Flydubai plans to increase frequencies on most of its routes in the former Yugoslavia this summer season as demand for travel to the Emirate remains strong. The airline, which commenced three weekly services to Ljubljana last September, will add a further two weekly rotations for a total of five starting June 25. Prior to that, the carrier also plans to run four weekly flights during the first week of February and six rotations during the second week of the same month as a one-off due to strong demand. “We see Ljubljana as a great opportunity. We will continue to work closely with the Slovenian Tourist Board and the government, as we believe that Slovenia is also a very interesting and attractive tourist destination for our residents”, Flydubai said.
The airline also plans to increase frequencies on its service to Belgrade. Starting June 26, Flydubai will maintain double daily flights from its hub to the Serbian capital. The carrier initially planned to run two daily flights this winter season but ultimately opted for a ten weekly service. Last summer season, services were maintained seven times per week. The carrier will also increase frequencies to Zagreb from its existing four weekly operation to daily flights starting March 27. Flydubai did not maintain services between the two cities over the past two summers (with exception to last October). In 2019, Emirates performed daily rotations with its Boeing 777 aircraft.
The hybrid carrier currently plans to progressively increase its frequencies to Sarajevo from the start of the summer season in late March, with double daily operations to be maintained from May 16 until September 12, after which there will be four weekly flights, although this is subject to change. However, last summer the airline performed three daily services on the route, with a fourth daily rotation operated on select days. Sarajevo Airport has initiated contact with Emirates in hope of attracting the airline to commence services during the summer but noted it would continue its cooperation with Flydubai. “We sincerely hope that a respectable airline such as Emirates will consider and accept our offer in order for us to commence negotiations. There is strong demand and potential between the UAE and our country. Flydubai has been our partner for many years and we have excellent cooperation with them. In the coming period, we will work to further enhance our partnership”, the General Manager of Sarajevo Airport, Alan Bajić, said recently.
This summer, Flydubai will resume its seasonal flights to Dubrovnik and Tivat on June 23 and June 24 respectively. Services to the Croatian coastal city will run three times per week until September 11, thereafter decreasing to two weekly until their conclusion on October 2. On the other hand, flights to the Montenegrin coast will be maintained twice per week until September 2. The airline has tentatively scheduled the resumption of its Skopje service from October 31.
Wow great news. They must really be performing well in LJU.
ReplyDeleteNot surprised. There will be a lot of demand for DXB.
DeleteHere i am, rocking like hurricane or sand storm(fz)!
DeletePeople always said that many passengers from ZAG were Slovenes so seeing FZ do so well in LJU proves they were right.
DeleteAnd since they are increasing ZAG even before, it only proves that there is demand from Cro even without Ljubljancani.
DeleteAny chance for EK to come back to Zagreb?
ReplyDeleteNext summer probably
DeleteOnly when Asia reopens.
DeleteI'm not so sure they will be back. Flights struggled even before pandemic and were downgraded beforehand to seasonal. I do not see them returning.
DeleteEmirates handed over market back to Flydubai before Covid. When Australia opens up, it will be EK+FZ to ZAG.
Delete^ That makes most sense.
DeletePeople should also keep in mind that Flydubai is now flying to Ljubljana and Slovenians used the Zagreb EK service.
DeleteTrue, that is something new that could have an impact on those flights.
Delete@An.09.19
DeleteEK flights to/from ZAG were not struggling before covid scam. They had over 90 % LF and good yields with premium product almost always sold out during the summer. In winter, you are right, the flights struggled and that"s why FZ jumped in. If there was no "pandemic" scam, EK and FZ would continue flying to ZAG, EK in the summer, and FZ in winter. And EK summer flights will highly likely resume as soon as scam is over and Far East and Australia open up. Actually I believe it's highly likely EK will have year-round ZAG, with bigger equipment during the summer, and Dreamliners in winter, once they start joining the fleet. And I also believe at that time we might even see EK in BEG and SJJ as well, maybe even DBV.
But didn't people said there is no demand to LJU?
ReplyDeleteResident experts
DeletePeople said also that ZAG flights are full of Slovenes...but they are increasing ZAG to 5/7 from March. So...
Deletethey planned that before. they are not increasing it now. So Zagreb is performing as planned, Ljubljana is performing better than planned.
DeleteI still remember comments like "Distance and size of the Slovenian market make it difficult for any Gulf flights to start to LJU", "Narrowbodies can hardly reach LJU", "Ljubljana has to understand that they've got no chance with ME carriers", "Flights to LJU make no sense and are not commercialy viable". I wonder where are these commentators hiding :)
DeleteFlydubai seems to have done quite well in the region, even after Covid they were quick to resume flights.
ReplyDeleteThat has more to do with Dubai which adopted very sensible entry measures (without ridiculous bans or quarantine) while having appropriate safety measures. Many people go to Dubai just to feel a sense of normality.
DeleteAnd not to mention they vaccinated the majority of their population already.
DeleteDubai's hotel occupancy rate was 97% in November, which is amazing by all counts.
DeleteImpressive.
DeleteGreat news
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why they are not resuming Skopje earlier??
ReplyDeleteUnfortunate there are no flights to the Middle East from Macedonia anymore but the majority of people flying QR and FZ were diaspora from Australia. Since they can't leave the country, there is little point for these flights.
DeleteWell SKP then must be the only capital city in Europe without demand to Dubai.
DeleteSeems like it...
