Aegean, Wizz and Lufthansa bid for new Macedonian routes


Three carriers have submitted bids to launch new routes out of either Skopje or Ohrid airports in return for financial support, which will be provided by the Macedonian government up until 2026. They include Greece’s Aegean Airlines, low cost carrier Wizz Air and German national carrier Lufthansa. Aegean currently maintains flights between Athens and Skopje, while Wizz Air, which has won all three similar tenders in the past, is Macedonia’s busiest airline, handling 1.268.540 passengers on its Skopje flights in 2022 alone, resulting in a market share of 59.3% in the Macedonian capital. On the other hand, Lufthansa will inaugurate operations to Skopje in April with a ten weekly service from Frankfurt.

The Macedonian Ministry for Transport and Communications must now select the winning bid or bids. The evaluation process will take place next week, after which contracts should be signed with the airline(s). Under the terms outlined in the public call, carriers must maintain flights to their proposed new destinations at least twice per week throughout the year for the duration of the financial assistance, develop a plan for marketing and promotion, as well as submit a report on its operations to the Ministry for Transport and Communications every six months. The Ministry will select the winner(s) based on the number of weekly flights offered on the new routes, the volume of passengers at the destination airport (the busier the airport the greater the chance of the route being subsidised), as well as the amount of offered capacity. Funding will not be provided for routes from Skopje which have been operated from the airport in the past two seasons (summer and winter), nor from Ohrid if they have been operated either from the lakeside city or the Macedonian capital over the past two seasons.

Commenting on the public call, Macedonia’s Minister for Transport and Communications, Blagoj Bočvarski, said, “What I want to emphasise is that the entire procedure will take place in a public and transparent manner, and I assure you that we will choose airlines that submit the best offers according to the criteria in the public call”. He added, “Our ultimate goal is to ensure air traffic growth in the Republic of North Macedonia and provide the public with attractive destinations based on their needs at affordable fares".

Skopje’s five busiest airlines in 2022




Comments

  1. Anonymous09:01

    Watch them not announcing Skopje - Ljubljana route 😂

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:03

      +1

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:28

      Maybe it will be Skopje-Maribor ;)

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:31

      LJU is our new GVA. ten years in the making

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:12

      It is the outcome when none of the two countries have a national airline that takes into account national interests.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:02

    Let's see if more than one airline applied.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:04

      The minister keeps talking about airlines (plural) so I'm guessing there will be more than one and that more than one will win the tender.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:05

      We will find out in a few hours.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:03

    Ankara - Skopje
    Will be one of the routes

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:13

      no. airlines from Turkey are not eligible i think

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:14

      They are not eligible. Only airlines from Europe are eligible. This is done to appease EU which is not so happy with these tenders

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:27

      no i must correct myself (9.13): In order to qualify as an applicant for financial support, the air carrier should meet the following conditions:
      - to have an operating license (OL) issued by an EU/ECAA member state in accordance with the regulations of the European Union for issuing operating licenses to air carriers,
      - to have transported, i.e. served at least 10 million passengers in 2019,
      - to have made a profit of at least 25.000.000,00 (twenty-five million) euros in 2019

      Turkey is ECAA right?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:28

      ECAC only

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:03

    25 Million in profit.
    Well, that rules out the remaining ex-yu carriers ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:12

      JU was close but 4 million short :D

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:13

      The profit required is for 2019 not 2022 so in that case it wasn't even close

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:04

    Will they also announce with which routes each airline applied or just how many applicant there were in general?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:06

      Since they are opening the bids, I believe we should find out the routes too.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:05

    wow that really is Wizz domination. 60% market share in SKP.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:10

      Swiss and Edelweiss have the same percentage at ZRH. And Wizz was around 70%

      Delete
    2. Vlad15:12

      Swiss has a hub at ZRH, you can't compare the two numbers.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:06

    Is the winner selected on the spot or?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:23

      I don't think so. They just present the bids today. But I think it will take a few days for committee to select winners. But then again I might be wrong.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:29

      they will say how many applied

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:06

    It will be just Wizz. Why do they even bother with these public calls? :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:44

