Montenegro Airlines announces major network expansion

Montenegro Airlines will be adding four new routes to its network next summer, despite uncertainty over its future as a new government and political establishment takes over. The Montenegrin carrier plans to introduce operations from Podgorica to Kiev, Istanbul, Prague and Lisbon, starting March 28, 2021. All are planned to run on a seasonal summer basis. The airline is yet to put tickets on sale for any of the new routes and has so far scheduled only flights to Kiev, which will launch on April 3 and run twice per week, each Wednesday and Saturday, with the Embraer 195 jet, offering 7.076 seats each way between the two cities over the summer. Further flight details can be found here

The carrier initially planned to commence operations to Lisbon this year, with one weekly flight from mid-June, however, it was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Prior to Covid-19 the airline also said it was considering flights to Istanbul. At this point, Montenegro Airlines will face competition only on flights to Turkey’s largest city, which are currently operated by Turkish Airlines. Elsewhere, Windrose Airlines, which launched two weekly flights from Kiev to the Montenegrin capital last week, is yet to schedule operations to Podgorica for the coming summer season. Czech carrier Smartwings was to introduce services between Prague and Podgorica this year but they were shelved at the onset of the global health emergency. It has not scheduled flights for next year. 


The newly elected Montenegrin government, which marks the first political transition in the country in almost thirty years, has not indicated its plans for the heavily indebted and loss-making national carrier. Montenegro Airlines has warned it may be forced to ground its fleet if the state does not provide it with aid. “It is up to us to present members of the new government with the situation in the company and our possibilities, while it is up to them to make suitable decisions. The issue is that we have very little time for all of this, because the airline is in a very complicated situation and we must act immediately”, the carrier’s CEO, Vlastimir Ristić, said earlier this week.




Comments

  1. Anonymous09:01

    This reminds me a lot of Adria in its final months.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:02

      +1

      Delete
    2. Nemjee09:21

      My thoughts exactly. They announced a huge expansion just before the end.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:28

      Others also announced expansions but never happened.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:28

      Such as?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:42

      Wizz, Air serbia, Easyjet, etc.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:47

      I love these trolls that act like they have just woken up after a deep sleep. There was/is a pandemic. Almost all airlines cancelled network expansion that was planned BEFORE the pandemic for the summer of 2020. Air Serbia actually launched a new route during the pandemic which is still operating. I realize your whole comment was because of Air Serbia but it just looks desperate.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous09:48

      The difference is other airlines cancelled expansion when corona hit. JU and U2 did not announce new expansion during corona that did not occur. Montenegro Airlines is doing it now. I can guarantee these routes won't be launched.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous10:05

      So much expansions and so many delays, it's a pity...

      Delete
    9. Anonymous10:06

      Of course they won't launch them, I doubt they will be around for summer 2021. They didn't have a summer season, didn't have Christmas rush and they won't have normal spring travel either. On top of all that the government is no longer willing to indefinitely finance them.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:01

    Smoke and mirrors.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:13

      That's the way it goes. Some restructure and others grow.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:16

      Yeah, I'm sure we will see that "growth". Their CEO said last week they are on the verge of being grounded. So yeah I would rather restructure then announce fake growth for the purpose of getting money. It shows how dire the striation is.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:17

      This is the same airline that announced last week they are late with paying for the lease of planes.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:24

      How many times would you restructure? Every 3 years?Other carriers have other plans and regional ambitions.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:27

      How many times does a global pandemic killing all demand and grounding fleets worldwide come along?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:40

      Umm not sure if anon 9.13 and 9.24 is aware that Montenegro Airlines announced restructuring too. You can find the news here.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous09:48

      I remember YM announcing plans to fly to Baku, Tehran, Lisbon... all which never happened. YM is full of DPS people and they are desperately trying to show that they are important for MNE and that the new government should not shut them down. Unfortunately for them so much debt and such a mess is not easy to fix.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous10:12

      YM never officially announced Tehran and Baku. They were mentioned as possible charter destinations. Lisbon was to start this year but was of course postponed because of the pandemic. I agree about the politically appointed staff.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous10:55

