EX-YU airlines handle 2.7 million passengers

The national carriers of the former Yugoslavia handled over 2.7 million passengers during the first half of the year, with Air Serbia, Croatia Airlines and Adria Airways all recording growth when compared to 2016. On the other hand, Montenegro Airlines saw no change in its results on last year.

Air Serbia continues to maintain its position as the busiest national airline in the former Yugoslavia, despite a slowdown in its growth. The Serbian carrier welcomed 1.120.000 passengers during the first six months of the year, representing an increase of 3% on 2016 when it handled 1.08 million travellers on board its aircraft. In 2017, Air Serbia has cut capacity by 3.7%, while the reduction stands at 5.3% during the summer season, between April and November. For the whole of last year, the company handled 2.62 million passengers, representing a 3% increase on the year before, or some 70.000 additional travellers.

EX-YU airlines, passengers carried in H1 2017

Airline	PAX (million)	Change (%)
Air Serbia	1.120	▲ 3.0
Croatia Airlines	0.903	▲ 9.8
Adria Airways	0.531	▲ 10.0
Montenegro Airlines	0.230	-

Croatia Airlines anticipates handling over two million passengers this year, making it its busiest on record. The growth is being fuelled by the introduction of four new routes this summer season from Zagreb. The airline handled 903.188 passengers during the January - June period, an increase of 9.8%. Of those, 223.071 travellers were carried on domestic flights, up 4.8%, while 662.326 passengers flew on international services, an improvement of 11.6%. The remaining passengers were carried on charter flights. Despite the growing passenger numbers, the airline's market share in Croatia continues to decline. It is expected to reach 27% this year, down from 30% in 2016.

Adria Airways has mounted a recovery this year, following its poorer performance in 2016. The Slovenian carrier handled 531.447 passengers during the first six months of 2017, representing an increase of 10%. This was accompanied by an increase in the number of aircraft movements, rising from 9.117 last year to 9.645 in 2017, up 5.8%. The improved figures come as a result of higher demand for both scheduled and charter flights this summer. In spite of the closure of its Polish base in Lodz, the Slovenian carrier has added frequencies to a number of routes out of Ljubljana. Although it faces growing competition in the Slovenian capital, Adria's numbers are expected to continue growing in the months to come, which could be further aided by the carrier's recent tie-up with Swiss regional airline Darwin. The two plan to complement each other's networks.

In spite of a difficult start to the year, which saw the cancellation of flights and technical issues with its aircraft, Montenegro Airlines handled the same number of passengers during the first six months of 2017 as it did in the year before. The figure stood at 230.000. "It is important to note that these results have been achieved following a series of operational issues in January and with just two to three aircraft compared to six last year", the carrier noted. Montenegro Airlines expects for its passenger numbers to decline in 2017 as it consolidates its operations and optimises its network. "Plans for 2017 are based on the reduction of costs and the maximum utilisation of all available capacity, as well as business optimisation on all levels. As a result, and keeping in mind the state of the existing fleet, the company anticipates a decrease in the number of passengers, with an improved average cabin load factor. This summer season, instead of six, only five aircraft are in operation", the company said. Montenegro Airlines saw only a 0.6% increase in its passenger numbers in 2016, when compared to the year before. The carrier handled 581.519 travellers.