Pristina's busiest airline declares bankruptcy


Pristina Airport's busiest airline, Germania, which was to open a base in the city in April, has discontinued all operations and filed for insolvency after failing to resolve short-term liquidity issues. However, its Swiss arm, Germania Flug, which also accounts for a significant passenger share at Pristina Airport, has not been affected. Germania handled 321.499 passengers to and from Kosovo last year, representing an increase of 9.1% on 2017. The carrier maintained services to Pristina from Dusseldorf, Munich, Stuttgart and Verona, as well as a number of charters. It was to commence operations from Pristina to Hannover and Hamburg this April after basing an Airbus A319 aircraft in the city.

The development marks the second time Pristina has lost its busiest airline. In 2013, Belle Air Europe ceased all operations, heavily affecting Pristina Airport's passenger numbers the following year, when it recorded a 14% decline in travellers. Pristina Airport's General Manager, Haldun Firat Kokturk, said last November, "We are happy to provide Germania with a second home for their aircraft. This is such an important milestone for Germania, our airport and Kosovo. As of April, Germania is stationing an aircraft in Pristina after a long, successful and safe cooperation over the years. We appreciate our continued partnership with Germania, for increasing its number of destinations for our passengers, which, in turn will result in a steady increase in traveller numbers".

Germania pointed to major increases in fuel prices over the 2018 summer season, coupled with the weakening of the euro against the US dollar, and delays in introducing new aircraft into the fleet as the major causes of its liquidity crisis. “Unfortunately, we were ultimately unable to bring our financing efforts to cover a short-term liquidity need to a positive conclusion. We very much regret that consequently, our only option was to file for insolvency”, Germania CEO, Karsten Balke, said. People who bought their tickets directly from the airline "unfortunately have no claim to alternative trips", the company said. In addition to Pristina, Germania also operated seasonal flights from Toulouse to Split. The airline was due to commence services from Bremen to Zadar this June as well.

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:02

    Ouch

    ReplyDelete
  2. JU520 BEGLAX09:02

    Good one less. Lets hope next one is JP. We need less airlines in Europe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:06

      In the end it will only be Lufthansa, IAG and low costers.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:11

      ju520 srami se vec jednom tvojih blesavih komentara ...upravo je 1400 ljudi ostalo bez posla a ti zelis da jos vise ostanu bez posla.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:14

      "Hoping" for bankruptcy? Some peoples way of thinking should get more human. I can understand now why I see negative comments continuously on some airlines.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:15

      Are you sure about "We need less airlines in Europe". Does monopoly ring any bells?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:17

      Less does not mean monopoly. But the number of airlines operating in Europe is ridiculous.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:19

      Како да не, апсолутно нам је потребно мање авио-компанија јер свима недостаје доба када је ова делатност била регулисана и када смо плаћали 500 евра да летимо са Луфтханзом до Франкфурта.

      Доза реалности недостаје одређеним људима.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous09:22

      And also JU, OU and YM.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous09:24

      JU520..What's the wrong with your attitude... ?

      Delete
    9. Anonymous09:35

      I wonder how someone working in the industry could have such an opinion and at the same time crying about the ticket faires.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous09:36

      @Anonymous5 February 2019 at 09:17: Oh, yes it can. Where does it stop? One, two, three airlines flying in Europe? Less competition, higher prices. Simple as that.

      Delete
    11. I drug Ćirilica i drug 520 su u pravu. Na trzistu definitvno postoji previse kapaciteta i konsolidacija je neminovna, medjutim ne treba teziti prevelikoj konsolidaciji koja bi dala prostora za vece cene. Takodje, nemojmo smetnuti sa uma da su optimizacije potrosnje i odrzavanje letelica, racionalizovane plate osoblja i razne druge ustede poslale karte od 500ojra u unutarevropskom transportu na ropotarnicu historije!

      Delete
    12. Anonymous10:42

      Drugvi, pricate gluposti.
      Trziste je to koje diktira prvila.
      Neki igraci se snalaze bolje a neki losije....neki se ne snalaze uopce.
      No, u svakom slucaju, ne moze biti previse necega.

