Hybrid carrier Flydubai, which has expanded to include a number of destinations in the former Yugoslavia, has unveiled some of its short-term plans for the region. Among them, the airline touched upon its operations to Podgorica, Dubrovnik, potential services to Ljubljana, as well as the growing demand for flights to Sarajevo and Belgrade.
Flydubai will not be resuming its seasonal winter service to Podgorica, which was initially launched last November via Sarajevo. Speaking to EX-YU Aviation News, the carrier said, "Flydubai currently operates flights to Tivat in Montenegro as part of its summer seasonal routes with three flights a week until August 31. There are currently no plans to operate Podgorica during the winter season". Flights to the Montenegrin capital were maintained twice per week, with the airline securing fifth freedom rights to sell tickets between Sarajevo and Podgorica as well.
The Emirati airline launched flights from Dubai to Dubrovnik in April, with the carrier satisfied with the route's performance so far. "Flydubai currently operates Dubrovnik as a seasonal summer route, offering up to four flights a week between April 10 and October 25. We have seen this route grow in popularity, especially in our business class". Asked whether the service could be extended past the summer months, the airline said, "Dubrovnik will remain a seasonal summer route".
Despite talks between Flydubai and Ljubljana Airport's operator Fraport, which were backed by the Slovenian government, the airline says it currently has no plans to include the city into its route network. "We are always looking at exploring new opportunities on our network, but at the moment we do not have any immediate plans on Ljubljana", the carrier said. Last month, the General Manager of Ljubljana Airport, Zmago Skobir, noted, "We are constantly working on the Gulf area, so we are very active in this respect. It is one of the most important goals not just for Fraport and the Slovenian National Tourism Board, but also for the country and the airport itself. The more direct lines, the more investors there will be, as well as more tourists. So, the Gulf is our priority".
Finally, since inking a wide-ranging codeshare and partnership agreement with Emirates last year, Flydubai has seen strong growth on two of its best performing routes in the former Yugoslavia - Sarajevo and Belgrade. "During the summer we have seen significant demand from the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council states) for travel to Sarajevo and it remains one of our most popular routes in the region. Following our codeshare partnership with Emirates last July we have also seen an increase in demand on our flights to Belgrade". Starting December 2, Flydubai will move its Belgrade departures and arrivals in Dubai from its dedicated Terminal 2 to Terminal 3 used by Emirates, allowing for more seamless transfer options. Emirates currently operates all its flights out of Terminal 3. Belgrade was selected along with another nine destinations which will be moved, with additional routes to be added in the summer of 2019.
Emirates and Flydubai have continued to strengthen their cooperation. Earlier this month, the latter aligned its frequent flyer program to Emirates Skywards. The partnership, announced in July last year, goes beyond codesharing to a number of initiatives spanning commercial, network planning, airport operations and customer journey.
Poor Ljubljana. Just doesn't seem to be able to catch a break with these Dubai flights.
ReplyDeleteProbably no real need at present with so much EK + QR service around.
DeleteBesides, since EK and FZ are tied up now, guess they will probably focus on EK ZAG in full to absorb current capacity and maybe in the future increase frequencies (I don't expect that though at least for 2 years).
LJU should focus on getting QR instead.
DeleteExactly what anon 9.09 said. To many Emirates/Flydubai routes around Ljubljana unfortunately.
DeleteObviously Turkish sees potential in LJU since with summer 2019 it will add a third daily flight 5 times a week. I agree that LJU should focus on QR.
DeleteYes, but TK has high sales to Turkey which makes their case for LJU completely different vs EK/FZ or QR.
DeleteWhy not? In lots of cases A321 twice per day is completely full.
DeleteSince they are doing well on the Dubrovnik route, perhaps they could consider flights to Split next summer.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that they are flying both DBV and TIV.
DeleteThere is obviously sufficient demand.
DeleteLet´s see how it develops, my guess is on DBV being strengthened instead of TIV.
DeleteKeep in mind though that Porto Montenegro subsidizes the Tivat route.
DeleteThis is not true!!!!
DeleteHopefully this means they will go 10 weekly to BEG.
ReplyDeleteNaaah it's going down to 4 in winter, there seems not to be enough demand.
DeleteWhere did you get that its 4 times per week in winter?
DeleteFrom a thing called the internet.
DeleteThey used to fly 4 times per week in winter 2016/17. Then last winter they increased it to daily.
DeleteFor me it is showing 5 times per week.
