Air Serbia added over one million passengers last year when compared to 2021 and is expected to have achieved roughly 96% of its pre-pandemic 2019 passenger traffic. “Even though the company’s operating results will not be available before the end of the month, we already know that we have handled a million more passengers in 2022 than we did in 2021. We have expanded our network with fourteen new destinations on two continents and strengthened our fleet with as many as seven new aircraft. We expect to have handled over 2.7 million passengers in 2022”, Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek said. By the end of November of last year, the carrier handled 2.5 million passengers.
Commenting on the year ahead, Mr Marek noted, “We have set ambitious targets for 2023. We entered the new year with additional motivation and drive to develop further, and to offer our passengers new travel options. During the 2023 summer season, as we announced recently, we will commence nonstop flights to Chicago, as well as four new cities in Italy and three popular Greek islands. At the same time, we will add ten more destinations in Europe and Asia to our network”. The airline is expected to announce additional new routes for this year in the coming period. The carrier has said that a total of up to thirty new destinations could be introduced during the year.
Air Serbia is also expected to post a profit, although financial results will not be officially known before the summer, unless the airline publicises them beforehand. Mr Marek said last month the carrier was in both operational and net profit in 2022. “We really capitalised on the things we prepared during Covid such as cost optimalisation. We managed to bring our costs down by 25% and we completely changed our focus for the summer season where we put an emphasis on leisure and diaspora routes. We opened almost twenty new routes in 2022, which, for an airline of our size, is pretty aggressive growth and it performed well. Now we are in profit, both operational and net profit. In September we were a bit worried about the rest of the year, but we saw that the season was extended quite nicely, and we didn’t see the typical drop in demand, like the one we had in 2019”, Mr Marek noted.
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Bravo Air Serbia 🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸
ReplyDelete3.5 million this year?
ReplyDeleteI think we'll know by March. If they manage to reduce seasonality and to actually improve their results in the first three months like they did in the last three months of 2022, then anything is possible.
DeleteAlso, many of their new routes and increases on existing ones start much earlier. In the past these increases would start from mid-June. This year their growth starts from 13.03 when BEG-BUD is launched. If they play their cards right and if they invest in marketing then 3.5 should not a problem for next year.
True. But without doubt Q1 2023 will be better than Q1 2019.
DeleteThat I sure hope so!
DeleteAny idea how many seats they will offer in 2023?
DeleteGood result. And this was achieved despite travel restrictions to most of EU in first quarter and to Germany until the summer.
ReplyDeleteThat was a very quick recovery.
ReplyDeleteMarket seems to be recovering fast.
DeleteNot only is it recovering, it is growing too.
DeleteIs there an airline in Europe that achieved almost 100% passenger numbers from 2019 last year?
ReplyDeleteRyan and Wizz did, but don't know if any legacy managed.
DeleteThey had more passengers last year than airBaltic!
DeleteNot bad considering air Baltic is double the size.
DeleteHow many pax did Air Baltic have?
DeleteGo big or go home. Luckily Air Serbia decided to go big. It was a risk that eventually paid off for them.
ReplyDeleteWhat's important is that in 2022 they managed to consolidate their operations and to lay the foundations for future growth. Of course, there are still a lot of things that need to be fixed but those take time and I am sure they will address them as time goes by.
Another important thing that happened in 2022 was that they rediscovered marketing. It's been a while since JU advertised, I think their last ad was in 2016 or 2015. Now it's time to target specific markets and to promote their offer over there. ATH is a solid performer for them but that could also be due to the aggressive marketing campaign they had over there some years ago. I remember buses and trams in Athens were covered with their ads. It was a pretty smart move on their behalf.
As far as I'm concerned, besides their double daily flights to LCA next summer, I am most excited about Krakow. I really hope this route does well for them as they need these kind of destinations in order to transition into a major player. Plus, it's also a good way to annoy LO which has been aggressively expanding in the Balkans. Hopefully they put a greater focus on Romania next year. It's a massive market that is within the reach of the ATR.
