NEWS FLASH
Salzburg Airport has said it is positively surprised by the strong demand for the newly launched service between Niš and the Austrian city. Air Serbia commenced two weekly flights between the two on August 2. Salzburg Airport spokesperson, Alexander Klaus, told the Austrian public broadcaster ORF, “There are around four million potential customers living within our catchment area, especially near the border with Germany where there is a large Serbian community, as well as those originating from other regions in the Balkans. The average occupancy rate has been more than satisfactory for this new route, and the connection is in astonishing demand”. Franz Schausberger, the Special Advisor of the EU Commission for the Western Balkans, noted, “The new nonstop service allows the region around Niš in south-east Serbia to establish further trade cooperation and can be a driving force for tourism, which also demonstrates trust in Salzburg as a location. I hope that the connection between these two important European regions will be used intensively, and ties Serbia even closer to the EU”.
Salzburg Airport has said it is positively surprised by the strong demand for the newly launched service between Niš and the Austrian city. Air Serbia commenced two weekly flights between the two on August 2. Salzburg Airport spokesperson, Alexander Klaus, told the Austrian public broadcaster ORF, “There are around four million potential customers living within our catchment area, especially near the border with Germany where there is a large Serbian community, as well as those originating from other regions in the Balkans. The average occupancy rate has been more than satisfactory for this new route, and the connection is in astonishing demand”. Franz Schausberger, the Special Advisor of the EU Commission for the Western Balkans, noted, “The new nonstop service allows the region around Niš in south-east Serbia to establish further trade cooperation and can be a driving force for tourism, which also demonstrates trust in Salzburg as a location. I hope that the connection between these two important European regions will be used intensively, and ties Serbia even closer to the EU”.
Nice. Good to hear.
ReplyDeleteNo surprise there.
ReplyDeleteAnd I remember how people were saying that the EU will be furious about Serbian subsidies for JU and now their official is actually praising them. :D
ReplyDeleteI hope JU adds at least another flight next summer.
I hope they replace BUD with something else.
DeleteThey can replace it with more flights to TIV and SZG.
DeleteTivat 5x a week +
DeletePodgorica 2x a week ?
I don't think TGD would work from INI, TIV is because of the coast and tourists. That is why it's seasonal.
DeleteTIV will be full even if they are daily flts.
DeleteSalzburg can actually be considered as a semi primary airport. After all, in Austria there is a huge Yugo diaspora especially from Serbia.
ReplyDeleteThis in turn doesn't mean that Austrians cannot visit Serbia for tourism and explore the south.
Of course but I think such routes are initially sustained by gasto passengers before tourists start arriving. I think this will be on of the routes people from the wider region use!
DeleteGo JU, go!
Hope INI handles close to 50.000 passengers this month.
ReplyDeleteLF on the newly introduced INI flights have clearly been nothing short of extraordinary given the short amount of time that they've been operating. Salzburg demand was never really in question (and neither was the demand to/from Germany, Gothenburg and Rome). Bologna and Ljubljana have been very pleasant surprises (given the witness accounts on the forum) and the only one in question really is Budapest. They are outrageously cheap though, so I guess we shouldn't be surprised.
ReplyDeleteWith LJU being such a success could we maybe see INI ZAG flights in the future?
DeleteFrom what I heard from JU crew, SZG airport has some issues with the approach, there A319 cannot land with more than 105 pax.
DeleteFew weeks ago they sent A320 from INI to SZG. That was funny swap of planes. A320 flew from BEG to TIV, than TIV to INI, INI SZG, SZG INI, INI FCO and finally FCO BEG :D
The payload restriction was eventually overcome as pilots got the training or documents they needed or something like that, cant remember now.
DeleteIn winter and for charters some widebodies operate into Salzburg. Also A330-300. There are no payload restrictions for any other airlines there.
Delete@An.12.36
DeleteI think RJK seasonal would be better choice. Lot of people from southern Serbia in RJK region, Istria, Slovenian coast, plus tourists from southern Serbia. I saw lot of plates this and last summer from Nis, Leskovac, Pirot, Knjazevac, Zajecar, Vranje, Krusevac....
RJK is subsidizing JU flights from BEG which are doing quite ok (between 30 and 50 pax per flight from what I heard) so maybe they could subsidize some from INI as well, at least in summer. It could also attract tourists and it would be cheaper than to fly to PUY?
DeleteWith such unprecedented successes I am sure INI will easily have over 400.000 this year. I wouldn't be surprised if next year they overtake Tuzla.
ReplyDeleteSalzburg is beautiful city. That and great diaspora are win win
ReplyDeleteThis route also attracts passengers from southern Bavaria.
ReplyDeleteWould Innsbruck or Graz work for AS?
ReplyDeleteGraz, I have my doubts. Innsbruck is a big maybe.
DeleteSo definitely maybe, well said.
DeleteI still think that two daily flights from INI to BEG could work for connecting passengers. All these new flights from Niš has proven that there is a demand to travel to and from Southern Serbia.
ReplyDeleteLack of available turboprops and 'domestic' garda or terminal at BEG Is the Man trasom
DeleteGarda - gate. Man tresom - Main reason. Autocorrect - Fake invention.
DeleteBEG could create a special passage way for INI flights or make some sort of other allowances.
DeleteAs for the ATRs, that is a problem. When they add another ATR then INI should be a new destination.
Anybody knows the LF on the INI-BUD-INI flights?
ReplyDeleteThis is great, I never expected SZG to be such a success. Great for JU, INI and SZG. Maybe JU should consider flights from BEG where they could also rely on feed. It would be about the same distance as to PRG so an Atr could fly the route.
ReplyDeleteMaribor!!! Catching Styria, Graz, Zagreb
ReplyDelete+ low charges/fees in Maribor would add to profitabillity of the route
DeleteSuch a bowl of crap. He should know this is exclusively gastarbeiter traffic and should act accordingly. Recognize Salzburg as a destination my ass. Such pretentious Austrian prick.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you expect him to say? SZG is performing well because we are a gasterbajter heaven? Of course not, he wants to promote his city and to make it more than it is. Everyone does it really.
DeleteTBH I know plenty of people that visit the region because it's pretty
Delete