DeleteOn their website it is not possible to book the flight after December. It looks like they are not completed their winter schedule yet.
DeleteSo either way they are reducing BEG!
DeleteWhy BEG FZ flights are decreased to 5pw in the winter? Maybe EY could extend their extra flights to year round now.
DeleteNewsflash - they haven't filed their entire schedule. It will be daily like it was last winter.
DeleteAre you sure? Maybe it will be overkill, five weekly on 738 is a lot.
DeleteI'm not sure that they decreased number of flights. Almost all flights after December on their web site appears as Sold out. They are probably not sold out it looks more like they are not yet completed the winter schedule.
DeleteFrom Dec 2, FZ will be flying to BEG from Terminal 3
DeleteCan we have the same statistic for BG?
DeleteCould it be that Emirates will start flying to BEG?
DeleteMaybe they will resume its ZAG flights i near future.
ReplyDeleteWhy would they do that with Emirates already there? They said one of their main aims of the partnership is not to overlap on routes.
DeleteWe saw yesterday that it makes sense to have EK in summer and FZ in winter.
DeleteSummer demand in ZAG is big enough to 2 daily DXB flights. Lot of EK flights are overbooked this summer, and with growing demand it will be need for more capacity. I doubt EK will go double daily, even seasonal. In that way FZ is the best solution for both.
DeleteThey have some overlap routes, in PRG you can find 2 daily EK and 2 daily FZ. Why not in ZAG for summer season?
Maybe because PRG has five times more passengers than ZAG?
DeleteYes, but it is possible to overlap. Summer in ZAG could work for both it is sure.
DeleteFZ already failed once, why fail again?
DeleteFZ failed in ZAG, thats a bullshit. They just moved and make space for EK.
DeleteActually their head of operations said in an interview that their cancellation of Zagreb had nothing to do with Emirates.
Delete" "In Zagreb we did not coordinate our suspension with Emirates. This was a coincidence. However, as part of our cooperation with Emirates, besides having codeshare flights, we are going to have more network coordination. Since we have narrow-body aircraft, we are able to operate more routes. "
Yes sure. And EK "said" that they dont have any plans to ex-yu, and in few months they introduce new ZAG flights.
DeleteCheck yesterday's statistics, their loads were pretty bad!
Delete@ 9.27 I don't see why Flydubai would lie. It actually does them no favors by being honest and saying they failed. But they said it. Good thing they did. Now you have Emirates.
DeleteFirst year of flights, around 60% in winter and 95% in summer is not bad at all.
DeleteThere are more months than the three in summer.
DeleteYes. But loads are very good in all months except 11/12/1/2. I think they know why they increased ZAG flights this winter.
DeleteAnd the obsession with EK in ZAG continues...
Delete+1 last anon
DeleteWhat obsession? This is an ex-YU aviation portal and we are discussing exactly that.
DeleteFact is that their loads are not good enough to warrant extra flights to Dubai. My guess is that EK is trying to put additional pressure on both QR and TK in ZAG.
Qatar's numbers are growing rather slowly, they are adding some 2.500 passengers per quarter. This December they even recorded a drop compared to the same month in 2016 (9.699 in 2017 vs. 10.225 in 2016).
As for TK, in 2017 they finally managed to improve their numbers in ZAG after several years of decline. In the Balkans (plus BUD and KIV), ZAG ranks as TK's 10th busiest destination behind airports such as LJU, SKP, PRN, SOF, KIV...
EK is smart to be doing this. They have launched a bloody battle and Qatar seems like it has the most to lose as TK will always have a healthy amount of O&D to fill its seats.
As far as QR growth goes, their volumes were hit pretty hard not cause of EK, but cause of the GCC crisis that started in June last year. Just coinciding with the start of EK ops.
DeleteConsidering heavy volume losses QR suffered to GCC area (as significant number of their pax at the time was to UAE), especially during Winter season (when we compare year on year), the fact that they mostly compensated overall volume by growing elsewhere tells me that EK was not too detrimental for QR.
Anyway, as far as I know (I cannot quote), relevant sources indicate that QR expects year on year growth in summer/winter season in range of 15-20% so they seem to have rebounded and demand growth is of course helping them (and all the others).
So all those claims that QR is packed all the time and that a widebody is only a matter of time were wrong? Shocking ... I guess we are no longer haters.
DeleteWell, QR actually has very, very nice loads during summer period so I would guess that if wide body comes, it will be seasonal one. But really, ex YU obsession with load factors is so funny, much like making big conclusions based on one day load or some chats on forums.