Good to hear. How many detitanations will JU have this summer?
DeleteCouldn't agree more with this! Krakow is a gem and alongside Marseille, Cologne, Ankara, Naples and Florence, one of the only 'real' new destinations. The rest are either charter lines turned into scheduled (Rhodes, Corfu, Heraklion, Chania, Palermo, Catania, Izmir) or a return to a market that will now work better given the size of their network (Gothenburg, Hamburg, Budapest, Ohrid, Varna). I agree also that Romania (Cluj ideally) needs to be expanded, so many people in Serbia would love to visit Transylvania but it's pretty inconvenient by car even though it's so close, due to poor road infrastructure.
DeleteAnon 09.23
DeleteI actually don't know, don't keep a track of that but I know BEG hit the 100 mark in summer 2022. I guess this year they might hit 110 since some like Rhodes, Heraklion, Corfu... were already counted last year.
George,
Indeed, I'd also like to mention two destinations which have matured quite nicely. FCO and BCN.
Both are massive markets that fit nicely into JU's waves. Connections are possible from the entire network which is important. Hopefully both get boosted to 14 real soon. BEG's growth to Italy and Spain might negatively affect airports such as TSR.
In Varna, interestingly that have teamed up with TK and FB and increased the possibility to sell more options. TK will also launch new flights to VAR with the similar JU timetable (midnight arrivals, early morning departures) Won't be really good news for OS as they have for a long time being more dominant in the airport with their very high fares. They are facing more competition from W6 and FR who also launched year-round flights. Will be very interesting how JU will develop now compared to back in 2014 and if they might consider also flying in winter to compete with TK, OS and FB.
DeleteThe last time around Varna wasn't that bad, it had between 20 and 30 passengers. Mind you, back then JU's network was much more modest so connectivity wasn't as great as it is today.
DeleteI think this route was terminated when Air Serbia needed to start reducing losses and it was at a time when stagnation was setting in.
I have higher hopes for this route this time around. Hopefully it all works out well in the end.
@Nemjee 09:08 They were very lucky to bring an experienced person from Czechia. Their Markeing Manager has over 20 years of experience in marketing in Czechia, Germany and Qatar. But to make it clear, she is a serbian national, born and educated in Belgrade.
DeleteGood, they needed a new approach to marketing. Hopefully this trend continues especially abroad where their brand is still unknown.
DeleteBravo Air Serbia. Let's hope for triple daily to LJU.
ReplyDeleteActually I think LJU is ready for the A319 next summer. In 2022 one or two flights were upgraded because of strong demand. There were a few due to ATRs breaking down but like I said, a few were due to strong demand. If I remember well, one of them had over 100 passengers in both directions.
DeleteNo wonder they wanted to open a base in Ljubljana a year or two ago.
DeleteCongrats. The huge demand for holiday flights this summer really helped them amd they picked the right destinations to launch.
ReplyDeleteThat's an encouraging trend in itself. They should definitely start thinking of some long haul leisure flights. At least charters.
DeleteThey did think about Havana. From what I hear it will launch in winter 2023/24 after all.
DeleteWhere did you hear it from?
DeleteAn important factor that often gets overlooked is that they reduced costs by 25%. That is significant and important for achieving real profotability.
ReplyDeleteAny info on the load factor?
ReplyDeleteDo you know what was the load factor in 2019?
Delete74% in 2019
DeleteTnx
DeleteAnd how many passengers did they have in 2019?
Delete2.81 million
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGood result
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing IST was the busiest route
ReplyDeleteWould love to see top 20 destinations…
DeleteThere is a list from 2021 - https://www.exyuaviation.com/2022/11/montenegro-maintains-spot-as-air.html
Delete^ Can't wait to see these types of results for 2022.
DeleteNicely done JU.
ReplyDeleteThis is more passengers than most capital city airports in ex-yu had in 2022.
