Passenger numbers on flights from Turkey to Montenegro have seen a sharp decline over the past few days, after Montenegro temporarily suspended visa-free entry for Turkish nationals, a decision triggered by a violent incident in Podgorica, where the stabbing of a local man allegedly by Turkish citizens prompted large-scale police actions and heightened public unrest. Since the introduction of visa requirements, flights from Istanbul to Podgorica have averaged just forty passengers according to operator Airports of Montenegro, down from an average of between 120 and 150 per flight. Despite the significant dip in figures, the number of flights between the two countries has remained unchanged so far. Turkey is Montenegro’s second largest market by passenger numbers, behind only Serbia, accounting for 15% of all travellers during the first three quarter of the year.
Commenting on the developments, Airports of Montenegro told the “Pobjeda” daily, “Since October 30, when visas were introduced for Turkish citizens, there has been a noticeable drop in arriving passengers. Airports of Montenegro doesn’t have access to passenger nationality data, as that is handled by the Border Police. We would like to remind that Turkish Airlines, one of our most valued partners, had planned to increase its number of flights this winter season, which in aviation began on October 26, from the previous fourteen to eighteen weekly flights to Podgorica, as well as introduce three weekly rotations to Tivat”.
There are currently 36 weekly flights between Montenegro and Turkey, offering 5.787 seats per week in each direction. In addition to Turkish Airlines’ eighteen weekly rotations between Istanbul and Podgorica, Air Montenegro operates three weekly services on the same route. Pegasus Airlines maintains three weekly rotations from Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen, as well as flights from Izmir to Podgorica, and runs two weekly services between Ankara and the Montenegrin capital. Meanwhile, Turkish Airlines’ three weekly flights to Tivat are complemented by Air Montenegro’s four weekly rotations on that route. For now, it remains unclear when, or if, Montenegro will lift the visa requirement, or whether Turkey may in turn introduce visas for Montenegrin citizens.
Two-way passenger traffic between Montenegro and Turkey, 2024
I'm surprised how many passengers there were on 2024. Wow
ReplyDelete550 k total
DeleteAt the end of the day, this will only hurt Turkey. The lose out on a lucrative market and Montenegrin investment.
Delete120–150 pax per flight down to 40?? That’s a disaster. Airlines won’t keep capacity like that for long.
ReplyDeletehuge setback
DeleteActually Air Montenegro will probably be hit hardest.
DeleteHaving your native population replaced in a few years is also disastrous. A country with a 600k population, neighbouring EU and on the ascension path to the EU, granting a visa free travel to 90 million people from a country were a large amount of illegal migrants to the EU comes from every year was always a stupid idea.
DeleteThis was totally expected the moment visas were introduced. You can’t suddenly throw a barrier up like that and not expect demand to collapse.
ReplyDeletethe price will be paid by the tourism sector, especially in winter when Turkish visitors actually help fill hotels and restaurants.
ReplyDeleteYou dont know what you are talking about
DeleteAntalia is much hotter in the winter than Montenegro
DeleteMost people from Turkey don't fly to MN as tourists
Serbian tourists will replace the Turkish tourists - no problem there.
DeleteExpect Turkish Airlines to quietly cut frequencies in January or February if this continues.
ReplyDeleteVisa-free travel is the only reason many short weekend trips even exist. Nobody is going to do all that paperwork for a 3–4 day stay.
ReplyDeleteThis will hurt Podgorica Airport the most. Turkey was the only market that had strong year round demand besides Serbia.
ReplyDeleteOver 0.5 million passengers a year, which is a considerable number for MNE, and then they suspend visa-free travel because of a stabbing? This seems like an excessive measure that will only cause more damage. It is to be hoped that the measure will be suspended again soon.
ReplyDeleteОво "убадање" је само изговор за увођење виза. То је то усаглашавање система виза са ЕУ, иако се испоставило да су кривци за убадање Азербејџанци.
DeleteI’m not defending what happened in Podgorica, but thousands of innocent travellers are now caught in the crossfire.
ReplyDeleteDo you live in Montenegro? Local people there are very unhappy with the amount of Turkish people using the visa free regime for moving to MNE. I think the needs and wishes of local people are more important than your aviation hobby of counting the numbers of passengers.
