Nordwind Airlines plans new Belgrade service


Nordwind Airlines intends on further expanding its operations to Belgrade with the introduction of a new service from Kaliningrad. The carrier’s Commercial Director, Anton Mattis, noted, “We have submitted a request for a permit to fly to a number of cities from Kaliningrad, including visa-free ones. In particular, we want to fly to Belgrade. This is a classic visa-free destination that is in great demand”. Nordwind already maintains flights from Moscow and St Petersburg to the Serbian capital. Despite several flights from Rostov-on-Don to Belgrade, the airline recently terminated the service. If the Kaliningrad flights receive the necessary permits, it will mark the first time the two cities have been linked with a scheduled nonstop air service.


Nordwind Airlines plans to commence operations from Kaliningrad to Belgrade from December 1. The service would be maintained once per week, each Wednesday. Due to the termination of its flights from Rostov to the Serbian capital, Nordwind should be granted permission by the Serbian Civil Aviation Directorate to launch the new one weekly service from Kaliningrad, so as to meet the current frequency caps between Serbia and Russia, which have been introduced as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Based on OAG’s 2019 data, just 393 people flew between the two cities on a single itinerary, illustrating the lack of flights and connections available up until now.

Nordwind has filed and received permits from Russian authorities for a number of new routes to Belgrade, including from Krasnodar, Samara, Perm and Krasnoyarsk. It must now seek approval from the Serbian regulator if it wishes to exercise its rights. Nordiwnd has been expanding throughout the former Yugoslavia this year, by introducing flights to Serbia, Croatia, and Macedonia. The carrier also plans on launching operations to Ljubljana. It initially filed its schedule for a one weekly Moscow to Ljubljana service starting this November but has now pushed back its preliminary launch date to December 4. Tickets are yet to be put on sale.



Comments

  1. Anonymous09:02

    They just failed miserably on ROV-BEG and from what I heard they are struggling on LED and SVO flights. Now they want this? They are beyond crazy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:03

      And where did you hear that?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:03

      Covid messed up things :/

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:37

      At least they're doing something unlike some.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:03

    Exotic :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous09:08

    Really interesting destination. Hope it works.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous09:09

    At least its a new route not served by any other airline.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:38

      It would be a great way to access Baltics, Belarus and parts of Poland and somewhat fill the gap of the absence of Belavia.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:17

      Well Belavia is planning on resuming flights to BEG from mid-December so let's see what happens with that.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:34

      anon 09:38 - LOL, just look at the map and at connections and visa requirements. Kalinigrad is very far from being an entry point into Baltics or parts of Poland, not speaking about Belarus.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:41

      Don't be stupid.

      It's 200km from Belarus with excellent train links.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous13:04

      What excellent train links? A train from Kaliningrad via Lithuania to Minsk in Belarus takes 14 hours and a Belarusian needs a Lithuanian visa. You must be joking.

      By road to the closest bigger Belarusian city, Grodno, it takes 5 hours and you cross the EU border twice (entering and exiting Lithuania).

      Delete
    6. Anonymous13:18

      14 hours in overnight sleeper train.

      Hardly an exhaustion.

      Point is: it makes the Belarus and the Baltics CLOSER.

      I'm not sure if you can argue with that.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous14:11

      Yes, no exhaustion at all, especially given two wake-ups at the EU borders.


      And yes, it bring Belarus and the Baltics closer to BEG the same way as flying BEG-CAI brings you closer to Cape Town.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous18:46

      You must be extremely stupid to say that.

      If for you 300km = 5.000 that i've got nothing to say more.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous20:18

      Thank you for your kind answer.

      Travelling from BEG to Belarus via Kaliningrad (including a train from Kalinigrad to Minsk) seems to me a kind of pleasure that only Marquis de Sade would really enjoy, but I wish you a happy yourney.

      And please don't forget to write a report from your trip for this site. Enjoy!

