Airlines in discussions over Serbia - Georgia flights


Several airlines are in talks over the introduction of flights between Serbia and Georgia according to the “Aviatica” portal. Negotiations are taking place for services to be launched from Belgrade to both the Georgian capital of Tbilisi and the country’s third largest city of Kutaisi, as well as between Niš and Kutaisi. Talks are being facilitated by the Georgian embassy in Greece, which covers Serbia. “Currently, airlines are interested in initially operating seasonal summer flights in order to test demand. Although negotiations are still taking place, the initial plan calls for flights to be introduced as early as May 2022”, the portal notes. Kutaisi serves as a base for low cost carrier Wizz Air.

In 2019, Georgia and Serbia signed a joint declaration in Tbilisi with the aim of advancing cooperation between the two states. An emphasis was put on the launch of nonstop flights. The matter was discussed in more detail at an Intergovernmental Economic Commission in Tbilisi later on but plans to establish flights were halted by the Covid-19 pandemic. There have never been scheduled nonstop services between the two. Georgian Airways, the country’s national carrier, has a limited network outside its immediate region but maintains operations to key European cities including Vienna, Brussels, Prague, Paris, Berlin and Barcelona. Within southeast Europe, it is only present in Athens.

Belgrade Airport has seen growing demand for flights from the main gateways in the Caucuses, which combined with transfer traffic to and from Western Europe and North America, could provide healthy loads on nonstop flights. Out of the three main Caucasus nations - Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia - Belgrade saw the highest volume of point-to-point traffic with Tbilisi. According to OAG data, during the pre-pandemic 2019, 4.734 passengers flew indirectly between the two cities on a single itinerary, it was followed by Baku and Yerevan. There was also limited demand from the Caucus region of Russia, with almost 2.500 indirect travellers between the Serbian capital and Sochi.

Belgrade Airport's top unserved routes in Caucasus in 2019




Comments

  1. Anonymous09:04

    Turkish Airlines and Pegasus are NOT going to be happy about this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:15

      They would still be able to compete with good prices.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:16

      And they would compete with more frequencies than non stop flights.

      Delete
    3. Do you know how much cost ticket BEG-TBS-BEG via IST? If you don't know, I'll tell you. 65.000 rsd. And what do you think how much will cost ticket on direct line BEG-TBS-BEG?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:46

      Different dates, different prices. On google flights random November dates show 15.300 rsd return on LH and 29.000 rsd on LO.

      Delete
    5. Why you are talking about LH and LO, then I am comment Turkish and Pegasus?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous14:04

      TK and PC are some of the carriers operating the route. What is the problem that LH and LO are mentioned? Generally speaking, passengers tend to book lowest prices, combined with good schedule and availability. It's not like TK and PC are the only operating carriers on the route.
      If there is an option to go for cheaper price, I am sure passengers will go from there and that is why, when you already talk about prices, to have everything included. Also, different dates - different fares available. Simple as that.

      Delete
    7. Опет ви нисте прочитали пост о Туркишу и Пегасусу. Човек каже да ће те две компаније увести нове летове на релацији ИСТ-ТБС, да ће снизити цене карата. То се неће десити. Туркиш има један лет дневно. Лет око 18:00 из БЕГ се лепо уклапа са око 2 сата чекања у ИСТ. У повратку исто. Из ТБС се полеће око 5:20 и опет се чека око два сата на лет за БЕГ. У Варшави, Минхену и Франкфурту се чека од 4 до 10 сати. Признаћете да то није занемарљиво чекање.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous23:35

      JU i Aegean imaju OK konekcije preko Atine ali iz nekog razloga Aegean ne leti za Tbilisi od marta do juna.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:10

    Interesting that this involves Kutaisi too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:13

      And Niš!

      Delete
    2. This could also be beneficial to MKD

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:11

    Could it rsally work?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous09:11

    Fingers crossed it's Wizz Air.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:13

      Would Wizz be allowed to operate between two non EU countries?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:15

      I don't see anyone else operating from Kutaisi. Georgian Airways does not fly from there and I doubt Air Serbia would operate both Tbilisi and Kutaisi.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:40

      Wizz couldn't launch this route.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:12

    Could be a good route for Air Serbia to get transfers.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous09:12

    How long would this flight last?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:00

      Two and a half hours.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:44

      Tomorrow's IndiGo flight from Tbilisi to Belgrade is scheduled to last 3.25 minutes, although flights from east heading west are always longer than the other way around.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:15

    This will be yet another Ural and Red Wings announcement. Nothing will happen in the end. It's just PR fluff pieces.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:16

      PR fluff piece for who exactly?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:18

      What Red Wings announcement? There was none. As for Ural they did not get a permit from Serbian CAD.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:19

      https://www.exyuaviation.com/2021/07/serbian-regulator-blocks-ural-airlines.html

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:19

      PR fluff pieces by the Georgian embassy in Athens. Red Wings also announced all those secondary Russian destinations and then nothing happened in the end. Ural the same. Just megalomania from the Russians. I am not talking about Moscow flights which got banned.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:24

