Nine new routes planned for EX-YU markets in Q4

Six airports in six markets in the former Yugoslavia are set to see new routes being launched during the fourth quarter of the year despite the coronavirus pandemic. Although changes remain possible due to evolving travel restrictions on the continent and a resurgence in the spread of the virus, a new unified policy on freedom of movement for European Union member states is expected to be adopted by the start of the 2020/2021 winter season on October 25, fuelling hope for greater travel confidence for passengers and greater stability for airlines. The policy also proposes for passengers arriving from high-risk countries to be Covid tested upon arrival, rather than refused entry altogether.

Banja Luka

Banja Luka will see Ryanair restore its operations to the city from October 25 with the addition of three new routes - Gothenburg, Vienna and Bergamo. Last week, the head of Gothenburg Airport, Anna Stromwall, noted, “It is extremely gratifying that Ryanair has chosen to continue investing in [Gothenburg] Landvetter Airport with a new nonstop service to Bosnia and Herzegovina and has recognised this new opportunity on the market at such a difficult time". Both routes are primarily targeting the diaspora in Sweden, Austria and Italy and are in line with Ryanair’s contract with the government of the entity of Republika Srpska which foresees the launch of two to three new routes each year.

Belgrade

Belgrade is set to see two new routes launched by the end of 2020. On October 25, LOT Polish Airlines plans to introduce a daily service between Budapest and Belgrade. The Warsaw-based airline is creating its first airport hub outside of Poland in Budapest and offering connections to several western European destinations. On October 27, low cost SkyUp Airlines will become a new entrant on the Serbian market with services from Kiev, which effectively replace Air Serbia’s operations on the route, which were suspended at the start of the crisis and will not be restored until at least the summer of 2021. Unlike the Serbian carrier, SkyUp is primarily targeting point to point passengers with its two weekly flights on board the 149-seat Boeing 737-700 aircraft. Eurowings, which delayed the launch of its new service from Stuttgart to Belgrade several times, has again pushed back the launch, which is now planned for February 5, 2021. The introduction of a new service between Belgrade and Pristina remains a possibility by year’s end.

Ljubljana

Low cost carrier easyJet plans to launch its new service between London Luton and Ljubljana on December 11. It comes after the airline discontinued its Stansted - Ljubljana route, which was its busiest in Slovenia prior to the pandemic, as a result of its base closure. Services between Luton and Ljubljana will run two to three times per week, depending on the month, increasing to four from March.

Podgorica

Luxembourg’s national carrier Luxair will enter the Montenegrin market on December 15 with a two weekly service to Podgorica. The Cultural Information Centre of Montenegro in Luxembourg, which lobbied for the flights, said, “The successful conclusion of the project to initiate flights between the two countries is evidence that the Cultural Information Centre of Montenegro in Luxembourg approached this initiative seriously and with dedication in order to better connect the Montenegrin diaspora with its home country, and to enable a speedier arrival back home”. It added, “This route faced numerous negative comments and its planned launch was derided by some as a political and electoral stunt [in reference to recent parliamentary elections in Montenegro]. Despite the numerous attacks and disapproval, we want to show that the launch of this route is a purely patriotic act”. Luxair will fly to Podgorica during the winter and replace it with Tivat over the coming summer, although the latter is yet to be scheduled.

Pristina

Pristina will be linked with Milan with a new Wizz Air service scheduled to be introduced on November 3. Its launch has been delayed by several months due to a ban on flights from Kosovo imposed by Italy. The two weekly service will be run by the 180-seat Airbus A320 aircraft instead of the initially planned A321. Last year, the Italian market accounted for 1% of Pristina Airport’s traffic, while Wizz Air was Kosovo’s fourth busiest airline, handling 253.282 passengers. The launch of a new service between Pristina and Belgrade remains a possibility by year’s end.

Zagreb

Windrose Airlines will launch operations between Kiev and the Croatian capital on October 4 after several delays and cancellations. The Ukrainian Ambassador to Croatia confirmed that flights between the two countries would be restored next month after over twenty years. Services between Kiev and Zagreb were last operated by Aeroflot in the 1980s. The fifty-seat Embraer E145 jet, operated by Dniproavia, which was absorbed by Windrose in 2017, will be used on the route.