      Delete
    13. Anonymous11:22

      Та флоскула око тржишта је смешна јер фирме саме по себи моги да утичу на његову судбину независно од тога шта су реалне потребе.
      Погледајмо тржиште САД где су се спојиле многобројне фирме и тако реално створиле укупно пет релевантних играча: United, American Airlines, Delta, Southwest и Alaska.

      Цене, изван крајње конкурентних градова, су папрено скупе. Сваки нови играч је аутоматски угушен. jetBlue је најмлађи играч а они су основани давне 2000. године. Дакле тржиште не може све само да регулише јер на њега утичу многе силе.

      Delete
    14. Anonymous11:28

      Sta cvilis?
      Jaci tlaci, oduvijek bilo i zauvijek ce biti.

      Delete
    15. Anonymous12:03

      Констатација чињеница је цвиљење? Можда за оне који немају адекватне аргументе.

      Delete
    16. Anonymous16:33

      JU520 would you be ok is LH group goes bankrupt to make room for Ryan, Wizz etc?

      Delete
    17. JU520 BEGLAX16:37

      In Europe we have more passengers travelling by plane than in the US (1.1 bln to 1 bln), but our airlines do half of the profit comparing to US Carriers (8 bln vs 17 bln), so its obvious that we hve too many carriers and it just makes no sense to operate in each little country an own airline, as costs to operate this, are too high. Same time wages are stagnating, where US carriers have created new jobs and increased wages. Europe needs more market consolidations and less carriers with wired subsidies. The airlines will fly there where there is a market for, the rest is a lot of money waste including our tax money.

      Delete
    18. Anonymous16:53

      That is the problem if we analyse without being professional. Travel patters in US are different than Europe. US is more spreadout and pax have less alternates to go between places that is why the volume of money is more even if the number is less. In Europe it is shorter flights and competition with well built train network and quickly reachable destinations by road that keep flight average prices lower. It is simply a different market, and what is paining you if more people are able to live on the industry. so let us keep our amateur thoughts within and do not damage or wish someone to go bankrupt for some funny opinions.

      Delete
    19. JU520 BEGLAX19:01

      We are professionell. Why in every little country you need all the expensive costs of operating an airline, not to forget about all the bureaucratic administration which increase the costs further. Also we still hve nations wasting tax money for services the private sector is more efficient. All our YU airports would be equally well connected without own airlines. The market consolidations is proceeding further on. Next casulaties soon to follow. There is enough jobs open in the EU for right skills worker, in Slovenia only, about 40% of employers have difficulties finding qualified workforce. Same in Switzerland, Germany. Lets streamline things into the right direction and have airline operate where there is a real market for them to the benefit of all

      Delete
    20. Anonymous19:07

      JU520, why no answer if you would like to see LH pushed out by LCCs?

      As for the the costs being too high in Europe, they are. Following market principles (and not some amateur thoughts), airlines with lower cost base should be able to win in the long run. That means Lufthansa will be forced to move all of LH Technik to Bulgaria or Turkey, or HQ to Serbia etc in order to survive. But we all know POLITICS will not allow for that to happen. Until then, government subsidized/protected national airlines will continue to exist in Europe.

      Delete
    21. JU520 BEGLAX19:12

      Good example is JU. EY just cancelled their A320neo Order. Same time you hve competition such as LH group operating more and more with latest ac technology which hve up to 20% less fuel consumption. Who in the long term do u thin will suceed? Makes no sense to fight a battle if you dont have the right weapons for it.

      Delete
    22. JU520 BEGLAX20:03

      @anonymous 1907h.... invest tax money into infrastructure and not into a battle u re not able to win. Serbian tax money goes out to shore Air Serbia, same time a train journey from BEG to ATH BUD ZAG takes half a day or more. Many jons are already coming to Eastern Europe, look at SR Technics in BEG, nothing bad about this as due to demographic development we find less and less qualified people and instead of having eastern europeans to move to the West, they can stay home. If JP or JU disappears, others would step in, they could and would even hire people from this crashed airlines, for the good of all and withna more efficient management than what you would find in TGD LJU or BEG. Bytheway the company I work for, supports Eastern Europe well, we have a data capturing office in SOF and IT office in BEG. Works fantastic and is a win win for all.

