All capital city airports in the former Yugoslavia will see their capacity levels grow in August, with Ryanair to remain the region’s largest carrier.
Belgrade Airport has the most available seats on scheduled flights in August, standing at 1.089.580. The figure represents an increase of 9% on 2024. Air Serbia will continue to maintain its position as the largest carrier, holding 53.9% of all available scheduled capacity. A resurgent Wizz Air will grow its capacity by 41.4%, with a total share of 16.9%. Zagreb follows as the second largest with 631.004 available seats on scheduled flights during the month. It represents an increase of 15.4% on the previous year. Croatia Airlines will be its largest carrier with 35.4% of total capacity followed by Ryanair with 30.1%. The flag carrier will grow its capacity 24.3% year-over-year on the back of introducing five new routes the previous month, while Ryanair will increase its number of seats by 16.8%.
Pristina Airport will have 583.354 available seats, with capacity growth currently projected at 20.5%. GP Aviation has the largest volume of seats, holding a 32.3% share. It is followed by Wizz Air with 11% of total capacity. Skopje Airport will boast 365.408 seats in August, up 9%. Wizz Air’s capacity decline will finally near its end, down just 0.2% on the same month last year. It will still hold the largest share at 44.9%. It is followed by Pegasus Airlines with a 12.8% share and growth of 32.9% compared to last year. Sarajevo will be just behind Skopje with 364.454 scheduled seats on the market in August, representing an increase of 16.8% on 2024. Ryanair, which is growing its capacity by 116.1% year-on-year, is the largest carrier with 12.7% of seats, followed by Pegasus Airlines with 9.6% and 15.4% growth.
Podgorica Airport has 252.062 seats on scheduled flights in August, an increase of 15.1% on 2024. Wizz Air, which is growing its capacity by 14% on last year, is the largest carrier with 22.4% of total capacity, followed by Air Montenegro with a 17.6% share. Finally, Ljubljana has a total of 199.012 seats on scheduled services, up 19.4% on August 2024, with most carriers growing their capacity on last year. Lufthansa will be the airport’s largest with 14.7% of all seats, followed by Turkish Airlines with 13.5%. The Turkish carrier will add the most capacity at the airport in August when compared to last year, growing by 8.012 seats, followed by new entrants KLM and Eurowings.
Largest carriers by scheduled seat capacity in the former Yugoslavia, August 2025
Just 1,000 seat difference between SJJ and SKP!
ReplyDeleteAnd over all its currently difference is 500k :D Skopje reaches its 1 millionith passenger beggining of June, and SJJ in July
DeleteThe difference is getting smaller and smaller.
DeleteSKP reaches 300k+ single month in June and SJJ was not even close to 300k handling just 230k
DeleteAnd yet the difference is getting smaller and smaller. And that's without a based carrier in SJJ.
DeleteSo what that means to you ? In the end of the year the difference still will be 1 million pax , and possibly more,I dont get ur comment to be honest ...
DeleteMy comment was simply that the seat capacity difference is less than 1,000 seats, which was unthinkible just last year. You got upset about it.
DeleteWhy someone should compare SKP and SJJ? They are even very far away and they are not targeting the same market.
Delete^ It is just interesting to see as the two airports were nowhere near handling the same number of passengers in the past. Now they are. That's all.
DeleteAnd in the end SKP will have 3mil+ passengers , SJJ 2mil thats all.
DeleteWe will see.
Delete09:16 How are they not targeting the same market? Both are keen on connecting with Europe, Turkey and MENA, Sarajevo being more successful in the latter but also a more developed tourism destination for European tourists, which indicates good potential. Many use the airports in Dalmatia to get here.
Delete12:30 I doubt passengers from SKP catchment area will consider travelling to SJJ to catch a flight and vice versa.
DeleteAbsolutely no one will fly from SKP to SJJ to catch a flight when they can do that via IST , VIE or ZAG with much more flexibility.
DeleteWho mentioned flying to Sarajevo, people are discussing the goals for each of the airports and for me they seem quite similar too
DeleteI think certain people here have serious reading comprehension issues
DeleteSkopje mostly targeting Europe connectivity than Middle east. Sarajevo is highly focused on the second region. In this moment Skopje have Amsterdam connection that Sarajevo dont have , also there is Paris orly which is second main busiest airport in France and offer strong domestic and international flights too. What Skopje really missing now except Europe is Dubai , and I hope we will see it soon. + this is schedule capacity not handled numbers , Sarajevo June capacity seats was 309k and handled only 230k , so it is far away from reaching those numbers. And Skopje June capacity was 338k and handled 310k. This is real facts not a hate.
DeleteSo is it possible from September Wizz cut to dissapear completely from Skopje ? Btw Pegasus growth is insane 33% :D
ReplyDeleteSeptember or Octomber yes
DeleteRyanair at its peak in August.
