The airports in Belgrade, Sarajevo and Tivat have all registered their busiest September on record, with the latter two recording double digit growth.
Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport handled over half a million passengers last month, the first time it has managed to do so in September since opening its doors to the public over fifty years ago. The figure represents growth of 6% compared to last year. During the month, the airport also saw its busiest 24 hours on record when it welcomed 21.187 travellers. The number of aircraft movements grew 4% when compared to September 2015. Over the first nine months of the year, Belgrade Airport handled over 3.8 million passengers. “This gives us a realistic expectation that we will welcome our fifth-millionth passenger by the end of the year", the airport said in a statement. During the first three quarters, it also recorded 16% growth in the volume of processed cargo.
This month, the airport is set to open its 21.000 square metre de-icing platform, which will have the capacity to cater for two narrow-body or one wide-body aircraft. The platform includes underground storage for de-icing fluid and will accommodate all necessary equipment. The de-icing platform will reduce holdover time, speed up aircraft movement and ease congestion at the gates. The project, valued at 4.8 million euros, also includes the extension of the taxiways which lead to the platform. The airport’s General Manager, Saša Vlaisavljević, says that other infrastructure upgrades scheduled to commence this year include the overhaul of Terminal 1’s ground floor and gate area, as well as the completion of the hall connecting the airport’s two terminals which will feature a new check-in area. Work on the installation of an automated baggage handling system is also expected to start.
Sarajevo maintained growth in September with the airport registering 91.123 passengers, an improvement of 15.2% on 2015. The number of operated flights also grew, totalling 1.171, an increase of 7.8%. As a result, the airport has now handled 676.073 travellers, up 8.6%. This month, two carriers will suspend their operations to the Bosnian capital, including Air Arabia and Swiss International Air Lines, while Turkish Airlines will reduce frequencies from Istanbul. On the other hand, with the onset of the 2016/17 winter season on October 30, Adria Airways, Pegasus and Flydubai will operate more services than last year.
Tivat Airport also saw its busiest September on record by handling 164.496 passengers, up 25% on last year. A total of 836 aircraft movements were recorded, representing an improvement of 20%. During the past nine months, Tivat Airport welcomed 899.287 travellers through its doors, an increase of 9.9%. It is on track to eclipse the one million passenger mark for the first time by year’s end, which would make it the eighth airport in the former Yugoslavia to do so. Today, Tivat is expected to overtake its 2015 end-of-year result which totalled 910.534 passengers. During the first quarter, the airport saw 5.324 aircraft movements, an increase of 10.7% compared to the same period last year.
I do not understand how the management in BEG estimates there are "real expectations" they will handle 5 million by the end of the year. They will handle fourth million passenger this month, can they handle another million in 2 months? Don't think so.
ReplyDeleteIt is a political statement, shouldn't pay much attention to it.
DeleteRegardless, numbers are good.
They won't but growth in November and December should be significantly higher than the overall average this year. Numbers tumbled last year during this period because of JU.
DeleteIt's ok growth considering they are also competing with Nis Airport now.
DeleteI am not quite sure how you do your calculations, but it's quite clear that the will handle 4 million passengers probably by end of next week. Which leaves them over 2,5 months for another million. With the winter holiday season gearing up in December, this is definitely still attainable.
DeleteNo it is not. Don't be naive.
DeleteI did the calculation myself and if I remember well conclussion was that they need 12% increase yoy every month to reach that number.
DeleteGood work for Tivat. Seeing their numbers earlier in the year I was apprehensive they would reach 1 million but it seems likely now.
ReplyDeleteSKP Sep 16: 152.519, +4,49% YoY
ReplyDeleteSKP YTD 16: 1.259.388, +15,33% YoY
Thats it
DeleteI hope the reductions to Sarajevo won't impact them too much in November. But with the possibility of bad weather (ie fog) it may happen.
ReplyDeleteSo ex-Yu airports over 1 million in 2016
ReplyDelete- Belgrade
- Zagreb
- Split
- Dubrovnik
- Pristina
- Skopje
- Ljubljana
- Tivat
Nice :)
Which airport comes after Tivat in terms of passengers?
DeletePodgorica, until recently it was Sarajevo. It will be interesting to see who will reach 1 million first in the long run but I think SJJ has more chances here because the market is so unsereved. If a LCC bases 1 plane there they will reach a million that year.
DeleteInteresting, thank you.
DeleteHave they officially cancelled the T2 expansion project at BEG? Also the hall linking T1 and T2 where the new check in desks will be is pretty much complete.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand how they plan to introduce check-in desks in the hall between T1 and T2 ...the same is narrow and with structural pillars. It will block the passing as son as 2-3 luggage carts stand in line ...
DeleteBecause there is an "udubljenje" (I don't know the English word for it) in that hall. It's just that it hasn't been visible for years because they put up a fake wall. But that's where the check-in desks will be so it won't be a problem. I think they only plan 8 check-in desks here and one of them is for automated baggage check-in.
