Albania’s Albawings to open Pristina base, launch eleven routes


Albanian low cost carrier Albawings will establish a base at Pristina Airport this month and progressively introduce flights to eleven destinations. This move is part of the airline's strategy to explore alternative markets, as it contends with unprecedented competition at its home base in Tirana, where Wizz Air and Ryanair have significantly expanded their operations. As EX-YU Aviation News learns, Albawings has been granted permits to operate from Pristina to other European markets as a foreign carrier. The bulk of Albawings’ new routes will be to Germany, with one destination each in Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Sweden.


Tickets for the upcoming routes can be acquired through Albawings' website and tour operators. Currently, availability for the majority of flights is zeroed out online, meaning they are displayed as sold out on Albawings’ website but are expected to go on sale shortly. The development comes just over two weeks after Kosovo passport holders gained the ability to travel visa-free to European Union member states, as well as Switzerland, Iceland, and Norway, for stays of up to ninety days. Visa-free travel is expected to generate significant passenger growth at Pristina Airport this year. During the first few days of 2024, some 10.000 additional passengers passed through the airport compared to the same period last year.

Albwaings boasts a fleet of three 188-seat Boeing 737-400 aircraft. It commenced operations in 2016, and has been operating from Tirana primarily to Italian cities. The carrier has been impacted by the significant competition from Wizz Air, which opened a base in Tirana in 2020, and Ryanair which late last year launched over a dozen routes to the Albanian capital. The airline was still Tirana’s second-largest airline last year based on available seat capacity, behind Wizz Air.


Comments

  1. Anonymous09:02

    Good news for PRN, especially since you can actually buy tickets online.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:09

      +1

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:57

      actually you cannot. its all "sold out" they are charters

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:58

      Read the article. Also, you can book Basel.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:16

      and there are always "5 seats left" haha :D:D

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:02

    All their planes are over 30 years old!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous09:03

    Is Albawings in any relation to Albastar?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:06

      No. Albawings is 100% albanian owned, AlbaStar is italian-spanish airline registered in Spain.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:06

      No

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:03

    This is why they have cancelled so many flights from Tirana. People are not happy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:59

      They cancelled all flights from TIA for the next month.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:35

      They cancelled flights, because wizz and ryanair are destroying them.. look at the prices.. in Pristina there is still money to make. Good Choise

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:43

      Wizz and Ryanair are also "destryoing" temselves, they have only 73% LF on routes they share from TIA

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:59

      That will end like its ending everywhere. RyanAir will win and Wizz will look for other destinations to fly to.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous15:45

      OMG it's true - there are almost ten daily flights from Tirana to Milano!! What the hell?? And Ryanair is selling tickets tomorrow for 15 euros!!

      Delete
    6. Anonymous15:51

      They are aggressively dumping prices to fight Wizz. Next summer BGY-TIA will be up to 4 daily from FR alone.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous06:56

      We've seen this before in Riga, Sofia, Bucharest, Budapest etc.
      They will fight until one of them backs out due to financial pressures. TIA"s numbers are inflated by unrealistically low fares.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:03

    Why again Basel?? It's too big competition on this route already now!
    Again gastro routes...ok I understand, no more visa for Kosovian passports, but still...
    I wish they launch flight to Zagreb, enough diaspora overthere anyway and 0 competition.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:04

      It is not about visas but about the fact that there is such a huge diaspora in Switzerland.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:04

      Didn't My wings and Croatia Airlines try PRN-ZAG recently and it lasted just a few weeks?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:09

      They tried 3 times a week but flyed with empty planes and canceled after a couple of weeks

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:24

      No passengers not good LF.

      Delete
    5. notLufthansa10:58

      yes, Kosovars are known for their gastro trips, lol! and Kosovo is hardly gastro destination. It is more "wink wink" gastro substance destination....