DeleteAirlines don’t fly empty planes for long. If this continues for another month, schedule changes are inevitable.
ReplyDeleteMontenegro should have announced a temporary 2-3 week visa review, not an open-ended restriction. Now nobody knows what to plan.
ReplyDeleteThis is clearly politically driven.
ReplyDeleteMontenegrins ought to know better. For their own sake and welfare.
The EU has welcomed this. I think it was used as a convenient excuse to introduce visas. Montenegro has to align its visa policy with the EU and since it is the first in line to join next, they saw this as a perfect opportunity.
DeleteWow, thank you for your genius opinion that a visa regime is POLITICALLY driven!! I thought it was driven by astrology.
Delete1046 it can be security driven
DeleteIt will be interesting to see how Turkey retaliates. Will the bull step on the fly or not
DeleteOne day Montenegro will have to align with EU visa rules so as other commentators have said, it might be an opportunity that remains.
DeleteEven if Montenegro lifts visas next month, the damage is already done. Tour operators will not trust this market for a while.
ReplyDeleteVisas will not be lifted. Montenegro is aligning its visa policy with the EU.
Deleteyeah, right, a overnight change of policies is the right way to align with EU. Hotels, airlines, tour operators, ... had plenty of time to figure this out.
DeleteWell, they used the opportunity that was given to them, now that they are in line with the EU they won't be reverting.
Deleteif EU alignment is the main reason, they have to put visas to Azerbaijan, Kuwait, Russia, Belorussia and Qatar also
DeleteAs they get closer to joining the EU (may even be 2028), they'll be introducing visas for those passport holders as well.
DeleteI feel sorry for the local tourism businesses. They’re the ones who will take the hit.
ReplyDeleteThis could now turn into a bloodbath in the schedules.
ReplyDeleteWill be interesting to see how this impacts Podgorica Airport's numbers which has barely had any growth this year with existing traffic.
ReplyDeletein the meantime thousand of turkish tourists visit Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia ... business as usual
ReplyDeleteThis is such an exegerated populist meassure its so dumb
Perhaps. But Montenegro's route to the EU is most developed so they will have to do it one day.
DeleteIntroducing visas for Turkish passport holders has very little to do with sudden aligning Montenegrin policy with the EU and banning tourists from coming as some suggested, but more with Turkish investments and abnormal number of Turkish citizens who moved to Montenegro over the past three years in order to be closer to the EU, got residence permits, bought real estates there, and started businesses.
ReplyDeleteTurkish investors were heavily investing in construction and real estate prices started to increase recently. At first, the money they invested came handy to support weak Montenegrin economy and GDP, especially after several tourist seasons failed and ties to Russia and the Russian capital were cut in 2022. However, things obviously got out of control and Turkish language became wide spoken in Podgorica today changing social landscape too. Those things couldn't pass without being unnoticed by the EU while stabbing (obviously staged) was only a cause to start cutting ties with Turkey.
Flying out of Podgorica the other day I couldn't help noticing equal number of flights to IST and BEG, except that all flight to IST were operated by larger aircraft than to BEG. Not to mention that many JU flights have large number of transfers from Turkey. If the visas were not reinstated, in 2026 traffic between Montenegro and IST, could have easily outreach traffic between Montenegro and BEG.
Unless you're a judge and have insight into all the evidence, please keep that opinion to yourself. People of Montenegro are generally sick of Russians, Ukrainians and Turks.
DeleteIs it true that 14,000 turks moved to MNG in the past years?
Delete@13:51 - the locals say it's much more than 14,000.
Delete@09:28 anecdotal evidence is something else. I am also curious to know the official numbers.
DeleteI remember 2010 when the first Turkish Airlines flight to Podogrica occurred with a three weekly service. Seems like a world ago.
ReplyDeleteTraffic has developed quite a bit
DeleteFrom what I see there are only 14 flights from TK in December?
ReplyDeleteNo, it's displaying 18 weekly on their site
DeleteUnfortunate
ReplyDeleteWill this be reversed? Why change the visa free regime?
ReplyDelete