Air Serbia temporarily suspends Beirut service

NEWS FLASH


Air Serbia will temporarily suspend services between Belgrade and Beirut from March until June. The last service to the Lebanese capital is scheduled to depart on March 4, while flights are due to resume on June 12. The cancellations come as a result of an economic crisis which has gripped the Middle Eastern country. Lebanon is currently facing a fiscal, debt and currency crisis, with its economy almost out of dollars while the local pound has lost over 60% of its value against the dollar. Lebanon’s state-owned carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA) recently reversed a decision to accept payments only in US dollars after a backlash. Air Serbia currently maintains three weekly flights to Beirut, with operations to increase to daily in June. The route is heavily dependent on transfer passengers.

Comments

  1. Anonymous11:52

    So how come other carriers can make it work and they are not suspending or reducing flights?

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:03

      You were reading my thoughts. I think BEY is highly seasonal judging from other airlines in the region. B2 from MSQ is seasonal, FB from SOF is seasonal, A9 from TBS is seasonal.
      The rest are year round because they are bigger or closer to the region.

      Delete
    2. This isn't Serbia's fault.
      Currently there are foreign currency and capital controls in Lebanon that you can NOT take foreign currencies out of the country legally!
      All foreign airlines can not repatriate their proceeds from local ticket sales.
      Also Lebanese citizens can not withdraw foreign currencies from their bank accounts. And even bank account in local currency allows only a very small amount to be withdrawn every day so that a bank run is avoided.
      Of course the Lebanese are trying to get rid of their Lebanese money by buying dollars and Euros in the black market before their savings lose all value.
      Airlines such as AF, TK, A3 etc can afford to fly to BEY and wait/hope that eventually things will return to normal. JU probably can not afford the exposure.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:43

      People were protesting demanding change and now their country is collapsing, you should never listen to the mod protesting in the streets, they are driven by emotions.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:50

      It depends on where the PoS is. If it is indeed in Lebanon (transfers from Lebanon), then the situation have worsened. If it is in the country of origin (tourists, including pilgrims, business from outside Lebanon), then no problem. If you sell tickets via your website and have no bank accounts in Lebanon, which is the case for all airlines excluding local ones, fx restrictions don't matter.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:51

      Before launching a route you have to carefully study what the situation with the country is. When you say it is not JU´s fault, then who´s fault is it?
      And precisely, BEY is a big vulture territory which is dominated by the bigger airlines.
      This is not the first time. We had similar cases with BUD, VAR, HAM, OHD and so on. They launch the route and suspend it. More deep research must be made.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous12:55

      Exactly, so far no airline has reduced BEY over this, JU is slowly giving up. My guess is there is too much competition and besides the price, what is there really that makes JU worth paying a bit more to fly with other than the price? Nothing. That's why airlines like Aegean and Turkish Airlines destroyed them in Beirut. Maybe they should stick to markets like Rostov or Krasnodar where there is less competition.

      I fear this is not the first cancellation we will read about. I have a feeling KIV is next. After yesterday's news about the CEO JU really didn't need this.

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    7. Anon at 12:50
      Tickets sold to Lebanese based customers need to have the money from their Lebanese bank accounts transferred to Serbia.
      That is not allowed by the Lebanese government since October.
      Even MEA at one point was only selling tickets for Dollars and Euros instead of the local currency because it has become worthless.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous13:02

      @12.55

      Air Serbia has been flying to Beirut for 6 years and been adding frequencies year after year. It's not a market they entered yesterday.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous13:06

      Actually in summer they were flying daily since the beginning and in winter they kept on reducing each year until this year when they finally capitulated and cut flights. Someone needs to be held responsible for this bad network planning.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous13:15

      "That's why airlines like Aegean and Turkish Airlines destroyed them "

      FYI Air Serbia has more frequencies to BEY than A3.

      They both fly daily in summer while A3 flies 1-2 less weekly frequencies in winter down from 4-5.

      You should get first informed before writing nonsense.

      Air Serbia is very popular in Lebanon, flies there for years and has transported hundrends of thousands of passengers.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous13:16

      BEY was four weekly in summer and three in winter when they started.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous13:16

      Re happy taxpayer 12:55:

      If your PoS is outside Lebanon (meaning you sell tickets primarily to clients outside Lebanon flying TO Lebanon and back and not to Lebanese clients flying FROM Lebanon and back), which is probably the case for most of the airlines continuing their venture in Lebanon, there is no issue. They don't sell so many tickets to the Lebanese (or at least to the Lebanese not having accounts abroad), so that it would lead to the need to cancel the flights, at least for now.