      Delete
    23. Nemjee03:54

      If JU goes bust who would fly BEG-TIV in winter? What about BEY, SKP, TIA, VCE... it's a myth that someone would just step in and fill the void. Do you think Wizz Air would care about flying an expensive, brand new, A320 between BEG and SKP with a loadfactor of 20%? No, the route would be cut and that would be the end of it. The same way they cut LCA in winter time. Then again, maybe the government would subsidize routes like the Hungarians are doing at the moment. However, then it would be no different than having a loss-making national airline.

      Transfer hubs are a fantastic business model where foreign capital is accumulated in a poor country. Take a look at all those transfer passengers flying on JU. A random Bulgarian or Greek spends an hour in Serbia (BEG) yet the money from his ticket stays in Serbian banks. Now, I am not saying JU has perfected this business model but there are other countries that struggle such as Greece, Latvia or even Poland that made the best of it.

      As for the US, unless you are flying from one of the major cities, good luck finding a convenient and cheap ticket. Connectivity among smaller cities has gone down since consolidation took place. Look at what Delta does, they'll try to route you via Atlanta no matter where you are flying to/from. What about the rest of the country?
      I believe all businesses are there to make money but the Americans are taking it a bit too far with their multi-billion profits. Let's see what Moxy does, that's the vacuum they are trying to fill with their business model.

      In stead of wanting to shut down our airlines, why not encourage them to be better and more efficient?

      Germania was struggling for a while now, their demise isn't entirely due to overcapacity but I would say mismanagement had more to do with it. As for Ryanair, well, what's there to say? When you expand way too fast all over the place eventually you spread yourself way too thin and it starts to impact your bottom line- same applied to JU back in 2013/2014.


      Balkan road and rail infrastructure is horrible. Air travel is a realistic necessity. Bulgarians bought the Albanian Telecom. Tell me, how easy will it be for their management to fly between Sofia and Tirana? JU is out of question since times don't match so that leaves us with IST (backtracking) and VIE (a massive detour).
      Another fine example is the road from Belgrade to Sarajevo. Have you ever driven from Sabac to Loznica on the way to the Serbian-Bosnian border? Let me tell you that it's no fun. So driving is exhausting while flying is problematic due to SJJ's high charges.

      Inter-connectivity, both air and road, is the issue here, not the subsidies we give to our airlines.

      Delete
    24. JU520 BEGLAX09:32

      The day Serbia will be tied more close to the EU, either thru Bilateral Agreements (what I hope) or you will become EU member, the subsidies for JU are gone anyway. So instead of wasting now 10 years JU subsidies, tax money could be used elsewhere, to improve infrastructure. For example a metro in Belgrade, probably one of the few cities in Europe with that size, having no subway. And having flts Operating with 20% makes really no sense, not commercially but also think of yr environment. Balkans is blessed with nature and one business opportunity is for sure green tourism. For this again you need more bike paths and eco friendly and attractive hotels which would attrack tourists fm all over the world.

      Delete
    25. Nemjee11:31

      Come on, we all know Serbia will never become an EU member state. What government will suspend the free trade agreement with Russia? Not to mention the visa free regime with them and the Chinese. So there is no point in preparing ourselves for an unrealistic scenario.

      Also, you make it sound as if Serbia pours billions of Euros into JU every year. The number is far from being enough to build a metro line. At best they could fix a hospital or some regional road. Plus, why stop subsidizing a local company (JU) while still giving incentives, read subsidies, to foreign companies? NCR is a prime example of this. It makes no sense.

      Like I said, government subsidies to JU are the least of our worries. We got much bigger fish to fry. Especially now when government subsidies are actually becoming less and less.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:02

    Perhaps time for PRN to make deals with some serious airlines.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:08

      +1
      The likes of orange2fly really shouldn't form the basis of their traffic.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:09

      I would hardly say Germania was not a "serious" airline.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:11

      Yes so serious, that's why it declared bankruptcy.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:20

      Serious airlines go after markets where they can enjoy fat yields. There is a reason why most of them are staying away from markets like PRN. Even easyJet is recording falling numbers there.

