Airports across the former Yugoslavia handled a combined total of 14.8 million passengers in 2021, up 97.3% on the year before but still down 49.7% on the pre-pandemic 2019. None of the airports managed to outperform their pre-Covid figures, although Portorož, Banja Luka and Mali Lošinj came close. On the other hand, only Niš Airport handled less passengers in 2021 than in 2020, with 7.937 fewer travellers recorded despite it being closed for several months in 2020 due to the global lockdowns. Overall, Belgrade maintained its position as the busiest airport in the former Yugoslavia, positioning itself within the top seventy in Europe. It was followed by Pristina and then Split, which overtook Zagreb to become Croatia’s busiest airport.
The operator of Belgrade Airport, VINCI, noted, “The recovery of passenger traffic continued in the fourth quarter of 2021. The number of passengers served at Belgrade Airport was two times higher than in the fourth quarter of 2020”. It managed to outperform its target of 2.9 million passengers for last year. Skopje Airport also saw above average passenger growth in 2021. Its operator, TAV, recently said, “Undoubtedly, we saw the first signs of air traffic recovery at Skopje and Ohrid airports in 2021, especially during the high summer season when European countries lifted the travel ban for Macedonian passport holders. We are satisfied with the achievements and we will continue in our efforts to find the best operational decisions in order to cope with the changing business environment, as a result of the pandemic”.
Montenegro’s two international airports, Podgorica and Tivat, handled over 1.3 million passengers last year. “We are pleased with the 1.3 million travellers handled, which is half of what we had in 2019. Considering we were unable to serve the Russian and Belarussian markets, this is an excellent result”, operator Airports of Montenegro said. Ljubljana Airport fell out of the top ten busiest airports in the former Yugoslavia for the first time, overtaken by Zadar. “We are already on the right track [to reaching pre-pandemic traffic levels]. We will achieve this with our current partners, airlines that connect Ljubljana Airport, and we will add new ones each year”, the airport has said.
Oh Ljubljana...
ReplyDeleteBravo Fraport!
DeleteAt least it didn't fall behind Tuzla. It was close at one point.
DeleteIn 2020 Podgorica overtook Ljubljana, in 2021 Zadar overtook Ljubljana, in 2022 Tuzla will probably overtake Ljubljana the way things are going.
DeleteNot only did Zadar overtake it last year but Sarajevo too :(
Deletelol, why wouldnt Sarajevo have overtaken it last year, it has more passengers than Zadar?
DeleteThings could turn around quickly for Ljubljana if an airline bases a plane there.
DeleteIn more than two years we did not have single airline to base airlines at LJU (if we count FRA as overnight only), so most probably that won't happen in next 2(0) years. And here I would not blame Fraport, only one to blame is government who listened experts like Skobir & Krasnja how Slovenia does not need national carrier and that market will take care of itself. Well done!
DeleteI expect that PUY and TZL will be soon ahead of LJU. In 2 or 3 years most likely.
DeleteAt least we don't need to worry RJK would overtake LJU. Ever 😃
DeletePoor Mostar
ReplyDeleteThat airport needs to seriously do something if it is ever to have decent traffic.
DeleteIt had the perfect chance to attract Wizz Air. Now with them having a base in Sarajevo those chances have dwindled.
DeleteNumbers are still dire
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting how airports perform this year. I'm particularly watching Zagreb with Ryanair and Sarajevo Airport with all the new Wizz Air routes.
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is well done Portoroz. It has no commercial flights but had more passengers than Osijek and Brac which did!
ReplyDelete+2
DeleteThey had no pax. Believe me. Pax is only a person who pays the ticket. They have their own way of counting. Just pure BS and the ministry is giving them 500k per year for what?
DeleteI don't think Belgrade will be in the top 60 in Europe. For now according to Wikipedia, Thessaloniki, Rhodes and Sofia have performed better than Belgrade.
ReplyDeleteIt already is in the top 60. There is nothing to think about.
DeleteWiki list is not correct nor is it fully updated.
DeleteMost likely top 80. Russian airports are likely to perform better because of domestic flights and charters to Turkey.
DeleteOkay, then we have just wait and see.
DeleteNo, it is in top 60 like it says.
Delete55 Rhodes
56 Thessaloniki
57 Faro
58 Venice
59 Sofia
60 Belgrade
Dubrovnik underperformed in my opinion, despite all those US flights.
ReplyDeleteTrue. I hope traffic picks up there this year.
DeleteSo far things don't seem too promising for 2021
DeleteYou mean 2022 :D
DeleteLot of cruise pax missing.
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2022/01/volotea-shelves-planned-croatia.html
Considering the situation, some have held up quite well.
