Turkish Airlines to resume Serbia, Bosnia and Macedonia flights


Turkish Airlines will gradually reinstate flights from its hub in Istanbul to Belgrade, Sarajevo and Skopje towards the end of the month. The carrier will serve countries with which Turkey has held direct talks with over the resumption of operations. Services to the three cities are expected to restart on June 21 and will initially run three times per week, each Monday, Friday and Sunday. Flights to Belgrade will operate with the Airbus A321 aircraft, while the A320 will be deployed to Sarajevo and Skopje. At this point, Skopje Airport remains closed, although the country’s Civil Aviation Agency has said it expects for commercial services to resume during the second half of the month. Changes to the schedule remain possible. Turkish Airlines believes it will take four months to return to near full operations. It plans to gradually build up its number of destinations to 99 countries in September although this may be subject to change in line with developments. The carrier flew to 126 countries prior to the pandemic. "Following two months spent away from the skies, our global brand is preparing for the new era by coordinating with national and international authorities", it said.

Turkish Airlines is among the busiest carriers on several markets in the former Yugoslavia, among which are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Slovenia. The airline serves a total of eight destinations in the region, including Belgrade, Dubrovnik, Ljubljana, Podgorica, Pristina, Sarajevo, Skopje and Zagreb. The Istanbul-based low cost carrier Pegasus, which also serves several destinations in the former Yugoslavia, is yet to announce its plans for the resumption of international flights, although all services have been cancelled until June 14, with the airline reinstating some domestic operations last week. Among local carriers, Air Serbia will resume services from Belgrade to Istanbul on June 15, although this is subject to change.

Instead of a meal, passengers will be issued a hygiene kit

Turkish Airlines will significantly alter its in-flight product once it resumes international flights later this month. On services from Istanbul to cities in the former Yugoslavia, business class passengers will only receive a bottle of water, while catering will be eliminated for economy class passengers, according to the company’s Chairman Ilker Ayci. There is currently no end date for the in-flight service reductions. Mr Ayci also hinted that he expects for flights to be much more expensive than before. The carrier will distribute all of its passenger a hygiene kit, which includes a mask, disinfectant and antiseptic tissue. The airline will also appoint a hygiene expert cabin crew which will monitor hygiene standards on board, mask usage and measures such as social distancing.

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:02

    wow when you consider they flew twice daily to all these cities.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:03

      Sarajevo on some years was even three daily.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:33

      I wonder if we will see double daily flights any time soon.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:35

      Doubt it.

      Delete
    4. Nemjee09:59

      As far as Belgrade is concerned it will largely depend on how fast tourism recovers. Turkish numbers (tourist arrivals) were already growing in double digit numbers before corona so they will be keep in this regard. Hopefully air travel demand recovers as fast as it did in China.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:31

      TK promises more expensive flying while slashing their service? Are they stupid?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous15:42

      They try to set new rules in aviation industry. Hope they won't succeed

      Delete
    7. Anonymous22:37

      @Anon 12:31: Less demand means lower load factor. Overall cost of flying aircraft from A to B remains more or less equal. As a result, ticket prices have to go up, if airline wants to survive.

      The other alternative is to offer tickets at very low prices to stimulate demand and hope demand is still there when you increase prices back to normal.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous09:14

      Wrong.

      There are no eurocontrol costs at the moment.

      Fuel costs are much, much lower.

      No catering costs.

      Decreased salaries of crew.

      All these factors contribute costs of flying to be much less than usual.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:03

    Good to see flights gradually resuming.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anyone can tell me when resuming to the Africa contenente

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:10

      ^ Not in June

      Delete
    3. Anonymous19:52

      My flight has been cancelled 7 times since March from Chicago to Istanbul, Sarajevo. I recently had a flight for 10th and it was cancelled also. They are selling the thickets but arent flying to Istanbul. Choose someone else to fly as they dont have ETA on resuming flights.