Deletehajde onda po naski da ceo svet razume )) ... jel to mislis na ono mesto gde je ranije dolazio prtljag sa domacih linija?
DeleteYou can say niche :)
DeleteDa :)
DeleteMozes da koristis ili Den ili Alcove zavisno od tvoje zelje da opises udubljenja u sobi od velicine i namene.
DeleteHvala :)
DeleteNow it will be interesting to see if Sarajevo managed to overtake Podgorica :D
ReplyDeleteMy guess is that Podgorica's growth probably matched Sarajevo's if not even higher in September. 2 new Wizz Air routes and 1 new Ryanair route surely helped.
DeleteINI over 65.000, about 15.000 just in september. Two more flights to be added in Oct/Nov! Wish they make 100k!
ReplyDeleteLol...that´s what BEG can do in 3 days :) - 15k
DeleteMore like one day but it is an excellent result for an airport that had no traffic just over a year ago and I wish them the best of luck. Can't wait to hear who will be the third airline to start flights.
DeleteEasy jet
DeleteSure? Source?
DeleteAnd that's what Maribor can do in 10 years. Hooray!
DeleteI think this +2 flights in Oct/Nov is referring to FR to Milano and Bratislava.
DeleteAbout additional flights, I think ZRH is more likely to be Eurowings, germania or maybe even Edelweiss, but not easyjet for sure.
@ AnonymousOctober 5, 2016 at 9:43 AM
DeleteLol...that´s what ATL can do in 1 hour, so what? :) - 15k
In fact ATL make in 15 days what BEG do all year long :)))
Anon. 12.22.
DeleteThis is ex-yu aviation blog, so BEG INI comparison is quite fine.
Please don't be negative.
I like the fact that entrepreneurs recognized the potential so now you have at least a couple of minibus options to and from Nis airport. Also the webpage isn't Windows 98-like as it used to be. Nis can go only up from this point.
DeleteAnon 12:39
DeleteC´mon, if you compare BEG with
every single exyu airports all news would be LOL for you!
@Anon 1:28
Hopefully the next step will be updating of the terminal building, cos it looks a bit depressing.
Good job all three
ReplyDeleteIf BEG manages to handle 400000 pax in Oct, Nov & Dec then 5 million is achievable. The trickiest month will definitely be November but if there are charters and extra flights in December then most likely scenario: Oct - 400k, Nov - 300, Dec - 500k
ReplyDeleteWhen Wizz base another a/c then yes, 5 million will be very easy to achieve in 2017.
I an family is flying in Nov on JU to FRA so they have 6 pax secured! )))
DeleteArkia is starting charters on 23 October from Tel Aviv, so this should boost the numbers.
DeleteAre there any new airline planning to start flights to Sarajevo next year?
ReplyDeleteQatar Airways will finally start Doha. Croatia Airlines plans to base an aircraft in Sarajevo and they are in talks with Wizz Air.
DeleteOU won't base a plane.
DeleteAnyone care to predict the numbers for ex-yu top ten airports for 2017?
ReplyDeleteit's still too early
DeleteWhen will the construction of Tivat Airport's new terminal start?
ReplyDeleteThis winter.
DeleteOT
ReplyDeletePRN September 2016 pax figures: ~147,000 8.9% up
Sep 2016: 147,357 (up 8.9%)
DeleteSep 2015: 135,301
Jan-Sep 2016: 1,349,880 (up 10.9%)
Jan-Sep 2015: 1,217,204
This represents the busiest September and first three quarters for PRN. The airport is also on the way to having its busiest year ever.
Interesting! So, PRN is still leading SKP YTD figures:
Delete1,349,880
1.259.388
That's only 90 492 passenger difference!
Who will win in Oct?
Very good Pristina:)
DeleteIt's not 1,349,880 : Jan- sep 2016 but Jan- Sep 2016 is 1,375,655
:):)
This is great achievement for BEG and now when the charter season is coming to its end we can see the real results and picture of newly introduced flights. Despite the fact that INI will take few thousands passengers to BEG comparing to last year we can still see the best results ever achieved.
ReplyDeleteCritics for slow June or July this year turned out to be unrealistic.
Agree.
DeleteBelgrade should see growth in the next few months with Air Serbia to introduce extra frequencies. Apparently Montenegro Airlines will introduce an additional daily flight, Isair and Arkia will operate charters until the end of the year, Wizz Air will base a second aircraft at the airport next May and Transavia will launch flights from Amsterdam in April. Also, Air Serbia has announced plans to expand ops next summer season too.
The only way Air Serbia can introduce extra frequencies and expand ops next summer is to stop longer route like Abu Dhabi and use that plane to fly double daily to Nis, Tuzla and Budapest. Either that, or to GET MORE AIRPLANES!
DeleteLike I said a few days ago in the connectivity news item, Sarajevo should be handling around 1 million passengers already.
