The three remaining flag carriers of the former Yugoslavia - Air Serbia, Croatia Airlines and Air Montenegro - handled a combined total of 6.78 million passengers in 2024, up from 6.4 million the year before. Air Serbia remains the largest of the three, welcoming 4.44 million customers on board its aircraft. Its passenger traffic rose 6% on the previous year, while the number of operated flights stood at 47.022, an improvement of 4%. While the average passenger load factor hasn’t been disclosed, it is estimated to be between 78% and 80%., based on available seat capacity during the year. In 2023, Air Serbia had already surpassed its pre-Covid passenger numbers, and its 2024 figures represented a 58% increase over pre-pandemic levels. For the current year, Air Serbia aims to increase its passenger count by 6% to 4.7 million.
Croatia Airlines welcomed 1.838.609 passengers in 2024, representing an increase of 6.1% on the year before. However, the figure is still down 15.2% on the pre-pandemic 2019. The airline’s average annual cabin load factor stood at 65.1%, slightly down on the 65.3% load the year before. In 2019, its average cabin occupancy rate stood at 73.5%. Croatia Airlines increased its number of flights by 1.8% year-on-year to 26.438. While the airline has not provided projections for its 2025 passenger numbers, it plans to boost its capacity by 16% during the summer season, when it serves most of its travellers.
Air Montenegro uplifted 498.800 travellers in 2024, representing an increase of approximately 4% on the previous year. During the 2024 summer season, it introduced seasonal operations from Podgorica to Ostrava, as well as from Tivat to Baku and Izmir. However, the carrier cancelled its planned charter operations to Israel which generated a notable volume of passengers. Air Montenegro is still some way off from reaching the traffic volumes of the country’s former flag carrier Montenegro Airlines, which in 2019 handled 657.000. travellers.
Bravo Air Serbia 🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸
ReplyDeleteSo the three airlines combined carried only one fifth of all pax flying through the ExYu airports last year.
ReplyDeleteOur region is Paradise for LCCs.
DeleteAnd LHG airlines. TK as well.
DeleteTicket prices and frequencies have been traditionally the weak spots of airlines in our region.
DeleteForeign carriers both low cost and full service capitalized on that.
Our region is no paradise for aviation at all.
DeleteIt used to be 10.17. During "dark ages of fear and poverty in communism behind the Iron Curtain".
DeleteIn those times we were aviation paradise, literally.
And some people wanted change for even better and at the end we got what we have today because some other people didn't want any change at all, change which was necessary because of changes going on globally. Consequences we "enjoy" today, and will 'enjoy" in long years to come.
The combined 3 airlines could handle much more. But corruption, crime, nepotism prevent the governments from cooperating together to achieve a greater share together. And of course Ryan air. Wizz, Lufthansa and Turks use that conflict to profit. All 3 to work together in some way to provide connection for Bosnia. Since it would be most logical with demographic connections as well as political and boarders. But no.
DeleteDam even KLM and Air France had cooperate together to keep themselves alive and not be be taken over
LF 80% for JU is a really good sign.
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see Air Serbia not only recover but actually thrive post-pandemic. A 58% increase over pre-Covid levels is no small feat.
DeleteBravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteOn 65% load factor or 15% below prepandemic levels passenger numbers?
DeleteProbably on making big improvements on its pandemic numbers and expanding capacity by a lot this year.
DeleteHow did it make "big improvements" on its pandemic numbers when it is 15% below pre pandemic numbers in the year 2024 and load factor is 10 below pre pandemic numbers. That must be the worst result for a legacy airline in Europe when compared to 2019
Delete@10:36 read again what I wrote.
DeleteYes I read. You congratulating this disastrous result only means you wish the worst for this airline. When you cheer for one of the worst results it only means you do not wish them any good.
Delete^ 10:34 means big improvements for OU in 2024 compared to 2023.
DeleteHow is it big improvements when load factor decreased?
Delete6% more pax and this year they are going for double digit increase.
Delete6% increase while 15% away from passenger numbers from 5 years ago is a disaster. Not a cause for congratulations and celebrations. Not to mention their load factor, cargo and finances are all worse than a year ago.
DeleteWe've been reading the same things over and over again for over a decades now. Everybody knows that OU prices are enormously high for a cup of water or a few biscuits that you'll get on their flight. This Isnt sustainable in a long term. You are not introducing enough new routes for the connecting passengers from Eastern Europe, Africa and Middle East to connect via Zagreb.
DeleteZagreb on its own cannot sustain that flow because the catchment area is to low. And just like any other airline who wants to be sustainable and profitable, the connecting passengers are the golden tickets for them which is something OU hasn't fully implement yet.
It appears your management is not leading the airline in a right directions which begs the question,; Why are you stagnating and aren't profitable? First thing that should have already been done is to go and bring connecting passengers which is a top priority for any airlines, not just OU.
Since Ryanair has point to point passengers you need an alternive solution.