      Delete
    5. Beggars can't be choosers!
      If only small charter and ACMI operators can operate profitably from PRN type of markets then so be it.
      It sure is better than having a couple of daily flights to VIE or ZRH and paying a minimum of 250€ to travel to the rest of Europe.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:43

      Beggars can be choosers in this case. PRN should have made a deal with Wizz Air or Ryanair when they had a chance in stead of relying on these shady airlines that go bankrupt every few years. They are refusing to be realistic. They don't want to understand who their primary customers are and how little they can afford to pay when it comes to flying.
      W6 and FR are the Balkan reality.

      Delete
    7. I don't know about beggars part. Apparently something like 30% of Kosovo population is out of the country, making a living in the west. That guarantees a steady demand.
      2.2 mil traffic on 1.8mil population is pretty good.
      However those customers are price sensitive, but then what type of service do you need for those 2.5hrs flight?

      Delete
    8. Anonymous09:53

      Anonymous at 09:43
      Kosovo market is too much reliant on certain tour operators/travel agents who do not want too many LCCs which bypass them completely and deal directly with travelers.
      So the airport management which in typical Balkan politics is listening to them instead of the long term benefit of the region doesn't even try to get an LCC base.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:03

    Well here is Skopje's chance to overtake Pristina in passenger numbers this year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:12

      My guess is quite a few people who were booked on Germania flights will now book with Wizz to Skopje.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:54

      Now Wizz Air will move on open base in PRN and take the passengers of Germania.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:03

    Who will pick up the pieces? They had quite a lot of passengers to/from PRN.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:05

      Fingers crossed its Wizz Air or easyjet!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:07

      Doubt it. It will probably be someone like orange2fly which already works with the risen tour operators in Pristina.

      Delete
    3. "The family" will, as usual. Rinse and repeat.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:29

      Has anyone launched rescue fares yet?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:34

      Not yet. And I doubt anyone will from PRN.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:12

      A replacement airline from Bulgaria has been chartered to operate some Germani flights from PRN.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous11:09

      Eurowings has just launched rescue fares from Germany.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous20:25

      Many did. Also Laudamotion, Tui, Sunexpress, Condor and Austrian for example.

      Delete
  6. "People who bought their tickets directly from the airline "unfortunately have no claim to alternative trips", the company said."

    Says all you need to know about the predominant business model applied in this market.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:10

      How is that even allowed? Aren't there some EU regulation which prevent this from happening?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:12

      That's why you always buy tickets on loss-making airlines with a credit card, so it's credit card's company problem how to get the money back, not yours.

      Delete
    3. Only for regular scheduled flights. Most of the agency run connections are charters. This gives the agencies the freedom to do anything with zero risk exposure.

      Education would certainly help, but hey, why complicate matters when you have a lucrative business model on your hands. The tribe mentality comes at a price, and some are more willing to pay than others.

      Delete
    4. And, re: 09:12, cash is king. =/

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:22

      But Germani's liquidity issues only became known maybe 2 months ago and I doubt so many people follow aviation news at the time of booking.

      What will be interesting is to see how the tour operators which mostly sold Germania tickets from PRN will deal with this in terms of compensation.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:58

      After a huge row of airlines filing for insolvency during the recent times there are strong calls to the EU to introduce a mandatory airline insolvency insurance, the same thing tour operators need to have everywhere in the EU. With such insurance ticket prices might go up by one or two EUR but the insurance would reimburse all affected ticket holders. However it seems that still some EU members are blocking a law for whatever reasons.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:05

    Will Germania Flug hold up? I know it says their ops are unaffected but will that stick?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:16

      I would avoid booking a flight with them for the time being.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:45

      Germania Flug and Bulgarian Eagle, two sister airliness will continue operation without effect. May be all be surprised about continuing of this brand in the future. It was inevitable for Germania Group, who has had eight companies under their portfolio, to liquidate the biggest ailine, asset management and the MRO who were the lossmakers.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:20

      this is the most important question from todays article. Germania Flug is/was using Germania resources for technical issues, distribution and purchase

      Delete
    4. i can't say what airline was the case, but couple of years ago we had a similar case. When they declared bankruptcy they said sister company will not be affected. This was the case for a little bit (couple of weeks) but then it folded as well which makes sense

      Delete
    5. Anonymous20:32

      There are so many examples where sister companies/independent airlines within the same airline group all go bust too just shortly after the "mother airline" declares bankruptcy: AB and then HG or all SmallPlanet Airlines as just two recent examples.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:05

    JP next.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:12

      +1. Dead man walking.