ReplyDeleteBelgrade will most likely have more than 1.000.000 passengers in July. In August they will have for sure.
ReplyDeleteIf Wizz Abu Dhabi didn't cancel its flights it would be certain. Let's wait and see.
DeleteI think most AUH passengers will still fly, or at least I think the vast majority of them will. I know several people who were supposed to self connect via AUH. Most of them rebooked themselves on Wizz Air via LCA.
DeleteExactly. Those passengers found a way to travel, most of them from BEG.
DeleteI also noticed that these days Wizz Air lowered their prices to LCA so you can find one way tickets for as little as €44. My guess is that most of them will be re-routed via Larnaka.
DeleteIt also helps that LCA-AUH is operated by a LCA based plane and crew so there is mininal risk of it being cancelled.
Well it is interesting that I read that for the Abu Dhabi flights, Wizz Air will be offering alternative routings, which is not common for Wizz Air to do. Apparantely the UAE directorate forced them to do this. Only if there is no alternative possible they will just give back the monet.
Delete*money
DeleteAnd those are only scheduled seats, without charters
DeleteGood, at least Wizz Air won't be able to get away with it. All in all, will be interesting to see what becomes of BEG-AUH. Best outcome would be for Etihad to return. Only time will tell.
Delete@ Nemjee
DeleteSpeaking of LCA, could we see an impact of Israel/Iran conflict to a passengers number? Some of my colleagues already cancelled their Cyprus vacation reservations.
@ Anonymous 09:45
DeleteUsually when Israel and TLV is in trouble airports are doing great. Also when Lebanon and BEY have issues.
Last month traffic to LCA was 18% above June '24
@ Anon 09:57
DeleteI was thinking more of BEG/Ex-YU to LCA numbers but anyway thank you. Rumors from within Cyprus tells there is/was a tension in the air and the island is full of Israelis.
There is always a tension in this part of year due to splitting anniversary and yes there are many Israelis, but no disraptions of any kind... Feel free to travel.
Delete@09:30 Nemjee best outcome would be AirAsia to open hub in one of the Gulf states, and fly to BEG..
DeleteInteresting how SKP lost the race with PRN and SJJ is catching up. What more can they do to go back to growth? More legacies? More Wizz Air capacity? More LCCs?
ReplyDeleteMost of the gasterbaiters already left, and there is not much traffic currently. Some 10 to 12% of the population left the last few years
DeleteWizz cuts do its job and putting eggs in one basket and PRN flew away thats it. Now if really Ryanair enter the market capacity will grow for sure , and Wizz saying will increase current routes and add previous ones , so lets see
DeleteGastarbeiter traffic is 2 way, so it should actually increase traffic
DeleteWe all know the heavy reason , it is W6 cuts and thats all. SKP for now is hoping on W6 , but hopefully this would come to an end and we will see something different
DeletePRN also got a very strong GP Aviation which is now the airport's main airline.
DeleteVisa free for kosovo people open their doors to Europe especially gasto routes and this was expected ...thats one of the main reason too
DeleteBravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteIt is very impressive that most airports have double digit growth over last year!
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteIn my oppinion, still a long way to go before many of these airports reach their full potential.
DeleteVery strong month for ZAG. It does not seem to be slowing down this summer at all. Although this capacity growth next month is being produced by Croatia Airlines and with their dismal load factor does not mean much for actual passenger growth.
ReplyDeleteBut Ryanair is growing nicely too. Almost 17% seat capacity growth.
Deletetrue, that's very good, especially considering their 90%+ loads on almost all flights.
DeleteYes but if I were ZAG I would be worried about OU's worsening financials. The last thing the airport needs is for OU to go belly up. The moment that happens Ryanair will change its tune and start singing a different turne.
DeleteThat's where BEG did a really good thing. They have a balance between JU and W6 so they are keeping each other in check. Zagreb needs Croatia Airlines to survive.
Unfortunately, Croatia Airlines will survive and remain useless, miserable and insignificant feeder as it is right now
DeleteStop with conspiracies.
DeleteThat's what people said about Spanair, Cyprus Airways, Adria, Malev, Estonian... yet here we are my friend.
DeleteLjubljana up 19.4% on August 2024 calls for a very deserving Bravo Fraport!
ReplyDeleteIt calls for a deserving Bravo Ministry of Infrastructure for holding tenders to attract airlines. And starting from a low base helps.
DeleteI'm sure you blamed the Ministry of Infrastructure for stagnation in traffic numbers in the past, no? 😂
DeleteNo, I blamed Fraport Slovenija which has done nothing and continues to do nothing to generate traffic.
DeleteDEMAND drives traffic, not airport operators.
