NEWS FLASH
Belgrade Airport has continued to record strong passenger growth, positioning itself among the fastest growing within non-European Union markets and the ninetieth busiest on the continent during the first three quarters. In September, the airport welcomed 647.005 travellers, representing an increase of 11.9% on last year. Commercial aircraft movements stood at 6.097, up 10.7%. During the first three quarters, it handled 4.751.946 passengers through its doors, an increase of 7.9%, while commercial movements improved 7% to 47.728.
| Month | PAX | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| JAN | 347.544 | ▲ 4.1 |
| FEB | 315.717 | ▲ 6.1 |
| MAR | 372.122 | ▲ 1.6 |
| APR | 467.469 | ▲ 4.4 |
| MAY | 507.633 | ▲ 5.9 |
| JUN | 602.466 | ▲ 11.7 |
| JUL | 734.898 | ▲ 9.4 |
| AUG | 757.062 | ▲ 9.8 |
| SEP | 647.005 | ▲ 11.9 |
Finally full detailed stats, not rounded numbers.
ReplyDeleteNice! So we are past five million by now?
ReplyDeleteAnyone know how October performed?
ReplyDeleteOctober was around 13.5%
DeleteSo how many passengers does that make it?
DeleteA lot!
DeleteJuly, August and September has growing percentage of growth which I think is the most impressive part. H1 2020 should be equally impressive.
ReplyDeleteWow, this is amazing!
ReplyDeleteWell done BEG!
I guess 6.2 is all but confirmed this year, next year close to 6.7 or maybe even 6.8
ReplyDeleteResults of the three closest Balkan airports in September:
ReplyDeleteSKG: 740.995 (-1.1%)
BEG: 647.005 (+11.9%)
SOF: 622.615 (-3.9%)
SKG returned to growth in October while SOF kept on decreasing. Let's see BEG when they publish the numbers.
This is the best way to compare airports, and not their geographic proximity (like constantly comparing INI to SKP which have absolutely nothing in common by any standards)
DeleteLets see if BEG keeps it up in 2020... ;)
DeleteWhat an impressive year. Who would have though BEG would start overtaking SOF!
DeleteAnon 12.37
DeleteWhy wouldn't BEG keep up this growth? Can you give us some arguments why you are feeling so insecure about the airport's future?!
In the first six months of 2020 BEG will have new destinations such as Krasnodar, Helsinki, Kyiv, Rijeka, Madrid, Barcelona ... so expect double digit growth until June, at least.
Delete12:38
DeleteYeah, BEG surpassed SOF when JU was born. Not the first time but still 1 million difference inspite of double digit.
Yes one million down from 1.5 million difference, it's not bad. Also we have to see how SOF performs in November and December. BEG should have solid growth, will SOF?
DeleteHopefully in April 2020 we get more than 500.000 passengers especially since that's when LO will operate daily flights from Budapest.
ReplyDeleteCould we expact any new airline soon? And yes, anyone knows what is happening with Mahan Air flight?
ReplyDeleteNothing is happening. It is a seasonal route which ended at the end of October.
DeleteWe are getting Eurowings from STR, flights start from 21.05.
Deletealso LOT will start budapest flights in the end of march
DeleteExtra flights next year:
ReplyDeleteAMS HV +1
STR EW +1
ZRH LX +5
BUD LO +7
BCN JU +1
FKB W6 +1
That's extra 16 flights at the moment plus all of JU extra frequencies in H1 2020. Belgrade is definitely passing 7 million passengers next year.
Yeah, with 16 flights you can make wonders
DeleteLol @ W6
DeleteJU will be increasing frequencies much more than one BCN pre week. Hopefully we get new route announcements in Winter/Spring of 2020.
DeleteI`d love LIS as I have never visited Portugal.
Does anybody know what happened to long haul expansion that was planned by JU for 2020? Is there any expansion of routes in sight (either long or short haul)?
DeleteI think long-haul was put on hold until the airport is expanded. There is just no room for another widebody during JU waves. BEG is in desperate need of extra space.