DeleteI'm also surprised there isn't enough P2P demand to make FZ sustainable. For Qatar I understand. The flights are used almost completely just by Australian diaspora and seeing as Australian citizens and residents can't leave Australia it makes sense. But for Flydubai I would expect flights. Even in November they plan just 2 weekly (if it starts).
DeleteSKP underpeformed in the past both for them and QR. I don't think we will see them back before Australia opens up, that was the main market for both carriers.
DeleteThere is also Turkish Airlines which dominates the Macedonian market
DeleteHmm very interesting that they will reduce flights to Sarajevo (unless they have stlll not scheduled more flights).
ReplyDeleteMaybe because there will be a couple of weekly EK flights as well ;)
DeleteMight be because many nee Gulf airlines started flying to SJJ so there is simply fewer regional transfer pax for Flydubai.
DeleteGood to see they will come back to Dubrovnik and Tivat
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteI'm still dumbfounded that there are nonstop flights between Tivat and Dubai. Good on them.
DeleteSeems to be working. Especially since they brought it back last year rather than Dubrovnik.
DeleteIt works well because many people go to Porto Montenegro as part of package tour on Flydubai.
DeletePorto Montenegro was acquired by the Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD), the principal investment arm of the Gvmnt of Dubai, so....EK/FZ and PMTivat is "bros&sisters".
DeleteBenefiting FZ at the moment in BEG is EY absence.
ReplyDeleteI really hope that Etihad returns. It would be crazy if not considering that their daily flights had an average loadfactor of 90 percent.
DeleteIt won't come back until Australia and China reopen. it made up the majority of their passenger structure. That's why they are gone.
DeleteWith Wizz Air flying Abu Dhabi, I'm doubtful they will return. We will see.
DeleteThe second daily flight from Belgrade is much more convenient. Allows you to work on the day, you fly during the night hours and arrive in the morning in Dubai and have the entire day, which is good for tourists as well.
ReplyDeleteAlso the return flight is at 7PM meaning you have the most of your last day in Dubai instead of departing at 9AM.
DeleteIm interested how Flydubai affected Turkish loads in Ljubljana.
ReplyDeleteFor now they still have plans for double daily this summer.
DeleteFinally some positive news for Ljubljana!
ReplyDeleteGood to see them performing well in Ljubljana. It has been a long time coming. I wonder why they were so apprehensive for so long. I'm was sure it would be successful.
ReplyDeleteThe route is probably expensive. it is one of the longest in their network. On top of that LJU's fees were expensive pre covid. Now that LJU has barely had any traffic for almost 2 years they probably got a good deal.
DeleteFlydubai is a surprisingly good airline. Glad to see them generally expanding in the region.
ReplyDeleteI mean they have a very good new product on the max.
DeleteAre all of Flydubai's ex-Yu routes now operated by MAX planes?
DeleteThe business class looks better than most European airlines have on widebodies.
DeleteC Class on FlyDubai is very comfortable and like the anon@09:45 said probably better than the one on the most of European airlines, even on widebodies. Food is delicious and the crew is EXTREMELY nice. I flew once with them, if i remember well it was RUH-DXB and i can not wait to use them from LJU.
DeleteAnyone know what is their best performing route in the region?
ReplyDeleteAnd I mean wider region, not just ex-Yu
DeleteI believe it is OTP.
DeleteHow many flights do they have to OTP?
DeleteBefore covid I think they had 2 daily flights.
DeleteGood work FZ
ReplyDeleteI can see EK eventually flying seasonally to ZAG again, as well as BEG and SJJ.
ReplyDeleteHope so
DeleteI am sure it will happen as soon as Far East and Australia open up
DeleteEmirates could easily send a B777 to Sarajevo in the summer peak without a problem.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy that Ljubljana FINALLY got those Gulf flights.
ReplyDeletenext step: 3 weekly with Qatar? :))
DeleteI hope for 10 daily with TK.
DeletePretty amazing results, especially in BEG and SJJ.
ReplyDeleteThey could try Pristina same way they did Podgorica with a stop. Maybe via Skopje.
ReplyDeletemaybe its too close to SKP
DeleteI hope they move the Sarajevo flights from T2 to T3 like BEG, LJU and ZAG.
ReplyDeleteWhy not fly to Podgorica in winter and replace it with Tivat in summer?
ReplyDeleteThey tried exactly that a few years ago. Loads were unsatisfactory. They flew it via SJJ and it didn't work.
DeleteIt would be interesting to see if Wizzair decide to compete with them on some routes. They pulled out of DWC and now returned to DXB. AUH does not seem to have worked for some cities such as OTP and SOF and was postponed to March. If there are up to 4 daily flights in SJJ in the peak season, they can try and compete with them or on the LJU route.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, FZ benefited quite a lot this winter from the Balkans in general.
Wizz Air seems to have a good winter in BEG and SJJ.
DeleteMaybe they increase frequencies this summer?
Would be fantastic!
18:57 I mean Wizz Air Abu Dhabi.
DeleteEnd of June means that they go double daily much too late in the second half of the year .
ReplyDeleteDisappointing for Belgrade .
I hope Qatar brings its late evening departures back like they had in 2019 .
^ Second daily flight was announced for november but will get delayed to june which means a delay of eight months. I expected the second daily to begin in april to be honest.
ReplyDeleteDont understand the hype about them but Belgrade never was and is priority for them...
They already oprate second daily flight 3x per week.
DeleteRumour is that Flynas and/or Jazeera Airways will start flights.
DeleteThat would compensate for Flydubai...