      Delete
    6. Anonymous11:27

      Not "gastro" :) but "gasto", meaning "gastarbeiters" ...-

      Delete
    7. Anonymous15:40

      But Albawings is LCC airline so maybe with the LCC prices will motivate kosovian diaspora in Croatia (which is not small at all) to travel to Kosovo with the plane instead of bus and car.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous15:56

      their only bookable flight to basel is 101€ one way. wouldnt call that LCC

      Delete
    9. Anonymous16:36

      @15:56 exactly, wouldn’t call it LCC!

      Delete
    10. Anonymous18:22

      That price is not competitive at all! Usually prices from Basel to Pristina is almost for free with that huge competition.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous22:02

      @18:22 a loy of demand from CH in general, lowest fare you can fly i think 50 euros, but thats rarely.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:03

    On 24 January seems like their entire fleet will be in Pristina.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous09:05

    Guess they will go Belle Air's fate sell very well then go bankrupt. Typical

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:40

      Belle Air went bankrupt because tour operators made propaganda on media. They flew 4 times a day to Zurich in summerseason. BelleAir was about to destroy the tour operators business. The thing they did wrong was, letting agencys sell tickets without securing themselves with a deposit. So when they send emails to the agencys, please pay for the tickets till this day or your tickets will be canceled. Pax showed up at PRN Airport with 60% above the capacity. Media threw shade on them by saying, Belle Air sold too many tickets. Those media are owned by the tour operators. (Eurokohas CEO owns zeri.com)

      Delete
    2. Anonymous06:58

      I guess that is why Wizz Air isn't growing so much in TIA, they don't want to work with tour operators so they have to rely on gastos that live abroad.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:06

    Who is the owner of Albawings?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:31

      Google.com will tell you everything.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous06:59

      What a lame answer. If you know the answer just give it to him.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:08

    Good luck. The routes makes sense, mostly for diaspora travel.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous09:08

    Another player in PRN after Trade Air, Eurowings and GP Aviation. easyJet and Chair are also doing well. Condor is also very likely to expand further.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:17

      EasyJet is not doing Well.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:42

      Condor is a charter from Chair owner/tour operator AirPrishtina

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:53

      Eurowings is not either

      Delete
    4. Anonymous06:59

      EW decimated their network out of PRN.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:13

    How many planes will they have in PRN? Seems a lot. Do they keep flying from Tirana too?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:19

      IMO two

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:57

      They cancelled every flight from Tirana until 20 February at least.

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:13

    Does PRN-TIA route make any sense?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:23

      No

      Delete
    2. Anonymous19:07

      No, theres a motorway and it takes 3h

      Delete
  13. Anonymous09:14

    I would be happier if it were Wizz Air or Ryanair opening the Pristina base.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous09:16

    Ljubljana would be on there. GP is losing a huge chunk in Ljubljana because of the lack of web booking. I know pristinaticket exists but most of us book and search for flights on Google Flights and the flights aren't showing there

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:23

      In fact, GP Aviation in partnership with Prishtinaticket.net started in PRN with one plane and 4 destinations, subsequently something developed very well. Now they have 12 destinations. The site seems to be in the process of being updated, so you may see online booking. gp-aviation.ch

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:26

      I wonder how these Swiss decided to establish a base in Pristina?

      Delete
    3. Visit Kosovo09:36

      It's not the Swiss that make these decisions. Local travel agencies that have a deep knowledge of the market have agreements with these airlines to operate for them.

      Local travel agents select the routes, frequencies, etc.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:39

      Isn't Prishtinaticket.net also a swiss company of GP Aviation?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous11:48

      "deep knowledge" of changing companies every year

      Delete
    6. Anonymous13:50

      As someone who must respond to questions about PRN tickets, most of the clientele on these flights won't book flights via the internet no matter what. They treat flights as bus rides and the most effective answer to booking PRN flights we can give to them is: ask among yourselves who is selling the tickets.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous09:18

    They found good source of not going bankrupt , PR gasto routes seems to be always a good choice for airline's like this :))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:23

      @ Last Anon
      And now with visa free travel with EU even more.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:25

      This airline is affected bu Wizz and Ryaniar growth in Tirana , and thats why they are looking to work on some other place not letting their operations stop or alow , so PR is great choice in advance. But they have pretty much old planes I dont know how efficient they will be especially in summer periods with this routes.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous09:23

    Looks like a bubble waiting to burst.