DeleteThat's why all other Fraport airports in Europe are booming.
Because there is DEMAND for travel to/from these places.
^Sure lol, keep being delusional that airport operator has nothing to do.
DeleteThe only delusion is believing that Fraport somehow hates Ljubljana and doesn't want it to grow while at the same time it operates 20+ other airports with great results.
DeleteThe only delusion is believing that Fraports wants to grow LJU while it has -20% passengers compared to 2019 for years already.
DeleteThe definition of delusion is thinking that Fraport wants to sabotage an airport that it owns!
DeleteThe definition of delusion is thinking that Fraport wants to grow LJU while it's -20% compared to 2019, which was 6 years ago!
DeletePost-covid recovery: FRA 90%, LJU 80%, Greek and Bulgarian airports fully recovered. BUT (1) Fraport is operating leisure airports in Bulgaria and Greece which are not in LH group focus and (2) Fraport is the owner of LJU airport (including infrastructure and part of the land) but this is not the case in Greece and Bulgaria; this makes huge difference in Fraport business strategy between LJU and the others.
DeleteYes, it makes a huge difference that LJU is fully owned by Fraport instead of just being the operator li8ke in the other airports in Greece, Bulgaria, Brazil, Peru, Turkey.
DeleteIt means that in LJU it gets to keep a lot more of the airport's revenues fort itself instead of sharing it like in the other countries.
That means that it is in Fraport's interest for LJU to grow as much as possible. Simple to understand really but some delusional commenter is unable to.
Fraport Slovenia interest is to generate maximum profit for the owners. This is completely valid and understandable strategy, but it's not the same as generating more pax traffic. Further increase in passenger numbers should be generated by LCCs but this means less profit (per pax) and less transfers via FRA (less profit for the owners) and more costs (more employees needed). I understand them, but I sill believe this is bad for Slovenia and connectivity. Those are the facts (and I am still expecting to be called delusional by Fraport employees who are very active on this site).
Delete@11:50 Well clearly not since they are still -20% compared to 2019.
DeleteLJU without a permanently loss making home airline like JP carrying a LOT of connecting traffic had pax numbers way more than the real local demand.
DeleteAirport owner has nothing to do with that.
@11:58 It is well established that sufferers of LDS* are delusional.
Deleteyou are thinking that Fraport is sabotaging its own airport by limiting the number of passengers to ...help a different company like LH!
Because among other things LH group is dependent on LJU!!!
*LDS: Lufthansa Derangement Syndrome
"help a different company like LH" it just shows you have no idea what you are talking about. Please stop commenting.
DeleteAnon 11:58
DeleteYou think Lufti will have Air Dolomiti flying to LJU instead of themselves because the Slovenian market is so important to them? 😀
Maybe if a FR base is established in Ljubljana Air Dolomiti will only be able to fill an E90 with 108 seats instead of a E95 with 120 seats!
@13:25
DeletePlease enlighten us what percentage of LHG is owned by Fraport and what share of its revenue are flights to LJU?
I got my popcorn ready!
"percentage of LHG is owned by Fraport" once again, you have no idea what you are talking about.
DeleteI would like to see your explanation why FR doesn't serve LJU. I guess it's also one big conspiracy againts Fraport and they hate them. How dare they!
DeleteYou don't get to create a strawman argument!
DeleteIt is you who needs to explain your belief why Fraport doesn't want more pax to the airport it owns outright and gets to keep all of its revenues.
Waiting... waiting... waiting.
Now we are getting mad?
DeleteAnon 11:58 are you literally saying that LJU only wants to have LH transfer passengers via FRA?
DeleteOr am I missing something? We have red strange things in this blog by commenters but that sounds extra strange to put it delicately.
^ He does believe that!
DeleteAnd I am laughing with him for months now!
^I wonder where are you hidding when people mention OU being a Cartel feeder?
Delete@13:25
DeleteKindly enlighten us what percentage of LHG is owned by Fraport and what share of its revenue are flights to LJU? I now got ice cream too along with popcorn!
Anon 13:44
DeleteIs OU also part of the Fraport conspiracy against LJU? The plot thickens!!!
Lufthansa holds a stake in Fraport. As of December 31, 2024, Lufthansa is the third largest shareholder with an 8.44 % stake.
DeleteAnd I'm sure all airlines of Europe hate LJU and Fraport and are in one big conspiracy againts them with Ryanair in the lead. How dare they!
Delete@Anonymous 13:47
DeleteSo LH wants Fraport to do good instead of sabotaging itself! So what else you got? How much of LH group is owned by Fraport and how much of LH group revenues are generated from flying cityline CRJ 90s to LJU from FRA?
