Skopje Airport is seeking to secure flights to Finland, Denmark and the Middle East in the coming period and is also focusing on further expanding its network of leisure destinations. Speaking to the MIA news agency, the General Manager of airport operator TAV Macedonia, Nejat Kurt, said, “Our route development team is currently in negotiations with airlines to establish nonstop air services to Denmark, Finland and destinations in the Middle East. In addition, from the markets already served, in the upcoming period we will focus on greater connectivity with Spain and the United Kingdom”. He added, “Our analyses clearly indicate strong demand for leisure destinations, and as a result, we continue to prioritise expanding our network in this segment”.
Skopje Airport was previously linked to Finland through Wizz Air flights to Turku, which operated between 2019 and 2022. Services to the Danish capital of Copenhagen were also served by Wizz Air from 2016 until October of last year. On the other hand, flights to the Middle East have been suspended since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, at the time both Qatar Airways and Flydubai served the Macedonian capital. The latter has since applied for state subsidies to restore operations between Dubai and Skopje, however, it has delayed its return. “The new routes announced by low cost carriers are the result of coordinated efforts and a shared strategy between TAV Macedonia, the government and the airlines. I want to assure our passengers that we will continue to listen to their feedback, suggestions and expectations, and remain closely aligned with their needs, as they are at the heart of everything we do”, Mr Kurt said.
This winter, Skopje Airport will see a number of new services launched by Wizz Air, including Stockholm, Bari, Madrid, Larnaca, Prague and Cologne, while easyJet is restoring flights to Geneva. The airport’s network will further grow in the summer of 2026 when Wizz Air adds Naples and Budapest to its network. “In our discussions with airlines, we actively highlight the potential of launching routes from Skopje and Ohrid, even in cases where carriers may not have initially considered these markets. The Paris Orly service, for example, was introduced following our demand analysis. Our research consistently shows strong interest in leisure destinations, which is why we continue to prioritise developments in this segment. The newly announced routes are a direct result of these strategic efforts”, Mr Kurt noted.
Hopefully it will be Helsinki this time and not Turku.
ReplyDeleteFlights to Helsinki would be great not just for diaspora but also transfers to Asia with Finnair. Smart move if it happens.
DeleteIf flights to Finland start it's going to be Wizz Air or Norwegian. So transferring won't be an option.
DeleteFinnair is not a good option for transfers to Asia- lasts longer since they cant use Russian Airspace
DeleteHEL would be a Ryanair destination if they ever decide...
DeleteWizz does not fly to HEL and will not start HEL just because we say so.. No wonder why Croats and Serbs joke on us for ideas like this or daily Emirates' B777 from SKP to JFK..
Delete@09.10 ah the eternal victim.
Deletethere were flights to Turku if you forgot about it. WIZZ moved from Skavsta to ARN so why not let them fantasize about it even if it is peak holiday season Norwegian flights like the ones to OSL Gosh!
The flights to TKU were half empty, thats why we dont see the route anymore.
Deleteok, and conclusion is what? to HEL flights would be 100% full :)
DeleteThose who would fly to HEL would fly to TKU.. there is Flixbus from 4EUR one way so I dont think it matters much. Finland is expensive. Pint of beer in pubs are from 9 to 15EUR, meal is from 25-50 EUR per person. And your conclusion is if they start HEL flights will be full, just because its capital..
@13.53 not even during Corina were they half empty. you have an article about it here ..
DeleteMiddle East flights should be a priority.
ReplyDeleteIf they want success in the Middle East, they should go after Jazeera Airways or Air Arabia. Much more realistic than Qatar returning soon.
DeleteI really hope they bring back Doha or Dubai. The Middle East routes connected Skopje to Asia and Australia. Very important for long-haul travelers.
DeleteI think they will bring Doha next year but not Dubai,we desperately need any of them for sure
DeleteWhy is Flydubai still delaying Skopje? They got subsidies from the government and still nothing.
ReplyDeleteSubsidies still doesn't make some realistic or profitable
DeleteThey did not get subsidies at all , they applied and been accepted , but unless they start to operate the route they are not recieving anything. Clearly TAV keep the space for Turkish transfers from Australia and thats all , very simple
DeleteMaybe waiting for visas being fully absolished
DeleteI dont think the visa is issue at all , mos likely is the TK transfers from Australia , basically all passengers coming to Macedonia now are going through IST , TAV will do everything to keep this👍
Delete^ stop making up crap.
