Low cost carrier Wizz Air is suspending additional routes to and from the former Yugoslavia, as renewed lockdowns across parts of the continent and declining demand continue to batter the aviation industry. Wizz has suspended - or is in the process of cancelling - 54 routes to the region. Furthermore, the planned resumption of a number of flights has been pushed back further, which is likely to change again. The majority of services still in operation have had their frequencies slashed compared to the previous winter season. Every city the airline operates to in the former Yugoslavia has been affected. Based on its current schedule, the carrier will offer the most capacity until the end of the year out of Skopje, followed by Belgrade, Tuzla, Pristina, Ohrid, Podgorica and Sarajevo.
Pristina has been one of the most resilient in Wizz Air’s network among cities it serves in EX-YU with just one route - Budapest - suspended due the closure of Hungary’s borders. Although other destinations the airline flies to out of Pristina have had their frequencies reduced, all continue to operate. The carrier also plans to go ahead with the launch of two new routes to Pristina next month, from Milan and Baden Baden, if circumstances permit. Pristina Airport itself has posted better results than most airports in the former Yugoslavia. It was the third and second busiest in the region in August and September respectively, outperforming its traditionally busier counterparts in Zagreb and Dubrovnik.
Within Wizz Air’s network, Skopje has sustained the largest number of route suspensions, amounting to twenty, however, the airline also serves the most routes out of the Macedonian capital as its biggest base. It is followed by Tuzla with nine, Ohrid with seven, Belgrade with six, Podgorica with five routes suspended and Pristina, Sarajevo, Ljubljana and Split with one, although Wizz Air operates just one route each from the latter three cities.
| Route | Resumption date |
|---|---|
| Skopje - Salzburg | MAR 29 |
| Skopje - Charleroi | DEC 19 |
| Skopje - Larnaca | MAR 28 |
| Skopje - Copenhagen | DEC 17 (last flight NOV 15) |
| Skopje - Beauvais | DEC 19 |
| Skopje - Bremen | MAR 28 |
| Skopje - Hanover | MAR 29 |
| Skopje - Baden Baden | DEC 20 |
| Skopje - Nuremberg | DEC 17 (last flight NOV 8) |
| Skopje - Budapest | DEC 18 |
| Skopje - Milan | JAN 12 |
| Skopje - Rome | JAN 3 |
| Skopje - Venice | JAN 13 |
| Skopje - Malta | JAN 12 |
| Skopje - Sandefjord | MAR 29 |
| Skopje - Bratislava | DEC 19 |
| Skopje - Barcelona | MAR 28 |
| Skopje - Vaxjo | MAR 28 |
| Skopje - Turku | DEC 19 |
| Tuzla - Salzburg | MAR 28 |
| Tuzla - Vienna | MAR 30 |
| Tuzla - Berlin | MAR 30 |
| Tuzla - Billund | MAR 30 |
| Tuzla - Basel | NOV 11 |
| Tuzla - Cologne | MAR 28 |
| Tuzla - Friedrichshafen | MAR 29 |
| Tuzla - Baden Baden | MAR 30 |
| Tuzla - Vaxjo | MAR 29 |
| Ohrid - Vienna | DEC 19 |
| Ohrid - Basel | DEC 18 |
| Ohrid - Dortmund | DEC 19 |
| Ohrid - Memmingen | MAR 28 |
| Ohrid - Milan | MAR 28 |
| Ohrid - Malmo | JAN 11 |
| Ohrid - London Luton | JAN 11 |
| Podgorica - Vienna | MAR 30 |
| Podgorica - Dortmund | DEC 19 |
| Podgorica - Memmingen | DEC 18 |
| Podgorica - Budapest | DEC 20 |
| Podgorica - Milan | DEC 18 |
| Belgrade - Salzburg | MAR 29 |
| Belgrade - Hanover | DEC 17 |
| Belgrade - Larnaca | DEC 20 (last flight NOV 15) |
| Belgrade - Beauvais | DEC 17 |
| Belgrade - Baden Baden | DEC 19 (last flight NOV 7) |
| Belgrade - Malta | DEC 18 |
| Niš - Vienna | JAN 14 |
| Niš - Dortmund | DEC 17 (last flight NOV 12) |
| Niš - Malmo | MAR 30 |
| Pristina - Budapest | DEC 17 |
| Ljubljana - Charleroi | MAR 30 |
| Split - Dortmund | MAR 30 |
| Sarajevo - Budapest | DEC 18 |
Comments
Very disturbing strategy from Wizz to keep announcing new routes way beyond their capacity potential, and I wouldn't blame it all on Covid...
considering nationals from these countries cannot travel
dont think that MXP and FKB will start next month.
For this reason there is a total collapse of the market in places like LJU or ZAG. These countries are in this way "paying" for their relative wealth in the ex-Yu, ie more good jobs in the country -> less people working abroad -> less need for airtravel after business and tourism travel totally collapsed.
shows only that Italy is a stable market from AL
Even in the times of "relative wealth" in ex-Yu Croatia had many people emigrating, and this trend has equally increased in the past 20 years.
The reason for this collapse you write about is the close proximity of the major labor markets for Croation migrants: Germany Austria and Switzerland, and that is why Croatian migrants travel home by buses and or cars and not but plane- except the ones who can not such as the ones living in Ireland- and that is e.g why OU introduced routes to Dublin.
Indeed, nothing before April/May 2021, all depends how bad 2nd wave is, we're at the start of 2nd wave of Covid pandemic, most of the EU is about to go under strict lock down, many countries are already implementing lock down which I expect to last at least till mid December. Some restrictions easing for Christmas possible, but 3rd wave very likely in late January, early February. R noumbers must be below 1, google = R noumbers for explanation.
https://www.exyuaviation.com/2020/06/wizz-air-to-reduce-skopje-fleet.html
"The carrier stationed its fifth aircraft in the city last year with some jets upgraded from the 180-seat A320s to the 230-seat A321s, although this winter saw its entire Skopje-based fleet uniformed to the A320s. "
Definitely demand has went like really down.