The Serbian Ministry for Construction, Transport and Infrastructure has allocated funds to subsidise the launch of ten new routes from Niš Constantine the Great Airport. The Serbian government will adopt new regulation tomorrow for the introduction of Public Service Obligation (PSO) flights from the south-east Serbian city. Furthermore, the government will determine ten European points which will be linked with Niš under the PSO contract, after which it will launch tender procedures for each, with airlines to be invited to submit their bids. "We expect for Air Serbia to take part in the public call, which will be open to all airlines", Zoran Ilić, the Assistant Minister for Transport, said.
Public Service Obligation flights are applied throughout the European Union and are imposed on routes which are vital for the economic development of the region they serve but are essentially loss making. If no carrier is interested in operating a particular service, the state may restrict access to the route to a single air carrier and compensate its operational losses. The EU stipulates that the operator must be chosen through a public tender. Within the former Yugoslavia, Croatia has PSO contracts in place for several domestic routes. The ten new services from Niš Airport are expected to be launched this year.
Niš Airport is currently served by three airlines - Wizz Air, Ryanair and Swiss International Air Lines - which maintain flights to ten destinations. All three carriers have signed contracts with the airport until 2021 and 2022, which include a low three euro fee for handling, landing and passenger services. On March 31, Ryanair will discontinue its flights between Niš and Weeze, while Wizz Air will resume operations to Malmo on April 17 after suspending the service earlier this month. According to the Egyptian Embassy in Belgrade, a local Egyptian carrier is set to launch flights from the Egyptian coast, tipped to be Marsa Alam, to Niš in May. Last September, the Serbian President, Aleksandar Vučić, said Air Serbia was in talks over the opening of several routes from Niš Airport. "We are talking and negotiating with Air Serbia over the introduction of several international routes from Niš. I am convinced that this will be very important news in the coming period", the President said at the time.
Another way to subsidize a certain loss-making, profitable airline. Bravo.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteAnd what if another airline gets it?
DeleteI highly doubt JU will take part in this. They barely have enough aircraft for their BEG operations.
DeleteAnon 09.01 your comment is boring and it's pure speculation.
Delete^It's more than obvious now that they will be leasing some additional aircraft.
DeleteThey need the extra aircraft for the 30 new frequencies they are adding in a few months.
DeleteHe wanted to be the first with his negative comment. Now he is happy.
DeleteNo comment!
ReplyDeleteWhich ten cities could it be?
ReplyDeleteMy guess:
Delete1. Paris
2. Brussels
3. London
4. Berlin
5. Rome
6. Athens
7. Dusseldorf
8. Munich (Hello EW)
9. Barcelona
10. Oulu
I had to google the last one. Why one earth would they need a route to central Finland?
DeleteBecause I couldn't think of another route that would make sense so I put a random one. :D
DeleteI would rather put Moscow.
DeleteYes those are certainly PSP routes, of vital importance ... connecting Serbs with each other.
DeleteIstanbul
DeleteI would say Amsterdam and Moscow would be more useful than Barcelona or that Finish village. The rest of the cities are fine.
DeleteIt would be also nice if Nis could get connected with TLV.
Why not Oulu Anon 09.51? You don't want Nislije visiting Santa Claus? :(
DeletePalau hahah. :D
DeleteHaha! Oulu!! Actually I’m in Oulu county now. Working here! :) I would love that route. :D When I say to
Deletepeople I’m from Bosnia, they don’t have a clue where that is. But luckily I’m here! ;)
:D :D what are the odds!
DeleteExcellent news for INI.
ReplyDeleteThis is smart. They saw until now which routes don't need subsidies so now they will cover those that can't make it on their own. I see JU getting BEG-INI while W6 and FR get the rest.... though I hope it is mostly FR.
ReplyDeleteSo government of Serbia restricted growth of Niš airport according to Belgrade Airport concession agreement, and at the same time is willing to pay money to the airlines to stimulate the traffic growth there. Is this correct?
ReplyDeleteFrom the agreement, INI is allowed to handle more than a million passengers only as long as Vinci's interests in BEG are not threatened.
DeleteINI is now allowed to have more than one million passengers before BEG reaches 12 million.
Delete* correction, INI in NOT allowed.
DeleteIt IS allowed. Just in that case GoS might receive less money from Vinci for that year.
DeleteIt depends on what Vinci says.