Delete16:30 why then Flydubai didnt launch its route until now ? If you are so smart and have other logical meaning say it
DeleteWhy would you think that TAV is protecting TK for Australia connections? How is TAV stopping Flydubai entering the market while even government agreed to give subsidies? Which airport operator would avoid airline like Flydubai which will give huge connectivity? Be reasonable please. Issue must be on the other side, because the demand exists.
DeleteBecause all the Australian and Asian transfers to Macedonia are coming through Istanbul , simple TAV and government make a deal not to bring Flydubai so the only player will be Turkish. Yes they offer them subsidies but in the end they decide not start oprating without telling why , which reason , neither the government or TAV is mentioning Flydubai anymore , it is very simple
DeleteSorry, you are truly delusional.
DeleteThe visas are not required anymore.
DeleteWizz Air again, as usual
ReplyDeleteWizz air will return Copenhagen and possible some leisure route to Spain coast , but Finland could be Norwegian and Middle east some surprise , Easyjet could start some UK airport
DeleteThey should push for a direct route to Manchester or Birmingham.
ReplyDeleteThose could be Ryanair routes if the airline ever decided to enter the market.
DeleteGatwick or stansted would work good possible MAN too
DeleteRyanair will never enter the market while Wizz air is present in Macedonia
If Flydubai returns, prices to Asia will drop
ReplyDeleteFlydubai is expensive. You have cheap options to Asia through Pegasus.
DeletePegasus: the best kept secret for cheap transfer connections to the Middle East/Golf region
DeleteTurkish airlines has quite low prices to Asia... Very comparable to other European capitals.
DeleteFlydubai this days is very expensive comparing to Pegasus or Turkish especially for Australia and Asia , to be honest I more like to see Air arabia affordable prices to Dubai and Abu dhabi than flydubai
DeleteFrom and to Hannover will be great
ReplyDeleteHAHA!
DeleteYou can keep the laughter to yourself, and if you have no idea please do not answer
DeleteNone of the 3 big european low cost airlines is present at HAJ. Start from there!
DeleteStill, you have no idea what airlines fly from Hanover. Eurowings is also a low-cost airline, and this airline flies from Hanover. and also you have no idea how many inhabitants live here in and around Hanover and surroundings, Macedonian Diaspora, Albanians, Kosovo, and Etc.
DeleteThe big 3 and not about Eurowings or Pegasus.
DeleteEurowings will NEVER fly from Hannover to Skopje
There is a reason why Wizzair/Ryanair/easyJet are not flying to Hannover.
Just take the train to Hamburg i ne dramatiziraj
It’s just a simple wish, not a drama 😊. Many people from Lower Saxony would appreciate a direct flight to Skopje instead of traveling hours to Hamburg or Dortmund.
DeleteAnd by the way, Wizz Air already operated from Hannover for around four years — it was stopped only after the pandemic. The flights were often full. So maybe you should check the facts before saying it’s impossible, especially if you’re from Hannover yourself.
Alicante and Málaga would be nice additions with Wizz Air
ReplyDeleteWizzair's BEG's succes of Alicante could be an indicator. Personally im not too fussed about it I would prefer Valencia or Malaga
DeleteI would say Tenerife and Palma would work better especially as seasonal
DeleteMeanwhile, Transavia was not able to sustain flights to Amsterdam
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Transavia flies to Ohrid seasonally. There used to be plenty of Dutch tourists in Ohrid before. Even JAT operated B727 OHD-AMS long long time ago. Maybe Transavia made mistake choosing SKP over OHD
Deletei really dont understand since they upgraded the airplane to a bigger one just weeks after it started....how did they fail
DeleteWhat happend with AMS did they cut the route ? Or its only for winter period ? Traditionally SKP in winter is horor with the fog , cancelled and delayed flights caused by the fog
DeleteOHD is already served by TUI so there is no space for Transavia there
Looks very clear that they are negotiating the return of CPH & TKU with the support from the subventions. (Both with Wizz)
ReplyDeleteRegarding a second UK destination: im not sure if Leeds/Liverpool are strong enough destinations for Wizz UK, they would have to launch MAN for this which they dont fly at all.