Deleteyes but now we have actual numbers so we can see the real situation.
DeleteSorry, what numbers? You mean only those for ZAG?
DeleteYes, exactly those numbers. At least now we know that those comments 'Qatar is full they need a widebody while EK could send an A380' are far from reality.
DeleteWhere do you find all of this statistic numbers about flights of airlines?
DeleteSo Podgorica didn't work out for them. Surprise surprise.
ReplyDeleteThey obviously weren't expecting much of the route since they linked it with Sarajevo.
DeleteI would expect FZ to increase its BEG operations to 10 or 14 weekly soon to cope with rising QR, overall demand and expected decrease of EY (for instance, EY is axing PER, SGN, decreasing CMB with probably more downgrades/cancellations to follow).
ReplyDeleteWell EY did increase BEG to 12 weekly this summer.
DeleteYes, but note that EY network reductions/cancellations start at the end of summer season. PER/SGN cancellation and some additional downgrades (like CMB, MLE, SEZ) with probably more in the pipeline are likely to result with stagnation/fall in bookings for EY in BEG and will provoke some reaction from other airlines to capture that demand. So, not mab eall doom and gloom for EY in BEG now, but the future is not really bright as EY is network, not P2P carrier. Reductions will hit them for sure.
DeleteNo mention of Skopje? Anyone know how they are performing on this route?
ReplyDeleteIt's showing in the system that they will be flying just twice per week to Skopje in winter 2018/19
DeleteAnd for Sarajevo?
Deletegoogle and skyscanner is your friend
Delete3x weekly at this point.
Deletei just saw on flightradar, QR landed with an A321 in SKP today
DeleteYes there was news published here that they now operate a mix of 320/321.
DeleteSKP flights will surely be affected by both QR and FZ launching SKG this year.
DeleteThey weren't flying last winter so that is going to affect SKP schedules.
oh, if u say that flights will "surely" be affected then i'll just take your word for it,
Deletesame as when people post their prognosis for number of pax. to certain airports for the next 5 years.
Anon at 12:31 PM if reality hurts your feelings you are free to ignore it!
DeleteGood to hear premium demand is doing well to DBV. That is very important for airlines, especially new routes.
ReplyDeleteI hope they will add the MAX on more ex-Yu routes.
ReplyDeleteDo they have it deployed on any ex-Yu route at the moment?
DeleteThey have been flying to BEG with the 737 MAX since the start of the year.
DeleteOh I didn't realize that. Nice! Thanks.
DeleteBEG was their first European MAX destination.
DeleteI flew FZ from BEG on the 737 MAX a few days ago (connecting onto Emirates) and I actually liked it better than the second leg. Plenty of knee-room in economy (I'm 1.90m), clever mood lighting, decent hot meal (which you get for free on an EK ticket), but most importantly an HD display that's super-responsive to touch, which is such a welcome change compared to 95% of IFE systems on the market (including Emirates, at least on the A380).
DeleteShame they won't go year round to DBV.
ReplyDeleteThere is no demand on year round base in DBV. SPU maybe, but they dont have good management to attract airline like TK or FZ like DBV management did.
DeleteI am sure SPU would be very beneficial for them as a summer seasonal route with all the demand from Asia, Australia and NZ. From all ex yu cities currently unserved from DXB it has the most potential, more than LJU (very close superior EK competition) and TGD obviously.
ReplyDeleteAgree completely. I hope they look into it for next summer.
DeleteNot sure as they're waiting for in regards to Split. Maybe the high fees...
Delete..what they are waiting for..
DeleteFlydubai is a suprisingly good airline. Glad to see them generally expanding in the region.
ReplyDeleteEspecially on the B737MAX.
DeleteI mean they have a very good new product on the max.
DeleteCould someone list their summer frequencies to other airports in the region like Sofia, Bucharest... thanks
ReplyDeleteI think Bucharest is one of their best performing routes in the region. Remember reading something about it.
DeleteOTP has 2 daily FZ flights.
DeleteSo Sarajevo still ahead.
DeleteOnly for a couple of months during the summer.
DeleteRomanian economy is growing like crazy and even surpassed Croatia in terms of GDP per Capita PPP. State is rapidly increasing wages in the public sector plus elevating the minimum wage for example. All this leading to higher spendings of the population and growing demand for exotic trips like Phuket, Vietnam, etc
DeleteSo no surprise there are so many flights to OTP by FZ, QR, TK... Turkish even sends its A330
Now they have 4 pw to DBV and 3 pw to TIV, all seasonal. I hope they will have in near future at least 2 pw to DBV in winter serving both destinations. That have sense. DBV is much bigger and is just 60 km from TIV, so it should be option for winter.