ReplyDeleteIt lacks connections to most major European hubs including Rome, Paris, Brussels, London, Moscow, Frankfurt and the list goes on. From October no more flights to Zurich either.
JU 512 BEG-ATH 2/119 on the A320.
ReplyDeleteBelgrade becomes a zoo during this rush hour.
It seems the Greek routes are doing well. Few days ago I was flying BEG-SKG and it was full with Greeks from the USA (in fact there were more Greeks than Serbs on the flight).
DeleteHere as well, mostly Greek businessmen. There is also a large group of Croats. Lots of Germans too.
DeleteSo it's a shame that air serbia doesn't consider Greek passengers to JFK this winter.
DeleteYesterday night-flight JU517 ATH-BEG had ~97% LF.
DeleteThey do, actually. STPC is there, as well as 2h connection on the way from New York.
DeleteWell ATH has good LF to most Balkan capitals: OTP, SOF, TIA, BEG. I still don't understand why A3 doesn't fly to SKP though.
DeleteThe flight was very enjoyable, the crew was fantastic! That said, the product has gotten much worse and on flights up to two hours JU is no better than LH, OS or A3. Such a shame, those bags were a great idea.
DeleteSTPC is a good move and bravo for that but as a Greek with relatives in Brooklyn believe me it doesn't matter. 70-75% of Greek people traveling to USA are people with children, relatives or someone beloved, it's an emotional matter and the majority of them want to be close to those people as soon as possible, so they won't wait at least 12 hours to catch their flight to New York. Have a nice evening!
DeleteBice zanimljivo videti ako se ostvare svi planovi za sledecu godinu hoceli BEG imati vise od 5.5 MIL putnika.
ReplyDeleteAli to je samo moguce ako se ostvari sve uz dolazak HV i jos nekih kompanija.
INN-NS
OT
ReplyDeleteEY i TUI kako pisu novine potvrdili su razogovore oko nove kompanije .
LO pocinje sa letovima kao i OS za LAX sledece godine nadam se i da ce ASL u buducnosti leteti za LAX.
Inn-Ns
What will happen to the old Zagrab terminal? DON'T tell me they will abandon it the same way they did with BUD T1 - what a shame! :(
ReplyDeleteWizz will gladly resume the flights if they know they have to pay less.
http://www.exyuaviation.com/2016/06/zagreb-airport-to-adapt-terminal-for.html
DeleteThanks a lot. I missed this one out. Not sure if it's a good or bad decision but was hoping it to be served by LCC.
DeleteI have flown BUD-ZAG with MA in 2009 and really am a fan of the building because it's so retro and practical.
Congrats Belgrade! Finally some good news. Here's hoping you reach 5 million this year!!
DeleteCongrats Belgrade! Finally some good news. Here's hoping you reach 5 million this year!!
DeleteOT: Zagreb navodno dobiva letove za New York od iduće godine, detalji bi trebali biti poznati najkasnije do januara 2017. Sve što znam je da bi let trebao ići jednom tjedno. Ovo su informacije s drugog foruma i nadam se da su točne.
ReplyDelete+1
Deletetakođer čuo vijest
What's the point of 1 direct flight per week, when you have multiple daily 1-stop options over so many hubs ? Is this just to say that Zagreb has a flight to NY ? It should at least be 3-4 per week ....
Delete1 nedeljno? to će verovatno biti sezonska linija, ne vidim drugu svrhu postojanja linije sa jednim nedeljnim letom osim da je samo tokom turističke sezone(jun-septembar)
DeleteWhat carrier will fly this route?
DeleteZagreb will have nonstop flights to New York, Toronto and Peking, and Belgrade will only have New York? Wow!
DeleteAnd yet there will be more frequencies per week on that one Belgrade route than on all 3 from Zagreb. LoL
DeleteSince when are frequencies more important than destinations? If they were, Air Serbia would use second A330 to increase frequencies to JFK, not to start PEK
DeleteBecause having 5 weekly is decent, a weekly seasonal flight isn't really. Plus, let's not get ahead of ourselves since this is just a rumour. ZAG has been rather unfortunate in the last couple of weeks with flydubai leaving and TK, SU and BA all reducing frequencies.
Delete@ anonymous 12,26am
DeleteRumour has it RV will launch YYZ-BEG next year along with a few more as they grow their fleet by 25%.
JU intends on growing its Asian destionations, with new routes to Kazakhstan and IKA. If a second A330 comes, it looks as if it will be sent for PEK.
@Anon 7.00AM
DeleteWhat does reducing frequencies and leaving of some airlines have to do with the seasonal flights to NY?
For people who don't like transfers at large EU airports, one weekly seasonal nonstop is all they need.
DeleteI would love if BEG handled 5.000.000 this year but it looks impossible to me.
ReplyDeleteThey need 1.189.485 passengers in the remaining three months but last year they only handled 1.007.736 in the same period. That means that BEG must average an 18.03% increase in the remaining three months. I think that is unlikely.