Aegean looks to play greater role in former Yugoslavia


Greece’s Aegean Airlines has markets in the former Yugoslavia firmly on its radar with the carrier recently submitting a bid to launch new flights from Skopje and/or Ohrid in return for financial support. Furthermore, the carrier will inaugurate services from Athens to Ljubljana and Split this summer and is also expected to introduce seasonal operations to Banja Luka. It will also upgrade capacity to Podgorica from the ATR turboprops to the Airbus A320s. Last year, Aegean launched seasonal flights from Thessaloniki to Dubrovnik, which will be restored this year, as well as scheduled services from Rhodes and Heraklion to Belgrade.

Commenting on its operations, Aegean Airlines said, "The former Yugoslav region is an important market for Aegean Airlines. Demand for these routes remain strong as passengers are able to travel to Athens and beyond. Our performance is satisfactory on these markets, as is the cooperation we have with partner airlines in the region. Almost all flights from the former Yugoslav republics to Athens offer very good point to point coverage, as well as access to Greek domestic destinations, connections to Cyprus and destinations in the Middle East and Southern Italy, which have proved popular with passengers from the Balkan region”.

The Greek carrier recently said it was looking to strengthen its role in Southeaster Europe. The airline purchased a 51% stake in Romania’s Animawings in 2021 and late last year said it was eyeing other acquisitions in the region. Aegean Airlines recently noted it was continuing to look into opportunities of aligning itself closer with Croatia Airlines, which could potentially lead to a strategic partnership between the two Star Alliance members. Just prior to the outbreak of Covid-19, Aegean confirmed it had submitted a non-binding bid for the acquisition of Croatia’s national carrier. The next phase was to include direct talks between the Greek airline and the Croatian government. However, the process was halted in March 2020 as the global health emergency hit the aviation and tourism sectors.

This week, the Macedonian government is evaluating the three bids it received for the launch of new routes from the country, one of which is from Aegean. In order to be eligible for the financial assistance, the Greek carrier must introduce year-round flights from Skopje to at least one new destination that has been unserved from the city since last summer at the earliest, or new year-round flights from Ohrid, which can not be from the Greek capital. The airline currently maintains two weekly rotations between Athens and Skopje with the ATR72-600 turboprop, operated by its subsidiary Olympic Air.



Comments

  1. Anonymous09:04

    I find it really interesting to see what they plan to do in SKP.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:05

      I think in the end it will just be a new route from Larnaca. I just don't see them opening a base in SKP. But who knows.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:14

      Until when did Wizz fly Larnaca?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:14

      From SKP I mean

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:19

      I think it was until Covid.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:25

      SKP-LCA underperformed for Wizz. They made it a seasonal route before Covid.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:05

      @09.25 abosolutely false information

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:10

      I wonder why it was cancelled

      Delete
    8. Anonymous10:13

      It's not false at all. It was turned into a seasonal route and did not operate at all from 2020.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous10:17

      "On the other hand, flights to Larnaca were suspended at the start of the pandemic and have not been restored since."

      https://www.exyuaviation.com/2022/01/wizz-air-terminates-two-skopje-routes.html

      Delete
    10. Anonymous10:20

      Larnaca was launched in July 2019 and ended when the airport shut down. Stop with the fake info

      Delete
    11. Anonymous12:45

      And the route was profitable, otherwise they wouldnt deploy A321 on the route but A320 instead, the flights were terminated cuz there were a lot of restrictions to enter in Cyprus for the macedonian citizens due to the pandemic.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous13:10

      Why weren't they reinstated?

      Delete
    13. Anonymous13:40

      Anonymous 13:10
      Lack of crews.