DeleteWhatever Vinci say they can't limit INI. As above explained they can only avoid to pay to Gos money for that year
DeleteI think JU should get the money to launch the following schedule:
ReplyDeleteDaily
BEG-INI 00.30-01.15
INI-BEG 05.00-05.45
Three times per week
BEG-INI 14.00-14.45
INI-BEG 15.15-16.00
Correct me if I am wrong, but I think BEG INI route is impossible as BEG does not longer have infrastructure necessary for handling domestic flights.
DeleteThere is no possiblity of landing at BEG and getting out of the terminal building without going through customs and border check.
But that's not such a handicap, domestic passengers can use facilities like the rest of the passengers.
DeleteLegally I think thst would be allowed as it would imply that you are travelling from Belgrade to Niš on an international flight.
DeleteI remember, when they were talking about flights from Priština to BEG that the solution was for JU plan to into Northern Macedonian :))) airspace and then land into Priština making it international flight. Maybe that could be the solution.
INI-BNX PLEASE <3
ReplyDeleteSeems like it's going to be a big year for Air Serbia.
ReplyDeleteIf a single airline gets ten routes, it would require them to base an aircraft at Nis.
ReplyDeleteI think they will give it to more than one airline.
DeleteLast sentence (from Vucic) is key. JU will get money to operate all ten routes.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteSeveral routes, doesn't seem like they will get all of them. Also since the government is paying for these it makes sense for a local airline to get it.
DeleteWow. Of course, It's sounds fishy to me. Why on earth do we have to act megalomanic for everything. 10 new routes. Guys, let's be realistic. Not even BEG could accumulate that much new demand.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, let's first make BEG-INI-BEG at least daily. I would be more than pleased to say at least.
What do you mean even BEG couldn't accumulate that much new demand? JU is launching 9 (nine) new routes in less than six months.
DeleteAlso nowhere does it say that the 10 routes will start at the same time.
My thoughts are to be cautions and realistic.
DeleteNo one freaked out when OU got PSO or when JP got €4.5 million to fly from BRU to LJU. People are being way too dramatic when it comes to JU.
ReplyDeleteOU has domestic routes, so...
DeleteSo? PSO is not only for domestic routes.
DeletePSO in Croatia is used exactly for the purpose it is intended for. It connects the poorest part of the country with its rest to enable it to grow, bacause there is no way for carriers to make money there.
DeleteSerbia however does not want to connect INI and BEG to support the economic development of the poor region with the capital, but to give subsidies and hide behind a term they obviously do not know what it is intended for. PSO INI-CDG/VIE????
Any examples for crossborder PSOs?
Yes, Adria was a recipient of cross border PSO for years - from Poland to Netherlands, France and Germany. In their 2017 financial report they even list that "the loss of PSO flights from Poland" impacted their results.
DeletePSO subsidies are available only for domestic services. A subsidy between INI and LHR or FRA is not a PSO.
Delete^Lying through your teeth anon. Look at the EU's PSO chart. Larnaca-Brussels or Brno-Munich are not domestic services. Maybe in your head they are.
Deletehttps://ec.europa.eu/transport/sites/transport/files/pso_inventory_table.pdf
Guys in case you do not remember it the Republic of Serbia is not a member of the EU.
DeleteSo EU regulation about PSO routes do not apply.
GoS can name that subsidy whatever it likes. It named it PSO because elections are coming.
I can guarantee you no one gives a f*ck what's it called or that anyone in the electorate paid any attention to it. Has nothing to do with elections. And it is completely irrelevant what's it called. The news is that INI will get ten new routes. Leaching on to something just to turn the discussion around because you are desperate is a different thing.
DeleteWho cares about terminology, what matters is that new flights are added. Debrecen also hands out subsidies and they handle less flights than INI.
DeleteExactly, fools as I say. Wording is very decisive, but 99% of the popultion does not know/care, which plays in the hands of politicians.
DeleteINI-JFK would also work as a PSO. Anon 10:41 says it- and politicians are happy to officially fool citizens by using fancy words.
DEB has 2 W6 Airbuses based on their airport + Lufthansa, baby. It will soon surpass INI:
Deletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debrecen_International_Airport
So? DEB has Lufthansa and INI has Swiss.
DeleteINI can DREAM about the destinations served by DEB. Did you even open the link to see?
DeleteYeah and now you are quickly gonna tell me: Yeah, but Hungary is an EU member :)
It is and that certainly makes a difference. It is also part of a much richer region within the country than Nis is in Serbia.
DeleteBesides I don't understand what is the point of your comments? That Debrecen is better than Nis even though it has subsidised flights that Nis does not have yet it has fewer passengers than Nis? Ok fine. It is. Every country, every city and every airport is much much better than anything in Serbia. Happy?
