Air Serbia has handled over 2.5 million passengers in 2019 and is on course to register its busiest year since its relaunch in 2013. Last Friday, the airline surpassed its 2018 end-of-year result, welcoming 2.512.324 travellers on board its aircraft from its Belgrade base alone. The carrier also maintains ten routes from Niš Constantine the Great Airport. “The entire Air Serbia team is responsible for this exceptional result. With hard work, dedication, strategic planning and timely recognition of opportunities in the market, we are setting new records. The ending year was marked by growth that has never been stronger and we are planning to continue with this tempo in the future as well”, Air Serbia’s General Manager for Commercial and Strategy, Jiri Marek, said. The airline is expected to overtake its busiest year, in 2016, when it handled 2.62 million passengers.
The Serbian carrier plans to further grow its destination network this month. This week it is expected to schedule and put on sale flights between Kraljevo and Vienna from mid-December, while it will also resume services from Belgrade to Istanbul on December 11 following a two-and-a-half-year hiatus. It follows on from the nine new routes introduced from the Serbian capital this summer and twelve from Niš, with the latter being fully subsidised by the state. This October, Air Serbia’s passenger numbers increased 13.6%, while its November figures grew 25%. “We are working hard on making the next twelve months even better for our guests. A solid foundation and a strong wind in our sails have been provided by these results. We have continued to post exceptionally good operating results from the summer season into October and November, which were previously considered as slower months of the year”, the company said.
Air Serbia’s CEO, Duncan Naysmith, noted, “A year ago, when we commemorated the fifth anniversary of the launch of our operations under the name of Air Serbia, we had twelve very challenging months ahead of us. From that perspective, our plans might have appeared exceptionally ambitious, and some of them even extremely difficult. However, nonetheless we succeeded”. He added, “Today, we operate flights to a total of sixty destinations - half as many more than a year ago. This winter we have over 100 additional flights per week compared to the previous winter season. We’ve also introduced, and continue to introduce, numerous technical innovations that will ease our business and ensure our daily operations run smoother and with far greater efficiency”.
Comments
I do not know which ones or even if they sre short haul or long haul...
I just hope we have more good news coming from JU next year :)
They'll carry 45% or so this year. Hopefully the percentage go up next year too
Balkans,
Prishtina, Varna, Ohrid, Maribor, Niš
Euro,
Munich, Warsaw, Odessa,
Americas,
Chicago, Toronto
Asia,
Ankara, Beijing, Singapore, Delhi, Tehran
I really don't understand, people usually complaining about lack of details, and now when details are visible there are some that want to hide them :))
It is better to give only info for BEG flights as it has a much better loads.
You should really give them your money directly instead of the Government forcing everyone to do the same.
Forcing every Serb whether they fly or not to also give them money is wrong.
They do not need now new 5 years disaster. Better to develop first European / North African network
It would be crazy to open DUB or LIS, but realistically they could open ODS, CLJ, LWO, AMM
They invest it in new destinations and further development
1. Seasonality is even more extreme than JFK
2. Slots that work to JU's network are not available
3. Toronto airport is one of if not, THE most expensive airport to fly to
Even Lisbon could work if they manage to provide feed with TAP or LATAM to South America or provide feed to Lisbon from points east of Belgrade. It is up to them to do crunch the numbers.
Nothing will change unless JU either expands with another A330 or cancels long haul all together. I honestly dont think Vucic would allow JFK to end.
2nd A332 should come to boost JFK to daily and to launch a new destination (YYZ, PVG, ORD).
If JU dabbles with the SSJ, this may be an inexpensive way to relieve pressure on the ATR's and replace the A319's on a few routes.
Regards,
Eight
9A-CTA was produced in 1980 / 1981 and its first registration was D-ABFK in February 1981
The olderst YU-AND in JU's fleet was produced in 1985. It is old but not older than the plane produced in 1981
1.Krakow (Poland noticeably missing from the route network - LOT has WAW covered but Krakow is a very popular destination for Serbians and it has a very large catchment area as well).
2.Ohrid (seasonal) - Likely now to come back, hopefully with a better schedule than last time
3.Lviv - with Kiev being a relative success and Lviv having previously been mentioned as seeking flights to BEG, it would be a good one to have a crack at. Plus it can be served by an ATR.
4.Tbilisi - visas no longer required, the whole region is unserved from Belgrade in terms of direct flights and with KRR being such a success for transfers, I feel that they're going to want to venture out to one of the three Caucasus countries.
5.Palma de Mallorca (seasonal) - it is already covered by charters but nowhere near as frequently as some of the others. It's a growing destination in popularity in Serbia (as is Spain in general) and I think will slot in really well perhaps 2 weekly to begin with.
6.Casablanca - To be announced together with the mutual abolishment of visas between Morocco and Serbia.
7.Riga / Amman / Dublin - something left of field that noone sees coming, which will rely on transfers to the region, just like the HEL/KRR additions. I feel that Lisbon will come on next year but not with Air Serbia, I can see it more likely being easyjet or another low-cost carrier, which is why I've left that one out.
Fun to speculate either way :)
Krakow & Lviv might work, could be surprise success, similar to HEL.
Tbilisi might work, but Baku might also be interesting.
Palma de Mallorca I don't see working. This is more of a summer charter destination.
Casablanca / Amman, could work and have similar success as Cairo and Beirut.
Riga / Dublin could work, and also be surprise hits.
I think Odessa could also work.
Cheers mate.
Syntax, grammar ... try some commas man.
KRK and LWO seem both as destinations where the A319 would be too much capacity, meaning ATR, which is not available, or a regional jet.
Expanding in the Caucuses seems logical, and I think TBS or EVN would be great additions for the midnight wave.
AMM I think would do well considering the other ME destinations do well. I would go a step further and say DAM, EBL or BGW. All are possible without crew layover and fit well in the midnight schedule.
OHD would probably work if JU could free an ATR during the midday wave.
As for PMI, if any seasonal charter should be upgraded to seasonal scheduled, it should be AYT going by the amount of flights JU operate there. PMI I dont see happening.
Not tired of repeating that mantra?
When is the Max coming back?