ReplyDeleteTrue. I think only BEG, PRN, SPU and ZAG had more.
DeleteGood job, many airlines are in a worse off position than Air Serbia.
ReplyDeleteThey originally forecast 90% of 2019 levels so they outperformed their expectations.
ReplyDeleteNot surprised, remember that in late 2022 they actually further upgraded Prague and Bucharest due to strong demand. This shows that demand most likely exceeded their expectations.
DeleteThey were very worried that things would go downhill this winter with Covid (like it did last year). That's why they were so cautious.
DeleteIt is good to read that they reduced seasonality. It's a major issue for all airlines in ex-Yu.
ReplyDeleteFor an airline operating from a country that is not exactly a tourist mecca and whose citizens were unable to enter the EU for over half of 2021, these passenger results are excellent.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteThis is good but some pre-Covid destinations still missing.
ReplyDeleteLet's wait for the financial results.
ReplyDeleteThey just said in this article that they are profitable.
DeleteWhat is the difference between operating and net profit that they are taking about?
ReplyDelete*talking
DeleteOperating profit is a company's profit after all expenses are taken out except for the cost of debt, taxes, and certain one-off items. Net income is the profit remaining after all costs incurred in the period have been subtracted from revenue generated from sales.
DeleteMakes sense. Thank you for the explanation.
DeleteImpressive
ReplyDeleteOver 300,000 passengers on charter flights alone.
ReplyDeletewow
DeleteCharter flights rule. They did really well there. An important segment that I think OU should be doing much more in.
DeleteGreat to see them react so quickly to many developments last year like Wizz Air base closure and Blue Air bankruptcy.
ReplyDeleteThey are certainly agile.
DeleteBetter result then I expected.
ReplyDeleteWell done Air Serbia. Has anyone else noticed that Turkish Airlines has started announcing new routes for this summer and they are picking the same destinations as Air Serbia?
ReplyDeleteI noticed they added Palermo
DeleteWhat is their passenger share at BEG?
ReplyDeleteI think around 45-50%
DeleteObviously they are doing something right, despite all the negativity from some commentators here.
ReplyDeleteHaters gonna hate!
DeleteHope this upward trajectory continues into 2023.
ReplyDeleteIt will unless we have WW3.
DeleteOr kosovo drama.
DeleteI wasn't expecting their recovery to be this quick. Looks like the new routes they chose to launch last year were the right ones.
ReplyDeleteGreat job operationally, let's see how they did financially.
ReplyDeleteConsidering the fares are high, they should do well.
DeleteI live in Sarajevo and "commute" back-and-forth on a regular basis to either AMS or LHR. I flew Air Serbia on a number of occasions recently (I would normally go for LOT or Austrian and thus avoid Lufthansa/Frankfurt like the plague, sadly LOT will only resume operations later in March) and was genuinely impressed by the experience as a whole and also the significant number of connecting passengers (I am talking about "low-season"). Transfers at Belgrade airport were a walk in the park both on my way there and also back to SJJ, I also really like the new infrastructure, certainly a different experience to what it used to be in the past (e.g. security at the gates etc.). By all means, I would fly them again, mostly considering the very short hop across the Drina on the tiny ATR (quick boarding etc., very useful especially when there's a delay), the easy/quick transfer at BEG and decent on-board service. Well done Air Serbia (note: I am not biased, merely someone who spends lots of time in airports/planes and travel for work reasons, I'm from the UK and have no connections whatsoever to Serbia or Prince Lazar, LOL).
ReplyDeleteAdding to what I have just written: sadly I could only fly YU to/from AMS and that's because, as we all know, LHR would require an overnight in BEG. Let's also hope that they will do something with the frequent flyert program and they'll certainly be seeing more of my business! :-)
DeleteEver tried OU via Zagreb, if so, what is the difference? just curios.
