Mostar Airport “close to deal” with Air Serbia


Mostar Airport and Air Serbia are negotiating over the potential introduction of flights from Belgrade with a deal reportedly within reach. “We are working on securing Belgrade flights with a high numbers of frequencies under favourable conditions. We are close to a deal, however, it all depends on available aircraft capacity. We are quite limited by who can fly to Mostar because the airport has a lot of restrictions when it comes to take offs and landings, so we can’t negotiate with everyone”, the General Manager of Mostar Airport, Marko Djuzel, said. Air Serbia currently maintains operations to both Sarajevo and Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Earlier this year, Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, said, “We already fly to fifteen destinations in the ex-Yugoslavia. That’s more than any other airline. And we will continue to add frequencies to all the countries since they also provide us with passenger flow for connecting flights, especially for our long-haul operations”. Croatia Airlines is currently the only carrier operating year-round flights to Mostar, restoring its Zagreb service earlier in 2023 after more than three years. Last week, Mostar Airport launched a tender for the provision of subsidies for the upkeep of the Zagreb service, with Croatia Airlines expected to be the sole bidder.

Scheduled flights between Belgrade and Mostar were first established on March 15, 1962 by JAT Yugoslav Airlines and operated off and on throughout the coming decades. The route initially served the local population but from the 1980s onwards became popular with transfer passengers traveling for religious purposes to visit the Medjugorje site. JAT itself sold special travel packages to Mostar for pilgrims in markets including the United States, the United Kingdom to as far afield as the Philippines. As Yugoslavia started to disintegrate, services were discontinued. JAT’s last flight on the route, which was also the final commercial flight between the two cities to date, took place on November 23, 1991. During the final summer season unaffected by the Yugoslav wars, in 1990, JAT operated eight weekly flights from Belgrade to Mostar.




Comments

  1. Anonymous08:03

    It could work seasonally

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous08:04

      Especially subsidised

      Delete
    2. Anonymous08:08

      There is great potential for both sides because Air Serbia has a strong network in Italy, which is the main source for OMO travelers considering Medjugorje.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:15

      Plus Krakow and possible new Polish destinations and some P2P of course. Mostar could have some tourist campaign in Belgrade, as a reminder they have something to offer... It will work seasonally.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous16:39

      +1 I agree

      Delete
  2. Anonymous08:03

    Wouldn't Maribor make more sense?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous08:18

      I don't think so. Mostar has Medjugoje traffic, diaspora traffic and there will be some P2P, none of which is applicable to Maribor.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:54

      Biggest problem is small number of Croats, Baznians and Serbs there. They will not like each others but they need connection with Belgrade, but theirs numbers are small.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:55

      Maribor could work, especially considering that Graz doesn't have Air Serbia flying to it. Unfortunately, DRI (airport manager) is mostly just a provisional solution while they try and find a new airport operator. Also, Air Serbia has an aircraft and staff shortage, so they're more likely focusing on more profitable routes that are likely to have higher yields

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:47

      Ani ymous 09:54. Everyone loves each other nowadays and respects each other. Only corrupt politics causes division in Bosnia.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous15:45

      Agreed.
      Anon@09:54 is out of touch.

      Delete
    6. Agreed, and going step further : only corrupt politics caused division in entire ex-yu

      Delete
  3. Anonymous08:06

    I think this route could definitely work during the summer. In the winter, not so sure.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous08:55

      Brac will be better

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:17

      JU should first make Split (and Dubrovnik) year-round destinations in their network.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:50

      if JU wants to lose more money, then they will open flights in winter to Split and Dubrovnik....
      while flights to Brac in the summer season would be more than acceptable and in demand

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:54

      If they advertize properly, it could work. Not only regarding transfers, and tourism, but there are currently many bus routes from Eastern Herzegovina to Belgrade. If the ticket price becomes affordable, these people could use it as well.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:56

      Besides, I would love to go for a weekend in Belgrade, and I am sure many people from Herzegovina will use it to go to Belgrade for a weekend. Belgrade is far from us if you want to use a bus.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous08:06

    2x weekly

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous08:23

      It says they negotiated a high frequency

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:01

      How much could that be?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:11

      at least 2 daily.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:18

      I highly doubt it would be 2 daily

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:56

      2 daily on an ATR would be around 55 000 pax annually...I don't doubt the fact that there's demand, but not that high.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:49

