Belgrade awaits Mat Airways
As reported several days ago, Mat Airways is planning to commence services from Macedonia this summer and the first destination will suitably be Belgrade, since the new Mat is owned by the Serbian tour operator Kon Tiki Travel. The first service, to be operated with a Boeing B737-500, is expected to be Ohrid – Belgrade, the “Macedonian International News Agency” reports. If so, the airline would be in direct competition with Serbia’s Jat Airways which operates services to Ohrid with an ATR72.The “Sitel” agency reports that Mat Airways will withdraw from Macedonia if the Civil Aviation Agency does not grant them a flight permit within the next week. The management of the airline had a meeting with the Agency recently during which questions were raised whether Mat Airways is in fact the former MAT Macedonian Airlines.
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Wow...it would be great, but I bet that won't be happening... at least not the OHD-BEG route...
ReplyDeleteAdria has one charter flight today, operated with A319 via Belgrade from Mikonos to Ljubljana ;)
Ah... Wouldn't it be smarter to have Mat and Jat sign a codeshare, like that Jat could launch another route with its Atr and Mat would have extra passengers.
ReplyDeleteIt's so stupid to have two airlines compete on such a thin route.
I could understand Skopje but not Ohrid.
@JU 500
ReplyDeletethere is 70 passengers in C Class booked BEG-LJU on JP 3215
Tomorrow on the regular flight BEG-LJU, JP has booked 75 passengers on a CRJ9.
However out of these 75 passengers, 50 passengers are booked in Business Class. I m pretty sure they are in transit to some other destination thru LJU.
@JU520 BEGLAX
ReplyDeleteI think it's obvious that Adria should launch another LJU-BEG flight, maybe every other day - i.e. 1,3,5,7 :)
Regarding JAT/MAT codeshare:
Yes, it would be better for JAT to have a codeshare, plus I think that route should have more weekly flights, at least 4 or 5.
How often do they intend to fly the route?
ReplyDeleteI wonder about JU's loadfactor on the LJU route
Such code share between MAT nad JAT is not probable, at least not in the short term, since JAT flies transit PAX trough Belgrad, and MAT will be flying tourists from Serbia since Ohrid became very popular among young Serbs.
ReplyDeleteOther profitable destinations for MAT can be tourist resorts in Egypt, Turkey, Spain and maybe Israel and The Netherlands as tourists from this 2 countries now fly to Ohrid but with other foreign airlines.
There is a huge fleet shortage on the macedonian sky as all macedonian tourists to the contries mentioned above are flying this summer with egyptian, spanish and turkish carriers.
This was not the case in the MAT era.
Such code share between MAT nad JAT is not probable, at least not in the short term, since JAT flies transit PAX trough Belgrad, and MAT will be flying tourists from Serbia since Ohrid became very popular among young Serbs.
ReplyDelete--------------------------
Well still, I am sure that the planes will not be full, so there will be always room for some other passengers.
In addition to that if they would make a codeshare with JU they could have a higher frequency ..
i belive that the caa of macedonia has a big problem regarding the new company (Mat Airways)but there are still other aviation companies in skopje which they are not even in good shape but..............!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI do not know how B737-500 will be profitable on this route, even with 100% capacity full
ReplyDeleteI guess 737-500 will do just fine on longer charter routes to Egypt and north Africa generally.
ReplyDeleteMacedonian airlines have that 737-500 in the past, and i it is still with the same colors, so i think that Mat Airways and Mat Airlines is the same company just different name.
ReplyDeleteand I don't think that ohd-beg with 737 is realy reliable. Maybe charters srom Skopje to africa(egypd, tunis etc.) performed in the past by Mat Airlines with the same aircraf Yes, but Ohd-beg NO.