DeleteHi - In fact I did and only a few weeks ago, but on a different "run" (Warsaw-Sarajevo via Zagreb, first flight operated by LOT needless to say), the lounge at ZAG has plenty of decent food and OU even offers a tiny food tray on the half-an-hour between ZAG and SJJ (I flew business class). I wouldn't have a problem with flying OU more regularly (especially as I have status with Miles-&-More) but the issue lies with the timetable as only the AM flight from SJJ would allow me to catch the onward connection to either AMS or LHR (with the latter, I would lose all day basically), and I personally tend to pick PM flights so that I can work in the morning (again, merely down to personal convenience really).
DeleteI must say that one of a few "benefits" of not being part od EU and Schengen is super quick ans simple transfer in BEG, as all flights have the same status so there are no security and passport checks. That impresses everyone who is transfering through BEG for the first time.
DeleteI had some friends from Zagreb who went via BEG for the first time on their way to Greece recently and they were impressed with the speed and efficiency of the airport. "Best experience ever with transfers" they said.
Don't ask me why and how but, when I recently travelled SJJ-BEG-AMS (as I reported above), I had to clear security (that didn't happen on the way back, though). Not complaining, it was matter of seconds anyway and noticed that the vast majority of passengers on my SJJ-BEG flight were connecting elsewhere (merely a data point here but I heard quite a few people speaking Italian and Spanish). With the ever increasing destinations that JU seems to have in the pipeline, they will certainly become a robust alternative for travel from/to the Balkans.
DeleteIf you arrive fom "sterile" Airport you may continue via BEG as one stop check. I.am not sure Sarajevo is designated by EU as such. For example, if you fly BEG to AMS to anywhere no security checks in ams from beg passengers. Also, ams to beg to Sarajevo, no extra check in BEG. It all depends on your origin flight
DeleteI'd also like to add that recently I landed in BEG and there were a lot of transfers on my flight. They weren't forced to go all the way to the transfer desk where you enter the terminal but they opened the door by the airbdidge and they let them through. It saved them a lot of time. That said, we were 20 minutes late so I suppose they didn't want to create a chain reaction of delays.
DeleteThey were checking boarding passes before letting you through. They also had a sign 'transfer passengers.'
Thank you for the reply.
DeleteWondering if they are getting 1 more A330 in the next 8 months and should we expect additional trans-antlantic destinations in 2023?
ReplyDeleteWondering if they are getting 1 more A330 in the next 8 months and should we expect additional trans-antlantic destinations in 2023?
ReplyDeleteDefinitely.
DeleteThey will add at least one more new route to China.
DeleteIf they introduce new China route it will mean they will introduce another one in North America.
DeleteProbably Shanghai very soon, Miami a little before the summer, and maybe Toronto into the summer season. These are all just plausibilities.
DeleteBy those estimates (soon, before the sumer, into the summer) do you mean service start or service announcement?
DeleteOne of the estimates for 2023 is 3.4MM-3.5MM, as noted by djaftekurafte blog. We shall see but looks doable.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't trust that blog with what time of day it is.
DeleteThere are some really positive developments coming out of JU lately.
ReplyDeleteSomebody is doing something right.
DeleteKeep up the good work
ReplyDeleteCongratulations
ReplyDeleteIf we see BEG-PRN direct flights this summer then both airports will see HUGE numbers. Hopefully JU will be the airline used for that line.
ReplyDeleteGiven the current political climate, I think there are more chances of JU launching Monrovia than PRN.
DeleteOr at least Lagos 😃
DeleteLagos will offer a lot of transfers and a great holiday destination during the winter. Or so we are told.
DeleteHaha yes, it's also so easy to operate in and out of Nigeria these days, especially since their airports have more than enough fuel.
DeleteI wish Air Serbia good and prosperous year. I am slightly worried how they will manage this massive expansion, but I hope this year they will achieve good results :)
ReplyDeleteWonder what the average LF has been
ReplyDeleteI remain grateful to Air Serbia for providing transportation to and from Russia, despite the inconvenience this can cause politically Bravo and Zivela Serbia!
ReplyDelete