      High frequency is actually higher than OU. I expect up to 4 weekly. Sarajevo has 7, Banja Luka 2-3, I don't see Mostar being any different.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous22:22

      If subsidized it could be 3 daily....BNX and SJJ are not subsidized.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous08:07

    I like they are doing a tender for the Zagreb route 😂

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous08:11

      They did it for this year too.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous08:12

      How much money did they get?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous08:16

      They got just over 500,000 euros for this year.
      https://www.exyuaviation.com/2023/04/croatia-airlines-eyes-mostar-success-as.html

      Delete
    4. Anonymous08:27

      Thanks. That's quite a lot

      Delete
    5. Anonymous08:30

      Anyone know how the route is performing?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous08:35

      I think better then expected

      Delete
    7. Anonymous08:54

      I wonder if JU will get the same amount of money

      Delete
  6. Anonymous08:09

    Won't this create competition for OU?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous08:10

      I think the management realised that other than Germany transfers and P2P traffic, OU doesn't offer much.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:18

      OU doesn't offer Germany transfers; they fly to 2 or 3 destinations there. JU has more to offer even in that department...

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:20

      Anon 08:09 OU creates the competition itself, by operating only a handful of destinations out of its home base. Ridiculous.

      Delete
    4. OU does not care about competition. OU is "managed" by aparatchiks and uhljebs. Apartchiks and uhljebs follow directions and orders given by Central Comitee. Aparatchiks and uhljebs care about fat pay checks, ID tickets, holidays, long weekend, sailing, tenis, and similar activites, not about business, costs, profits vs losses and competition. As simple as that.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous08:11

    Excellent for Italy connections. I'm sure Krakow route will provide feed too.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous08:12

    Will be competition for future Trebinje Airport.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous08:17

      LOL

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:52

      Once Trebinje is opened, they can switch to there or split the flight... Until then, OMO would be fine.
      OMO can nicely compliment Dubrovnik seasonal flights.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous08:19

    So basically the route depends if Air Serbia will have planes

    "We are close to a deal, however, it all depends on available aircraft capacity."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous08:22

      Disappointing. This will obviously be an issue for any expansion next year.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous08:21

    Mostar finally proactive and working on securing scheduled flights. A nice change on the previous 30 years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous08:59

      It will still be worst performing of the Bosnian airports.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:31

      You have to start somewhere.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous08:27

    Mostar would have more success if they focused on bringing Eurowings back or attracting Ryanair or Wizz Air rather than Croatia Airlines and Air Serbia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous08:32

      Like the CEO said, very hard to find an airline that can fly to Mostar considering all the restrictions.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous08:34

      Aegean would be a good option too.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:35

      What are the restrictions? Is it size of aircraft?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:57

      Approach into Mostar. Only specially trained pilots can land there.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous17:17

      For example this year there were quite a few sport charters because Zrinjski qualified to group stage. Were all these charter companies specially training pilots for just one flight?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous13:04

      There is no sense that pilots need additional training to land in Mostar. Does anyone knows what the problem is?

      There is definitely a part that needs improvement. It is really hard when you hire someone based on political reasons rather than their competencies.

      OMO needs good management that will start from the beginning: analysis, strategy for development, good recruitment, etc.

      Delete
  12. Anonymous08:28

    Wouldn't JU coming to Mostar impact OU's operations? Or are OU's passengers mostly point to point so it wouldn't make any difference?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous08:29

      It's mostly P2P.

      Delete
    2. They don't care about impact or competition. Mostar is political service introduced by Kradeze entities, from both Hercegovina and Croatia

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:07

      That is true. As a non-Croat and someone who is definitely not for HDZ, this Meyer is doing something. He is the first one who seems to listen to people and public opinion. But we will see.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous08:28

    Would be fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous08:29

    What would be the most appealing transfer market from/to Mostar?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous08:30

      Italy obviously

      Delete
    2. Anonymous08:34

      Italy, Poland and Scandinavia.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:06

      All countries where people believe in the Medjugorje scam

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:58

      Scandinavia is because of diaspora.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous22:24

      USA pilgrims like ages ago?