      Delete
    14. Anonymous15:59

      Sure... only for LCA there was lack of crew

      Delete
    15. Anonymous23:21

      Great news for BNX

      Delete
    16. Nemjee06:38

      I was being attacked when I said SKP-LCA won't work and seems like I was right. If Aegean reinstates SKP-LCA they will only do it if they get subsidies.
      Largest demand to LCA from that area is from SKG and SOF and both have more than enough flights.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:04

    Slowly they have expanded a lot in ex-Yu.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous09:08

    So they are still interested in OU?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:11

      Yes

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:46

      Strategic partnership which is mentioned does not necessarily mean acquisition.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous20:18

      Kakva bi to bila greska za A3.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:09

    Last I heard is that they plan to base 2-3 planes in SKP and offer them connection to the main capitals in Europe...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:10

      That would be perfect. Is the plan to use ATR from Olympic Air or Airbus

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:13

      It would be great but I am not so sure. This would mean additional costs for Aegean. Housing crew, what would they do with catering with no facilities in SKP for it, they would have to hire a lot of new ground staff... I don't think the amount of subsidies being offered by the government could justify all the costs they would generate from such a move.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:07

      Gosh where did you hera something like that? Dont troll us :)

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:10

      Lol.... again with the fairytales

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:09

    Soon Animawings will be renamed as Aegean Romania.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:18

      Animawings(Aegean Romania) will fly to 12 destinations from Bucharest this summer. By the summer, the name will be changed to "Aegean Romania", and the airline is considering options for flights from Bucharest to Heathrow. Inside information!
      In addition, 2 A320s will join the fleet by the start of the summer season!
      😉😉😉😉
      I don't know for information for own operations in Macedonia!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:23

      The new logo would be this:
      https://boardingpass.ro/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/aegean-ro-1.png

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:27

      Looks good

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:11

    According to ATH airport wiki page A3 will launch 27 new routes this year.
    Some of them for the first time and some which are resumptions of routes not flown since Covid started.
    They are also launching a lot of new routes from their other bases in Greece and Cyprus.
    I am interested to see the development of their Romanian subsidiary Anima wings especially after the demise of Blue Air.
    It's also interesting that they seem to not have trouble finding air crews for all this extra flying.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:42

      Most airlines wouldn't have trouble finding enough staff if they offered a good enough compensation package for aircrews.
      Are you paying attention ASL?

      Delete
    2. Aegean 27 new routes. Air Serbia 22 new routes. Jasmineeeeeee!!! Dje si? Kakva je kahva danas?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:24

      Bruh

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:32

      pozdrav iz Rijeke
      Yes and how many flights of JU this Summer will be operated with wet leased aircraft?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous11:33

      I think OU launched the one weekly Munich Brac service just to calm PiR...... guess it didn't work lol

      Delete
    6. Anonymous11:45

      Aegean has 27 new routes from ATH alone. More from their other bases too.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous15:21

      From SKG 4 new routes + Izmir,Dubrovnik and Tirana returning but flights not on sale yet also new charters and scheduled flights from HER, plans to SKP and plans to increase capacity in LCA can't compare that to JU please...

      Delete
    8. Anonymous20:01

      Anonymous11:32
      pozdrav iz Rijeke
      Yes and how many flights of JU this Summer will be operated with wet leased aircraft?

      I don't know, but JU will likely operate more flights this summer with wet-leased aircraft than OU will operate flights in total.

      Delete
    9. Nemjee06:41

      How come no one is bothered by all the leases Swiss has? They are sending their airBaltic A220 on a daily basis to Belgrade. So what's the problem if JU gets some A319s and A320s from other operators? What matters is that they are growing and expanding their network.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous08:47

      Nemjee an airBaltic A220 is way better than the Bulgarian Aibuses that JU leases.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:11

    They are definitely ready to expand and do some new things in the region. They are a great airline, so wish them all the best.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:22

      They seem to love EX-Yu too so that's good!!

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:12

    With a Romanian AOC, Aegean can fly anywhere in the EU from Skopje or Ohrid.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:14

      They can do the same with a Greek AOC too.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:27

      Why couldn’t they do thay with their Greek AOC?

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:18

    Happy that LJU is getting a new airline and route but I do wonder how it's going to be any different than in 2016?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:20

      More travelers to Greece!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:21

      LJU is also the only destination in the region where BA is adding flights. They are cutting PUY, ZAG, SOF, OTP, BUD...