      Exactly

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:58

      Well, this post aged well

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:06

    Exciting :D let's see which routes Wizz Air launches this year :D

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous09:08

    The table with the passenger numbers shows how insignificant both OU and JU are in Skopje.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:12

      +1

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:27

      I'm surprised easyjet didn't make it into top 5 and was exceeded by Chair.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:30

      how can they when Chair has 7-8 flights to ZRH in summer

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:34

      Interesting. Wasn't aware they had so many flights.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous14:17

      Anonymous09:08

      About JU being insignificant in Skopje
      ``The carrier handled 42.796 passengers between Belgrade and Skopje in 2019``
      This is about 1.82% of total number of passengers in 2019. in Skopje. For one route to a country that is super close and whose major airline is relatively small (super small comparing to THY or Wizz).

      JU is operating ATR (that can carry about 70 passengers) between Skopje and a city that is a 4 hours away by car, and 6h by direct buses that run 6 times a day. The bus ticket costs only a fraction of a cost of an airplane ticket to BEG.
      Considering those factors, JU has been doing very good in Skopje. Almost 2% in share is not really that insignificant.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous17:02

      Drive time is at lease 4.5 hours. not include border crossing, traffic delay, road construct. so we say about 6 hurs drive safe time betwen centar to center.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous18:18

      most pax transit through BEG so its too little for being in "JU's backyard".They should upgrade at least the afternoon rotation to a jet

      Delete
    8. Anonymous12:47

      Bus is not 6h!!!

      Delete
    9. Anonymous12:47

      Anonymous18:18

      Skopje can be much more utilized for the interest of JU. At least a jet daily can bring more transfer passengers especially knowing that JU has much bigger network than it did back in 2019 and the service is getting better together with reliability. BEG is much smaller than IST or ATH so you can easily catch a transfer flight even if transfer time is about 40min which is an advantage for JU. If they do the marketing right.
      Maybe they could have a much bigger share than 2% of total passengers in 2023 if they increase capacity with jets and have more than 11 rotations a week. Skopje has a potential that JU can use much better, they miss capacity and marketing for that.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous13:36

      Anonymous12:47 depending on the company you take, Fudeks takes about 6h, Nis express 7,5h , some take up to 10h if they have many stops. Fudeks is the only express one and it takes you there in 6h.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:15

    Wizz and LH

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:43

      LH?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:52

      Lufthansa is eligible for its FRA route

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:16

    I would love if Ryanair applied

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:20

      keep expectations low. (I would love too)

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:26

      True, not getting my hopes up. It's probably Wizz

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:18

      Would you please explain why do you constantly post about Ryanair, when again, except the livery colors I don't really see any difference between Ryanair and Wizz?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:31

      Anon@10:18 you should totally get a job at slovenian ministry of infrastructure. You fit 100%. Thats the prevailing mentality in the sector. Why do we need another airlines at LJU, if LH “does” the job - at the end they are all the same, they fly pax ard the world in more or less similar metal. Congrats!

      Delete
    5. Anonymous13:14

      😂

      Delete
    6. Anonymous14:56

      I partially concur with your comment, because:
      There is a difference in legacies, as to alliance memberships and advantages that come with this, (miles collection, connectivity etc) difference is service (especially in premium cabin), while in the Ultra LCC segment all of this is the same, except as I mentioned the liveries.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous20:07

      Competition?

      Delete
    8. Anonymous11:16

      direkt or indirect competition => lower ticket prices

      Delete
  13. Anonymous09:19

    The public call puts SKP in focus but really lowers chances for Ohrid since no route that is already in operations (or was in operation for the past year) from Skopje can be launched from Ohrid.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:39

      not allowing seasonal routes to OHD is an epic missed opportunity along with what you said

      Delete
  14. Anonymous09:21

    Anyone have an idea on who applied?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:34

      some hungarian airline people say

      Delete
  15. Anonymous09:24

    So how many new routes could we expect?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous09:27

    I wonder if easyjet decided to bid.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:41

      They don't have any bases outside of EU so I hihgly doubt it.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:51

      the public call is not about basing an aircraft hello?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:26

      Which is different compared to previous such tenders.