      Delete
    4. They are not serious, always keep laying to public,they have got our money for ticket but all the times canceling the flight, my ticket is for Toronto to Istanbul, since December 2019 up to now June 2020, Turkish airlines play game with passengers,

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:20

      Good luck with TK. You will need it

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:03

    The cuts to service TK is introducing is probably the most extreme.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:06

      Yes, especially for an airline that prided itself on catering and meals on short haul flights.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:10

      They will give packed meals. Is it confirmed from Turkish airlines

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:11

      They surely won't be anymore "the airline of the year".

      After all they maybe deserved it only for the product in the air, but surely not for ground support.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:12

      @9.10 yes on long haul flights and flights over 2 hours you will get a box. All flights under 2 hours will no longer have any meals.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:17

      Here you have what will be offered by THY

      https://www.docdroid.net/qIgogJt/covid-19-sonrasi-yeni-servis1-pdf

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:21

      So on flights to ex-Yu which are under 2 hours you won't even get a drink in economy?

      Delete
    7. Anonymous09:24

      Seems like it since they make a point of highlighting that business class passengers on these flights will get a bottle of water.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous09:42

      Definitely takes it too far. Airlines can be both hospitable and hygienic at the same time. It’s not just one or the other.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous09:44

      It will most likely become permanent and not just temporary.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous10:16

      Let's see. Once the competition starts with better products things will start to change

      Delete
    11. Anonymous10:27

      I hope so

      Delete
    12. Anonymous10:29

      TK’s hard product was never industry leading. They made up with the food and fares. Now that’s gone, it will be very hard to compete against others.

      Delete
    13. Anonymous10:30

      TK's IFE was fantastic, love it.

      Delete
    14. Anonymous11:35

      Why would your require IFE on flights under two hours?

      Delete
    15. Anonymous12:18

      Why would you not? I like to watch the moving map, maybe listen to some music, watch a tv show... we should enjoy all the perks of life my good Anonymous friend.

      Delete
    16. Anonymous12:30

      Meanwhile this is the biz class meal on Hainan Airlines on domestic flight under 2 hours at the moment. So Turkish will offer just water while Hainan, an airline from a country where the virus originated offers this:

      https://imgur.com/a/iEPZt7d

      So TK's argument that they are doing this out of safety is nonsense.

      Delete
    17. Anonymous12:33

      They're doing it out of the safety for their pockets. TK is hypocrite as always.

      Delete
    18. Anonymous16:38

      It's obvious that the concept of providing free food on very short flights simply does not pay off.

      Delete
    19. Anonymous17:30

      Turkey still has 1,000 new Covid-19 cases every day so yes, this is very much about safety. TK certainly does not think it can set global standards, so you don't have to worry about that. And to your despair, they will slowly bring their product back to where it was. It just doesn't make sense to do this while the entire business runs in the emergency mode.

      Delete
    20. Anonymous09:11

      If the situation in Turley is so serious why do they open their country to the tourists?

      Or maybe health does not matter, money is more important? The same logic can be apllied to decreased service and increased price.

      They simply try to see how long it will work. And they will try to make it very long.

      Delete
    21. You are right! Once lost benefits , will never turn back.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:08

    First flight from Skopje is on 21st with departure at 12.45
    Usually they had flights at morning and in the night.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:10

      Yes it seems SJJ and BEG will have the same scheduling.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:34

      When ZAG?

      Delete
    3. Maybe is zg now too small market for them?