    Still don't understand why Wizz hesitating to launch a base there. They were the businest airline in PRN in 2023.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:27

      Probably they dont see much benefits and they dont launch because of that thats my opinion.

      Delete
    2. Visit Kosovo09:31

      What bubble?

      As far as the Wizz Air base at PRN is concerned, in my view it's easy to understand why they have not opened it yet. They don't want to set a precent by opening a base without support from the government and/or the airport operator. But unlike other airports, their hesitation has turned into an opportunity for other airlines, as is the example of GP Aviation or Trade Air.

      I recently had a flight with one such airline and am thinking of writing a trip report to share with the readers here why such airlines do so well at PRN but would have no chance elsewhere.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:37

      It is also interesting to note that GP Aviation's crew is mainly from Kosovo

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:44

      It would be great to hear about flying with GP aviation or Trade Air.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:17

      @9.44 they are leaving PRN according to some guy.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous12:57

      Trade air? Why?

      Delete
    7. Anonymous13:13

      he couldnt answer why but I guess they (Mywings) have found a cheaper solution than leasing Trade Air

      Delete
  17. ilijabgc09:33

    It’s been a long time we didn’t get any news about this airline.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous09:34

    I dream about one day having this kind of title for Ljubljana

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:13

      +100

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:31

      When people start flying more in SLO, instead of just driving to Croatia = never probably.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous15:53

      Anon 10.31 what a stupid comment. Slovenians are flying from Lju and would be flying even more if someone decided to open a base or something. How do you expect us to fly more from Slovenia if there is not anything more to fly on. Flights from Lju have very good load factors. So if you want more Slovenians to fly from Slovenia, you firstly have to launch new routes

      Delete
    4. Anonymous15:55

      And therefore a lot of Slivenians will start flying from Ljubljana instead of driving to Zagreb or Venice.

      Delete
  19. Anonymous09:38

    Maybe are also with tour agencies 😁👌

    ReplyDelete
  20. Sa bazom Albawings i planom prosirenja potencijalne buduce "PanAlbanian" avio kompanije, ovo je samo pocetak. Sledi prosirenje terminala u Pristini. Kao i pocetak, letova i iz Skpolja. Poseduju veliku dijasporu. Kao i po-
    Iticku podrsku najmanje deset drzava Evropske Unije.
    Ako budu imali niske cene, buducnost ce biti pred ovom novom kompanijom. Za Er Srbiju za sada Pristina je dalja od Punta Arene. Docice vreme i za uspon Kraljevacke Morave. Kada se bude ulozilo novca... Do tada je kako jeste.
    🌐🛬

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:45

      I consider the Albanian and Kosovo markets to be one.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:21

      I drive from Skopje to pristina with car for 1 hour , you really think that there will be direct flight ? Dont kidding my friend , that will never happend. No realistic scenario for that.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:10

      Anon 10:21 I think he means SKO-Eu and not SKP-PRN

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:13

      11:10 Ok then if he think that my mistake thanks

      Delete
  21. Anonymous09:46

    PRN is on fire.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:10

      It's going to be a big year.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:37

      Може бити успешна у првој половини године, после потоп.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous19:29

      + the Airport expansion

      Delete
  22. Anonymous09:47

    What happened to Kukes? Things died?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:59

      Yes, it's impossible to operate there.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:28

      Why

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:57

      There is no diaspora from kukes in EU. There is no tourist interest to fly to kukes. So why fly there, when you have tirana and pristina near by. Vlora Airport is getting build. That will maybe work better. but thats again more of a summerseason destination.. they won't have any flights outside the season, because again no diaspora and no tourists.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:09

      Dude the point is that planes have difficulty landing there due to terrain and weather conditions. 23% of Wizz Air flights to KFZ in 2023 between April and July were diverted to TIA.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:26

      Those WizzAir flights were diverted, because they need the plane in TIA and the flights to Kukes were not booked good.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous12:31

      Hahahahah okay bro

      Delete
    7. Anonymous14:21

      @Anon 11:57 Kukes region (North of Albania) has highest % of people living abroad.