      Delete
  15. Anonymous08:31

    Air Serbia could offer very decent transfer options to Mostar. I think they will add it

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous08:39

    I'm from Belgrade. I would love to visit Mostar but definitely would not want to drive or go by bus.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:05

      Same

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:14

      You can fly to SJJ and take a car to Mostar. It takes only 2 hours.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous22:26

      One can drive a car from BEG to ZAG but there are flights too....Flying to SJJ plus getting off the plane plus 30 min to get a car plus two hours of driving? That is in total 5 hours to get to Mostar, insane really

      Delete
    4. Anonymous02:48

      I want to go to see Mostar as well … apparently it’s beautiful for a weekend trip .. same wouldn’t take a bus

      Delete
    5. Anonymous13:10

      It is same from here (Hercegovina). I would love to go for a weekend in Belgrade, and I am sure many people from Herzegovina will use it to go to Belgrade for a weekend. Belgrade is far from us if you want to use a bus.

      Delete
  17. Anonymous08:53

    JU should give it a try next summer with the Atr.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous08:56

      Or Embraer if it is working well

      Delete
  18. Anonymous09:02

    JU should start flying to Mostar only and only if they get the same amount of money (or more) OU got from OMO.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:04

      They have obviously already agreed if they get all the planes they plan to get.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:31

      JU should start flying to Mostar only and only if they can fly with some profit. The amount OU got is not of great importance.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous15:12

      It is much easier to achieve profit if you receive subsidies.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:12

      Do you guys think they don't know that? So, you believe someone will fly somewhere without profits. They don't need you to tell them that. 🤣

      Delete
  19. Anonymous09:09

    it is difficult and time consuming to travel to Mostar and Herzegovina.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous09:11

    When will JU announce new routes for next year?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:35

      Last year was in December

      Delete
  21. Anonymous09:15

    Is there a fog in Mostar so often as in Sarajevo? Could it be a problem for ATR?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:40

      There is no fog in Mostar. i landed twice in Mostar in old days when Sarajevo airport was closed due to the fog.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:35

      No way, the climate is much different in Mostar, more Mediterranean.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous00:09

      Only wind can be an issue.

      Delete
  22. Anonymous09:18

    So called analyst said these are old news 🤣

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:22

      The airport GM said it just a day or two ago

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:18

      I know it, you know it, but "expert" doesn't.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:43

      Ah, not surprised.

      Delete
  23. Anonymous09:21

    First route announced to Summer 2024 ,soon the rest of 5 new routes to nex year, Dublín, Manchester, Shanghái Alicante

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:29

      I don't think this will be the new routes. Plus they p0lan Guanzhou too.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous22:48

      Many serbian are buying houses in Alicante, so that’s a great demand all year.

      Delete
  24. Anonymous09:30

    Nice! Hope it happens.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous09:55

    "We are quite limited by who can fly to Mostar because the airport has a lot of restrictions when it comes to take offs and landings, so we can’t negotiate with everyone" - seriously??
    Is the airport apron that small it cannot handle more than 4 planes for instance or is it the runway that has a limited capacity? Find this a bit odd.
    Do Electra Airways still operate charters to from OMO to Catania, btw? They rolled out their new livery last month and think it is stunning!

    https://aircraft.airbus.com/en/newsroom/stories/2023-11-electra-airways-a-brand-new-visual-identity-created-by-the-airbus-design

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:39

      It is related to the very tricky approach. Only specially trained pilots can actually land there.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:17

      Anonymous 13:39 please don't spread false informations. Where did you get this informations?

      Delete
  26. Anonymous10:16

    Mostar Airport should only release such information once the contract is signed. This is common practice. There have already been many announcements from Mostar (Wizz, Ryanair...) but almost nothing has happened

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous10:52

    I think Mostar won't be that successful, JU should try Split as year round route instead.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:11

      SPU in winter has no chance.

      There is simply no demand. Even KL as the only foreign legacy carrier decreased SPU to only 1 weekly roatation in winter. There is no Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, LOT, Air France, SAS, British..Nobody flies there in winter.

      SPU in winter would be nothing but wasting of time and money for Air Serbia.

      Delete
    2. @Anonymous15:11
      Unlike those airlines, Air Serbia can cover Spit with ATR, making this line much more feasable in the winter

      Delete
    3. Anonymous22:21

      Still not profitable as there is no demand.

