Both Air Serbia and United Airlines have recorded growth in passenger numbers on their respective services between Belgrade and New York JFK, and New York Newark and Dubrovnik, during the first part of the year.
Air Serbia welcomed 37.503 passengers during the first half of the year, representing an increase of 19.3% on the same period in 2024. The figure represents its best result on the route on record, eclipsing its previous best set in 2023. The airline added an extra 6.076 travellers. It increased its capacity by 3.734 seats over the same period. Its average cabin load factor over the six months stood at 77.8%, with all services operated by Airbus A330-200 aircraft, albeit with varying capacity of between 257 to 268 seats.
During the first half of the year, Air Serbia saw more passengers bound from New York to Belgrade, with 19.875 travellers recorded, while there were 17.628 customers headed from the Serbian capital to the Big Apple. February, considered the slowest month in the aviation calendar, had the fewest passengers with 2.644 boarded. Podgorica to/from New York remains the busiest citypair for the airline among transfers, followed by New York - Istanbul, Skopje, Moscow, Tivat, Tirana and Athens. Next year, Air Serbia will become one of the first carriers to move to New York JFK’s new Terminal One, set to open in mid-2026. Terminal One will be the largest at JFK, occupying the footprint of the current Terminal 1 and the former Terminals 2 and 3.
On the other hand, United Airlines handled 21.329 passengers on its daily seasonal New York Newark - Dubrovnik service during the first two months of operations in May and June this year. The carrier recorded an average cabin load factor of 77.6% on the route over the period. A total of 10.939 passengers flew to Dubrovnik, while 10.390 travelled in the opposite direction to Newark. The Star Alliance member resumed its Dubrovnik flights on May 1, with operations scheduled to run until October 25. Compared to last year, when services were restored later in the season on May 24 and operated with fewer weekly frequencies, United has naturally seen an increase in traffic, amounting to 144% or an extra 12.603 passengers. However, the carrier added an extra 17.325 seats, growing its capacity by 170%.
Great news for both
ReplyDeleteGreat results for BEG and DBV
DeleteNice, @admin: Can we get the numbers at the year´s end again? Would be courious.
DeleteBelgrade - New York JFK data available here
DeleteNewark - Dubrovnik 28.183 with average cabin load factor of 85.9%
Thanks!
Delete@admin, how is that discrepance in Dubrovnik numbers? It was already published here before,
Deletehere is a link https://www.exyuaviation.com/2024/12/airlines-outline-croatia-long-haul.html
Figure was subsequently revised by US Department of Transportation.
DeleteAha, thanks!
Delete“Podgorica to/from New York remains the busiest citypair for the airline among transfers, followed by New York – Istanbul”
ReplyDeleteHow come? Some here claim that people under no circumstance transfer through other airports and travel with other airlines if there are numerous nonstop flights..
Some? Zamagirl?
DeleteIf the they restarted TLV, they would get even more transfers.
DeleteIstanbul and Athens connecting traffic must be because of more competitive fares JU offers.
DeleteThose who claim Air Serbia needs new destinations to grow long-haul are denied by this list of transfers to/from New York. All of those destinations have been served by Air Serbia for a long time, excluding Istanbul. None of the newer destinations like Mostar, Nice or Florence are on the list.
DeleteThey are on the list. They are just not in the top 6 or 7. Also, some of those routes just launched last year or even this year (data is for 2024). You have to give it some time.
DeleteThis is a ridiculous claim. Of course top-5 destinations will be the same, with 5 destinations, or with 500.
DeleteOf course people transfer even if there are direct flights if there are other things that are more favourable when transferring, e.g. price or schedule.
DeleteI have traveled twice to New York from Belgrade so far and both times went via third city (AMS and ARN) because the price was more competitive with KLM and SAS and traveling times were similar.
^ Here you will have people in comments claiming that under no circumstance people take transfer flights. They especially claim this for IST because TK flies everywhere.
DeleteYou will find people claiming Earth is flat, which doesn't mean we should be discussing that.
DeleteJust skip that comment and ignore it.
The more you try to demystify it, the more pain in the ass they will be.
@10:00 Those Top 7 destinations cover majority of transfers. Expanding network by adding a new destination that will contribute 1% of long-haul transfers is almost irrelevant. Air Serbia doesn't require new EuroMed or Central Asia destinations to expand long-haul to previously mentioned potential destinations.
DeletePodgorica doesn't have direct flught to NYC...They have to transfer...This happens when someone writes somerhing just for the sense of writing
DeleteGood results for DBV since they send around 60 premium class seats per flight. It's obvious that Americans are the only market which fills these flights.
ReplyDeleteThere are 34 business class seats per flight not 60.
DeleteNo, there are around 60 premium seats, 24 in premium economy and 34 in business.