Please don't be mad. I didn't even meant to be against Serbian airports.
DeleteINI might be poorer but doesn't mean it doesn't have what to give. Also, DEB is just an ordinary city, nothing special.
Take it easy, amigo. (Shakehand)
You can say all you want but your initial comment was extremely malicious and you wanted to present the situation as if Debrecen was better than Nis even if it has some 40.000 less passengers. Of course EU membership matters because thanks to it millions of people from easern Europe moved to the west so stimulating demand which didn't exist before. Look at flights from Poland to the UK.
DeleteINI got to 350.000 without subsidies. With subsidies it will easily reach 500.000 and even overtake Tuzla.
Serbia is entering campaign for elections.
ReplyDelete+1000
DeleteIts funny how so many were criticizing the subsidies model of SKP and now more and more airports and gvmnts are doing it too.
ReplyDeleteYou make it sound as if that model was SKP's invention. They just took it from western airports.
Deletenevermind, it was the main "argument" that the trolls had
DeleteClearly this is another way to give subventions to JU.
ReplyDeleteThankfully this time some of the money will help the south instead of just BEG.
If SKP can, INI can too.
ReplyDeleteGiven that both airports are quite similar in character, INI can serve the 10 busiest airports from SKP and voilà.
Good to know that INI can reach the 1 million niveau.
My guess for new lines:
ReplyDeleteBEG (Air Serbia)
LTN (Wizz)
BVA (Wizz)
TRF (Wizz)
IST (Turkish)
CIA (Ryanair)
ATH (Aegean)
MUC (Eurowings)
AMS (Air Serbia or Transavia)
Moscow (Pobeda or Air Serbia)
If my predictions are true, I think Wizz will have to base one A320 in INI
Highly doubt they would give IST to Turkish, which is like some sort of arch rival for Air Serbia. They would probably rather give it to Atlasglobal, or indeed Air Serbia itself so it can return to Istanbul.
DeleteI dont think that JU will get back to the IST. Maybe we see SAW by Pegasus.
DeleteFunnily enough KK used to fly into Nis some 10-13 years ago.
DeleteI personally think that BEG-INI is complete none sense.
ReplyDeleteWhy on earth would someone bother to fly from INI to BEG or other way round if it takes less then 2 hours to get by bus or car. I think and hope those destinations could be:
1. PARIS-CDG/BVA,
2. MUNICH-MUC,
3. FRANKFURT-FRA,
4. LODON-LHR/LGW,
5. BRUSSELS-BRU/CRL,
6. OSLO-OSL,
7.AMSTERDAM-AMS,
8. THESSALONIKI-THS or ISTAMBUL -IST
9. BARCELONA-BCN,
10. MOSCOW-DME/SVO
This way FR could take BVA, FRA, LGW, CRL, W6 could get: OSL, AMS, BCN, THS,
and JU can take DME/SVO, MUC and maybe BEG :)
ATH is a far more viable and useful route from INI than SKG is.
DeleteJust my2cents
I forgot ROME-FCO/CIA as one of the options :)
DeleteI would love to see that bus you are using from Belgrade to Nis in 2h :)
Deletecrvan je ko Nis Ekspres i na njemi pise Ferrari.
DeleteThe biggest questions here is will Air Serbia launch Nis and will that route work?
ReplyDeleteHow about BEG-RJK-INI-RJK-BEG at least in summer? I know personally dozen people from Nis, Pirot, Knjazevac, Aleksinac who live in and around Rijeka and travel often. Plus tourists. Plus some business. Plus significant Bulgarian colony in RJK which can continue ground to Sofia. It might work. I promise to be one of the first to use RJK-INI. :)
ReplyDeleteCan that little E-120 make it from RJK to INI? Maybe they can apply for subsidies.
DeleteBulgarians in Rijeka? How come?
Deletewww.bugari-u-hrvatskoj.com
DeleteThankkkss!!
DeleteIf you have the possibility, go to Iquique in northern Chile and you will see it is home to a Croatian diaspora. In the centre of town, there is a Hrvatski Dom too with the flag. Very beautiful city:
http://www.profesionalescroatas.cl/archivos/(2012-11-18)_Plaza_Slava_de_Iquique2.pdf
You are welcome. And it's not only Chile and Iquique, when I arrived for the first time in Buenos Aires, taxi driver who took me to the city was from Zagreb, and the first thing I saw from the window of my hotel room was the guy on the traffic light waiting to cross the street in Croatian national football team dress. But actually I do plan to go further tot the South soon - at the moment Punta Arenas and Ushuaia are on the table, we'll see! Ciao!