Which is to go after connecting passengers and shuffle then in the morning waves to Western Europe where they can catch their transatlantic flight. Secendly, lower your prices especially for the connecting passengers.You're not being proactive, your model isn't sustainable. Be an airlines with the vision like you've used be, so we can finally see a progress and praise you. I'm sure you can do so much more if you start with new changes We want to see your success and celebrate with you but until the reall challenges are implemented there's only so much what consumer will choose.
Look ar what Ryanair did in a such a short period of time in Zagreb, and yes that could have been you if you reacted and fighted back.
Fully agree with everything except "shuttle them to W Europe for their transatlantic flight". The same "alternative solution" you propose, and I back up, with transfers from the region and much more "behind", should be complemented with long-haul "alternative solution". Namely, and precisely because of LCC and LHG, there is almost no more space to compete in Europe. But there is transatlantic market for that available, especially combining transfers with US and Canadian tourists to Croatia and huge regional diaspora. But it will not happen because Croatian market is handed over to LHG, for personal benefits of one single person, member of Mafia which rules Croatia for 30 years
DeleteAir Montenegro did rather well passenger wise.
ReplyDeleteTrue dat!
DeletePre pandemic Montenegro and YM were very dependent on Russian tourists.
DeleteThey have done a good job of diversifying their market and naturally Air Montenegro benefits.
And they are doing much better financially than YM.
DeleteStill the least transparent.
Delete^ True. No financial reports, no operational results even. I guess admin got the figure from them but they haven't published it anywhere.
DeleteAir Montenegro’s gradual growth is encouraging, but they really need to ramp up their efforts if they want to fill the shoes of Montenegro Airlines.
DeleteActually CG never recovered from the loss of russian tourists.
DeleteBut even with them the market would have reached saturation many years ago.
I wonder how much the expansion in summer capacity will help Croatia Airlines recover further. It's a tough market out there with lots of low cost competition
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts exactly. Look at this example...
DeleteOU, is this sustainable for a hard working families and individuals? No!!!
Easter is just around the corner so I went to book return flight, London - Zagreb with flexible dates (let's look at this dates 13.04- 21.04.2025). Return price with OU is €500 whilest BA comes at £658. Luckily for us we have Ryanair who came at top with £100 with 2 luggage and priority boarding included. If you play with dates you could have find even cheaper but nothing as exorbitant as prices of OU or BA..
I believe life is better when you have an airline that care for their people.Budget prices and affordability are key feature that make a great airline, in return, that attracts more passengers to your company..
Good load factor for Air Serbia considering they added wide-body capacity and launched new long haul route. 2024 was also first winter with ORD ops.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteAir Serbia proved that you can have a successful and sustainable airlines with the right employee and the management that has a vision.
DeleteWell done.
So out of those three JU handled 65% of passengers.
ReplyDeleteYes
DeleteBravo OU!
ReplyDeleteParallel universe
DeleteFor what? 1,8 mil pax compared to 4,4 mil of Air Serbia in the country which has millions of tourists, including 2 mil from distant markets? Or for shameful 14 % market share? Or for corruptive BCG deal which cemented position of humiliated irrelevant feeder? Or for decisions made in Središnjica Kradezea instead in Buzin? Or maybe for inertness, incompetence, uhljebs who don't care what's happening in the real World outside? Bravo for what precisely?
DeleteWhat was Air Montenegro's LF?
ReplyDeleteThe combined increase on last year is not very big.
ReplyDeleteThe planned capacity increase by OU this summer sounds promising, but is it enough?
ReplyDeleteI flew with Croatia Airlines last year and noticed the flights were busier than ever. Hopefully, they can continue this trend and get back to their pre-pandemic numbers soon.
DeleteAbsolute tragedy to see that not even 19% of the total annual x-YU passengers are moved with local carriers. This shows well how much potential has been lost in the past decades, not to talk of all the lost jobs and know how. 😒😰
ReplyDeleteWell, in Serbia it is 50%.
DeleteWe know who is to blame for ex Yu tragedy.
No region in Europe has that much squandered its fortunes as the former Yugoslavia.
Delete^ +100
DeleteFigures from today's article should be used for reasonable comparison of exyu airlines. Every other effort at comparing service, food, seats etc is just a cheerleading attempt to distract attention away from key numbers in the text.
ReplyDelete2024 CLF:
DeleteJU: ~79%
OU: 65%
Passenger growth since 2019:
JU: +58%
OU: -15%
At least all three grew
ReplyDeleteKind of sad there are just three flag carriers left in the entire region.
ReplyDeleteTrue. Almost forgot Slovenia, Bosnia, Macedonia, they all had flag carriers as well. Pitty.
DeleteWhat is the realistic point of providing combined figure? What sense does that make?
ReplyDeleteBravo for Air Serbia, Croatia Airlines and Air Montenegro.
ReplyDelete