      @Anon 12:26 your version about diverting makes sense.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous14:33

      @Anon 14:21 That's not the reason why those planes were diverting. The misinformation here is ridiculous and I love that it's taken seriously by some people

      Delete
    9. Anonymous15:04

      @14:33 well its either weather related or company decided so (as 12:26 said). That's why low occupancy rate (I also think was low as you could mostly find fares at Euro 9.99) diverting made sense to me.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous15:28

      They were weather related. Diversion due to low occupancy makes no sense.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous16:22

      I think they established Kukes airport to mainly attract Kosovan gasto with cheaper prices than Prishtina.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous19:29

      No. WizzAir had flights to Prishtina and Kukes. They didn't start flights to compete with themselves.

      Delete
    13. Anonymous07:05

      Guys Kukes failed because they built it so that Rama can open it as political PR.
      Airport did not have proper lighting meaning planes could only land when the weather was fantastic. Airport lacked basic infrastructure to operate normally. That is why Wizz left, it was an operational nightmare.

      Delete
  23. Anonymous09:53

    Big chance for PRN to become second in ex-YU. SKP did not achieve 3 million and stagnation began.
    The visa regime will just bring benfits for PRN and see the airport ahieve more than 4 million easily in 2024.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:18

      Its too early dont judge now buddy , it is looong year in front of us , the results we will comment in December ;)

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:38

      "stagnation began" ? have you completely lost the plot, they added some 700k last year compared to 2022

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:06

      SKP didnt plan to achieve 3M last year. We already had the best result in INCREASE compared to 2019 out of all Ex-Yu markets. This year SKP will be on fire with 6 planes of Wizz in summer and charters and other routes, Antalya is also on fire. So, there isnt stagnation but constant increase in pax numbers every month.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:13

      ironically some will use Wizz services from Skopje so they kind of could profit as well

      Delete
  24. Anonymous09:56

    They are indeed

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous10:05

    It seems Albawings leaves TIA...

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous10:09

    Very good news for Pristina.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous10:10

    I wish them good luck but I have a feeling this will end up like Belle Air.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Aerodrom Kukes je u slicnoj situaciji kao sto je i Kraljevacka Morava. Do veceg ulaganja u lokalni turizam i liberizaciju za lokalni Zapadno Balkanski (intra) saobracaj ostace kao i do sada. Po staroj Srpskoj poslovici. "Tuzan sirak, bez igde ikoga". Mada je dosta novca ulozeno i u ova dva aerodroma. Sledeci su projektu jos i aerodromi uTrebinju, Bihacu i Beranu...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:48

      This is the definition of insanity. A textbook example.

      Delete
  29. Anonymous10:22

    Konacno novih linija iz pristine za Svedsku

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous10:33

    What is the tour operator?

    ReplyDelete
  31. Anonymous10:34

    Who*

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous11:37

    Now we know why they dont need Tradeair any more and Eurowings is also shrinking

    ReplyDelete
  33. Anonymous12:09

    Albawings is doing this becasue they will bancrupt sooner if they remain at TIA. PRN is their last chance i hope it works for them. This doesnt neccessarly mean that there is so much demand from PRN and suddenly Albawings saw it and now they will launch base there. No, its because W6 and Ryanair beat them at their home base. I wonder what will happen with Air Albania and if Wizz reduce its Tirana operations now because of Ryanair.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:15

      Air Albania is basically dead and Albawings is on its last legs. They got no one to blame but themselves.