@Anon 13:26 You really do not understand the business logic of LH. It's all about profit and in case of LJU they collaborate with Fraport very well. LJU route is not strong in volume, but it's very profitable. With Air Dolomiti flying to MUC it will be even more profitable as (1) Air Dolomiti have lower cost base per seat (2) they will fly under EN flight number so no need to pay for Star Alliance status members (expect M&M) and (3) no danger to loose frequent flyers to competition as there is none. I hope you do understand that Air Dolomiri is owned by LHG so all the revenues stay in the house. This is another negative development for Slovenian frequent travelers, the only winner is LH cartel.
DeleteCould Ljubljana go over 200K in August?
ReplyDeleteWith charters I think it could be possible
DeleteIf load factor is more than 75% (very probable for August) and there are no cancelations (not very probable) than they will exceed 200k.
DeleteI'm shocked at how big GP Aviation is!
ReplyDeleteYes, that's an impressive number. How many aircraft do they have now?
DeleteI think it is 6 but not sure.
DeleteThe diaspora demand is doing the heavy lifting.
DeleteHow accurate are these estimates? Are they only projections from you or Airports, @Admin?
ReplyDeleteFor instance, it was reported here than PRN in May will have 378.007 available seats - yet it turned out than PRN had 381.850 PAX. So, 101% of the 'projected' growth!
PRN numbers are tricky due to the large share of tour operators. Also, charters to Turkey summer destinations are not included, although their share in May is not that considerable.
DeleteThe figures are linked to the global distribution system and the capacity airlines have published for the upcoming months. They are neither mine or the airport's predictions. The data is for scheduled carriers only, as indicated several times within the airticle. In the case of Pristina, this data did not include many carriers as they technically operate on a charter basis through ACMI carriers, which has since June been updated to now include most airlines flying in and out of Pristina.
DeleteScheduled capacity conitnues to change on a week by week basis. Airlines swap aircraft types, flights get cancelled. This provides up to date information on the date of publication. For the most part, passenger growth has been consistent with capacity growth.
These are not estimates, it's data from the system(s). However, it only concerns *scheduled* flights, no charters by all those tour operators as they are not billed as regular revenue services.
Deletethis is scheduled capacity, without charters and private planes ...
DeleteThanks Admin!
Delete@09:51 GP Aviation was included in May projections! So not sure what other charters or private planet could have brought PRN to reach 101% of projected capacity/available seats.
In which case it also means that the projected 583k for August in PRN is likely to be well over 600k.
May data did not fully account for GP Aviation operations as the airline had only partially filed its schedule for the first time that month. GP Aviation operations are now fully included in the figures. The rest has been explained.
DeleteWow well done Sarajevo! :O Getting closer and closer to Skopje!
ReplyDeletePretty impressive all around
ReplyDeleteYes. Great to see consistent growth across all capital airports in the region.
DeleteHey Admin, on satellite images, it can be spotted that PRN is expanding the carpark by roughly 50%. I couldn't find any information/article on their planned investments in airport. They are always very secretive. Can you please try to get any info from them on the current and any future investment?
ReplyDeleteNice growth for OU!
ReplyDeleteIt’s about time they stopped ceding ground to Ryanair.
DeleteSkopje still heavily reliant on Wizz, but Pegasus is quietly becoming a major player. Hopefully more diversity in carriers is coming.
ReplyDeleteSKP still recovering from Wizz cuts , next year will be more strong , alot of new things are coming soon
DeleteI think this is the third month in a row BEG has had more than 1 million seats?
ReplyDeleteYep.
DeleteWonder if they will cross a million in September too?
DeleteIt seems ZAG is gonna let its position as 2nd busiest Airport in exYU slip away this year.
ReplyDeleteIt will be a close one. In H1 2024, difference was 132k. In H1 2025 is just 7k.
DeleteI think SPU will be that airport.
DeleteNext year, PRN will be No.2 for sure.
DeleteThanks to miserable feeder OU which deliberately missed opportunity to develop its network and ZAG as its hub and feeding LHG for peanuts with heavy losses, whereby bright and shiny single type fleet cements its role as LHG humiliated feeder
DeleteOU is not a LH feeder, stop with conspiracies.
DeleteGood to see Lufthansa sending their A321 to SKP most of the time this summer season compared to last summer season which was mostly A319/A320.
ReplyDeleteSince June and now July almost 5-6 flights in the week are served by A321.
DeleteI still dont get it why they cut winter schedule in february and march 2026..
Alot more diaspora
Deletefrom the US are using Lufthansa now. Btw I flew OS VIE-SKP 2 weeks ago and everyone on the flight was American diaspora, they had really good prices this year to Macedonia
Yes I realise that too , Lufthansa has also really good prices for North America too. Sometimes when I check they were even cheaper than Turkish airlines
Delete