Aegean to expand network and connectivity in the Balkans

Aegean Airlines has said it wants to continue expanding in the region following the launch of its fifth-freedom flights between Skopje and Sarajevo this Monday. Speaking at the ceremony marking the inaugural flight between the two cities, the Greek carrier’s Chief Commercial Officer, Roland Jaggi, said, “We wish to increase connectivity and expand our presence in the Balkan area. With our high-quality services, we wish to promote interstate mobility, promote tourism and strengthen trade relationships. We will continue developing our network and offer new connectivity opportunities in the region”.

Skopje is firmly on Aegean’s radar. Apart from introducing the three-weekly service to Sarajevo, the Greek carrier has doubled its frequencies to the Macedonian capital from three to six per week, leaving three of its weekly rotations on the route with a ten-hour turnaround time between the outbound and inbound service, enabling it to introduce additional flights in-between. Potential additions, if Aegean seeks to introduce more destinations from Skopje, include the likes of Podgorica and Sofia, with the Macedonian government recently negotiating with its counterparts from both Montenegro and Bulgaria over potential services. Aegean Airlines applied for the Macedonian government's subsidy program for the introduction of new routes from Skopje earlier this year but pulled out after the tender was declared void.

Aegean expanded its operations throughout the former Yugoslavia this year. It introduced seasonal flights between Athens and Ljubljana, which will run until October 13, as well as regular weekly summer charters from the Greek capital to Banja Luka. In addition, the airline upgraded capacity on its Athens - Podgorica flights from the ATR72-600 turboprop to the Airbus A320 over the peak summer months. Furthermore, Aegean has extended its seasonal Athens - Zagreb flights until early January, with services to be maintained throughout November and December, and again from early March of next year. For 2024, the carrier plans to increase operations between Athens and Belgrade from five weekly to daily with its A320 fleet, starting June 2.