everyone else is growing much faster but somehow demand weakness is only evident in JU's schedule.
DeleteHow come W6 didn't cut BEG?
DeleteThey did. They reduced Larnaca from 7 to 4 weekly in April and May.
DeleteIt is not a pilot shortage for sure, if it was they would reduce as well May, June...etc. You can not be short of pilots one month and have anough the next one.
DeleteIt was 4 weekly from the start (W6 to LCA). They didn't reduce anything so demand is there
DeleteWell Skopje hitting double daily in April is still super good👍 from May they will increase to thirteen for sure
ReplyDeleteIs JU participating in fuel hedging at all?
ReplyDeleteIt could have gotten a large part of 2026 fuel needs for a set price before the Iran situation started and feel now less of a pain.
Many airlines have done this.
Good question.
DeleteThe jet fuel will just start hitting all airlines in the world. In asia airlines already reduced and cuts alot of flights because of no jet fuel reserves. I think the problem with jet fuel is yet to hit hard in month April and going onward if thr situation in Iran doesnt get better
DeleteThe fuel situation in Asia and in particular in countries like India and Pakistan is dire. There are fist fights in gas stations.
DeleteA lot of the Jet fuel gets refined in China and China is simply not supplying the fuel. Even Australia is being effected with AVGAS shortages all over the country. Jet fuel in an issue now too. Funny how a country who's entire defence strategy is based on a possible war with China, relies on Chine for fuel (including Jet fuel for the air force).
DeleteI think you are correct. JU might be consolidating flights in order to prevent losses due to high fuel prices. Smart move.
DeleteThey do this every single year
ReplyDeleteBefore each summer or winter season a lot of flights are announced and probably according to demand they reduce them.
DeleteThe affected passengers are unhappy but at least they avoid losses.
The replacement of 144 seat A319s with 115 seat E-195s is also having an effect.
ReplyDeleteHow is that affecting ATR and A330 destinations?
DeleteHow is it not especially ATR ones.
DeleteORD was always problematic for JU, they finally reduce off season capacity and the hike in jet fuel prices only made them do it know.
Delete^^ ORD has not proved to be a success.
DeleteSometimes it's better to put a stop instead of explaining how great strategy it's flying it 1 PW.
JU has not the product strength, the number of weekly flghts to make it a choice for corporate travel and a FF program to make its long haul flights attractive excepted the regional diaspora coming once a while to the countries of origin.
+100
DeleteThe significance of the diaspora in ORD is overrated. Most of them have already assimilated already into the US and the trips back to the Ex-Yu continue to drop. If they can't fill 250 seats once a week then forget about it. We will see the same thing in YYZ after the initial hype of the next 12 months.
DeleteUsual business from JU
ReplyDeleteThis is a bit too sudden. I would be pissed if they moved my flight in such a short notice.
ReplyDeleteDon’t use JU if you need predictability. That’s clear for quite some time.
DeleteJust soft start of summer. They should disconnect Chicago and start MIa and DFW.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteChicago still generates more demand than any other U.S. city (NYC excluded)
Delete^^ There are no other flights to the US except NYC...
DeleteWhat is going on with YU-ARD? It's last flight was 21st February..
ReplyDeleteIf it's power by the hour maybe it's better to let it idle?
DeleteThey could increase China flights now that the demand is through the roof because of the situation in the Middle East that has shut down all Gulf hubs.
DeleteTwo flights per day. Looks more like trying to optimize the LF.
ReplyDeleteLJU keeps getting reductions: Swiss, Flydubai, now JU.
ReplyDelete