      Delete
    2. Ryanair made a loss of 20 million euros. Their days are slowly drawing to an end!

      Delete
    3. Ryanair profits were 20 million euros less than period before. They don't have any losses, and they will be around for a while :) I am not their fanboy, on the contrary, but let's not twist the facts :)

      Delete
    4. Anonymous14:58

      pozdrav iz Rijeke no, Ryanair did have a LOSS of 20 million during the fourth quarter. Its first quarterly loss since March 2014.
      https://www.bbc.com/news/47113639

      Delete
    5. that's quaterly loss. JP is yet to make a profitable quater

      Delete
    6. Anonymous15:39

      And yearly profit guidance is still 1bn EUR, which is roughly, 2 mio/aircraft.

      When was the last time any exyu airline had 2 mio EUR profit per aircraft?

      Delete
    7. @An.14.58
      All or almost all airlines in Europe have loss in quarter four, or winter. Formally you are right. But actually, you are wrong because loss or profits which indicate company condition are always shown per year, not per quarter, precisely because of high seasonality. And again :On year basis, Ryanair makes profits, slightly smaller than the year before, and as such will be around for long time to come

      Delete
    8. Ryanair is only profitable from taking subsidies from Airports. Better to give that money to the flag carriers!

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:06

    What now for PRN?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:09

      Someone else will come into Germania's place.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:15

      That's what they said for Belle Air Europe, but it took quite a lot of time for that to happen.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous14:09

      and one of the other busiest carriers at PRN, namely JP is also not in the best shape and if it also goes bust then somebody else will need to jump in for the 400 000 pax germania and adria have at PRN

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:10

    Kosovo passengers scammed once again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:00

      Actually Kosovo pax should mostly be the lucky ones as the majority books through some agencies and to's so they will get replacement offers at the expense of the to.

      Delete
    2. The tour operators are insured for such events!

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:25

      No, not against such events. I work for a TO. They are insured against insolvency of their own company so that customers get reimbursed fully. All costs of rebooking passengers on charters are to be paid by the TO.
      The problem is that airlines are not insured against their own insolvency that is why everyone who booked directly with the airline has no claim.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:11

    How many employees did Germania have?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:17

      Over 1,000

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:18

      Well I hear Adria is desperately in need of pilots and cabin crew.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:21

      From one bankrupt company to another... Would be almost as bright as people going from Air Berlin to Small Planet Germany, only to be in bankruptcy a year later.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:33

      lol true anon 9.21

      Delete
    5. Germania didn't have Saab 2000...

      Delete
    6. Anonymous20:33

      @E nor the SSJ for that matter. That's probably why they went belly up.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:26

      The three affected parts of Germania incl. MRO had almost 1700 employees who now have all post their jobs! Very sad.

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:13

    Doesn't Germania also fly to Skopje?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:23

      No, that's Germania Flug from Switzerland.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:25

      They won't be around for much longer either.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous09:14

    Last flight from Fuerteventura to Nuremberg at 01.11.
    RIP Germania.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:18

      Sad. Crew that set off to Fuerteventura didn't even know the return flight would be their last.

      Delete
  14. Anonymous09:20

    And tomorrow Germania is supposed to have flights from Stuttgart, Dusseldorf and Verona to PRN. We will see what happens with passengers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:23

      I pity the airport staff who will have to deal with these passengers.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:25

      +1

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:32

      Bigger pity for the passengers themsleves.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:36

      PRN should update its website. It still says "Scheduled" for all Gemrania flights and their front page features news about Germania basing an aircraft in PRN.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:38

      OMG the airline went bankrupt like a few hours ago. Give them some time.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:13

      The Balkans are not exactly known for their agility.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous09:26

    Thankfully its not Germania Flug as well because that would wipe out half a million passengers at PRN. Germani Flug is also in the top 5 busiest at Skopje Airport. They just operate flights to Switzerland (mostly for Albanian passengers as well).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:32

      Germania Flug website simply redirects to Germania website, even though it says on that website that Germania Flug is not affected by this bankruptcy???