      They applied for permits from Russian regulator and got them. It has nothong to do with PR, it is how the system works. It was mentioned that it is up to them if they want to pursue further. And yes I'm sure the Georgian embassy in Athens really needs PR.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:19

    Nice!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous09:24

    IndiGo has a TBS-BEG flight tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:26

      It's a stop to transport Indians to both Georgia and Serbia since Georgia is also a quarantine destination for them.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:31

      Which equipment are they using?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:39

      Has nothing to do with Indians going to Georgia, it's a refuelling stop since the A320/321neo they use can't make it to Belgrade from DEL.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:28

    Would be a nice addition. I see JU operating BEG-TBS. Not sure about the rest

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous09:29

    Nice to include secondary cities as well.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous09:30

    Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous09:32

    Who on earth is going to fly Nis-Kutaisi. Don't see it working.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous09:46

    This would be excellent. Georgian Airways would be a nice addition at BEG.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous09:47

    I wonder if Air Serbia would maybe consider this route?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:49

      it's outside of their flying range and so would mean having to break their existing bank structure ... i therefore doubt it

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:50

      Air Serbia is slowly moving its morning bank of departures by an hour.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:59

      @9.49 what are you talking about. How is 2 1/2 hour flight outside of their flying range? The flight is shorter than Belgrade-Moscow or Belgrade - London.

      Delete
    4. JATBEGMEL19:31

      @09,49

      JU for the past 2 years has been adjusting departures outside of their 4 waves. This summer, LCA had a 10am rotation, ROV at 20:30. ZRH and LJU have midday departures. Just a couple of examples.

      As for sector length, CAI, MAD, ROV, OSL are examples of 'longer' sector lengths they were/are operating. TBS wouldn't be much different.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous09:47

    I'm surprised there is more demand for Tbilisi than Baku.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:28

      Why?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:55

      Seriously, why? Georgia is a tourist destination without complex visa policy: Azerbaijan is exactly the opposite.

      Delete
  17. Anonymous09:48

    I think this is going to be another heavy hit for Air Serbia's tranfer business.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:50

      How exactly?? They don't even fly there or have any codeshare to there.

      Delete
  18. Anonymous09:51

    Good decision - makes both economic and tourism sense.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous09:51

    This route would have to be sustained by connecting traffic on either end

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:53

      Definitely. Therefore, I am more inclined that it will be a JU.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:18

      There would be very little connecting traffic via Tbilisi. Georgian Airways offers nothing to Serbian passengers. The only destination for transfer would be Yerevan. All of their other destinations are in western Europe which are offered by Air Serbia and it would make no sense to backtrack to Tbilisi to fly to Paris.

      Delete
  20. Anonymous09:52

    When politicians will stop to talk about aviation?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:54

      Which politician is talking about aviation here?

      Delete
  21. Anonymous09:54

    Who the hell would fly Tbilisi- Belgrade?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:54

      The same kind of people who fly from Sofia to Baku or who flew from Belgrade to Minsk.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:50

      I would, as a tourist

      Delete
    3. Anonymous17:02

      Serbians dont need visas for Georgia.
      Its a very affordable and sought after destination.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous21:03

      Btw, Tbilisi is f....g pretty and interesting. It is visited by a lot of countries.
      They also have a coast and mountains and still pretty cheap and down to earth. Loved Georgia a lot!

      Delete
  22. Anonymous09:55

    More good news for BEG.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous09:56

    Fun fact Georgian Airways has a codeshare agreement with Delta!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:29

      Well that's more than JU has managed haha

      Delete
  24. Anonymous09:57

    Georgian Airways' Embraer jets would be perfect for a route like BEG.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:30

      If they sign a codeshare agreement with JU then this route could easily work.

      Delete
  25. Anonymous09:57

    Finally a direct air link that will connect David the Builder and Constantine the Great!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous09:57

    I wonder who these 4000+ people are. Are they mostly Georgians? Serbians? Tourists? Business travel?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:25

      I assume a bit of everything.

      Delete
  27. Anonymous10:02

    People who haven't visited Georgia really should. I went this summer and it is a fascinating place and very tourist friendly too. Tbilisi is a beautiful city in so many ways. But also the Georgian countryside is beautiful. The food is amazing and everything is cheap. I highly recommend it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:29

      Georgia has become an absolute hit with tourists from Gulf, especially this year.

      Delete
  28. Anonymous10:02

    Are there any visa requirments?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:07

      No, on neither side.

      Delete
  29. Anonymous10:24

    This air-link would be a superb foothold for the entire Caucasus region.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous10:25

    Tbilisi is a no brainer for JU. They just need more planes to start this route.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:34

      They could start it with current fleet. I mean one of thei A319s sits every week for 12 hours in Dubai.