      Delete
  17. Anonymous09:41

    Would love something totally out of the box. Like Air Dolomiti planning a base :D of course not going to happen. Just day dreaming.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous09:43

    I mean what else could Wizz open if not LJU and PRG? Klagenfurt? HEL instead of Turku? LIS/MAD? SPU? (regardless of OU)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous09:49

    Wishful thinking:

    LH: FRA (announced)
    KLM/Transavia/Easyjet: AMS
    Wizz: LJU,PRG,MAD
    Ryanair: Weeze(NRN),ARN,HEL,STN,MAN

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:51

      Transavia didn't apply for LJU subsidies so I doubt they will for SKP either but that is a nice list.

      Delete
  20. Anonymous09:54

    I would love to see ITA in Skopje. Alitalia used to fly to.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous10:12

    Pegasus is doing amazing (mind that that TK number above also incl. Anadolujet)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous10:28

    The current situation of OHD is quite worrying. Ver few new routes. LTN was just cut entirely by Wizz. Chair have not yet launched their seasonal flights to ZRH in summer compared to the other destinations. JU failed miserably in the past with the OHD-BEG route. OHD is also facing issues with Unesco regarding its cultural heritage status. Airport is extremely seasonal as well for a much more beautiful town compared to SKP, imo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:46

      +1

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:11

      Shame. Airport has lots of potential.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:19

      1. LTN was not cut entirely by Wizz. It's coming back end of March with 2x weekly rotations.
      2. CHAIR is flying to OHD year round, I just flew with them last week. The flights are bookable via tour operators only, and not via CHAIR.
      3. JU is coming back with 4x weekly rotations, how is this worrying for OHD?

      Please check your facts before making such ridiculous statements

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:35

      It’s such a pity that some people are just trolling. Beside what you’ve mentioned TUI starts for the first time with flights to the UK - London and Manchester!

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:51

      but LTN looks like its gone. FMM and Basel are increased.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous12:53

      12:19 How so? Can you book a flight OHD-LTN in summer? I see them all blocked.
      As I said, JU PREVIOUSLY failed in OHD. Lets see how they do now.
      Also, what is incorrect with what I said? OHD is lacking behind as an airport and especially as the major tourist destination in NMK. Barely 1 weekly UK flights and now JU.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous14:48

      Why do you speak so bad of Ohrid? What UNESCO has to do with flights? As already mentioned they will have TUI flights. I think that JU will work well in Ohrid this summer.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous17:38

      I didn't speak bad. Just giving facts. LTN is cut, barely 3 new routes in 5 years. TAV is sleeping.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous09:48

      LTN isnt cut, there are two weekly flights as of the end of March.

      Delete
  23. Anonymous10:46

    We will find out the outcome soon.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous11:10

    Fingers crossed for the best outcome.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous11:11

    Is there anywhere where we can watch the opening of the bids live?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:18

      Of course not. Imagine if they televised the opening of bids for all the tenders.

      Delete
  26. Anonymous11:13

    And what happens if no one applied?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:17

      new tender

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:18

      Had no one applied they wouldn't have organised the public opening of the bids.

      Delete
  27. Anonymous11:28

    Why not Air Serbia?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:29

      It does not meet the tender requirements.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:49

      It needs to be registered in the EU.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous14:22

      ``Air Serbia still has a 100% ownership stake in AeroMak, a Macedonian registered airline which is inactive, and Priština Air in Kosovo. The carrier also owns a 50% stake in the Banja Luka-based Air Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is also inactive. The other 50% is owned by the Airports of Republika Srpska company.``

      If you exclude Pristina air for obvious reasons, once AS grows enough AeroMak could become a reality, why not?

      Delete
  28. Anonymous11:35

    So will they announce just the airlines or the routes as well?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:58

      I think they will just announce how many airlines submitted their bids.

      Delete
  29. Anonymous12:21

    Soooo, did they reveal anythig?

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous12:32

    I was right about Wizz and LH but nobody had Aegean in mind?? Where could Aegean fly to? wow

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:35

      did they announce anything? I don't find anything on their website

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:35

      SKG??