Deleteand they laughed at Macedonia
ReplyDeleteINI will become the new southern Serbian capital. It can apply the SKP model and compete with SKP and SOF. Target market: Scandinavia.
DeleteWho laughed? The Serbian government certainly didn't.
Deletemakedonski scenario
DeleteYou can't compare Northern Macedonia to Serbia. When subsidies were launched they were so that the capital city could be brought to life. Serbia already has a booming airport so these subsidies would be used to boost numbers at the country's secondary airport. OHD is barely alive while INI handled some 350.000 last year.
DeleteThis is excellent news for Nis and southern Serbia.
ReplyDeleteAnd the wider region as well.
DeleteThis isn't good news for INI or PRN though.
DeleteNis getting ten new routes is not good news for Nis? Ok...
Deletehaha
Deletehahahahahah I think we have reached the climax of anti-Serbian paranoia. :D :D More flights to INI is somehow bad news for INI :D
DeleteAnon at 10:16
DeleteSorry, I meant to write SKP and PRN. :)
My biggest doubt is, what happens if there are suddenly 4 aeroplanes arriving at once? Will the terminal be able to handle them all and the 4 planes, even if they are A321?
ReplyDeleteINI already handles 3 aircraft at the same time so I am sure a 4th one could be added. Also I am sure they will make sure arrivals and departures are spread out.
DeleteAccording to this report there were enormous queues when only 2 planes arrived at the same time:
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2018/07/trip-report-ryanair-weeze-nis.html?m=1
They have to hire more staff.
Also open a Business Lounge.
Watch Adria apply for these... the queen of subsidies.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts exactly... :)
DeleteASL is the true Queen of subsidies.
DeleteLong live the Queen!
The last time I checked JU never aspired to live off of subsidies so as to operate from rural Poland and Germany.
DeleteNo, JU lives off subsidies so as to operate from the capital of our country.
Deletethat is why is the one and true Queen!
Seems like JP loves the sweet money.
DeleteSo? Without subsidies FR wouldn't be nearly what it is today. Look at Chapter 11 in the US, that's also a form of subsidy. And anyway, JU is launching 9 new routes this summer, at least they are justifying subsidies and they actaully have great schedules and times to most of their destinations. You are just a bitter hater.
DeleteI found this in an article here bout Nis Airport from last year where airport management identified routes that have demand:
ReplyDelete"The airport is seeking flights to several European cities including Paris, Oslo, Geneva, Frankfurt, Istanbul and Moscow."
This could be some of the new destinations that could be launched from INI through this tender.
3, 2, 1,... ADRIA!
ReplyDeleteGuessing... ORY,SVO,SKG,FCO,MUC,FRA,AMS...
ReplyDeleteThey should build first completely new terminal building instead of subsiding flights cos the existing one is in embarrassing conditions. I guess minister never went to INI´S loo during his visit? The flights are cool idea, but I think terminal complete overhaul is their top priority.
ReplyDeleteBut if both BEG and SOF get new terminals in the upcoming 4-5 years, what happens with INI in the middle? Will this mean more or less passengers?
ReplyDeleteWhat about the current terminal building? Any chance of increasing capacity and putting 3-4 airbridges? The aporn is also small and might need to get doubled or trebled.
Dont get this at all
ReplyDeleteOPERATIONAL ASPECTS:
1. JU will get this one, ofc
2. JU is already expanding with 9 new routes from BEG
3. To follow BEG expansion JU will need to get 1 new aircraft
4. To cover this INI expansion JU will need about 2 aircraft
FINANCIAL ASPECTS
1. JU is loosing ~25mile per year
2. BEG expansion will add about 3-5mile loss, despite what unrealistic positive projections they have in their business plans
3. INI expansion, financed by happy tax payers, should also be somewhere between 3-5mile of subsidies
----------
BOTTOM LINE
1. JU please stop burning money
2. Our Govermnent has no idea how to run an airline business
During Jat's final year, financial loss was around €74 million. If Air Serbia brought it down to €25 million then it's great success. Also if I am not wrong loss in 2017 was less than €20 million. Not to say that government handouts are becoming less and less.
DeleteSo JU is on the right track. Not a fast one but at least on the right one.
What are you talking about? JU is profitable and has been for years! ;)
DeleteBEG expansion will add about 3-5mile loss
DeleteSmešan si. Pokaži tvoje znanje avijacije koje će dovesti do tog broja a da nas ne nasmeješ.