      Didn't YM have charters to Baku? I think they did.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous10:57

      They did, in 2013.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:02

    Fantastic to see new routes announced at such a time.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:24

      It's fantastic to see new routes flown, not announced. Remember Adria's announcements weeks before they went bankrupt?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:55

      Yes, I guess time will tell.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:03

    They need cashflow from sale of tickets.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:55

      They first have to start the sale of tickets. They still haven't.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous19:14

      Well they just informed on social media that from tonight until Sunday evening it will not be possible to buy any tickets on their website.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous20:01

      What??? Why??

      Delete
    4. Anonymous20:03

      They say their bank is having technical problems :/

      Delete
    5. Anonymous20:22

      That sounds a tad suspicious.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:03

    How on earth do they plan to compete against Turkish Airlines to Istanbul?!?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:08

      They could always conclude a codeshare with them, like JU did.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:20

      If these ever launch I assume they will be launched in cooperation with tour operators from said countries.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:05

    What's the obsession with Kiev?!?!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:09

      It's a huge market that was obviously undiscovered by ex-Yu companies until recently.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:35

      A huge and very poor market.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:06

    Not gonna happen.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous09:06

    I really wonder what the new government will do with MGX

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:13

      You really got to wonder if it's more worth it giving FR a few million to base a few aircraft there.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:21

      Which destinations does Ryanair currently fly to/from Podgorica?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:22

      Berlin, Krakow, Poznan, Wrocław, Dublin, Brussels, London, Barcelona, Stuttgart.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:31

      Wow! Montenegro feels like a EU member already. Those routes remind me of the Croatian coast.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:33

      It's just gasto routes with 3 Polish routes for tourists...

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:57

      The government will ask YM to be completely restructured so they can get money. Of course the new government won't shut down YM. I just don't see how these new routes fit the airline's restructuring.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:00

      Zoran Radunović will most likely be the new state secretery in the ministry for capital investment. He used to work at Montenegro Airlines. Also at Di Air.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:07

    CEO says "The issue is that we have very little time for all of this, because the airline is in a very complicated situation and we must act immediately" after they just announced 4 new routes. Gives potential ticket buyers a lot of confidence.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:10

      I honestly don't know how they'll pull through this one.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:07

    Good luck

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:14

      They need more than luck, they need a miracle.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:08

    Not so sure any of these will happen.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous09:09

    Excellent news. Crna Gora is thinking Europe and heading for the right direction. Impressive.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:49

      How does one think Europe? Or are you referring to EU since those two things are not synonymous.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous09:10

    Good luck MGX. Hope they find their feet in the post corona era

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:13

      They've been finding their feet for decades...

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:14

      Just like any other airline in Ex-Yu in my opinion...

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:14

      Like any other? You mean like Adria, Air B&H, MAT, Aviogenex, Centavia...

      Delete
  14. Anonymous09:13

    What a waste of taxpayer money, especially now when there is FR to take care of this small and highly seasonal market.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous09:15

    Nice to see Lisbon will be launched after all! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:52

      You mean planed.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous09:18

    I'm not sure there will be a Montenegro Airlines come next summer, let alone new routes.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous09:19

    I'm sorry to be negative, but the direction we are heading (globally), is not good or bad, but very disturbing. Having said that I follow aviation globally just as much as I like to follow it locally. Like many of you do as well I'm sure.

    Things are bad and getting worse for most airlines, except cargo business for now. A major Canadian airline has just announced more cuts and all of the leisure airlines there are grounded since the spring. We are talking about 50+ jet fleet airlines.... Grounded.

    So for YM who barely has a heart pulse to announce is this expension is either crazy or their last attempt to rake in any cash they can before they go down. You don't believe me? I've seen couple of airlines shut the doors right before Christmas! Literally the next morning they posted notes on their airport offices of imminent operation shut down. And they were in much better position then YM.