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:38

      no Ryanair again *sigh

      Delete
  31. Anonymous12:45

    Aegean either SKG, LJU, LCA or some SA hub in West Europe?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:46

      They probably just applied for SKG-SKP.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:47

      Are the routes required to be year-round?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:47

      yes, but they can use atrs in the winter

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:47

      SKG-SKP makes no sense. Both cities are well connected by the highway. Takes less than 3 hrs by car

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:49

      Isn't LCA served by Wizz?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous12:50

      No

      Delete
    7. Anonymous12:53

      @12.47 It says in the article

      "Under the terms outlined in the public call, carriers must maintain flights to their proposed new destinations at least twice per week throughout the year for the duration of the financial assistance"

      Delete
    8. Anonymous12:54

      the question is was LCA cut in 2019 or 2020? if 2020 then its not eligible for subsidies

      Delete
    9. Anonymous12:55

      Thanks. I was thinking seasonal HER, but clearly that won't be the case.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous12:58

      Regardless, Aegean has completely reduced their presence in LCA. I don't see them flying to SKP from there, but who knows.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous13:07

      Aegean will increase its presence in LCA they announced flights to OTP from there and I read they're resuming TLV from LCA.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous20:31

      Is the rumour of Aegean just based on the picture of the article or are there more sources for this.

      Delete
    13. Anonymous20:43

      ^ what are you talking about? The Macedonian government announced the airlines that submitted bids. There was a public opening of the bids.

      Delete
  32. Anonymous12:48

    Aegean should also start to offer transfer connections to the West ^^ via ATH

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:59

      yeah, totally makes sense: Fly west via south

      Delete
    2. Anonymous00:41

      I mean, there are americans that fly turkish to IST and then transfer to exyu from there

      Delete
  33. Anonymous12:49

    Well better outcome than previous years but Wizz will. Aegean and Lufthansa are probably just applying for one route.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:53

      LH is applying for FRA ,that we know already, but Wizz probably for more

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:54

      Wanted to write Wizz will win. Yes, they definitely applied with several routes. Aegean, my only guess is LCA-SKP or LCA-OHD (if that one makes sense). Lufthansa might have applied for Munich-SKP as well.

      Delete
  34. Anonymous12:54

    Aegean WOW!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anonymous12:56

    So seeing Aegean there maybe OHD-ATH, SKP-HER, SKP-LCA coming??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:58

      They can's launch OHD-ATH. In the article it says that under the tender terms no route served out of Skopje can be applied for subsidies out of Ohrid. Also all routes must be maintained year round so I highly doubt Heraklion would be maintained in winter.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:59

      Maybe Aegean is thinking of doing something like Skopje-Bucharest. They own that airline in Romania.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:59

      So its either LCA or SKG.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:00

      Do they fly non-greek routes somewhere?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous13:00

      Who knows. Maybe they decide to base a plane in Skopje.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous13:02

      Lol, of course they will

      Delete
    7. Anonymous13:02

      now that would be!!

      Delete
    8. Anonymous13:37

      Soon Animawings will be renamed as Aegean Romania.

      Delete
  36. Anonymous13:02

    Skopje-Thessaloniki was SKP's second route ever ... 90 years ago :D:D:D

    ReplyDelete
  37. Anonymous13:06

    I don't want to be a party pooper but Wizz Air will win. There is not enough money for these subsidies to give it to more than one airline. Wizz Air for sure has submitted an offer with the most frequencies and capacity.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:12

      what do you think with "will win"? LH's FRA route is more important then everything Wizz will offer... The money is the same amount as last years (in total) but halve per pax so more routes can be subs.

      Delete
  38. Anonymous13:13

    Maybe we can see some SKP Armenia flights. Wizzair yesterday just announced some expansions from Yerevan to PRG, DTM, SOF and KTW.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:15

      Sigh.....

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:16

      Would they have rights to do so? They would have opened TLV

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:53

      I think it needs a bilateral agreement between the countries since neither is a member of the EU.