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:09

    They will probably get approval since they ended one route.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous09:10

    Good news, this shows that the market will stay strong in the winter months.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous09:10

    Nordwind didn't fly to anywhere in ex-Yu before Covid now they serve several cities with expanding network.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:43

      True. Nordwind was barely present in the region before Covid and now they fly to most countries.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:44

      Who knew Covid would create so much demand.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:46

      Well they don't fly to most. There are still no flights to Sarajevo, Montenegro and Slovenia.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:50

      They can't fly to Montenegro. There is a ban on flights between the two countries. And as it says in the text they plan to start Ljubljana relatively soon.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:01

      Who would have though this airline would become the main Russian airlines between ex-Yu and Russia.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:02

      I think this airline is running out of markets to serve since it does not have the possibility expanding in the EU so much.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:10

    Great the more new routes the better.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous09:11

    I hope Nordwind also increases frequencies on its BEG routes. They are all once per week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:12

      They can't. There is a cap on frequencies. For example Air Serbia as Serbian airlines flies 8 weekly to Moscow. Russian airlines also have 8 weekly frequencies - 7 for Aeroflot and 1 for Nordwind. But this is Russian rule, not Serbian.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:16

      I honestly don't get these silly Russian caps and limits on frequencies. I don't believe anymore it has anything to do with corona.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:13

    Nordwind getting a bit crazy over BEG

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:19

      Had CAD not blocked others we would have at least two more airlines flying several routes to Russia.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:22

      They had to grant Nordwind rights because they risked JU losing its permits for flights other than Moscow and St Petersburg.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:42

      @9.19: Correct - Ural, S7...

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:16

      Both are the best airlines in Russia.

      S7 would be the jackpot.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:14

    Overall not bad for BEG this winter. Four new Wizz Air routes, new Anadolujet flights, new Nordwind flights and new Nis flights :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:15

      Keep the new routes coming!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:25

      Considering the situation having all these new routes by different airlines is quite an achievement.

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:15

    I would actually love to visit Kaliningrad. They say it's a beautiful city. Hope the fares are reasonable.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:59

      When in Russia you have to visit Uzbek restaurants so called chaikhonas which actually means "teahouses".
      Very good and also affordable cuisine and extremely popular by Russians as the Russian cuisine itself is very bland.
      You find them in every bigger city and Kaliningrad is no exception.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous09:16

    What's up with Nordwind scheduling flights less than a month before they start. I mean how can they get a good result when they put tickets on sale 3 weeks or less in advance?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:19

      Only one flight a week that is probably filled with tour operators well in advance, so they sell just a few tickets online in the beginning.

      Delete
  14. Anonymous09:20

    Good news. But flights between Belgrade and Russia are an absolutely rip off.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:30

      Agree. Very expensive

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:36

      Fares are like that because there is high demand and limited number of flights due to bilateral.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous09:20

    Aeroflot and Nordwind must be happy that Belavia can no longer fly to BEG. They had a big share of Russian transfer passengers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:26

      Same as Air Serbia has been profiting from there being no flights between Montenegro and Russia.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:30

      I wonder why JU does not start flying to Minsk. I think they would have great result there.

      And before anyone mentiones flight ban to Belarus I would like to let you know that LH scheduled their flights from Frankfurt to Belarus capital for January next year.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:45

      There was an article here that they are negotiation with Belarussians to launch flights. Maybe after they saw LH would fly they decided not to pursue it. JU doesn't deal well with competition.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:50

      I know they don't like competition, but it is not realistic from them to expect nobody will fly to MSQ only in order they would have enough passengers there.

      From the other side LH flying to MSQ is just the sign Western countries will soon forget about flight ban and return to Belarus capital and when it happens it would be good JU to be positioned there already.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:04

      I agree but this is JU we are talking about. I also think their fleet is becoming thin.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:18

      Their reaction on opening new routes is no longer slow as it was in the time of Jat Airways. They do not have fear to open new destinations now and I like it.

      From the other side they do not fly anymore 2 times weekly to ROV, so they could use that plane to start MSQ.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:36

      LH flights to Belarus in January will not happen. They are postponing these flights every couple of months simultanousely as the flights ban is prolonged by the EU. The same with other EU airlines.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous11:34

      Exactly. Those flights are not going to happen any time soon.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous11:50

      I am aware that they postponed it only once - from October 2021 to January 2022.

      It would be logical to start planning this flight once the EU permission arrives and not on this way where passengers buy the tickets for the flights which might or might not happen.

      Delete
    10. JATBEGMEL13:30

      09,45

      I think this is not exactly true. JU has direct competition in CDG, AMS, OSL, SVO, LED, ATH, ZRH, IST, FRA, BER, OTP, VIE, BCN, plus more indirect competition through Wizz and other airlines, both O&D and transit. JU isn't a large airline and at some places they will compete well, some place not soo well. No airline likes competition, for example LH has for years pushed the German government to restrict access to EK.

      MSQ would be an interesting addition especially in the summer months for transit pax. JU is competitive with LH on our regional market: TGD, TIV, DBV, SPU, PUY, TIA, SKG, SKP, SJJ, ATH, IST, LCA.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous09:23

    Wow there were very few pax flying KGD-BEG.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:24

      The good thing is Nordwind will create a new market.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:31

      Let's see...