DeleteLMAO @ putting Y+ and J in the same bucket.
DeleteLOL!
DeleteAnd that's laughable why? You are so rich that only private is premium?
DeleteActually, when considering space each class occupies, Premium Economy is the most profitable for airlines.
DeleteAny data to back up that claim? Because if that were true, airlines would be reducing business and replacing it with premium economy at scale. We know that the trend is the opposite - premium economy coming at the cost of economy, not business.
DeleteHahahahahaha please don't talk about aviation ever again. And yes, there is a data provided by airlines themselves.
DeletePlenty of sources that support the claim, here’s one from LH investors call where LH CFO said that contribution (revenue minus direct costs) is 39% higher per square meter when compared vs business class:
Deletehttps://simpleflying.com/premium-economy-is-lufthansas-highest-earning-cabin/
And who else other that the Americans would be flying Newark - Dubrovnik during the tourist season, in summertime?
DeleteFor the citizens of Dubrovnik county that's the busiest part of the year, as is for the entire coastline, including Montenegro. The rest of Croatians, Bosnians, Slovenians are vacationing somewhere in the Mediterranean for the most part.
I'm positively surprised by JU's numbers. I thought that with greater difficulty of getting US visa, really unpleasant experiences on US border and the tariffs would have negative impact on passenger traffic.
ReplyDeleteHas ti become more difficult to get US visa recently?
DeleteYes, it's becoming more difficult to get one. More documentation required. Also prepare to be harassed on passport check at US airport on arrival even if you have been to the US many times and have a 10 year US visa.
DeleteInteresting, I didn't know it.
DeleteI knew that getting US visa was much easier than getting Canadian visa, but it seems to be unfortunately changed now.
I've been to the US three times this year with my current 10-year visa, each time landing at a different airport. No issues whatsoever, passport control was a breeze each time.
DeleteAnd from which country with which passport did you travel?
DeleteFrom France with a Serbian passport.
DeleteBravo Air Serbia 🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸
ReplyDeleteLoad factors around 77–78% are decent but not exceptional. There’s still room to grow.
ReplyDeleteDepends on yield.
DeleteThose are results only for first slower half of the year. Regarding that, they are great actually
Delete^ true
DeleteLoad factor isn’t the only metric. Yields matter. Air Serbia fills premium cabins quite well on JFK. Also, the diaspora pays high fares during peak season.
Delete77% LF for Air Serbia is fine considering February is dead. Summer peaks will always push profitability. People expecting 90% year-round are dreaming.
DeleteAir Serbia has only 18-21 premium seats. You cannot say they have good yields without detailed report.
DeleteIt's funny that you think yields only matter in business class. Also you can have a 100 seat business class and have heavily discounted tickets and have a loss. They have been flying this route for 9 years so I think they are fine.
DeleteSo you proved Im wrong by making stupid hypothesis? Bravo!
DeleteUnited’s Dubrovnik numbers look impressive. But I wonder if the big increase in capacity will outpace demand. Adding 170% more seats in just one year seems ambitious, even for the US leisure market.
ReplyDeleteDemand is there and they obviously don't need to worry.
DeleteI hope next will be extending the flights into April.
DeleteAnd I hope they will look into launching Zagreb finally.
DeleteThey said the same thing for Toronto Zagreb how demand is there however AC cancelled the whole route and AirTransat cancelled around 30% of capacity. I have a feeling DBV is overpriced for Americans and without diaspora it will be hard to keep decent loads on that route .
DeleteUnited's cabins are usually on more premium side and no way Zagreb can fill anything more than 20-30 premium seats.
DeleteGood results for Air Serbia, but I still think the airline should focus more on regional connectivity. For example connecting Sarajevo to US flights seems like a nobrainer.
ReplyDeleteIf they finally introduced Sarajevo night flights they could connect onto US flights.
DeleteThey should return to the Middle East and start the night flights to Sarajevo.
DeleteI really wonder why they do not open SJJ at night.
DeleteThey open SPU during the winter that is dead airport at that time of they year instead opening night flights to SJJ where they could get much more transfers from.
SJJ has nice growth year after year now, while JU stays with same frequencies... They must change that, in order to follow their strategy of regional carrier.
DeleteSplit morning afternoon SJJ would work better to connect SJJ with the JU long haul network compared to night flights. It would also be better for local O&D traffic between the 2 while connecting SJJ with alot of regional routes where JU would have next to no competition.
DeleteActually there were morning flights to SJJ some time ago, short lived though. I agree that if midnight flights exceed the resources and capability at SJJ, it would be better to introduce new morning/afternoon flights.
DeleteB&H Airlines had the morning flights, not JU.
DeleteThank you for these numbers!
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed!