      Delete
  39. Anonymous13:19

    looking at Aegean routes from SKG ... theyre all not really short but on the other side Thessaloniki is full with Macedonian tourists on the weekends so who knows ... 2 weekly ATR like their ATH flights

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:24

      They're planning to reintroduce Izmir and Dubrovnik from Thessaloniki this year so maybe SKP will follow them.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:31

      makes sense

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:43

      Tirana as well. I think it will be SKG

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:57

      Makes absolutely no sense at all. Distance from central Skopje to central Thessaloniki is 234km (main square to main square) and takes less than 3h by car.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous14:05

      Not everyone has car

      Delete
    6. Anonymous14:55

      There are bus tours every weekend from Skopje and the ticket is 15eur return. Car sharing is also an option (group of friends, family, random people etc.) Also, those trips are mostly shopping in IKEA/Cosmos with a short city break. So on one hand you have car/bus in less than 3h and the ability to not worry about luggage or time constrains, while on the other hand you have a plane with up to 4h travel time (traveling to/from airport, security and baggage checks and the flight itself), luggage limitations and definitely more expensive. It's quite obvious what will people chose.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous15:04

      In the summer it will be heavily used for Chalkidiki. Packages with flights included will be very attractive

      Delete
    8. Anonymous15:33

      It won't happen. Why would the agency bother to arrange the flights with the airline and the additional buses that will take people from SKG airport to their destination when they can use their own buses and have the freedom to organize the tour dates as they please? That will just increase the price of the package. And again, distance and travel time is not enough to justify these flights. It's 380km from central Skopje to Kalamitsi, which is the furthest place on the second arm of the peninsula, shorter than Skopje-Belgrade (430km) and it's doable in 5h with traffic included, while the trip from SKG airport to the same place is 2h which add to the already 4h till you land there.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous16:56

      ''It won't happen'' Ahaaa, if you say so... Why this, why that, well the demand between SKP and the Greek Macedonia is pretty big so there'll be enough people. Some value comfort, safety and not waiting on borders

      Delete
  40. Anonymous13:31

    Thessaloniki is less than 3 hours from Skopje. If you count the time that you have to arrive before the flight, and the time for passport control in Greece and taxi to the city. It will take longer if you fly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:58

      True dat!
      I think A3 will apply on behalf of LCA and possibly OTP with its Romanian subsidiary.

      Delete
  41. Anonymous13:35

    why not SKP-LJU with Aegean (even with their ATR)? They could get subsidies from both sides

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:40

      Why would they possibly risk doing W rotations for relatively small amount of money?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:43

      because theres more demand for LJU? There is a huge MK diaspora in SLO plus business connections

      Delete
  42. Anonymous13:45

    Or Aegean could do W patterns or triangular rotations to European cities, it's not rocket science. They don't need to base an airplane.

    ATH-SKP-AMS-ATH and the next day ATH-AMS-SKP-ATH is a very basic example. Replace AMS with BCN or even ARN. Do this twice per week and you're good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:49

      I forgot to add the W patterns, i.e. ATH-AMS-SKP-AMS-ATH, but for longer routes in order to be within the FDP limits of the crew, operate triangular patterns just like Wizz is doing from VIE, FCO to TLV, AUH and EVN.

      Also, before any genius asks "who's gonna fly Athens to Amsterdam via Skopje", that's not what a triangular pattern is, it's not fifth freedom routes, you won's be selling athens to Amsterdam on that date, it will be on the next day when its a direct flight.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:52

      Dream on buddy

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:57

      @Anonymous 13:52 They applied for subsidies, its not my dream, I don't even live there. The point was that they obviously didn't apply for subsidies SKP-SKG, but they had something more logical in mind. Not all of us are avgeeks, some of us actually work in aviation.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:58

      Those W patterns don't make sense at all , Aegean has something different planned that I'm wondering what is it.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous14:01

      How do they not make any sense? It could be an SKG based plane, but in either case the subsidies aren't for flights from and to Greece, you can be sure about that.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous14:07

      Aegean is a well managed airline, they wouldn't go into such ventures. Maybe if Adria was still alive

      Delete
    7. Anonymous14:07

      why not, what makes you so confident about it

      Delete
    8. Anonymous14:15

      They have a huge hub in ATH a secondary one in SKG and many islands seeking for international flights while they also got a hub in LCA and an airline in Romania. Do you really think they're gonna play on SKP?