      Wizz Air has 11 planes in TIA, they have invested too many resources there. It went from 4 flights in 2019 to one of its largest bases in 2024. Do you think they will go down that easily?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:19

      No but they are under big pressure from Ryanair

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:23

      Yeah TIA is one of their biggest bases now, behind OTP with 17, BUD with 14 planes, together with AUH with 11, WAW with 11, LTN with 11 and FCO with 11 planes.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:30

      TIA has 11 planes at the moment. And 12 from next summer. But nice try ;)

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:38

      And Albawings had 20+ scheduled flights for next month from TIA and now they have 0. Wizz announced Sofia, Thessaloniki, Palermo, Edinburgh, Birminhgam, Liverpool service and now they are all gone. I hope they manage to remain stable and continue to expand from TIA. Albawings is the first to leave for now. However its better Ryanair to be eliminated then W6 which already has very big base there.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous13:03

      I didnt ask you to see what the future will be, you were the one who was trigged by my comment and my opinion.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous13:21

      The only triggered person is the one who somehow made an article about Albawings in PRN all about TIA. I sense a lot of jealousy

      Delete
    8. Anonymous14:15

      not suprisingly because airline was a TIA airline so its logical imho. Ironically I believe you are the one that mentions TIA in every other article hereso its more or less same ;)

      Delete
    9. Anonymous14:31

      Ok

      Delete
    10. Anonymous07:09

      If an airlines opens a base in PRN by closing it in TIA then you have to mention both airports. They did not come to PRN to operate gasto routes because they wanted to, they did it because they had to! Like this they are tied to the reiseburo mafia which fills their seats.

      The FR W6 war will kill all Albanian airlines and the market will be dominated by the victor in the fight between Ryanair and Wizz Air.
      Long-term strategy of TIA was not smart. In a few years they will be down to one dominant LCC, other either gone or massively downsized and with Albanian airlines gone for good (most likely bankrupt).

      Delete
  34. Anonymous12:21

    There is no Touroperator working with them.
    Eurokoha works only with Eurowings and Edelweiss(Swiss)
    AirPrishtina works only with their own Airline Chair, Condor and some TradeAir
    PrishtinaTicket works only with GPAviation
    Group of AirMunich, ReiseburoPrishtina,... works only with TradeAir, Condor

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anonymous12:41

    11 today, plus Lux, Halmstad, Vaxjö already opened and Riga, Antalya coming up.

    Total of 16 destinations adding to PRN and its only January. This will be a very exciting year for PRN! (SKP will also get a piece of the pie, in fact).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:43

      What do you mean SKP will get a piece of the pie?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:44

      +Crete

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:47

      @12:43 Wizz SKP offers some 15 destinations which PRN does not serve. Given the visa free regime now, you can bet the demand will now grow in Skopje as well.
      Its only an hour drive away!

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:02

      Okay thank you. I wonder if they further increase the flights then, but highly unlikely now cause of the problem with their A321neos. Anyway SKP will have new record this year, with over 40+ departures per day for the first time.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous14:43

      12:47 SKP was already getting a big piece of Kosovo pie as it has more destinations and substantially lower prices than PRN. I understand a part of it is due to subsidies from MK taxpayers' money (thank you for that :) ). Personally, I use SKP a lot as it flied directly to many destinations that were not available from PRN and for 4 travelers (my family), difference was between 400-800 euros per flight and only 1 hr of driving. For me this was a bargain and was able to fly couple of times a year in short trips all around Europe. Although this is anecdotal evidence (a lot of KS car plates in SKP parking all the time), it would be interesting to se official stats from SKP airport of KS passport passengers.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous16:59

      @14:43, I was referring to the expected growth after visa abolishment for Kosovo.
      Since PRN refuses to incentivize Wizz, that leaves the market to the mercy of Reiseburos. And they clearly will not be able to absorb the demand. That's where SKP comes into play, naturally.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous22:04

      @16:59 probably you’re right

      Delete
  36. Anonymous13:10

    then good luck

    ReplyDelete
  37. Anonymous13:22

    If they're not working with the Kosovar agencies then it's beyond bizarre based on such short notice and unbookable flights.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Anonymous14:16

    At the same time I see an additional A320 on GP Aviation. That is, one more machine in addition. They returned one A320 and one 737 leased from Bulgaria Air, now replacing them with European Air Charter's A320 and Bulgaria Air's A319 flying to Ljubljana. So we have quite a few extra seats in the first quarter with the addition of Albawings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:18

      Yes, it also looks like the Bulgarians' A320s will be flying for an extended period of time because they are white. An interesting fact is that GP Aviation used to lease 737-400s from Albawings for short periods, and now they will be facing each other...interesting.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous14:26

      Where is the head office of GP Aviation?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous14:28

      Zurich.