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:14

    How likely is it that Air Serbia is going to resume flights on the 15th June to Istanbul?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:22

      I think it's likely they will start.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:45

      What is your reasoning for thinking they will? Legitimate question - I have a ticket for that flight and am anxious it will be cancelled.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:49

      They have the flight scheduled in their June timetable. The fact that TK is returning and Serbia-Turkey flights are subject to bilaterals means that the two have probably negotiated these flights for both airlines. Of course in this day and age nothing is certain but some routes they scheduled for June and in the end decided not to operate they removed already weeks in advance. But like I say, this is just my guess.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous03:55

      There are no flights on June 15th to Belgrade or any former Yugoslavia city. I was informed today by my travel agent. Had flight to Dubrovnik on the 15th and it was cancelled.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous06:58

      Where was your flight to Dubrovnik from?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous08:39

      No flights were ever planned to Dubrovnik on June 15 in their June schedule... in fact they didn't even announce the resumption of Dubrovnik in June.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:22

    No flights to Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:28

      No at the moment. They have scheduled

      Istanbul – Almaty
      Istanbul – Amsterdam
      Istanbul – Basel
      Istanbul – Belgrade
      Istanbul – Berlin Tegel
      Istanbul – Bishkek
      Istanbul – Brussels
      Istanbul – Chicago
      Istanbul – Copenhagen
      Istanbul – Doha
      Istanbul – Dublin
      Istanbul – Dusseldorf
      Istanbul – Dushanbe
      Istanbul – Frankfurt
      Istanbul – Hamburg
      Istanbul – Hong Kong
      Istanbul – London Heathrow
      Istanbul – Los Angeles
      Istanbul – Lyon
      Istanbul – Miami
      Istanbul – Minsk
      Istanbul – Munich
      Istanbul – Paris CDG
      Istanbul – Sarajevo
      Istanbul – Seoul Incheon
      Istanbul – Shanghai Pu Dong
      Istanbul – Skopje
      Istanbul – Stockholm
      Istanbul – Stuttgart
      Istanbul – Tashkent
      Istanbul – Vienna
      Istanbul – Washington Dulles
      Istanbul – Zurich

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:32

      Seems to me like the EU cities they are flying to are those with large Turkish diasporas. Remember Turks can't enter EU either.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:36

      Will IST allow transferring?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:42

      Why wouldn't they allow transferring/transit? Have they released info about this yet?

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:33

    If they plan to serve 99 countries by September that's not that bad.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous09:43

    The virus will be used by many to implement large scale cost cutting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seems like many airlines actively cutting n america flight.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:46

    Well, TK Zagreb flights are available for booking as of July 1st too, but sssshhht don't announce it here loudly :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:54

      All of their flights are available from 1st of July because they haven't published their July schedule.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:56

      What a stupid comment @9.46. They have only finalized JUNE schedule.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:15

      I still don't understand that people don't get that airlines are selling flights that won't operate., especially if they are scheduled the same way as before corona.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:18

      @anon 09:46

      You didn't see it coming, did you?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:32

      I am surprised about TK not launching ZAG but then again EK keeps on delaying their return as well. Seems like a large chunk of passengers on these flights were tourists from Asia. If that's the case then can local demand from ZAG be that modest? I mean how can they fly from BEG, SKP and SJJ but not from ZAG? Who is filling those flights?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:35

      If you take a look, the only EU destinations they are reintroducing are ones with huge Turkish diaspora. Turkish citizens can't enter the EU at the moment. So that's why there are no flights to Croatia or Slovenia or places such as Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania etc.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:43

      @10.32 sorry but there is more O&D between SKP and IST then ZAG and IST. as simple as that

      Delete
    8. Anonymous10:47

      Of course there is. In addition to closer cultural ties, Turkish citizens also don't need a visa to enter Macedonia. No one is denying that.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous11:00

      ok :) its not very clear if SKP reopens at that day anyway

      Delete
    10. Anonymous15:46

      BEG is not EU

      Delete
    11. TK is capable to survive even without all euro flights (except germany). They r huge in africa and middle east

      Delete
    12. Anonymous14:51

      And USA.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous10:32

    It is not going to be the same as it was before and it is not going to be the same for long time. It is a new world, and it will be for long time. Get used to it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:19

      Gotta love the doom and gloom scenarios here. Things will return to normal much sooner than you expect