      Delete
    9. Anonymous14:21

      The question was why @14.01 is so confident that A3 is not applying for Greece flights ;)

      Delete
    10. Anonymous14:22

      You do realize what subsidies are, right? If the numbers are there, they'll fly to Syria as well, LOL. Twice a week isn't exactly an insane risk. They already have ground handling in Skopje, it's not like they're opening a new destination. You kinda don't know how this works, do you?

      Delete
    11. Anonymous14:31

      I'll see you when they announce their intended plan (if they actually win), that's all im going to say :)

      Delete
    12. Anonymous14:36

      But where could their ATR continue on from SKP? I see LJU in the first place... @14.31 are you involved? I doubt MK will risk not giving A3 subsidies now that relations have improved

      Delete
    13. Anonymous14:42

      They're not obligated to give them to Aegean.

      Delete
    14. Anonymous14:45

      Sure but the aim is to diversify.

      Delete
    15. Anonymous15:03

      @Anon 14:21 You seem so confident with your wink, but other than SKG and HER they don't have any other options. Even seasonal flights from Bulgaria to Crete have ceased, so what makes you think all year flights from SKP to Crete will survive, despite subsidies? That only leaves SKG, and if you really think they're gonna waste a turboprop on that route especially in the summer when they fly to the islands, you're tripping. Athens is bound to get an upgrade to a jet, hence my conviction they're looking to go for a triangular pattern, and not a W pattern.

      Delete
    16. Anonymous15:20

      I never mentioned anything about Crete. Also I love how you're worried about wasting a turboprop on a less than 2 hour rotation but you're ok with A320s flying to Amsterdam.

      Delete
    17. Anonymous16:00

      Thats what I'm talking about too look at their Athens network this summer they're adding so many new destinations why they would waste aircrafts on such flights via SKP?

      Delete
  43. Anonymous14:06

    Aegean linking SKP with BRU would give them (and their country) kudos from the whole EU.... although SKG is the front runner imo

    ReplyDelete
  44. Anonymous14:44

    such a positive vibe with Aegean applying for a new route(s)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:46

      They also need to increase SKP-ATH flights.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous17:48

      If A3 goes daily even with their ATR's that would be awesome!

      Delete
  45. Anonymous15:26

    W6 in my opinion.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:44

      its not like only one company will win and must win. You are misunderstanding it. Its about routes. You apply for a route and it may be approved or not. Since there are "only" 3 airlines applying and Lufthansa and Aegean probably only for one route I expect all to be approved

      Delete
    2. Anonymous17:42

      W6 comment was made based on W6 100% success rate track record in the past. LH and A3 will be there with token one route each, to demonstrate new diversity and inclusiveness.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous18:10

      @17.42 and what is the problem with that?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous19:36

      Problem? No, that's the beauty of it: looks like market opened up for other players but in reality it will continue to be same old, with W6 winning subsidy for most new lines and continuing to be 5-6 times larger than the next competitor at the airport. Brilliant, isn't it?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous20:10

      but would you want them to stop Wizz applying for it?? Wizz is SKP success story more or less

      Delete
  46. Anonymous16:32

    Slovenia also just accepted the 7mio yearly law, so good day for aviation in exyu!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:13

      thats 5x more then what the Macedonian gov is planning

      Delete
  47. Anonymous18:07

    "Aegean currently maintains flights between Athens and Skopje, while Wizz Air, which has won all three similar tenders in the past, is North Macedonia’s busiest airline, handling 1.268.540 passengers on its Skopje flights in 2022 alone"

    For more than obvious reasons they will select Wizz Air. They have experience and SKP itself being a gasto airport will most likely launch more flights due to the Albanian diaspora.
    Aegean with their 2 weekly ATR service shows that there is not huge demand to ATH.
    If LH get it, they might consider MUC though Wizz Air seems like the most realistic winner.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous18:12

      took a whole day for a first nationalistic nonsence like "Albanian diaspora" SMFH Respect