      Better to use ATR for new destination like CLJ than to waste capacity on SPU in winter.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous22:30

      To connect first and third busiest airports in ex yu year round might be a god idea actually

      Delete
    5. Anonymous02:51

      Agree they need to fly to all Yugoslav airports

      Delete
  28. Anonymous11:05

    I remember that Mostar was in talks and made a DEAL with Wizz for four new routes which at the time they said that they will be further announced. What happend with it, was it all a lie?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:29

      It was apparently Wizz that didn't have enough resources to operate the planned routes. Afair, Wizz were still interested in launching in 2024 - but given the recent uncertainty with Wizz and its other operations in the region, that statement probably doesn't say much.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:12

      It seems the deal that Mostar airport has with OU expires very soon as there aren't any flights for sale between ZAG and OMO past mid January or so...so perhaps JU is going to 'replace' OU as the airline that gets the €500k per year subsidy to operate year round flights from the canton?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous14:06

      ^ Read the article

      "Last week, Mostar Airport launched a tender for the provision of subsidies for the upkeep of the Zagreb service, with Croatia Airlines expected to be the sole bidder."

      Delete
  29. Slav.Man13:14

    Great news. I hope its very successful for Mostar, the area and JU. Soon I hope they also increase the frequency to both SJJ and BNX. 1 per day is really not enough for SJJ.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous13:38

    Mostar would really help itself by incorporating Medugoria in its name (Mostar-Medugoria intl airport) for example.

    OU should also use Medugoria when selling tickets to Mostar as this would really help sales as it would come up in google searches when people try to figure out how they might travel there.

    I bet if JU starts services, they would do just that. Call the destination Mostar-Medugoria or something similar to this.

    Whatever you think of Medugoria, it still has a huge amount of visitors every year so it makes sense to use the name as much as possible to help fill up flights.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:02

      Not a bad idea, but I would spell it Međugorje or at least Medjugorje.
      After all, ovce su za šišanje.

      Delete
  31. Anonymous14:27

    No passengers, not reliable route! New frequencies to SJJ is better than this.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Nemjee15:29

    What a waste of company resources. They should use any spare capacity they have to either boost existing routes with bigger potential or to launch new routes like Cluj, Iasi etc.
    OMO is a dying market with limited growth potential. Not to mention that they should rather focus on boosting BNX where there are 10 or 11 daily buses from Belgrade.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:06

      BNX and OMO have different coverage areas.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:31

      Agreed

      Delete
    3. Anonymous19:57

      3 weekly flights to BNX. If this route has more potential they will fly atleast dailly. Also fares are €90 for a return which is reasonable.

      Delete
    4. Nemjee20:09

      BEG-BNX is full and can go more than daily. Issue are the yields.

      Delete
  33. Anonymous15:56

    Which 15 destinations is he talking about? I can not count more then 14

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:07

      So just one is missing from your calculations. Almost there.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:13

      Belgrade, Kraljevo, Nis, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Pula, Rijeka, Zadar, Podgorica, Tivat, Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Skopje, Ohrid - 16 actually

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:15

      Beograd is JUs base, can't include it.

      Delete
    4. notLufthansa19:04

      wait, it is not enough that Ryanair is punching OU in the stomach on its own playground, now Air Serbia is joining the party and hitting them in their backyard? Whoa, that drug OU managment is on seems to be pretty strong....they are completely numb.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous19:22

      You really think that 2-3 weekly flights to OMO is going to hit OU hard?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous19:26

      For which they're still getting paid for it 🤣 Nice try

      Delete
    7. Anonymous00:38

      There’s no flight from Beograd to Kraljevo

      Delete
    8. Anonymous00:52

      He says how many cities they fly to ex-Yu not how many cities from Belgrade. Read.

      Delete
  34. Anonymous03:00

    Then it’s 16, not 15. You read it

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anonymous19:45

    In case of Air Serbia the ticket price is not the main issue.
    Their mostly problems is baggage service on the earth !!! , especially for connection flights!!!…, airplanes, Air service etc. If you are travel only with back pack, maybe....

    ReplyDelete
  36. Anonymous10:37

    This is really good news. One should look at this from every side. There is a pretty large demand for flights from OMO to BEG, and viceversa. Also, JU could really benefit from transfers from Poland and US regarding pilgrims. Also, a good number of transfers from disapora when it comes to Scandinavia and Germany and also US. There is considerable disapora from Herzegovina living in a greater Toronto and Chicago area.
    I think the real question is when are the flights going to materialise not are they going to materialise at all cause I am sure the respectable airline like JU has done its homework and research regarding demand. Otherwise they wouldnt enter the talks at all.
    Good luck OMO i am sure flights will happen?! 😁

    ReplyDelete

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