DeleteLooks like all the money they had allocated for supporting Air Serbia long haul is now redirected to supporting growth within region and Europe. Air Serbia Belgrade-New York JFK service will probably end after next summer in my opinion.
DeleteSo you concluded that based on "your opinion" it is "probably ending". Anything else in your crystal ball?
Delete@Anonymous 15 November 2019 at 13:41
DeleteDoes not sound like a good explanation. Last year BEG handled three widebodies at the same time (Air Serbia A330, Hainan A330 and Mahan A340) and they managed it well, so they don't need more gates. Air Serbia had a string of excuses for not expanding long haul. In 2016/2017 they said JFK service needs 2-3 years to stabilize, then in 2018 they said more time is needed as they are working on bilaterals, now in 2019 they need more gates, LOL. Everything points no no more long haul from Air Serbia.
Other than that being your hope and dreams you might be uninformed that half of BEG's gates will be inaccessible in 2020 because of terminal expansion.
DeleteNeither Mahan nor Hainan flew during the rush hour, they flew once JU planes had left so there was more than enough room. If you read more carefully what I wrote then you would notice that I said there was no more room during the JU waves, not overall.
DeleteIt's not a crystal ball, just some trends. For example, public figures were quite chatty couple of years ago regarding Air Serbia long haul expansion. Only crickets could be heard in the last year or so. Second one is related to ASA with Canada. It's done and yet no action on Air Serbia side. Third one is fastest growing inbound tourist market, China. Instead of Air Serbia using an opportunity, president recently went on a record asking an official from China to consider flights to Serbia.
DeleteBecause they know how expensive JFK flights are and adding a second long haul would cost a lot more. JU IS focused on short haul flights.
DeleteChinese arrivals aren't that high to warrant non stop flights. Look at how long it took for a second Russian to be successful in Belgrade.
DeleteChinese tourists love flying on their Airlines, Air Serbia starting China flights would fail big time. They better stick to North America IF they decide to start a new transatlantic flight. I personally hope no long haul expansion in 2020, they should strengthen their existing routes.
DeleteExactly, I'd rather see them increase regional flying, they desperately need that.
DeleteWe all agree, it is more likely Air Serbia will grow short haul than long haul in 2020. Forgot to mention VINCI also said they are working on bringing airlines, they just need more time on flights over 7 hours. Another pointer to other airlines opening more long haul at BEG and therefore less opportunity for Air Serbia to do so. My conclusion is A330 will be around for one more summer, but I could be wrong. OH look at three of them at the same time at BEG, third is Qeshm Air wide body:
Deletehttps://youtu.be/223LGxlDGwA?t=32
"Chinese tourists love flying on their Airlines, Air Serbia starting China flights would fail big time"
DeleteYet the number of Chinese arrivals to BEG skyrocketed even after Hainan stopped flying. Seems they are okay flying Turkish, Aeroflot and other one-stop options, so why wouldn't they accept well planned Air Serbia seasonal service with great onward connections to high demand regional destinations like some Adriatic airports? Best of all, demand from China is sure to grow by leaps and bounds year after year, so revenue and yield is sure to get better with time.
Because most of those are NOT coming just to Serbia. They often have Eastern European routes that take weeks. Most of them enter Europe in Budapest or other country and then travel the region.
DeleteI am not saying Chinese would not use Air Serbia, it is just that they would much rather use their airline than Air Serbia, if they had an option to pick between the two.
Even though Serbia will become number 1 ex-YU destination for the Chinese, it's still not enough for non-stop flights. I think it will happen once we hit 500.000 visitors.
DeleteOk then, lets just sit around and wait. In 2022 we might have merged Air Canada/Transat fly to Belgrade from Toronto, Shanghai Airlines fly from Shanghai and American Airlines fly from PHL or ORD. There would be no need for Air Serbia to fly long haul.