ReplyDeletePRN and SJJ have shown really impressive results. Although, I think ZAG is most likely to recover its 2nd position this year. LJU's situation is definitely worrisome.......
ReplyDeleteHow did INI manage to perform worse than in 2020?!?!
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with you my friend. INI was already neck to neck with SKP in 2019, but don't forget that in 2022 we will have JU expanding and domestic flights to the capital. The south will prevail again!
DeleteNeck to neck with Skopje in 2019? Are you for real
DeleteSKP 2019 - 2.360.400
INI 2019 - 422.255
The PRN figures are extremely impressive. This trend is likely to increase this year....
ReplyDeleteWhen could we see 2019 figures again?
ReplyDeleteThis will be a long and difficult recovery.
DeleteYou've got to start somewhere. Thing will get much better this year.
DeleteBoy how the rankings have changed in just two years. Crazy.
ReplyDeleteAnyone care to predict numbers for 2022?
ReplyDeleteI think Belgrade will have around 5 million passengers this year. For the rest, I really can not say.
DeleteArrival of Wizz Air really helped Banja Luka.
ReplyDeleteWhat on earth is going on at Brac. Overtaken by PORTOROZ!!
ReplyDeletePortoroz overtook Brac in 2019. Nothing new.
DeletePortoroz numbers are fake. They count every person as a passengers. So the person operating the private flight is at the same tipe counted as a crew (pilot) and a passenger - no sense, but it makes sense for Portoroz and the ministry.
DeletePortoroz numbers are fake. They count every person as a passengers. So the person operating the private flight is at the same tipe counted as a crew (pilot) and a passenger - no sense, but it makes sense for Portoroz and the ministry.
DeleteSo Bosnian airport had 1,207,968 passengers
ReplyDeleteSlovenian 454,407
Interesting
Yes haha
DeleteA real shame.
DeleteWhy shame tho? Bosnia is a bigger country than Slovenia, Sarajevo is a bgger city than Ljubljana, they get almost the same number of tourists, etc. I think its just natural progression as Bosnia and Sarajevo start standing on their feet again after the unfortunate 90s that struck them.
DeleteYes, nothing shameful about the result. Aviation in Sarajevo and in the whole country has been totally neglected for so many years. Sarajevo is only now starting to get some serious results and this is probably just the beginning. On a long term I believe Bosnia will become the third EX YU country when it comes to annual pax numbers while Sarajevo, who knows, it is still far from reaching other airports in the region, but seeing Sarajevo skipping another city from the list doesn't sound impossible anymore.
DeleteCroatia is EX-Yu biggest aviation market
ReplyDeleteThis has always been the case, even during ex-Yugo times.
DeleteWith tiny, the worst, and most incompetent flag carrier, which use absolutely no advantage of that biggest market, and market(s) of the entire ex-yu and the Balkans
DeleteHope this year will be better for Ljubljana with new carriers and routes!
ReplyDeleteYou haven't read latest articles regarding LJU right? Wizz is canceling flights, MUC is prolonged (again), FRA will be reduced, etc...
DeleteIf Fraport really believes one weekly LJU-LED with SSJ100 will improve their numbers, then god help LJU.
DeleteLJU is far away from the right track.
ReplyDeleteLjubljana's numbers started to fall in August 2019.
DeleteWhen Adria crisis started.
Delete10 years ago LJU was third, now its not even in top 10..
ReplyDeleteOh come on Ljubljana. You can do better!
ReplyDeleteIt's no surprise. Numbers in LJU were declining months before anyone even knew about corona.
DeleteThe market started to recover and then covid happened.
DeleteStarted to recover? February 2019 numbers were down 24%, January down 27%
DeleteResult of airport not being prepared for Adria's collapse even though the writing was on the wall for months if not years.
Deleteand don't forget that we had decline of 20+ % while others had 10+ increase. But don't worry, market will take of itself :)
DeleteI'm not too concerned personally. You know why? Because we keep trying to reach 2019 levels, when we forget that the year 2019 was an unprecedented year in terms of air traffic globally. Records were broken on all fronts and thats great but not sustainable. Things are cyclical in life and so are these figures. It will get better folks, just not right away! :)
ReplyDeleteBEG had -65% at the end of Q2 and -49% at the end of Q3. Didn't expect Q4 to deliver further gap cut, but Vinci obviosly managed it. Good job.
ReplyDeleteAs for others, ZAG's performance finally looks better. Kudos to PRN, SJJ, BNX.