Or the other UK destination is London Gatwick anyway and the airline is not Wizz UK
It's possible that easyJet is the one regarding second UK destinations. Possibly MAN.
DeleteThey negotiating for Copenhagen ,Turku , Stansted as well Tenerife and Mallorca but seasonal for beggining , and middle east Doha and Abu dhabi , something happend with flydubai I dont know what , someone saying TAV didnt giwe them the required certificate to operate at the airport....
DeleteStansted is a no go, its Ryanair territory
Delete15:21 Wiz air will find the way or Easyjet , maybe gatwick even better for us :))
DeleteThere is only one thing that has always been clear -
DeleteTAV are not negotiating *anything*. This is just a PR piece.
Fair enough. With "they" I meant TAV and/or Government
DeleteSKP is nearing the max of its capture area spending power. Macedonians can pay so much for air travel and no more. Incoming tourism may increase somewhat but not much. While at this time SKP pax are still more than Sarajevo, the potential of the latter is
ReplyDeleteLol we keep hearing that since 10 years...
DeleteThe tourists numbers in Macedonia this year growth alot especially starting from May , plus the Freebird charters with 13 routes are doing amazing , there will be between 25k and 30k this year only from Feeebird ,for Macedonia thats not a small job , plus they considering adding more routes to this next year.
DeleteOther side we need middle east connection otherwise with the new Wizz addition this winter we are covered well
Been hearing this shit for 10 years. Skopje is destroying Sarajevo and it's gonna stay like that for the foreseeable future. With the current routes and some additional ones, we are already staring at 4M pax.
DeleteI dont understand how Sarajevo is better when they have 24 regular routes and around 10 seasonal , in other hand Skopje have 49 regular and 13 charters for this winter period :D
DeleteIt's not ten, it's at least fifteen years.
DeleteI vividly remember battling against the disparaging mentality and forked tongues that said Skopje will never have the demand for even one based Wizz aircraft. I had an open bet with Jo that it was gonna work with the network I gave him, I staked my career on it.
Six a/c later..
Target Skopje-Sarajevo as well, Mr. Kurt! Thank you
ReplyDeleteWill not work , aegean already tried ,interest and demand are very small not even to fill up a smaller aircraft , same as it was SKP-SOF couple years ago
DeleteThe loads were fairly decent, 75%
DeleteFor which route was 75 ?
DeleteCopenhagen and Helsinski would be nice addition ,as well Tenerife or Palma for seasonal , London gatwick or stansted also much needed. But we need any direct route to middle east , still nothing from flydubai and I dont know what they are targeting there...
ReplyDeleteMy predictions are Copenhagen and Turku to be launched back by Wizz air as well some Spain coast ,possible Easyjet to jump to some UK airport stansted or gatwick , for middle east obviously fludubai will not launch ,TAV is stopping them so Turkish will be able to do the job with Australian diaspora , simple and smart move if we see that all our diaspora that come this summer to Macedonia said the Turkish flights are even way better option than Dubai , why is that I dont know , and considering Ohrid from March will continue to be served with Turkish , who will fly to middle east with flydubai expensive tickets ? More likely Air arabia to start dubai djerba or abu dhabi with their affrodable tickets
ReplyDeleteLMAO at "TAV is stopping them"
DeleteYes believe it or not they are stopping them , all the Australian diaspora now is using Istanbul to transfer and reach Macedonia , you think TAV will let anyone else to take this transfers ?plus without any direct competitor ? It is funny but yeah thats why flydubai giwe up their planned coming to Macedonia
Delete^ no it isn't. Please stop making up nonsense.
DeleteHe's trying to copy LJU's conspiracies. Lol
DeleteDon't let the FFS* sufferer see this! But I think he won't comment here, he only gets paid for LJU articles. 🤣
Delete*Fraport Fanboy Syndrome
16:25 then you are smarter tell to us why Flydubai giwe up their coming back to Macedonia ? Or you just write here without any logicl sense or just killing some time in the comments
Delete