      Delete
  39. Anonymous14:25

    Im surprised EU allows that a non-EU airline connects non-Eu with EU. Interesting

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:27

      As Sky up prior maltese AOC.... but this is charters, Albawings are scheduled flights.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous14:29

      14:25 it's Kosovo

      Delete
    3. Anonymous14:36

      a yes i forgot Kosovo is in EU my appologies

      Delete
    4. Anonymous14:37

      It says they got the permits.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous15:30

      Because Kosovo doesn't have a national carrier its allowed to fly from there, but only to EU as an EU Carrier.. Even tough they're having a base in Prishtina, doesn't mean they can fly to Zurich. Only option would be to do it like BelleAir and get a SwissAirline as a Codeshare-Flight.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous15:35

      They can fly if they get permission from both sides and they obviously got it.

      Delete
  40. Anonymous14:38

    "Albwaings boasts a fleet of three 188-seat Boeing 737-400 aircraft" - 188 seat in a B737-400? Good luck, I think thats impossible...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:49

      "The Boeing 737-400 is a twin-engined short-to-medium-range narrowbody airliner with a capacity of maximum 188 passengers"

      Delete
    2. I want to see all airlines flourish and for consumers to have more options. I hope I am wrong, but I don't see this move succeeding.

      If their goal was to avoid RyanAir and Wizz competition, they will now be facing the same competition from Wizz at SKP. The two are close enough to have a certain amount of overlap. I know nobody from Strumica is driving to PRN (they probably opt for SKG) for a flight, but people within the Pristina and Skopje metro areas certainly use both airports interchangeably.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:53

      their competition is the charters from PRN unless they become charters themselves

      Delete
  41. Anonymous16:14

    Is this not the replacement for GP Aviation? The announced destinations are exactly the same as what GP flies from PRN.

    Only Munster is missing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:52

      believe me, we (outside of Kosovo) all lost overview of these charters so who knows. maybe someone form there can tell us

      Delete
    2. Anonymous17:09

      I am from/in Prishtina, and I have no idea how these Agencies operate. I personally fly Wizzair, because it's reliable and affordable for my budget.

      Delete
  42. Anonymous18:24

    What would you say about the service with these tour operators and also what is on discount? GP Aviation and Trade Air seem to be doing great, also Condor, Chair and many others again through virtual airlines.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous18:33

      In fact, flying with these "virtual airlines" is a double-edged sword. First of all the good things: low price, more luggage, unlike others here the luggage can be many times more than Austrian for example. It's the low price and cheap and more runs that keeps people booking with them again. The bad things: leakage of personal data on the site of some uncle from Kosovo living in Switzerland, uncertainty (cancelled flight and subsequent non-return of money). After later chasing this travel agency, hiding somewhere in Germany and NO money!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous18:38

      I remember the case of PrishtinaJET, which left many people in Germany and Switzerland for Christmas 2022. Then some planes did come, but many people were left without a flight.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous18:43

      Exactly so with Air Malta. These people eventually arrested them and shut down the company. They were registered in Düsseldorf.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous18:46

      Such people should be brought to court and prison is not taken only to PrishtinaJET. I remember that these people said that they have nothing to do with Air Malta and Smartlynx, at that time they sell tickets with their code, advertise on Instagram, upload posts and finally " It's not me, I'm in Germany:

      Delete
    5. Anonymous18:49

      Eurokoha and Air Prishtina are the only two agencies I trust. They have contracts with Eurowings and Condor.

      Thank you but I will skip flying a 30+ years old jets.