      Delete
    13. Anonymous13:17

      A3 flies only twice weekly in winter.

      Delete
    14. Anonymous13:21

      Really very bad network planning - 15 new destinations opened within 12 months.

      Shame on you Air Serbia - how couldn't you improve economic situation in Lebanon?

      Delete
    15. Anonymous14:31

      Re anon 13:21:

      Apply logic. 15 new destinations opened within 12 months means A LOT of network planning. It does not mean GOOD or BAD network planning. Whether it was good or bad network planning will be possible to judge only after some time.

      Delete
    16. Anonymous15:09

      Sorry but network managers seem to be opening destinations without any logic.

      Delete
    17. Anonymous15:33

      We get it, you want JU to fail. Unless they expand to 250 destinations while not suspending (even temporarily) a single one, they are FAILING. BAD NETWORK PLANNING, DISASTROUS MANAGEMENT. #SAD

      Delete
    18. Anonymous15:47

      That 'not any logic' network which is very alike to the one of Aegean in the East (i guess not very logic as well) has already brought 30% more passengers this winter.

      Truth to be told OU is the one that holds the road to wisdom. 1-2 new destinations a year a get over with.

      The only ones risking anything are the ones actually doing something.

      Delete
    19. Anonymous16:15

      Maybe would be nice if JU Also filled Aegean to profitability and not only network. LOL!

      Delete
    20. Anonymous16:29

      They're on that way.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous12:20

    AS ponovo reaguje brzo i pravovremeno na situaciju kao i u slucaju LJU i IST. Situacija u Libanu je po prilicno ozbiljna
    http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/446670/Svet/Libanska-vlada-poslednje-sanse

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  3. Anonymous12:24

    Very good move to avoid making losses.

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  4. Anonymous13:41

    to blame the economic situation of the country when no other airline is cancelling their flights is abit apologetic imho. its not the end of the world if BEY doesnt work for JU

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:43

      Read the discussion above to understand why the economic situation is the case.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous13:55

    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/poverty-set-deepen-lebanons-economic-crisis-200101093225897.html

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  6. Anonymous14:16

    I went to BEY with JU last year in May for a weekend trip. Worthwhile visiting. Around 50 ppl from BEG on the way there and back 13 ppl on an A319. Poor man business class for 180 rt from ZAG.

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    1. Anonymous15:08

      Wow that's bad, no wonder they are suspending BEY. I have a feeling AMM will be the same as markets are identical.

      Delete
    2. Actually the BEY and AMM markets are very different.

      There is a huge Lebanese diaspora - some people say even 10 million - living in places like France or US. Jordanian diaspora is much smaller, less than 1 million and living mostly in the GCC countries (not using JU therefore).

      Moreover, even in crisis, Lebanon has a GDP per capita twice as big as Jordan.

      Lastly, mentality is much different. Lebanese are much more open to the world.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:14

      So what you are saying is that if they couldn't make BEY work then AMM won't too?

      Delete
    4. In my opinion AMM will be very difficult to make it work.

      In case of BEY, it has been working somehow for a long time. Now, in my opinion they are overreacting a bit.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous15:51

    Temporary zna u nasim krajevima jako brzo da poste permanent. VLC, OSL, BUD a sada BEY, ovo ne sluti na dobro. Ko god radi na mrezi JU ne radi dobro svoj posao. Aman ljudi pa nije JU QR pa da ima milijarde da trosi na neke tamo linije. Neko je ocito preambiciozno usao u sve ovo i umislio da JU zaparvo moze izvuci sve ove letove. Rezanje letnjeg reda letenja je pocelo i pre same sezone kada se istorijski raspada red letenja.

    Evo nas u februaru a njima vec krecu da kasne letovi jer im ispadaju ATR-ovi iz saobracaja. SJJ i LJU redovno kasne po tri, cetiri sata u podnevnom spicu.

    Igraju se saobracaja jer nemaju odgovornost, sve ce to narod pozlatiti...ali ne stranci vec namuceni domaci preduzetnici koji placaju nesnosno visoke poreze kako bi se ovi izivljavali.