Delete+1
DeleteAmerican tourists are spending big in Dubrovnik, and nonstop flights are one of the reasons why. The government should do more to encourage new US routes.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteWe can already feel the impact in Dubrovnik. More Americans in town means higher spending.
DeleteOnly Dubrovnik is what US tourists want to visit. For other croatian towns they never heard. Most visitors comes with low cost companies and by road traffic.
Delete@An.11:24
DeleteAre you aware US tourists are number 2 in Zagreb? Second of all foreigners?
I'm shocked to see that Zagreb and Belgrade have an equal number of overnight stays this year. Belgrade is always made to seem like a big tourist detsinaton
Delete^ Really? It's more like the other way around. Croatia lives off tourism.
DeleteGreat to see both Air Serbia and United carrying more passengers. Let’s hope it translates into profits.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteWhat is United's plan for B767s? They are quite old. The ones flying to DBV are 25 years, while their B767-300 are 30 years old. I'm asking because I'm wondering which aircraft type will eventually take over the DBV route. I'm assuming they will retire these planes soon.
ReplyDeleteThe plan is to replace them with 787s and A350s by the end of the 2020s.
DeleteTheir 767 are newly configured are more comfortable than many newer airplanes.
Delete767, great plane to fly on!!
DeleteExcellent
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting that Air Serbia had more passengers flying to Belgrade than from it.
ReplyDeleteWhy? It makes perfect sense.
DeleteIs it like a travelling arrangements where some US tourists start their tour in Belgrade and end it in like Budapest or something like that?
DeleteHeavier travel demand at the beginning of the season to the Balkans. The opposite (heavier Belgrade - New York loads) is during this period.
DeleteMoving to the new Terminal One will be a big upgrade.
ReplyDeleteIt will be a massive improvement for sure. US airports are finally becoming world class. La Guardia is already there. Time for JFK now.
DeleteThe numbers are encouraging, but February shows how tough the winter months are for long-haul. Air Serbia will need to work hard to fill planes outside peak season.
ReplyDeleteAll long haul companies report loss in first quarter, because they fly half empty planes just to keep frequencies
DeleteI’ve flown the Belgrade flight four times this year. The demand is real, especially in summer. The only downside is that prices in June and July are crazy high.
ReplyDeleteAny chance of Split getting US flights?
ReplyDeleteUnlikely.
DeleteDubrovnik has the brand name
DeleteSPU could sustain longer operations and serve a bigger population.
DeleteAmericans don’t know where Split is. Dubrovnik is world famous, and that’s what sells tickets. That’s why United flies here, not to SPU.
DeleteIn addition, the runway is too short
Delete10:04 Americans visit Dubrovnik a lot, every few steps you hear them
DeleteI meant split
DeleteAir Serbia should be proud. JFK is now a core route. For a country of Serbia’s size to sustain two US destinations is a huge achievement.
ReplyDeleteThird will be coming soon.
DeleteWhen?
DeleteProbably 2026.
DeleteProbably by the end of the year. Also size doesnt matter much. That is not smart comparison. That Switzerland is science fiction in travel. Economic wealth and tourism makes routes
DeleteSo, next year or by the end of this? I suppose you mean MIA will be announced until the end of the year.
DeleteMore likely end of 2026
DeleteAre you saying Miami route is more likely to be announced by the end of 2026 and service to start in 2027?
DeleteWishful thinking...
DeleteAir Serbia widebody fleet seems to be down from 4 to 3 operating now. Is one aircraft undergoing maintenance?
ReplyDeleteYes, one is in maintenance.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteWhat do you think, if Tirana starts flights to New York, how many passengers will it take from Montenegro? A negligible number ?
ReplyDeleteYou must be hoping hard it takes a lot lol. Some of you are such small people.
Delete@Anonymous12:05 , If you don't have an answer to my question, then don't even write anything. Leave those childish pranks and insults for the tabloids, this is a serious portal.
DeleteA lot
DeleteBravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteSvaka budala ima svoje veselje
DeleteI heard from my coworkers at EWR that EWR-DBV will no longer be seasonal but an year round service from UA….can anyone confirm if this is true ?
ReplyDeleteI can confirm that it's absolutely not true
DeleteIt will probably just be longer service, maybe they will add April flights.
DeleteTop 7 JFK transfers published in the article today:
ReplyDelete1. Podgorica
2. Istanbul
3. Skopje
4. Moscow
5. Tivat
6. Tirana
7. Athens
For comparison, top 7 JFK transfers for Air Serbia in 2019:
1. Podgorica
2. Tirana
3. Skopje
4. Athens
5. Tel Aviv
6. Thessaloniki
7. Zagreb
Idemo dalje AS.
DeleteIdemo dalje AS sa novim dugolinijskim destinacijama, hoćemo li već jednom?
Deletedo Austrian and Croatian air sell seats on DBV-JFK with connections?
ReplyDelete