      Delete
    2. JATBEGMEL19:39

      DXB is on the A320, not the A319.

      @ 10,25

      Alot of talk on new routes lately suggests we will hear some news about their fleet in the next couple of months. They were short of 2 ac this summer, wouldn't be surprised if 4 A319's join the fleet next year.

      Delete
  31. Today our options from western europe to Tbilisi or Batoumi are TK or 6U.
    JU is well positioned for those destination but they need a 100 seater max .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:51

      Sorry which airline is 6U?

      Delete
    2. Ukraine International Airlines

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:36

      What are you talking about?

      Other airlines flying to Tbilisi or Batoumi:

      LH (from MUC), AF, LO, Georgian Airways + many lcc routes

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:12

      Since when did UIA become 6U instead of PS?

      Delete
    5. AF is mid day flight so no go , LH has bad connexions, Therefore if you want late afternoon or evening flights, the option are restricted.

      For leasure Batumi do not have flights with LH and AF ( at list i never managed toi get those ) . When you mention "many" LCC. Please go to tbilissi web site and see how many flight you have per day for a city that is about the same size (- 10-15%)as Belgrade. You have beetween 30 and 40 flights per day.

      Maybe looking at a reservation system looks good , but when you travel for real then options are restricted


      for the last Anonymous, Sorry you are correct still when you are 50 and more you tend to use old stuff . 6U is the former Air Ukraine or somethink like that. PS is the correct code.

      Delete
  32. Anonymous10:39

    It would be wonderful opportunity to advance tourism between two countries and transfers for JU by launching 2 weekly flights.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Anonymous10:48

    It would be great to have connection with Georgia.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Anonymous10:48

    The route is more then adequately covered by Turkish/Pegasus via Istanbul.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:50

      Turkish and Pegasus also cover Dubai but you still have flights from Belgrade...

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:34

      And they are actually both expensive to Tbilisi.

      Delete
  35. Anonymous11:04

    "Causasian threesome" would be a great addition to JU network (Tbilisi, Yerevan and Baku).
    No idea why they do not join the club and start flying

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:33

      No chance flying all three could be successful.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:40

      I googled that but a whole different thing came up. Wouldnt recommend to do that when in public.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous17:16

      ^ Hahaha, thats so incredible !

      Delete
  36. Anonymous13:31

    Let's hope this materializes.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Anonymous13:57

    If OTP couldn't sustain such flight I wonder how BEG or INI will do...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:00

      So? OTP didn't have flights to Minsk for example, while they were very successful from Belgrade and have only been suspended because of sanctions.

      Delete
  38. Anonymous14:09

    Currently, the cheapest option is Budapest to Kutaisi with wizz, but only for fully vaccinated people

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous18:12

      What do you mean? Georgia is only open to vaccinated passengers?

      Delete
  39. Anonymous16:56

    Again a missed opportunity for JU.
    Tbilisi and Yerevan are as long as the Rostov and Krasnodar route.
    That both routes would be a perfect mix of O&D and transfers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous18:11

      I wouldn't say it is a missed opportunity. There is still an opportunity for them to launch it :)

      Delete
    2. Anonymous22:48

      It would definitely be a perfect addition to JUs network .

      Delete
  40. Anonymous18:10

    Interesting figures. @Ex-Yu would it be possible to see figures for TBS for Zagreb and Ljubljana? I'm really curious

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:23

      I'm interested too :)

      Delete
    2. Anonymous19:36

      LJU had 3.530.

      Delete
    3. Ljubljana - 3.530
      Zagreb - 3.625

      Delete
    4. Anonymous22:46

      Croatia and Zagreb have double the population of Slovenia and Ljubljana but demand is roughly the same.
      The underperformance of the Croatian market is so much disappointing.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous23:40

      How much is Serbian market bigger than Croatian (which is disappointing) and how much is Serbian demand bigger than Croatian? It's literally the same. Slovenian market is well above both obviously

      Delete
  41. Anonymous20:39

    Why not Batumi (beautiful coastal town) instead of Kutaisi?

    ReplyDelete
  42. Anonymous23:58

    So clearly Yerevan is not the best option from Beograd. Reminds me of the Skopie Kyiv scenario where there was initial demand but slowly faded away after halting the flights.
    Time for BEG to focus entirely on Russia, Turkey, China and India , where this is the demand is.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous03:12

      The only way to see if a route works is to try it out.
      Everything else is purely speculation.

      Delete
  43. Anonymous04:58

    tbilisi is one of the hippest and trendiest cities in the world at the moment..
    i have been already a couple of times.. i would devinetly recomend everyone who lives in Belgrade to go for a weekend if there are direct flights..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:33

      ...And its not expensive at all !
      Have been there too.

      Delete

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