Нека бригада хејтера прича шта хоће али ја мислим да ће Краснодар бити пун погодак. Београд ја тачно на путу ка Европи.
DeleteThe amount of hate towards anything Serbian on here is astonishing. JU adds 9 new routes, people attack them. BEG gets the concession, won't happen. INI gets flights, it won't make it. INI loses a flight, shut it down there is no market. BEG gets new flights, government is trying to kill INI. Government trying to help INI by providing subventions, the government is corrupt and they want to give it to JU (even though this isn't said anywhere).
ReplyDeleteSeems like Serbia simply can't win on this forum. Luckily in reality, which matters the most, things are going the right way while you haters keep on polluting this fine website.
Really? And vice versa?
DeleteIt was always like this here.
DeleteOther days, people make fun of Adria.
Other days, it's Croatia vs Serbia figures.
Other days, SKP fanboys vs INI fanboys.
Other days, it's prestige and worldwide image.
Maybe the forum is neutral and calm when a subject is covered related to BiH :D
Get used to it.
No topic gathers this much much toxic comments. Compare the comments and you will see. Look, it's been 3 hours since the topic was posted and we are over 100 comments where 90% of them are extremely negative.
Deletekao što vučić kaže "haters gonna hate"
Deleteti citiraš vučića, blago tebi.
DeleteJel zaista mislis da je to on rekoao. S kim ja pricam sunce ti kalajsano
DeleteDid you really spend days gathering information and counting the number of anti-Serbian and anti-everyone else comments? God, you must be bored.
DeleteWhich routes have PSO in Croatia?
ReplyDeleteZAG-DBV?
All domestic routes
DeleteOperated by Croatia Airlines:
Dubrovnik-Zagreb
Split-Zagreb
Zagreb-Zadar-Pula
Zagreb -Brac
Operated by Trade Air
Osijek-Dubrovnik
Osijek-Split
Osijek-Zagreb
Osijek-Pula-Split
Osijek-Rijeka
Rijeka-Split-Dubrovnik
Minister recently announced they will expand PSO.
Thank you
DeleteAko Nislije dobiju Pegazus i ove Egipcane bice najmanji aerodrom sa interkontinentalnim letovima.
DeletePa nece bas biti tako, eto RJK npr. ima Arkiu za Tel Aviv. Osim ako se Izrael nije preselio u Evropu
DeleteAfriku i Aziju? Nece biti. To nema ni Solun.
DeleteNeko rece sve PSO linije u Hrvatskoj su opravdane zbog lokalnog razvoja; koji deo se razvija na liniji DBV-ZAG i SPU-ZAG....TLV, izrael je na Evroviziji i Evrokupu u kosarci, dakle Evropa! Salim, se, naravno....INI-SAW je Evropa-Azija, a INI-CAI Evropa-Afrika, dakle, Niski je veci....pozdrav svima i daj boze da pola od ovoga uspe, 5 od 10 i super za aviosaobracaj i region.
DeleteNe, moj je veći.
DeleteDon't they already operate to London Heathrow? That would be expensive. Perhaps they could sell their LHR slots to free up cash and operate to one of the cheaper airports such as London Southend? I see Flyone will start operating there this summer as well.
ReplyDeleteWhich airline are you talking about? JU flies to LHR and it's highly successful.
DeleteI was referring to JU. They already operate into LHR but it was suggested above that London could be a target city. However, as they already operate into London then they either continue as they are into LHR or they could follow the example of other airlines who have sold their LHR slots and used the cash to support their overall business. London could then be operated into a cheaper airport such as London Southend.
DeleteBut why sell something that brings in the money? Other airlines that sold the slots were losing money on the route.
DeleteIt is really amazing what people list here as potential PSO routes..maybe they would like to get some allowance for vacation also :)))
ReplyDeleteCritics are always welcome, BUT.....
ReplyDelete1. INI has been working extremely hard to achieve those results and trying to move from the capital´s shadows.
2. The airport had extremely disappointing figures in a couple of years ago and this is no longer the case.
3. The presence of LX is of extreme importance because this gives other airlines an idea that even legacies are more than welcome to launch flights.
4. Russia: much work must be done. Their citizens do not require visa to visit the country. INI has very good hotels and quality to offer. It is time to negotiate a Moscow route asap.
5. Not only a gasto airport. INI can persuade Swiss or western companies to do business and grow and not rely only on tourism.
6. Decrease the dependence from the capital and make the south grow economically.
Победа из Москве, а из Ниша да продужи за Охрид.
ReplyDeleteini nis airport will have 37 gates in 2024
ReplyDelete