Ohrid targets more Albanian travellers

GLOBAL AVIATION NEWS

Doha becomes Middle East’s busiest

In the battle to be the pre-eminent travel hub in the Middle East, the latest research from ForwardKeys has revealed that Doha seized and consolidated a lead over Dubai in the first half of 2021. In the period January 1 -June 30, the volume of air tickets issued for travel via Doha was 18% higher than it was through Dubai; and that relationship looks set to continue. Current bookings for the second half of the year through Doha are 17% higher than through Dubai. At the start of the year, air traffic through Doha was at 77% of Dubai; but it quickly reached 100% for the first time during the week commencing January 27. The major factor driving the trend was the lifting, of the blockade of flights to and from Qatar this January, which was imposed in June 2017 by Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who accused Qatar of sponsoring terrorism - an accusation it strongly denies. Since January, five routes were restored by Qatar Airways in the region and new routes launched further afield. Olivier Ponti, Vice President of insights at ForwardKeys, said, “Without the blockade, which encouraged the establishment of new routes as a strategy to replace lost traffic, perhaps we would not have seen Doha charging past Dubai. So, it seems that the seeds of Doha’s relative success were, ironically, sown by the adverse actions of its neighbours. However, one needs to bear in mind that flights through the Middle East during first half of 2021 were still 81 per cent below pre-pandemic levels. So, as the recovery gathers pace, the picture could change significantly”. The last major factor, which has given Qatar an edge over Dubai, has been its reaction to the pandemic. During the height of the Covid-19 crisis, many routes in and out of Doha remained operational, with the result that Doha became a major hub for repatriation flights - most notably to Johannesburg and Montreal.
Source: Breaking Travel News

Ohrid targets more Albanian travellers

NEWS FLASH

Operator TAV Macedonia is looking to attract more passengers from neighbouring Albania to use its services at Ohrid Airport. The company's management met with tour operators and agencies in Elbasan in central Albania and has urged for the introduction of a shuttle bus service between the city and St Paul the Apostle Airport. The two are some sixty kilometres apart. "Ohrid Airport is really close to Elbasan, only an hour and a half by car, and yet the two cities do not have regular bus lines. Albania, especially Elbasan, is within our catchment area and holds great potential for Ohrid Airport", TAV Macedonia Airports Coordinator, Nejat Kurt, said. Ohrid Airport has seen its passenger numbers soar during the first quarter of the year, with figures up 63%. During the summer season, it is served by Wizz Air, Edelweiss, Germania Flug, Pegasus, Onur Air, Corendon Airlines, Brussels Airlines, TUIFly, Nordica, Enter Air, LOT and Helvetic, with Eurowings to launch operations later this month.

Comments

Anonymous10:56
No wonder Macedonia relies on Albanian travellers to boost its numbers. TIA airport is already surpassing ZAG when it comes to figures and has twice as much traffic as both SKP and OHD.
Good move from TAV, I must say. The airport will become even more popular for Albanians.
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Anonymous11:53
And Tirana is only 45 minutes to Elbasan, so it might be a catchment area too.
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Anonymous12:34
there is no bus to Ohrid town even
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Anonymous12:51
60 km apart and you need one hour and a half...
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Anonymous11:54
Good thing Balkan airports consider the power of their catchment areas.
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Anonymous04:36
Are there pax numbers for ohrid or skopje yet ?
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