EX-YU airports to negotiate new routes

Airports from the former Yugoslavia will be taking part in the upcoming 25th World Route Development Forum in Adelaide, Australia from September 21 where the most senior representatives from airlines, airports and tourism authorities meet, plan and discuss new and existing global air services. The airports in Zagreb, Ljubljana, Rijeka, Zadar and Belgrade, through operator VINCI, will be present at the event.

Zagreb Airport, which is nominated for the Routes Europe Marketing Award at the summit, which recognises outstanding marketing support that airports provide to their airline partners, said, “We are in talks with a number of airlines over the introduction of new routes, however, as the negotiations are ongoing and confidential, we are unable to provide further information at this time”. Russian carriers have shown increased interest in the Croatian capital with both Azur Air and iFly granted permits by their country’s regulator to operate flights from Moscow and Sochi to Zagreb respectively, if they choose to exercise those rights. Furthermore, under a three-year development plan to reboot the ailing Alitalia starting from 2020, the carrier intends on launching flights from Rome to Zagreb. Two airlines from the United States have also expressed interest in introducing nonstop services to the Croatian capital. The Director of the Croatian National Tourist Office in New York, Ina Rodin, recently said, "We are in serious talks with two large carriers and we hope that within the next two to three years we can establish nonstop flights between New York and Zagreb". Negotiations with Chinese carriers are ongoing with the airport previously noting, "We anticipate finalising talks over the arrival of a Chinese carrier because Croatia is becoming of growing interest to Chinese tourists. There is also an increasing number of Chinese investments in Croatia and we believe we will be able to find a common ground for the introduction of flights from a Chinese city".

Several cities have recently expressed interest in establishing nonstop flights to Belgrade Airport, with talks between relevant stakeholders currently taking place. The airport’s operator noted, “We are working on bringing new airlines to Belgrade. We never make announcements before the carrier itself but we have nonstop flights to Europe, and we are looking to considerably increase frequencies on those services. We must now open new routes so we can secure sustainable growth in the coming years”. The Moroccan Ambassador to Serbia has reiterated plans to connect the two countries with a nonstop air service. "The increase in the number of tourists from Serbia to Morocco is our utmost goal, and in this sense, strengthening Morocco's air connectivity and its accessibility is at the heart of our concerns”. Furthermore, the Mayor of the Black Sea resort city of Sochi in Russia has initiated the introduction of flights to Belgrade, while the Lviv Regional State Administration in Ukraine has also said it is working on establishing services to the Serbian capital. “Serbian tourists have shown great interest in travelling around Ukraine. The Lviv region has something to show, surprise and please Serbian tourists, so we are working on the introduction of flights to Belgrade".

Ljubljana Airport is also heading to the summit, confident of securing new flights and discussing potential route launches with relevant stakeholders. “We are very keen to connect with the Iberian Peninsula, as well as Scandinavia and North Germany, and we are in constant contact with airlines”, the airport said recently. It added that in the coming months it anticipates progress in terms of route development, but that it cannot provide further information at this time. One of the airport’s main goals continues to be securing services to the Gulf. “We are constantly working on the Gulf area, so we are very active in that respect. It is one of the most important goals not only for Fraport and the Slovenian National Tourism Board, but also for the country and the airport itself. The more direct routes, the more investors there will be, as well as more tourists. So, the Gulf is our priority”, it said.

World Routes is the largest global annual event of its kind and the largest and most prestigious event in the Routes portfolio. The core of World Routes is the face-to-face meetings between travel industry stakeholders which take place throughout the duration of the event, allowing them to plan future operations.

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