      Delete
  17. Anonymous09:26

    Shame there are still no flights between Russia and Nis.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:28

      Is there demand?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:36

      I believe so, especially since it was reported that most Russian tourists are going to Kopaonik which is closer to Nis than Belgrade.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:37

      It would probably involve INI airport and its management actually doing something. You can't just sit on your hands waiting for someone to come to you. They had a very proactive management a few years ago that brought Ryanair, Wizz Air and Swiss. Then they replaced them and now you have what you have.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:38

      But we still have all of those at INI...

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:45

      Off course. Or you think so that only people from Belgrade use airplanes? Huge number of workers from Western Serbia fly to Russia. People from Kragujevac, Užice, Novi Sad... also travel to Hurghada and Antalya in huge numbers.
      You think so that all of them like Bg or they fly from there because its the only one offer?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous11:35

      I don't think that only people from BEG fly, but if there were so much demand I would expect for flights to have started already.

      Delete
  18. Anonymous09:26

    Nice!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous09:28

    Great. It's good to see more and more secondary Russian cities served from BEG.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous09:33

    To be honest I wish them all the luck and I am glad to see new destinations will be connected to Belgrade, but I truly doubt this KGD-BEG would be successful especially in pandemic time.

    I wish I was wrong.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:44

      I'm also not so sure this route will be able to be sustained but let's see.

      Delete
  21. Anonymous09:50

    Every two months they pick some random route :D

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous09:51

    Hope they launch Krasnoyarsk-Belgrade which they asked for permit. I think they would have to operate this route with the A330 or B777.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:56

      Yes, Krasnoyarsk-Belgrade is an almost 7 hour flight.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:03

      A330s, B777s... Their fleet is really impressive actually.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:43

      Indeed 9 A321s, 4 A330s, 12 B737-800s, 9 B777s

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:35

      Don't forget Pegas Fly which is operated by the same company - they have 15 planes including B737-900s and B767s.

      Delete
  23. Anonymous09:51

    Awesome news

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous09:57

    Well done Nordwind!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous10:00

    Great to see more and more connectivity from BEG to Russia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:36

      Frequencies are still way down of pre pandemic levels. Even though more cities are served compared to before.

      Delete
  26. Anonymous10:02

    I hope these flights will materialize

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous10:10

    Kaliningrad is charming European city so I hope people from Serbia get some interest in it too. Curonian Spit is outstanding. Nordwind needs to up their marketing efforts a bit for all destinations they serve from Belgrade.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:11

      Split*

      Курсшкая коса

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:16

      I believe it's Spit. Google confirms. Anyway, it's breath taking.

      Delete
  28. Anonymous10:43

    Do you guys think Nordwind will increase frequencies to BEG once the caps are removed or they will just keep everything once per week?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:24

      If the demand is there they should.

      Delete
  29. Anonymous11:20

    Loads on Nordwind flights would be further improved if Serbia no longer required compulsory 48 hour PCR test for fully vaccinated foreigners.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:24

      Or at least allow antigen test, which is cheaper and quicker or standardize the required time for PCR to 72 hours like the majority countries in the world.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:32

      Most countries still require covid test despite vaccine.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:44

      Very stupid.

      Delete
  30. Anonymous11:32

    Anyone know the loads of N4 flights to BEG?

    ReplyDelete
  31. Anonymous16:24

    Will they have code share with JU?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:28

      They don't codeshares. Air Serbia's Russian codeshare partner is Aeroflot.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:46

      Does JU have its codes on Aeroflot's flights from Moscow to Kalingrad?

      Delete
  32. Anonymous16:24

    Well done Belgrade

    ReplyDelete
  33. Anonymous16:53

    It looks so nice with the black engines!!!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Anonymous17:02

    Air Serbia would even be better on that route because of transfers.
    From Kaliningrad to Europa you have to backtrack via Moscow which is a hassle.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17:34

      LOT flies almost daily to KGD. Only European destination from Kaliningrad.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous18:31

      LOT doesn't fly to KGD. At least it no longer does.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous19:25

      Probably suspended due to covid.
      But that route must have been great for LOT, having one of the few direct flights to KGD from Europe.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous19:56

      Funny thing is that Kaliningrad IS IN Europe !
      Who would have thought that ..?

      Delete
  35. Anonymous09:03

    This would've been a great opportunity for Air Serbia. Air Serbia missed it again.

    ReplyDelete

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