Gulf carriers Flydubai and Qatar Airways are yet to resume operations to Skopje, two and a half years following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, despite restoring the remainder of their networks in the former Yugoslavia. Flydubai launched flights to Skopje in October 2012 and maintained the service until the onset of Covid-19. In its last three years of operations, passenger numbers averaged at around 27.000 per year. Flights were initially to be restored in October 2020 but were moved to March 2021, then November of that year, before being shifted to late October 2022. Reservations have now been closed entirely for the route. Since the pandemic, Flydubai launched operations to Ljubljana and increased its frequencies to Belgrade, while restoring flights to Zagreb, as well as seasonal services to Dubrovnik and Tivat this summer.
Qatar Airways, which this week posted its biggest profit on record, amounting to 1.5 billion US dollars last year, has told EX-YU Aviation News services to Skopje will resume once commercially viable, as a result of the pandemic. However, the Qatari carrier has restored the majority of its pre-Covid network and launched several new routes since. The Macedonian Minister for Transport and Communications, Blagoj Bačvarski, has held talks with the Qatari Ambassador to the country, where he emphasised the need for Qatar Airways to restore services between Doha and Skopje. “It is especially important for us to renew the flights between Skopje and Doha, in order to maintain business relations between the two countries”, Mr Bačvarski said.
In 2019, the majority of Qatar Airways’ Skopje passengers were transfers. They primarily originated or were destined for the Australian market – 33%, followed by India 7%, Thailand 5% and Singapore 4%. The airline has scheduled its return to the Macedonian capital on several occasions, however, reservations for the route have been closed since last year. In its last full years of operations, in 2019, Qatar Airways handled 29.856 passengers on its flights to and from Skopje, which was almost the same as the year before, when it welcomed 29.874 travellers on the route. Qatar Airways is the official carrier of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which takes place in Doha in November and December and is facing a shortage of aircraft, although these are primarily wide-body jets.
Unfortunately, I don't think they will come back.
ReplyDeleteThese two were having issues at SKP even before the crisis.
ReplyDeleteTrue
DeleteIssues? What kind of issues?
DeleteWhy though?
ReplyDeleteBecause there is no demand. FZ constantly moving their flights while increasing everything else and opening new routes is a good indication.
DeleteSad :(
ReplyDeleteSeems like the prefect time for Wizz Air Abu Dhabi to step in.
ReplyDeleteIf Flydubai can't make it work from DXB, why do you think Wizz Air Abu Dhabi can make it work from Abu Dhabi?
DeleteTheir fares are cheaper?
DeleteSadly, SKP also relies on its sizeable Australian diaspora. I guess people halted travelling during the pandemic and appetite for travel went down during the last 3 years. We see it from Australia to other countries as well.
ReplyDeleteIf there is no new stupid virus, the aviation industry is expected to fully recover by 2024 (similar to pre Covid levels) as they claim so maybe those 2 Gulf carriers return to SKP and them Macedonian Aussies start booking again.
Greets from beautiful Ruse, Bulgaria. I hope I can visit Ohrid this summer in spite of our sour relationship with Macedonia lol
Australians are travelling in big numbers again. The country has been fully open for 5 months already.
DeleteYes, but it will take some time to retrieve the big numbers enough to fill a 320 from DOH to SKP. This is what I meant.
DeleteEven sour ones can visit Ohrid without any problems.🇲🇰🤣🥰
DeleteOne would think there is enough P2P demand for FZ to work.
ReplyDeleteDo Macedonians need visa to enter UAE?
DeleteYes
DeleteI believe FZ might come back eventually, Qatar I doubt it.
ReplyDeleteWhy not QR?
DeleteBecause FZ can attract point to point passengers and transfers while Qatar can only rely on transfers.
DeleteQatar Airways should start LJU, more logical destination.
ReplyDeleteSlovenia is getting Doha flights before Skopje
ReplyDeleteHas Qatar resumed Thessaloniki?
ReplyDeleteNo
DeleteI guess that's great news for TK.
ReplyDeleteIndeed
DeleteQatar is the only oneworld airline operating to Skopje. Hope we see them back sooner rather than later.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteQR prices are unbelievable. Transfer fares are so expensive it makes no sense to fly with them anymore. I remember regularly getting fares to Bangkok from BEG in 2019 for 500 euros, now they are 1500! Same story across their network. At least in the case of BEG, the only city they are offering cheap fares to is DXB.
ReplyDeleteYes their fares are through the roof while pre Covid they had amongst the best fares. Guess that's how they managed that record profit.
DeleteThey are a bit arrogant lately and I don't like the way they treated Airbus with the A350. Come on, man just because your country is always very hot and got nothing but desert and malls doesn't mean you have to publicly humiliate a well known worldwide aircraft manufacturer. I used to like them a lot but have fallen into my eyes now.
DeleteGuess what? There are also other alternative airlines and Doha was only a transfer city nothing more.
Airbus deserves no respect . Look how they treat passengers on their aircraft .
DeleteThey stopped servicing their aircraft n Russia endangering the lifes of people .
That is the result if you have a duopoly ..
Advanced bookings must have been poor on Flydubai. They were selling tickets for this winter until recently.
ReplyDeleteI'm not liking there isn't any provisional resumption date
ReplyDeleteIs there any demand from alternative Gulf cities like MCT, BAH or KWI?
ReplyDeleteMuch less than from Dubai for which there also isn't enough demand.
DeleteHow are Macedonians flying to Dubai now? Where do they connect mostly?
ReplyDeleteI would assume mostly with TK. Although I must say there were always Macedonians on FZ flights to Belgrade in the last year and I took 5 of them.
DeleteQatar Airways is already making a mistake that is not back to SKP, who can check TK flights please just see it ,full flights with destinations also served by QR, pre pandemic SKP was in first three transfer destinations from SYD and MEL.UAE has big MKD diaspora, agencies are selling DXB like crazy, tourism travel to Thailand,ZNZ, SEZ,MLE now is all going through BEG, so not returning to SKP is a stupid mistake by QR.
ReplyDeleteIn that case really odd they have not returned. How do they book these passengers? With JU to BEG and then with QR?
Deletesyd or melb depart with singapore and go to singapore then connect with tk to istanbul and then tk in to skopje
DeleteI don't like this :(
ReplyDeleteAnyone remember their frequencies pre Covid?
ReplyDeleteThere were 4 weekly frequencies between DOH-SKP
DeleteFlydubai 2x p/w and Qatar 4x p/w.
DeleteWasn't FZ more in the past?
DeleteYes but they reduced it before covid
DeleteI see, thanks for the information.
DeleteExpected
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice to have an airline with a little number of planes and launch flights to AMS, CDG, FRA, LHR, MUC, DXB... and other destinations (charters to Ohrid for example). Wizzair isn't flying to many big airports.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteShame. Meanwhile Flydubai increasing Moscow flights to 28 weekly from Sptember.
ReplyDeletehow much frequencies have they now to Moscow?
DeleteAt the moment 23. Originally they planned just 7 weekly for summer.
Delete