      The people who book, in general have no idea what they are flying with.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous18:49

      From the beginning when I saw this name PrishtinaJET, I decided this with aviation-oriented people, they turned out to be thieves.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous18:51

      18:49
      +100000

      Delete
    8. Anonymous18:52

      GP Aviation itself is rather dubious. The shareholder is quite interesting.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous18:57

      GP Aviation Switzerland is owned by a Swiss of Indian origin and named after him - Ganesh Piga, the man has Italian citizenship according to Bulgarian records. It deals with ferry flights and aircraft repair and now regular flights in Kosovo. At that time, their airline in Bulgaria gave them access to the EU. So the Swiss airline of an Indian with Italian citizenship, with a Bulgarian AOC and based in Kosovo.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous18:59

      Well everyone, the main airline is based in Zurich, the Bulgarian connection is just the certificate, the Indian and Italian one is a very good detail, thanks!

      Delete
    11. Anonymous19:01

      At least they provide work for the Bulgarian airlines, their 737-400 is also not theirs but of Air Horizont (Spain).

      Delete
    12. Anonymous19:02

      Guys where can I find GP Aviation and Trade Air passenger flow data?

      Delete
    13. Anonymous19:04

      Probably only the head of Trade Air knows about it.

      Delete
    14. Anonymous19:10

      Rather, the people from the tour operators. Someone above said it best - Like a bus company.

      Delete
    15. Anonymous19:11

      Tiketa Group 😆 lol

      Delete
    16. Anonymous19:13

      And after the many tickets sold, the boss on instagram with the drink and the cigar.... Look boy, this is no joke and they are not even hiding....

      Delete
    17. Anonymous19:15

      Let's see the Albawings case. They might also try Kukes.

      Delete
    18. Anonymous19:16

      No.

      Delete
  43. Anonymous19:04

    Albawings started out with just one 737-500. Then TIA was an airport with little traffic and Blue Panorama and Alitalia, later came Ernest Airlines and Mistral. After covid, Wizz Air blew everyone away with 60 destinations.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:08

      The only airlines that have had their feet firmly on the ground since I have been involved in aviation in Tirana are Albanian Airlines, Belle Air, Albawings, Air Albania, Wizz Air and Ryanair. Blue Panorama, Alitalia and some other Italian and Albanian airlines were successful and cheap, but they could not be called leaders.

      Delete
  44. Anonymous19:14

    Albawings have New York on their website lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:15

      It's advertising their codeshate with Neos via Milan to New York.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous19:16

      Aha ok thank you

      Delete
  45. Anonymous19:33

    I hope we’ll get tickets under 150€ their prices are insane compared to wages in Kosovo! My flight cost 180€ one way to Germany ,taking the Bus would have cost 70€

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous22:12

      @19:33 am afraid the answer to their prices is Skopje Skopje Skopje and TIA (3 hrs drives) until they lower the prices or go belly up. I couldn’t care less.

      Delete
  46. Anonymous20:24

    I would be cautious flying an airline that currently operates three 737-400 aircraft but talks about a single 737-500 on their website.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Anonymous00:41

    Seems like Air Albania is also going to end its operations. Today they had just three flights, two of which were to Istanbul ( they are partners with THY and they operate on their behalf ) and one flight to MXP. Wizz Air demolished them all, followed by Ryanair.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Anonymous07:16

    So Kosovo* gets visa liberalization and all PRN gets is more of the same? So more flights to destinations that were already served before and which are home to Albanian emigrants? This tells us that local population used the visa liberalization to just move to where they have friends and family.

    When Serbia, North Macedonia or Albania got their visa liberalization we all got a bunch of exciting destinations. PRN didn't even get NCE, BCN, LIS or anything similar. PRN traffic will grow but it will be more of the same.

    Nothing exciting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous08:30

      We, the common local* people* of Kosovo*, share the joy and excitement for for the success of our surrounding neighbours* and hope that one day we can catch up to such standards.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:25

      I highly doubt Kosovo and Metohija can match what others have in areas surrounding Serbia. First of all, plane tickets are not cheap so you need a strong enough purchasing parity something KiM doesn't have at the moment.
      On top of that there is next to no business and tourism (inbound) traffic which means flights will mostly stay to gasto destinations.

      Delete