DeleteBut if JU is not ready or willing to then let others step in and do their own thing, I have nothing against that to be honest. I think Hainan could have done better if there was no PRG stop, oh well ... what to do.
DeleteAnon at 16:55, you sound exactly like some LH, OS or LO executive. Back in the day when JAT was forced to suspend long haul and other international flying, LH and OS were overjoyed.
DeleteAir Serbia/Etihad made huge efforts to start long haul flying, lease A330, train crew, get approvals etc. It would be faaaaar better to incrementally add long haul destinations and strengthen the overall network than to let all the effort and investments made since 2016 into long haul go to waste. Damage would be irreversible, Air Serbia as a short haul only carrier would eventually succumb to lowcosters and LH. Commitment to long haul is the ONLY sure way ahead for Air Serbia.
I am not saying they should give up on long-haul flying, far from it. All I am saying is that before they add any new far away destinations they should work on expanding their short-haul flying. Tirana and Skopje were great moves after JP died but there is still a lot of work to be done. KRR needs to be at least 5 weekly, SKG daily in winter, OTP 10 to 11, SOF as well ... once they achieve this adding long-haul flights will be so easy, look at LO. They can add destinations left and right because they built a solid foundation.
Delete"before they add any new far away destinations they should work on expanding their short-haul flying"
DeleteAir Serbia did exactly that in 2014 and then had to pull back in 2015 as it was not sustainable. Then again they had expansion drive in the summer of 2016 only to partially pull back once again. Original Air Serbia plan was to serve all regional destinations with double daily and that didn't work out, with a couple of exceptions. Waiting few more years for regional frequencies to increase did not work and has no chance of success.
Every single excuse for Air Serbia to delay long haul expansion has been firmly defeated here. Since 2016 many airports in the wider region received new long haul services (AC, TS, AA, KE etc) and if trend continues BEG will also have other long haul airlines serving it. By that time it will be impossible for Air Serbia to start long haul since competitors started first.
Once again, it comes down to two choices for Air Serbia: 1: expand long haul right away or 2: completely stop A330 experiment when convenient to cancel lease, probably in early 2021. Since there is no action on option 1, everything points to Government/Air Serbia management quietly deciding to proceed with option 2.
Idiotic post. Are you aware JU actually boosted regional destinations this winter? What are you going on about? Their overall timetable this winter is actually quite respectable. You first make sure your short haul is solid before expanding expensive long haul flights. You seem to be totally clueless on the matter.
DeleteIt is clear from my posts that I have been following Air Serbia very closely for years, so no need for that second sentence of yours. Actually that impressive winter boost of regional destinations and frequencies did absolutely NOTHING to increase winter frequency of BEG-JFK service. It is still at HISTORICAL LOW of two per week except during holiday peaks. Just cold facts, no need for insults.
DeleteYou obviously don't understand how aviation works. JU can't launch long haul flights because local demand isn't strong enough, they need extra passengers from transfer flights. They already have a loss making JFK yet you are advocating that more loss making flights will somehow add together to give a profit.
DeleteAlso you might want to check out Aegean which is extremely profitable while not having a single flight over five hours.
DeleteAegean has nothing to do with this! Ryanair or Wizz are also profitable without long hall yet you don't see LH cutting all long haul because of that!
Delete"JU can't launch long haul flights because local demand isn't strong enough, they need extra passengers from transfer flights"
BEG-BEY doesn't have enough local demand yet it works great because of transfers to places like CDG.
JFK had enough transfers from day 1. Look at LF from Jul and Aug 2016 for a proof. Their problem was low yield and seasonality. JFK route is PROFITABLE in the summer months. Therefore adding more seasonal services will help them become more profitable while on the other hand give them more flexibility to deal with seasonality. Try understanding some basics before insulting others.
I hope JU adds more flights to LJU. Today's LJU-BEG has 62/66 passengers! That's the noon departure.
ReplyDeleteLH with A321 today in the middle of November!
DeleteA321 tomorrow again. ;)
DeleteThe huge influence of JU in LJU :D :D
DeleteArrival of SN and double daily SU are bad news for JU.
