Lufthansa has opted to maintain flights between Frankfurt and Skopje throughout the entire winter season, albeit with a significantly reduced schedule. Back in May, the airline decided to suspend the service from February 1 to March 28, 2026, during the 2025/26 winter timetable, which runs from October 26 to March 28. However, this week the carrier revised its plans and scheduled three weekly flights between the two cities, operating on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays, throughout February and March, a reduction compared to the ten weekly services maintained during the same months this year.
The route will be operated with the Airbus A319 aircraft during this two-month period. According to Lufthansa’s current schedule, the airline plans to run ten weekly flights in November and December, followed by seven weekly rotations in January. The January schedule will not feature a daily service but will include two flights on select days of the week.
In 2023, Lufthansa carried 73.456 passengers on its new Skopje service for an average cabin load factor of 71.1% for the duration of the year. During its first full year of operations, in 2024, it welcomed 105.653 travellers on the route, for an average load factor of 72.7%. Data indicates that February and March saw some of the lightest loads on the route. In February and March of 2024, the carrier handled 6.269 and 7.288 passengers between the two cities respectively. This resulted in an average load factor of 53.1% in February, considered the slowest month in the aviation industry, and 64% in March.
Lufthansa commenced service to the Macedonian capital in late April 2023. It successfully applied for subsidies provided by the Macedonian government to launch the route. This support runs until December 30, 2025. Lufthansa faces no direct competition, however, low cost carrier Wizz Air maintains operations from Skopje to Hahn, some 125 kilometres from the German city's main airport.
I wonder what changed their mind. Was it Skopje management, or they managed to find spare capacity.
ReplyDeletePossibly to be some aircraft issue , if there was no demand they will not change their mind right ..
DeleteThey decreased it from 10 to 3. It is obviously a demand issue. Look at the load factor in February.
DeleteIt is february 2024, we will see February 2025
DeleteWhen you cut 80% of capacity it will naturally improve.
DeleteWhen in 2025 they cut ? The initial planned cutting of 2 months was planned for 2026
DeleteGood news. Better 3 per week than nothing.
ReplyDeleteBetter something than nothing!
DeleteWhy the heck is this site talking "Winter", for months and months? 31. October is winter schedule.
Delete^ winter season starts on 28 October (you would know if you read the article) and airlines modify schedules for winter during the summer. Same way as during the winter they modify schedules for the summer.
DeleteThat is bad LF.
ReplyDelete73% is bad , how ? What are the other Ex-yu routes ? They are basicly the same between 70 and 80 ...
Delete53% is extremely bad LF. It’s unprofitable on A319
DeleteThis resulted in an average load factor of 53.1% in February, considered the slowest month in the aviation industry, and 64% in March. It is not all year round load factot chill out
Deleteits indeed average exyu loads but under yesterdays article about LJU: (TK 74.8%) somebody wrote "TK very strong"
DeleteI was the one that wrote it and I wrote it in terms of the fact that on a single route they had almost the same number of passengers as flights to Germany operated by three airlines on three routes. I was not referring to load factor.
DeleteProbably an agreement behind the scene has been found to help the economic balance of the route during the winter.
ReplyDeleteAnyway good for the SKP connectivity over the winter period.
+1
DeleteIt was bad decision to suspend route for entire 2 months ,I am very sure they could just reduce to 2-3 weekly flights way better then suspending , thats a huge mistake from Lufti!!!
DeleteHope they can fill those planes after suspending sales for over 5 months for those two months.
ReplyDeleteThey will thats why they return it but with reducing , anyway it was stupid decision to suspend the route for 2 months , they could just simply reduce flights and job done
DeleteLoads will be better. However Lufthansa receives a lot of transfer passengers. And with 3 weekly flights you are less attractive than with 10. So a lot of people will use Austrian, Air Serbia or Croatian airlines instead.
DeleteThats only for winter time , after that they will increase flights ... but way better them suspending for 2 months..
DeleteDang, I just got 2 transfer tickets to USA in Feb. Was looking for Lufti, but had to go Swiss, as they didn't had SKP flights....
Delete12:17 no worries , it is all the same service :))) just different logo
DeleteThanks for calling it just Hahn and not Frankfurt-Hahn, as it has really nothing to do with Frankfurt.
ReplyDeleteApart from the name 😌
Deletebut not for TAV Macedonia, their "Frankfurt" numbers in their press releases contain both
DeleteBravo Lufti.
ReplyDeleteBy far the most reliable group connecting our region to the rest of the world.
+1
DeleteI root for Turkish
DeleteTurkish and Austrian are main players in Skopje and most Ex-yu capitals
DeleteI think for a country as Macedonia with less than 2 million citizens with second year of operation handling 100k+ passengers it is great , the load factor is not that bad , still stays 73% as most of Ex-yu percentage for this route speaking for 2024. This year it will be even better because 2024 they were sending most A319 , now it is 321,320,319
ReplyDeleteeven bigger countiers in balkans then Macedonia have the same numbers of passengers with Lufti 100k+ on year round... btw this market for them is served only 1 full year 2024 and 2025 will be even better
DeleteEven after subsidies will be finished this December , the most positive sign is that they will still continue operating the route , which for me is great. Btw 2024 handling 105k passengers is more than great for the size of Macedonia as a market.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteHow can Austrian sustain year long flights and Lufthansa with much wider network can't?
ReplyDeleteBecause OS is part of LH and they do revenue management and network planning in one hand. As an East Europe specialist and the shorter distance, OS is the natural choice in the group. LH has a code on the OS flights.
DeleteIt is because Wizz air holds alot German airports very soon 10 , there is choice , options and cheaper tickets. LH is flag carrier and their tickets are at least 5x time more expensive. In other hand OS doesnt have any competition and holds only one airport Veinna ..
DeleteWizz airports or clientele have nothing to do with the LH one, Austrian is present at the market since ever (and yes they do have "competition", BTS from SKP and OHD from VIE)
DeleteOS has a mix of Airbuses and Embraers on the route based on demand. 70 pax on 100 seater plane and 70 pax on 150 seater is big diffrenve in Load factors. Lufti doens't doesnt have any regional jets. All embraers and Crjs are part of CityLine, owned by Lufthansa but different AOC. To much paperwork to switch to CItyLine only for 2 months
DeleteThe CRJs operate under mainline LH and they no longer operate Embraers. I think you don't know what you're talking about.
DeleteLH, OS and LX (WK) cooperate excellently and their schedule is more than synchronised. According to me pullung out for 2 months it was a measure more directed towards improving OS loads because they are the the ones with least transfers in February and March having the smaller network. With this measure LH wanted to direct its transfers towards OS and improve their revenue. At this stage they probably found out that early bookings are not bad and that additional flights can be added.
ReplyDeleteOS gained alot of Stockholm passangers as Wizz left Skavsta. Alot of Macedonians flew from ARN to SKP via VIE, including me
DeleteHappy Wizz is opening ARN SKP soon tho.
Happy they made a move back
ReplyDeleteGreat news!
ReplyDeleteWhy it is constantly mentioned that LH successfully applied for state subsidies and that FRA is subsidized route? Admin please check well this because this is not subsidized by the state, LH applied but retrieved from the process. Ministry has never mentioned them as well. This route is on commercial base only.
ReplyDeleteOf course it's subsidized. Like most routes out of SKP
Delete