    Meni ne smeta da podrzimo JU u pocetku ali ovom izgleda nema kraja. Dokle? Po meni neko mora odgovarati za sve ove nesrecnje situacije. Ko ih je odobrio? Ko je mislio da ce OSL biti dobra ideja pored DY-a? Ko je mislio da ce GVA doneti pare firmi koja ih ne pravi? Jel ta ista osoba shvata da JU nije u mogucnosti da se nosi sa easyJet-om?

    Ma nema veze, Ana ce ofarbati jos neki avion u Serbia Creates i preneti jos nekoliko miliona evra na racun JU. Ako to ne upali nema veze, tu su drugi trikovi koji se koriste jos od 2013. godine.

    Toliko o tome.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:56

      A kada su tacno poceli da lete za Valnsiju i Oslo pa otkazali? Ili kada su stavili te karte u prodaju? Nikada. To su bile linije o kojima su razmisljali ali se odustalo od njih iz ko zna kojih razloga. Ali nikada nisu bile zvanicno najavljene, zapocete, niti su se karte prodavale.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:07

      Letovi su bili uneti u sistem ;)

      ...a potom odmah povucheni.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:13

      VCE kasni dva sata danas. Majko sta nas tek ceka za koji mesec

      Delete
    4. Anonymous16:28

      @15:51

      Ти си једна будала која нема појма о авио-саобраћају.

      GVA је тренутно од нових линија она која се најбоље продаје.

      VLC, OSL и BUD никад нису продавани већ само унети у систем.

      BUD је померен због мањка ATR-ова.

      Све линије отворене прошле године су успешне осим INI-BUD која је угашена и Каира који има јако сезонски карактер.

      Боже сачувај какве читамо овде будалаштине.

      Ради се о суспензији на два месеца што веома редовно компаније раде у зимској сезони (A3 или ЕК у Загребу) и то због ванредне ситуације.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous16:41

      EK in ZAG? They are not suspending flights, they are replaced with FZ, here there are not going to be any flights between BEG and BEY- huge difference! I guess the Lebanese market has rejected JU's product which is a shame.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous17:06

      They're adjusting flights based on the demand.

      That's the same thing.

      Sorry, you migh replace EK with OK if it suits you better.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous18:05

      Interesting how no one predicted doom and gloom for OK or A3 when they cut flights to Zagreb in winter.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous18:12

      @anon 16.28? svi osim INI-BUD? dali hoces da objavim statistiku za Novembar za INI-NUE,FKB i ostalo ? samo ovoliko: nisu ni 40%

      Delete
    9. Anonymous18:16

      We're talking about the BEG base.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous16:42

    Prvo skoci pa reci hop. Tako kaze nas narod.
    U narednim danima cemo videti otkaze i drugih avio kompanija. Prodaja avio karata bukvalno kao da ne postoji. Inflacija je ogromna i lokalno stanovnistvo ne kupuje karte, dijaspori ne pada na pamet da idu u zemlju koja je na ivici rata.
    Da se nadovezem na nove linije i Aman koji su svi osudili vec sada. Za Aman u junu skoro da nema mesta niti na jednom letu i razmatra se jos jedan nedelji let.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:44

      Meni se pre chini da su otvorili visoke klase, to obicno rade kompanije kada zele da zatvore neku destinaciju. Bliski istok je na ivici rata, ko ide sada tamo uopste?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:53

      Ко је на ивици рата?

      О чему ти лупаш?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:54

      Овде се ради о економској ситуацији.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous17:07

      Ma day bre, koja ekonomija, kakvi bakrachi... ovde se radi o JU koja nije uspela da se konsoliduje tamo. Zar ne vidish da samo oni gase letove... toliko o tome.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous17:17

      Само они и МЕА либанска национална авио-компанија која је у таквој кризи да је забранила плаћања националном валутом.

      Јел си ти слеп или блесав?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous17:19

      Brate nemoj da se svadjamo, nema poente. Kada jos neko smanji ili ukine BEY mozemo prichati o tim stvarima.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous17:52

      The thing that JU is doing might be actually quite right.

      Unless you claim a country on the verge of default, unrest and 60% loss of value of national currency besides Coronavirus has no effect on air travel.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous18:11

      Lebanon GDP per capita in nominal terms (2018) 9.251 USD.

      Serbia GDP per capita in nominal terms (2018) 7.223 USD.

      Delete