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:46

      I think the Swiss arm only sells tickets through tour operators.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:22

      not a single ticket was sold through germania webpage. (PRN & SKP)

      Delete
  16. Anonymous09:28

    I don't think PRN will be as affected as much as people think. In the short term we probably will see some consequences. In February growth at PRN will probably be 2-3% as a result but I don't think it will be on the same scale as when Belle Air Europe went defunct.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:43

      Unfortunately, I think you are way off. But let's wait and see how it plays out.

      Delete
  17. Anonymous09:40

    These Germania flights were all sold via Air Prishtina who also works with Orange2fly. It wont change that much for PRN. Losing Verona is a blow though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:42

      But they had over 320,000 pax last year. Plus they won't base a plane in PRN which could have been a source of profit for the airport.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:47

      I am sure Orange2fly will just base another A320 in PRN and that will be it.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:48

      Maybe that Orange2fly (what a name!) airline can get a couple of A320s pronto and take up that traffic.
      Otherwise PRN traffic will be paying extremely high fares to fly through VIE or even IST to Europe.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:07

      "Otherwise PRN traffic will be paying extremely high fares to fly through VIE or even IST to Europe."

      Like what we have in Sarajevo today :(

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:15

      Anon at 10:07
      +1000

      Delete
    6. Anonymous11:22

      who are you kidding here?

      we are the only airport in the world, that welcomed this month a special charter to fly in a flame, that was not burning while on the plane...

      where in the world can you find something so special?!?

      Delete
  18. That article "pristina sets for historic 2019" from couple of days ago doesn't look realistic now

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous09:54

    FR chief was right. He predicted more airlines to go bust in Europe.
    Currently AF/KL groupe is undergoing heavy brand structuring.
    IAG will struggle with Brexit and will hurt IB somehow.
    EW will cancel MUC long-haul but still LH group looks fine.
    FR are in trouble with the profits and W6 are struggling to find new Eastern European markets.

    In the Balkans, JU was saved by EY in the last moment. JP is focusing on bizarre strategy, OU looking okayish and YM did its homework.
    A3 doing great.
    FB and RO still flying after extreme LCC battle.

    Looks like another not so great 2019 in general.

    Air Berlin, Monarch, Small Planet, Germania and ¿who's next?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:06

      Unfortunately I do think JP will disappear this year.

      YM didn't do any homework. Their losses are huge but the government is determined for them to survive. They keep getting money. They got fresh aid in December.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:18

      The very high fuel prices for most of 2018 really hurt a lot of airlines. The weaker either closed down or are in an extremely dangerous position to close in the next few months.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:26

      @10:06
      "Unfortunately I do think JP will disappear this year."

      They can only be saved by some sort of partnership with the Russians. If the SSJ deal does not go through later this month, it's over. And even then, there will be a lot of questions about legality of what Sukhoi is doing, given the strained relationship EU has with Russia.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:27

      Eventually, all but A3 are doomed. Sad but true.
      A3 has a bright future with strong domestic and international business.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:37

      Anon @ 10:27
      I think that Balkan airlines that are state owned will continue on as long as their Governments keep covering their losses.
      Otherwise I think you might be right.
      Even Blue Air has completely stopped growing and tries to consolidate it's current position. They got a large part of permanently loss making Air Moldova and that will hurt them too.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:40

      Agreed.
      Ups I fogot them...huge respect for Blue Air for competing against super aggressive Wizzair and Ryanair. Indeed, they have a chance of survivall.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:56

      https://www.pasazer.com/news/40016/croatia,airlines,na,skaraju,bankructwa.html

      Delete
    8. Anonymous11:35

      "OU looking okayish"

      It seems you are looking through pink glasses. They will not exist in 2-3 years if they continue this way.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous12:50

      On the subject who might be next, I found this article very informative:
      https://wolfstreet.com/2019/01/26/low-cost-airlines-crash-into-bankruptcy-one-after-the-other-as-financial-conditions-tighten-in-europe/

      Delete
    10. norwegian looks good to go. they were saved by some cash injection, but their business doesn't look sustainable at this moment

      Delete
  20. Anonymous09:58

    Some ALK Airlines from Bulgaria will take over flights.. MD82 and B733 in their fleet.. oh god..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:03

      Goodness.