ReplyDeleteDo you think there is a chance of them opening Split, Purger?
DeleteThey will eventually merge with Emirates completely. EK desperately needs short haul aircraft.
ReplyDeleteThey have their model that actually work well. Annual LF is more than 70% and they dont need single aisle. If they desperately need they should buy it, but they dont.
DeleteI am talking about EK, not FZ.
DeleteToday flydubai announced that as of 2nd of Dec, BEG flight will be operated from Terminal 3 instead of Terminal 2 at DXB. This is great news, especially for transfer passengers on Emirates flights!
ReplyDeletedo u know how transfers function between T3 and T2 on code-shared flights with EK?
DeleteT3 and T2 are on opposite sides of the runway
I did the above transfer (T2 to T3) a few days ago when connecting from FZ to EK and it's actually super simple - certainly no worse than many other huge airports.
DeleteYou disembark at T2 like a regular passenger, go to the transfer desk area and board the bus to T3. The buses leave every 15-20 mins and need approx. 20 mins to make it between terminals. The whole transfer is airside, of course, so you only need to clear security upon arrival to T3. It took me about one hour in total to make it from disembarkation to the outbound gate. That was around 8pm, so before the rush hour, which is generally after 10pm at DXB.
I had a different experience when FZ flew from Zagreb. We were waiting for the shuttle bus for almost an hour.
DeleteHahahaha. Ljubljana and itsi gulf flights. I knew nothing would come of this. It's just pathetic management and too late to get into this now. They should have grabbed the opportunity long long before. The only and it is literally the only way they will ever have dubai fligjfl is if adria starts flying there and they won't. So it's a sealed deal. People from Slovenia will continue to drive to vce and zag to fly there. Lju had too many chances and it never took them. Now itsi too late. They should focus on feeding flights to zag and vce, so people can get there faster and not waste time at the borders or time driving. Or the country as a whole should just build a high speed train to both borders so that they can get to those airports faster.
ReplyDeleteFeeding flights from LJU to ZAG? For distance of 130 km?
DeleteConstructing speed train line in mountainous terrain of Slovenia with small population would be VERY expensive and unprofitable, especially with people from Slovenia, Western Croatia and North eastern Italy using their own cars in over 90% when crossing the borders nearby
DeleteIntroduce feeding flights then
DeleteSlovenian railroads are overcrowded with cargo trains, there are at least 120 km missing for effective traveling (Port of Koper - Ljubljana, etc.). The difference is only that lack of investments in railroads results in overcrowding, on the other side lack of investments in airports results in no airline connections.
DeletePozdrav iz Rijeke, do you know if Croatia is planning to build any railroad to connect Pula with Rijeka and Zagreb on its own teritory? Today the only rail connection from Pula to Zagreb goes through Slovenia.
DeleteNot at the moment, perhaps in more distant future, precisely because of the cost of such project which is not feasible and profitable as the terrain is difficult to build and Pula has almost no cargo traffic and very few passengers using train to Zagreb and back. The only new railroad which is in plans (possible chinese investment, remains to be seen if something come out of it) is new "nizinska pruga" between Rijeka and Zagreb in order to boost freight transport over port of Rijeka, which has drsmatically decreased lately in favour of Koper
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteDo we have realistic data about Slovenian using ZAG? GoOpti from LJU to ZAG is not very frequent, also much more expensive than to VCE. There will be new Nomago direct bus service linking Ljubljana with VCE 5 times per day etc. It seems that for Slovenians VCE is actually their prime airport of choice (not to mention Treviso as al low budget option).
DeleteOf course VCE is number one for SLO people, simply because offer from VCE is much bigger and usually cheaper then the one from ZAG. But yes, lot of SLO people use ZAG as well, especially those closer - NM, CE, MB... And actually I even see quite often significant number of SLO cars at RJK for Ryanair, Eurowings and Air Baltic flights
DeleteTrue. And on the other hand there are many ZG, RI, KA and PU cars in Venice. At the time, when I was there, there were many more Croatian than Slovenian cars on the parking lot.
DeleteI'm surprised they have never thought about Pristina.
ReplyDeleteAir Arabia tried and failed with UAE-Pristina flights.
Delete