Dubrovnik Airport awaits Belgrade flights
Flights between Belgrade and Dubrovnik are set to resume after 20 years on June 17 when Jat Airways launches 2 weekly flights between the two cities. Three days later Croatia Airlines will also inaugurate services between Dubrovnik and Belgrade. Between the two national carriers a total of 4 flights and 282 seats will be on offer each week. However, interest has been unexpectedly low. Both airlines are offering seats to tour operators and a certain amount of seats have been put directly on sale to passengers wishing to travel individually, rather than through a travel agent.The Association of Serbian Tour Operators told the “Tanjug” news agency that interest for holidaying in Croatia has fallen drastically when compared to last year while Greece followed by Turkey, Spain and Montenegro remain the main holiday choices. Interest in holidaying in Tunisia and Egypt during the summer is almost nonexistent, which will lead to a big reduction in charter flights to the two North African countries, which recently experienced violent revolutions.
Both Jat Airways and Croatia Airlines are operating the route between Belgrade and Dubrovnik as a seasonal summer service. Despite previous plans for Jat to launch flights to both Pula and Rijeka during the summer season, the poor showing for the Dubrovnik flights have forced the airline to amend those plans. Furthermore, Dubrovnik Airline has also backed away from initial plans to operate flights to Belgrade. In 2008, when the first scheduled services between Serbia and Croatia were resumed since the breakup of Yugoslavia, flights between Belgrade and Pula were extremely popular, being full on almost every single flight. On the other hand bookings for the Belgrade – Dubrovnik service may improve as summer approaches.
Croatia Airlines plans to commence flights from Zagreb to Belgrade this winter, according to statements the airline made earlier in the year. Whether those will be successful remains to be seen.
Well what do they expect? When they have anti-Serbian protests around Croatia do they really expect Serbs to show up and spend their money there...
ReplyDeleteWhat a surprise! Dubrovnik: Home to some of the rudest people in the Balkans. Wonderful. Why not just drive to Timisoara and fly to Constanta or Odessa and have a proper relaxing holiday?!
ReplyDeleteNemjee:
ReplyDeleteAnti-Serbian protest in Zagreb? Please wake up! That was some 15 years ago... Guys here no one even thing about those stupid things like nationalism, Serbia as enemy etc. People here just thing about jobs, money, their own existence.
It's interesting to see that some of Croatia's RT flights on BEG-DBV route are cheaper than JAT's BEG-TIV RT flights, EUR 122 vs EUR 130+ (given RSD's recent appreciation)
ReplyDeleteIf you are going to Herceg Novi, Igalo or other places on the west side of Boka Kotorska, this could be an alternative. JAT does operate 733 on Tivat route while Croatia airlines operates Dash 8
Chelica2
Too expensive fare! Who wants that?
ReplyDeleteI think the problem is that the advertising is poor and they didn't give it enough time. Word of mouth is important too and if you just go around cancelling flights that never even started you cannot expect consumer confidence.
ReplyDeleteZAG has lot of long-haul planes this summer:
ReplyDelete772 Korean to Korea
767 El Al to Israel
767 Swift to USA
767 EuroAtlantic to Japan
767 Air Europa for Croatian military in NATO missions
It is too early to make any conclusion about those flights. Flights will start for 50 days, so it is enough time to sell more tickets. I expect load factor about 80% at Croatia airlines, and about 75% in Jat. Croatia has lower prices, new airplanes, much better service, and Jat has better scheduled flight days. And I am sure that there is 284 Serbs per week that not hate all what is Croatian :)
ReplyDeleteI would rather go to Istra, Kornati, or any other island than Dubrovnik. I presume that most people would do the same - Dubrovnik has destroy its touristic image due to large number of cruisers resulting in pedestrian traffic jams in old city, and over expensive accommodation and many similar things.
ReplyDeleteLower quality for higher price. Current tensions in regard to the ICTY and Oluja are just adding up.
I spent one week there five years ago in September - I did not pay accommodation, and I spent a little less (150 euros) of money compared to three weeks in Lastovo, Vis and Istra two years ago where I was paying partially for accommodation. Also, that was around the same amount I used to go for a 15 day trip to Morroco.
Maybe the people do not book because they are not sure the flights will surely start:D
ReplyDeletePeople please get real!!
ReplyDeleteHolidays in Dubrovnik?!Vacationing in Dubrovnik is only for extremely rich people.For the others it is a one day visit destination.A bottle of coke costs 7 Euros..
It is unlucky chosen destination-besides that, elite peole from the Balkans dont go vacationing to DBV because almost everybody visited the city, at least on a class trip
I hear that Jat is planning BNX to DBV flights next summer.
ReplyDeleteUpdate for long-haul planes this summer to ZAG:
ReplyDelete772 Korean to Korea
777 Japan Airlines to Japan
767 El Al to Israel
767 Swift to USA
767 EuroAtlantic - not jet defined destination, probably to USA
767 Air Europa for Croatian military in NATO missions
its a 757 to Isreal? ^
ReplyDeleteNo, it is El Al 767 because Sun D'Or gets bankrupt and El Al flies instead with 767.
ReplyDeletePurger,
ReplyDeleteplease point us to where you found the information on EuroAtlantic flights... ? It'd certainly be nice, however on the company's site Croatia isn't even listed as a destination of that particular tour operator...thnx
Purger, no... read this.. its a 757
ReplyDeletehttp://exyuaviation.blogspot.com/2011/04/el-al-to-zagreb.html
Fighting killing each oter than soon back to business. I love Balkan way.
ReplyDeleteAleks Nikolic, no... read this.. its a 767
ReplyDeleteToday they fly with 767, and they will fly with that plane.
You have picture here:
http://www.zrakoplovni-forum.hr/forum/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=6039
Purger, no... read it again what i sent you.
ReplyDeleteIts a 757-200
"The airline operates 2 weekly flights from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport using a Boeing 757-200"
Plus that is the airplane in the picture. lol im not stupid :P
What ever happened to Lufthansa starting flights to Pristina?
ReplyDelete''Anti-Serbian protest in Zagreb? Please wake up! That was some 15 years ago..''
ReplyDeleteNo, I am not referring to those. I am talking about the ones we could see after the charges for the war criminals in the Hague.
I am sad for the flights as it's always nice to see new colours at Belgrade airport but I am not sad that Serbs are not going to leave their money in a city where they can not feel safe. That is a fact.
@ Purger
ReplyDeleteI thought Swift is not flying to ZAG?
You said they do not have a licence. Also Kompas is not selling tickets... So i think that one does not count...
@El Al discussion. They were operating Sun D’ors 757s until recently they might have changed this week to 767s as Purger says.
ReplyDeletedusan:
ReplyDeleteSwift is still mystery. Internet selling still not working, Kompans does not have any idea about the line, but they did get license from CCAA.
What I won’t to say is that all this is very strange, and at least very unprofessional. We will see.
Aleks Nikolic:
Once again you are talking about Sun d'Or which does not exist any more. In EX-YU Aviation news information was about 757 from Sun d'Ore some time ago. But now ElAl fly instead of Sun d'Ore with 767.
Picture which link I put it here (not one from EX-YU aviation news, but my link to CAF) is 767 with which ElAl made flight this Wednesday.
Simply, 130-150 EUR/rt is too much. It's a regional destination, rt by car is 200 at most, so at least two people travelling - they will surely take their own car and add flexibility to their holiday. Staying in downtown DBV might be problematic with a car, but then, are there enough Serbian tourists who actually do that?
ReplyDelete