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:22

      Cut or suspended?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:32

      BA like most airlines in Europe has staffing and handling issues. They are trying to cut the least performing routes so that the operational chaos of summer '22 in not repeated.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:48

      Do the times from LJU offer good connections via Athens?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:48

      @ 9:48

      From what I saw, looking at tickets, unfortunately no. Perhaps someone else has a different experience?

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:59

      That's a shame. I'm sure if they offered good connections the flights could be year round.

      Delete
    8. Nemjee06:42

      Anon 09.32
      Only thing is that they are cutting all around including Berlin, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Paris, Geneva.. so it's not only our region that is being reduced.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:18

    Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous09:18

    Hope they can make it work in this region.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous09:21

    Bravo A3! 👏

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous09:23

    Aegean will be perfect for SKP-LCA or SKG!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:23

      SKP-SKG is not happening and it just doesn't make sense

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:34

      SKP-SKG could work only if they timed the flights to connect with their SKG network to the rest of Europe, Middle East and Greek islands.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:14

      Anon 09:23 If you say so

      Delete
  14. Anonymous09:23

    Would OHD-SKG work?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:32

      Isn't it really close?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:49

      By air yes, but using the roads I think you need to ride for 4-5 hours

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:57

      More like 3.5 hours.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous09:28

    Ironic that Aegean didn't want to fly to SKP just a few years ago and now they are applying for subsidies to expand ops.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous09:31

    What about Sarajevo? Any plans to serve it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:32

      Maybe next year.

      Delete
  17. Anonymous09:49

    Excellent news

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous09:51

    Great to hear about Podgorica capacity growth. That is a significant increase in seats.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:04

      So it seems that SKP will be the only ex-Yu destination with Olympic Air ATR, correct?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:00

      Sooner or later the A320 will carry passengers to SKP too.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous15:23

      Next year A3 A320 will be in SKP mark my words

      Delete
  19. Anonymous09:52

    I hope we see Aegean add some routes from Thessaloniki to ex-Yu cities next. I know they fly seasonally SKG-DBV but it would be nice if we see some more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:02

      +1

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:03

      Thessaloniki - Belgrade , Thessaloniki - Podgorica can work with an ATR on a year-round basis.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:08

      Anonymous 10:03
      +1

      Delete
  20. Anonymous10:02

    Aegean is a really interesting airline that has been growing like crazy. It was only a matter of time before they looked at ex-Yu in more detail..

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous10:12

    cant believe they would open something more then SKG from SKP when all the time they were not interested in offering proper transfer connections tto euroean cities via ATH. Looking at OU, JU and LOT they could easily fill a daily flight on their ATR ...

    opening something else would be kinda absurd although i would LOVE IT

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:01

      * more than SKG

      Delete
  22. Anonymous10:42

    Good for Aegean but what about SkyExpress? It looks like another very decent and neat product. Strange that they do not operate to Yugoslavia when they have the proper planes and network.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:59

      Maybe soon

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:10

      Sky Express seems focused in Western and Northern Europe expansion currently.
      Maybe net year with more aircraft in their fleet.

      Delete
  23. Anonymous10:46

    Interestingly not a single Greek media reported that Aegean applied for the tender for SKP/OHD.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous11:00

    Greece has 20+ million tourists a year and growing so not surprised Aegean is expanding.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:00

      It's time for them to start TATL flights.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:11

      I think it had around 30 million tourists last year.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous15:07

      They’re planning to get widebodies big expansion coming soon

      Delete
    4. Anonymous15:50

      anon 15:07
      WOW! Any more info about type of aircraft and destinations?

      Delete
    5. Nemjee06:46

      Doubt it will happen before ATH fixes its capacity constraints. In summer there are barely any gates available in the non-Schengen area. Mind you, Aegean will have a lot of competition in the long-haul market starting from EK which offers ATH-EWR then we have UA, AA, DL, AC, Air Transat and Scoot all offering long-haul flights on top of TK, LY, IB, LX... all sending widebodies in summer. Last year Delta launched BOS-ATH which seems to be performing quite well.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous13:05

      I think if A3 goes long haul ATH will give precedence to A3.