      Their MD82 is 29 years old.
      Their B737 almost 27

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:06

      Well at least there will be an alternative and their tickets won't be cancelled.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:25

      Yeah, so?
      Air Lyubo (ALK) is a decent Bulgarian charter and running business for quite a while. They regularly do winter charters from Sofia.
      Although it could've been Balkan Holidays, Bulgarian Air Charter but they are more specialised in the BG coast.
      Aviolet also has ancient planes but still being used and efficient.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:33

      ALK haven't updated their website since 2016. It says they are planning an expansion in 2017. LOL

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:34

      There was never a better airline name then ALK airlines. Cheers!

      Delete
    6. Anonymous11:26

      Absolutely, ziveli! :D

      Delete
    7. Anonymous13:11

      Imagine flying on an airline called Er Ljubo. Sounds like some rural striptease club.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous14:03

      How about other lovely names?

      - Master Airways Serbia 2006
      - Kosmas Air Serbia 2003
      - Limitless Airways Croatia
      - Bosnian Wand
      - Airlift Service Macedonia 2008

      So....lets not start :)

      Delete
  21. Anonymous10:02

    It's never good to see an airline go under. Hope PRN finds an alternative quickly.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous10:14

    And the year started so well with PRN with huge January growth. I'm quite interested to see how PRN's numbers will be affected by Germania.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:15

      What was the growth in January?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:17

      It says here --> https://www.exyuaviation.com/2019/02/wizz-air-registers-strong-pristina.html 17%

      Delete
  23. Anonymous10:22

    If this affects Germania Flug as I think it will in the end, the repercussions for Pristina, but also for some other airports in the region will be much greater.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous10:30

    Bulgarian Eagle will now do the Verona flights according to Air Prishtina. So thats a relief.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous10:32

    Apparently Bulgarian Eagle will do most Air Prishtina flights now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:51

      do they have enough planes? wiki says they have 2. but what were Eagle doing in the meantime? sitting around?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:17

      they were flying for Germania;
      it was just a strange setup with no clear intentions: some claim it was to lower costs; others say the eagle and Gflug had only one purpose to keep some assets save, in case the germania "owner" finally loses the legal fights against the former owner's son...

      Delete
  26. A lot of European airlines are having a tough winter. Ryan Air posted a loss for the Quarter too. Interesting times!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous11:27

    Now this should be the right oportunity for Adria to launch some more connections out of PRN. But I am afraid that they are unable to do it right now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:11

      Yes perfect opportunity to dig a deep grave even deeper.

      Delete
  28. Anonymous13:15

    WIZZ AIR hurry move on and open hub in Pristina take passengers of Germania don't lose this great chance of 2019.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous13:30

    Nije fino sto su ljudi ostali bez posla. Ali i "kurta i murta" u danasnje doba otvara i zatvara kompanije.
    Za koji dan ce sigurno postatii ili bolje receno nastati neka nova kompanija za koju niko nikada nije cuo, ali lete i lete...

    ReplyDelete
  30. Sven13:37

    Germania operations in Kosova were mainly sold and organized through airprishtina.com.

    Just have a look at their booking engine - all flights are still bookable as before but now to be operated by Bulgarian Eagle (a subsidiary of Germania which still is around)

    I guess this has been planned in advance so instead of Germania now Bulgarian Eagle will overtake at Pristina and leave most passengers unaffected. Lets just hope Bulgarian Eagle will survive the following weeks and not follow their parent company into bankruptcy.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Anonymous16:22

    @Anonymous at 09:19 - Bravo !

    ReplyDelete
  32. Ovo me ne iznenađuje. ST je prije možda dvije godine uvela letove DUS-KLV. Red letenja se stalno mijenjao, kontakt s njihovim odijelom marketinga u vezi nekakve kooperacije između njih i nas kao lokalnog hotela koji je zainteresiran za njihov feeder market bilo je nemoguće uspostaviti. Dobio sam osjećaj da su uveli liniju samo da povuku subvencije, a bilo im je svejedno da li netko leti.
    Ipak je to loša vijest, jer su letili na dosta odmorišnih destinacija, a sad će sigurno karte poskupiti kad to preuzme LH.
    Nakon što je propao AB LH je poskupila MUC-SUF (kamo ja letim na godišnji) s nekakvih 230 € na 350+ €.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Anonymous09:44

    Who is filling up the gap??

    ReplyDelete

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