How is SN a threat to JU when their flights offer next to no connecting opportunities in BRU? It's purely O&D. SN from LJU is a much bigger threat to OU's ZAG-BRU.
DeleteFunny how everything these days is a threat to JU yet it is the only ex-YU airline to grow and BEG is the only airport to have serious year-round growth.
DeleteJU A319 to LJU today. Their passenger numbers must be through the roof if they are sending the Airbus in the middle of winter.
DeleteLots of A321s today: LH, LH, TK, TK and SU.
DeleteIs there some event taking place in Belgrade today? There is a TK flight to Adana, Ukraine International E90 and the strangest of them all ... Luxair Q400.
ReplyDeleteLuxiar Q400 is picking up Luxembourg team that played qualifier for Euro 2020 last night in Belgrade, Ukraine International brought Ukrainian football team that are playing the qualifier tonight.
DeleteCool, thanks for the info! Hope Luxair becomes a regular.
DeleteThat is pretty good stretch for the Q400 going all the way to Luxemburg!!
DeleteI know it's a charter flight but still... Impressive. And humble for a team that comes from a country like Luxemburg!!
BEG just keeps on thriving! Vinci was right to pay all that money for the concession.
ReplyDeleteYet Wizz Air is just existing in BEG, more of the same, every year they just keep on posting more of the same. It's time for them to bring a third A320. With it they could boost Malmo to daily, increase Gothenburg and why not even use it for some W pattern flights that include INI? Wizz Air is losing marketshare but all they care about is to complain about the new reality.
ReplyDeleteAt least JU is growing and expanding - good for them.
They started Lyon seasonal flights this year
DeleteUnfortunately Air France and Flydubai are not daily as announced here on this blog .
ReplyDeleteTell us more.
DeleteNot true. Flydubai is daiily from December 1 until the start of summer. Air France is daily. Stop spreading fake news without doing any checks.
DeleteI firmly believe FZ will be increasing BEG soon. What could be the schedule for additional flights?
DeleteFlydubai was scheduled as daily throughout winter as this site announced but they removed two weekly flights in November and part of December because of a fleet shortage.
DeleteAnd Air France is five times a week as for example yesterday there was no flight.
DeleteThats not fake news but proven by Belgrade airports official webpage and flightradar24.
In seasonal timetable on Belgrade Airport website Air France is daily
DeleteAir France
saobraća 27.10. do 27.03.
Pon Uto Sre Čet Pet Sub Ned
Actually I heard from a reliable source that AF is really not doing well in Belgrade.
DeleteAF informs on their web site that their code share partner to BEG is JAT Airways!
DeleteSo unprofessional to call your partners by outdated names ...
DeleteHow reliable is the seasonal timetable on beg.aero? They have Aviogenex flights to AYT
Deletelol
It's not a mistake. It's a Belarussian cargo company that uses the name now.
Deletehttp://www.genex.by/
As somebody mentioned October growth was even 13,5%, while November will have just slightly worse percentage, but surely double digit.
ReplyDeleteJU is registering unbelievable increase in pax numbers these days, even more than 25% yoy.
DeleteSuch growth and traffic figures are unprecedented in the exyu region. I'm disappointed that this is relegated to just a newsflash. ��
ReplyDelete+100
Delete-100
Delete+300
DeleteThis is incredible. Belgrade is booming. I can't wait to see what JU is preparing next summer.
ReplyDeleteImpressive... But it all comes at a cost for JU employees...
DeleteHuh?
DeleteThey have the biggest salaries in the country.
Money is not everything.... There has to be a balance between work and time spent with family. Not saying it's doom and gloom but this summer was a very strenuous on everyone. Flights ops, maintenance, planning.... Just to name some
DeleteWould it be better to have less operations and to get fired?
DeleteFor the work they do they are overpaid
I love these people who comfortably decide whether someone is "overpaid" for their work or not.
DeleteAccording to Serbian standards more than overpaid
Delete