      Delete
  25. Anonymous11:01

    "Southern Italy, which have proved popular with passengers from the Balkan region. "
    Now that's interesting. Wonder which countries from the Balkans?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:12

      Albanian, Bulgaria and Romanian diaspora comes to mind.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:38

      Sofia and Bucharest and Tirana have dozens of connections with Italy. What are their flights through Belgrade for?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:40

      So you think just because there is nonstop service no one flies with one stop option. Great aviation industry knowledge on dispaly.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:49

      @12.38 who talks about Belgrade here. Its about Aegean and ATH

      Delete
    5. Anonymous14:35

      ATH also . OTP,TIA have more than ATH for Italy.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous14:36

      Again you are displaying a big lack of knowledge by thinking people don't fly with a single stop because there is a nonstop option.

      Delete
    7. Nemjee06:49

      Well, look at Wizz Air's offer to Italy and Spain from TSR. From what I remember almost no destination has more than two weekly flights. For many out there, BEG might be a more convenient option as there are more flights and with it more flexibility.
      For those living in Bucharest the same applies.They might fly on Aegean because the price or their schedule suits them more. I don't know about Wizz Air in other markets but from Belgrade they are not that cheap.

      Delete
  26. Anonymous13:45

    Sky Express is growing fast too. Last year they carried 3.5 million pax. Perhaps they can start flights to Ex-Yu region soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:08

      They’re getting A321neos this year maybe next year they can indroduce BEG

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:52

      Didn't realize they had grown by this much.
      They carried more passengers than our regional airlines.

      Delete
  27. Anonymous15:08

    LJU is on sale since September already. Anybody knows how the sales are going?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:12

      Knowing that LJU-ATH was one of the busiest unserved markets from LJU I expect them to be good. Also ATH-LJU will upgrade to year-round for sure if they see demand is there same think they did to EIN and FLR last year where they upgraded them to year-round in summer because they saw that there is demand.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:22

      With zero advertisement I don't think people even know about these flights. Not even Sierra5 reported about flights.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous15:39

      Sierra5 mentioned it on 30 Dec 2022...

      Delete
    4. Anonymous15:41

      It was published on exyuaviation on 24 September!

      Delete
  28. Anonymous15:10

    Finally Banja Luka Aegean seems to be a smart airline I think they’re gonna return to Zadar and launch Tivat next year as their ATH-TGD route is going pretty good

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:35

      Exactly, why let charter take your money if you can do it. BNX to Athens each flight was packed during summer.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous23:26

      They will fly to BNX with A320. Super news for Banja Luka

      Delete
  29. Anonymous15:25

    The thing with Aegean is that they offer great connections not only to Greek destinations but to the Middle East mainly which is really important.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous15:26

    Daily flights to BEG would be perfect!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous23:47

      You got it.

      Delete
    2. Nemjee06:53

      Well, this winter they kept the same number of flights as in summer so that's a start.A few times they even sent the A321.
      It's not easy for them given how strong JU is on BEG-ATH. This winter they had 10 weekly and in summer they plan 14. That said, in summer Aegean is revising their schedule to Belgrade so they might be more competitive. Overall, I don't think we can complain as Belgrade-Athens is offered almost three times per day in summer which is really good. Both airlines have a code-share agreement and they sell each other's flights. Naturally this being JU the codeshare pricing is useless.

      Delete
  31. Anonymous18:29

    Please keep LJU-ATH year-round and increase it to min. 5 per week!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous21:13

    No BNX as seasonal?

    ReplyDelete
  33. Nemjee06:54

    What will be interesting to see is how they end up performing on ATH-ZAG now that they are going to be flying to both LJU and BNX.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:01

      ATH-ZAG already increased to 3weekly and year-round service :)

      Delete

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