    Sorry if I digresed... But I said in January here that something was wrong about this pandemic and my alarm was raised when all the major global players suspended their flights to China. People mocked and laughed at me... Which I can totally understand, as not many of us were willing to accept the reality which is normal for some people. Fear, uncertainty, disbelief...we are all humans after all. But we are now approaching January 2021...who would have thought this would last so long... And we still have ways to go unfortunately. Sorry... I personally wish YM and all the airlines only the best, but I am afraid we won't see many of these airlines by next summer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:27

      +100

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:41

      Apparently we wouldn't see many of these airlines by winter and now we won't see many of these airlines by summer. What next?

      Delete
  18. Anonymous09:21

    New routes, newer fleet and an independent carrier not relying on ohers to grow. Amazing job, YM!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous09:25

    Wizz Air #2. Announce loads of new routes to collect the ticket money and then blame covid for not starting them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:28

      The difference is that Wizz Air at least launches some new routes. None of these MGX flights will happen. Like someone said, I'm not sure they will be around this time next year.

      Delete
  20. Anonymous09:36

    Has YM ever made a profit?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:38

      maybe the "keeps winning" guy can tell us

      Delete
  21. Anonymous09:37

    crazy

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous09:39

    Hope it happens.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous09:43

    Will be 2 weekly or Lisbon will be 1 weekly like like it was planned for this year?

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous09:50

    Just shut it down already.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous09:53

    Why are they not doing Tivat to Istanbul instead of Podgorica?

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous10:06

    Well done YM. Great to see Lisbon again! Hope it materializes.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous10:20

    Interestingly, MNE was the third most visited country in ex-Yu in 2019. Amazing results coming from a country that size!

    https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Tourism_statistics

    The future is indeed looking good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:22

      It's a country that depends on tourism... What else would one expect?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:59

      Not sure about that one. It's becoming a digital nomad destination. Low taxes and Mediterranean climate. Business friendly and stable country.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:07

      You are not sure that Montenegro depends on tourism?

      Well here, I will inform you that 21% of the GDP was generated by tourism in 2019 and is the single biggest industry in the country. So not by digital nomads.

      Now you know.

      Delete
  28. Anonymous11:28

    Good to see YM expanding

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous11:28

    The Lisbon flights are still a mystery to me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:29

      For tour groups.

      Delete
  30. Anonymous11:29

    I don't think it would be such a bad idea for them to start Tivat-Istanbul. They could get Turkish Airlines to codeshare. Better they do it before TK starts the flights eventually. Don't see the point in fly IST from Podgorica though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:40

      Tivat makes much more sense. There are double daily TK flights to/from Podgorica/Istanbul in summer in normal circumstances.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:02

      +1

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:04

      +1

      Impossible to compete Turkish Airlines in IST without codeshare.

      Best scenerio would be Tivat to Istanbul with a TK codeshare.

      Delete
  31. Anonymous11:29

    nice additions

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous11:47

    They should start TGD-MUC.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:50

      Why?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:00

      It's in Germany, a market with high demand, both for diaspora and tourism.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous17:41

      LH launched MUC-TIV last year.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous18:41

      1 weekly seasonal flight...

      Delete
  33. Anonymous12:00

    Good to see some development from Montenegro Airlines.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Anonymous12:41

    People are disillusioned if they think any of this will happen. According to the MNE minister the country had to borrow €750 million yesterday in order to avoid bankruptcy. Do you honestly think they will even plan any aid for Milo's pet project? Doubt it.

    http://www.politika.rs/scc/clanak/468543/Ministar-finansija-Crna-Gora-bukvalno-izbegla-bankrot

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Montenegrin government issued € 750 million worth of bonds at an interest rate of 2.95% with a maturity of 7 years.

      Delete
  35. Anonymous17:40

    Congratulations Montenegro Airlines.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Anonymous18:45

    I would love if they resumed flights to PRN, INI and SKP.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous20:26

      Don't see them resuming any of these routes in the near future.

      Delete
  37. Anonymous18:45

    I hope they manage to come on the right track

    ReplyDelete
  38. Anonymous22:34

    Have they been advised by some amateur analyst?

    ReplyDelete

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