      Delete
  11. Anonymous10:39

    Adding to the fact that flights are expected to be more expensive in general, I also guess that most price-sensitive passengers that tended to book saver fares will now want to have flexi tickets, something that will raise the overall cost even more. This unfortunately risks to make flying inaccessible for parts of the population in the short-term.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous10:42

    Interesting there is no PRN.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:22

      Or TGD

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:20

      They might revise this soon in coordination with Kosovar authorities. PRN might be opened soon (Jun 15) according to gov declarations. Then again, this is just a speculation on my part.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous10:45

    BEG-IST was one of the busiest route from Belgrade, nice to see them back. I think it was even busier than BEG-FRA!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:22

      True. There were (are) 3 airlines flying this route right?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:20

      Yes, Turkish Airlines, Air Serbia and Pegasus. TK has been requesting additional seats and flights for a few years now. Last year they wanted to upgrade Belgrade to A333/B777 but they were not allowed.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:11

      Yeah, the bilateral they signed did not allow them. Hope they will renegotiate it.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous16:48

      Well I think the moment JU has double daily flights then TK can request additional perks and presence on the market. If tourist numbers keep on growing like this then it might be soon.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous14:49

      TK is willing to fly to Belgrade 3 times daily, one of them with widebodies.
      Pegasus is willing to fly daily.

      But Serbian CAD didn't allow them so far.

      5th (3th parallel) runway of IST is opening in less than a week, there will be the biggest capacity in an airport in Europe ever. I'm sure Air Serbia will also like to increase their flights to this airport which is 1:30 hours away from its main hub, and the biggest transfer hub of Europe (to be in a few years), and where there is a huge tourist demand between those two cities.

      Delete
  14. Check this out:

    https://onemileatatime.com/lufthansa-up ... d-service/

    Considering the very strong competition between Lufthansa & Turkish Airlines (globally speaking, within the Balkans, plus think about the German market itself only/huge Turkish diaspora in Germany), I am very sure Turkish Airlines Management is going to step back very soon on their recent decision on catering cuts. Turkish Airlines onboard dining experience has been one of their main historic selling points.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry, here is the link: https://onemileatatime.com/lufthansa-updated-onboard-service/

      Delete
  15. Anyone knows where TK will start to flight again Mexico - Istanbul?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry, when... Will start TK FLIGHT AGAIN Mexico Istanbul?

      Delete
    2. I talk with the embassy of Mexico and they told me that TK will probably start to fly at the end of August or beginning of september. TK cancelled my flight to Mexico, I DO NOT RECOMMEND TK for flying. They cancel my flight and didn't notify me. If you want to flight to Mexico, I recommend you France and/or Amsterdeam as your connection flight. I recommend you to wait this week to observe the behaviour of the flights.

      Delete
    3. I flew TK 3x long hauls. They had the best service among all airlines. If anybody have ANA experience pls let us know..

      Delete
    4. Anonymous18:17

      Dee, imagine if ANA say: ANAでは一人ひとりの人間性を活かしながら、お客様の立場にたち、クルーの気づきを大切にしてチームでフライトをおこなっています。
      Their long-haul service will be much better than TK! Which were your TK flights?

      Delete
  16. Any word on Cairo egypt

    ReplyDelete
  17. 10 years ago flew from newark to pdx and back. If i good remember we got only one small soft drink. Even tv screen cost 7$. Thats new norm now...

    ReplyDelete
  18. From cotonou Benin to Mumbai India which date Flight will start?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous13:32

    Are they taking flights from Jakarta?

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous13:47

    Do you know where they plan to travel Vienna-Istanbul?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:49

      From 16th of June. Once per day.

      Delete
    2. Turkes Airline will start date for India?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous19:01

      Not before July but exact date hasn't been given.

      Delete
  21. Anonymous20:32

    How about lahore,Pakistan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:02

      Not before July but exact date hasn't been given.

      Delete
  22. Anonymous19:01

    Welcome back TK :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. When do they fly to Sudan?

    ReplyDelete

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