New routes from SJJ to come: Moscow, Wizz should go daily to Abu Dhabi. Also, there are rumors that Wizz will place its third jet in Sarajevo next summer with FCO, WAW and BCN to come. Lets seeeee
ReplyDeleteWow that would be awesome! Sarajevo just keeps shining :) who will be flying to Moscow?
Delete^ https://www.exyuaviation.com/2022/01/russian-carriers-set-sights-on-sarajevo.html
DeleteWill we ever see the numbers for Morava airport?
ReplyDeleteI would assume around 1000 passengers last year.
Delete:(
ReplyDeleteFirst quarter of this year will be probably be bad too.
ReplyDeleteIt will be better than last.
DeleteI'm surprised Podgorica managed those numbers. They did better than I expected.
ReplyDeleteMontenegrin airports did relatively well especially considering without Russian flights.
DeleteAll airports All over the world have been hit by steep passenger decline. And things won't be getting back to 2019 levels for 3-5 years at best.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as Covid dies down, which seems it will happen after omicron, passenger numbers will b9unce back much quicker than most think.
DeleteWho flies to Mali Losinj? Private planes?
ReplyDeleteYes private flights.
DeleteIs there any plan to develop Mali Losinj for commercial flights?
DeleteYes, there was plan to extend the runway to +2000 m, and build new terminal building. Did it stop because of covid scam or not, will it come to realisation and when, I don't know, but the plan exists. On the other hand, with RJK and its disastrous results, and both RJK and PUY so close, not so sure if the plans are justified and is it clever to spend money on an airport which will remain empty most of the time, similar to RJK
DeleteInteresting that ZAG, which has half te passenger number of BEG is still lagging behind 2019 by almost the same amount as BEG
ReplyDeleteThe passenger difference between the two airport has never been bigger.
DeleteNot bad not terrible
ReplyDeleteThere were many here enthusiastically claimed here that air traffic would be back to normal once vaccines arrive. Now, one says: "That airport needs to seriously do something if it is ever to have decent traffic". Still don't get that common people are those that need to do something?
ReplyDeletePublished yesterday. Source : Voice of America. 10 richest persons in the World (Gates, Musk, Buffet, Zuckerberg...), (who own World's media, and "own" governments, politicians, and "officials"), more then DOUBLED their wealth during the last two years of "pandemic", from 700 to 1500 BILLION USD. The common people just need to think about it, which highly likely not gonna happen
DeleteCommon thinking is so outdated... And it seems covid over the last 2 years has affected mostly brain cells... Permanent damage
DeleteThank for the list. Very insightful.
ReplyDeletePortoroz is a nice surprise every year. I wish they could start handling scheduled flights.
ReplyDeleteThere are plans
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2021/08/portoroz-airport-eyes-expansion-and.html
Such a shame that such a big, super close to city airport like Mostar is empty all the time. Mostar is the most visited city in BiH, closest airport to Croatian coast and city with one of the biggest numbers of foreigners temporarly living here, from the most diverse international high school in Balkans, to all the UN missions. It could easily be the busiest one in BiH :/
ReplyDeleteThe same as OU in Croatia, World Champion in missed opportunities. HDZ destroyed both
Deletelol, I mean Mostar is the 4th biggest city in Bosnia, and a big tourist spot no doubt, so quite a significant city, but it does not have biggest number of foreigners living there, that would be Sarajevo by far.
DeleteSarajevo is definitely the most visited city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, what are you talking about? Mostar is the fifth (5th) biggest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina after Sarajevo, Banjaluka, Tuzla and Zenica, but not nearly as important as Sarajevo.
DeleteJust 5 airports over 1 million :/
ReplyDeleteLJU is really turning itself into cargo airport and if it goes to same way as it currently goes only route that will stay will be FRA.
ReplyDeleteAre Cargo numbers available for LJU and other Ex Yu airports?
DeleteBelgrade needs significant expansion to reach 5 mil this year. New airport facilities will be open in time for summer season. Wizz has been expanding and Middle East airlines are seizing the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteNow it's time for Air Serbia to step up. Adding Nis, Venice, Madrid and Nice will not be enough, they have to increase frequencies to existing destinations after the winter season. Long haul expansion is 2022 or never. Otherwise BEG will not get to 5 million.
Five million passengers is a bit overestimated, 4,5 mil sounds more realistic to me. Long haul won't be introduced as long as JU can't reach its pre-covid numbers, it's too early for that, they need more regional routes and better load factor, don't forget that !
DeleteThat's just an excuse. JU already reached it's pre-covid numbers in 2019 but it didn't expand long haul then. They had more regional routes and better load factor in 2019 but didn't announce new long haul for 2020. So no, pre-covid numbers are NOT needed. Cojones are.
Delete