      Delete
    2. Anonymous19:21

      It's ok to say 'gasto' airport, or gasto market, which is constantly mentioned for most ex-yu airports, but you take exception when someone mentions 'Albanian diaspora'.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous20:14

      @19.21 you answered yourself why.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous20:53

      Almost every Macedonian in Macedonia has a relative who lives abroad, so the majority of the diaspora is Macedonian ethnicity(except for Switserland). so Albanian gasto is really misleading besides all Albanians in MK have MK citizenship. What you are saying is not correct and it would have been only relevant when Albanians would drive from Albania or Kosovo to SKP. You are basicly saying that SKP relies on Macedonian citizens.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous23:28

      @20:14 so do you also have a problem when Bosnian, Serbian, Croatian, etc. diaspora is mentioned? Which it is constantly is. There is nothing nationalistic when you mention Albanian diaspora from Macedonia, or Serbian from Croatia, or Croatian diaspora from Bosnia. In the Balkans there are many different ethnic groups, and we should celebrate that, not shaking your head in disbelief like a 6 year old.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous04:24

      20:53 What I tried explaining is that every third citizen in North Macedonia is now Albanian. Albania has a very large diaspora abroad. The North Macedonian one is concentrated in Australia and US. This is also why SKP is also connected to every possible village in Germany and Sweden. The profile of the airport is very similar to PRN.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous09:10

      04.24 You are so childish no one cares if they are Alb, Turkish, Bosnian or Macedonian ONLY you Albanians care about that....grow up we are all humans!

      Delete
    8. Anonymous11:12

      exactly what @9.10 said. get out of your ethinc bubble ffs its the 21st century

      Delete
    9. Anonymous13:28

      Funny how everyone is angry at this guy but the original commenter actually made the ethnic differentiation for no reason. North Macedonia is a multi-ethnic country so why does it matter what is the ethnicity of the diaspora? Macedonians, Albanians or Turks they're all citizens of the same country.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous14:16

      True.
      But they are all different ethnic groups, and it's ok to mention that in a respectful way to make a point about something.

      Delete
  48. Anonymous18:16

    I hope it is either Lufthansa or Aegean, to improve the transcontinental connections. Or another major airline that is not part of the Star Alliance group to improve the competition.

    While I have nothing against Wizz, it only helps the EU-bound weekend tourism.

    When traveling to SKP from the US, for example, the only options are Turkish and Austrian, both of them with some bad connections that affect the overall experience. SKP needs more transcontinental options.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:23

      What about the connection via BEG? Any good? How long is the transfer time?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous21:59

      The connection though BEG is probably fine when going to NYC or the east coast.

      The one to ORD may work well once Air Serbia starts flying to ORD.

      Either way none of them would work when flying to the West Coast.

      When traveling to the US, typically the people prefer the point of entry to their final destination too, with other words to land and go through immigration and customer at their final destination.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:38

      It's not either or dude. Routes get subsidized, not airlines. All three airlines will receive subsidies on the new routes if they fulfill the criteria.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous14:07

      If you think a little bit, it is the airlines. By subsidizing a route they implicitly subsidize bunch of other destinations that can connect through that route effectively allowing passengers from multiple places/countries to connect with the final destination.

      The bigger the airline the better the potential. (Think about network, code share agreements)

      Look at the big picture… dude ;)

      Delete
    5. Anonymous16:15

      but its stil about single routes. I dont think the 3 airlines have applied for that many routes and for the same routes so they have to select from the bids and compare LH and A3 networks and fleet. Im pretty sure there's not more then 8 routes in total (probably 6) so if they fulfill the criteria they will be approved.

      Delete
  49. Anonymous08:27

    When will the tender end?

    ReplyDelete
  50. Anonymous14:30

    Wow Agean is a surprise!

    I have a feeling that Lufthansa have applied for their Eurowings subsidiary which could open more routes like MUC & DUS.

    Wizz was obvious... but anyway happy to see that this time more carriers participated in the tender.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Anonymous17:42

    wow never had a SKP article hit 200 comments !! some interesting arguments too

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17:47

      Its all about Lufthansa and Aegean's plans, everyone is wondering what Aegean is planning in SKP maybe even a little base? Who knows..

      Delete

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