The carrier’s Network Officer East, Andras Sabo, noted, “The opening of our new base in Pristina represents the next major step in a commitment that began with our first flight here in 2017. By basing an aircraft in Pristina, launching three new routes and increasing frequencies, we step change our presence and create a strong platform for further growth. This investment demonstrates our confidence in Pristina and its potential, while bringing more destinations, more affordable fares and new local career opportunities. We are proud of everything we have achieved here since 2017 and look forward to continuing this journey together with our passengers, airport partners, and locally based colleagues”.
Apart from adding new destinations, including Charleroi, Baden Baden and Basel, the airline will also increase frequencies to Dortmund from three to five weekly. With these additions, Wizz Air will operate a total of nine routes across six countries from Pristina. The opening of the base will add around half a million seats to Wizz Air’s Pristina operations. This year, the airline is offering approximately 615.000 seats, including more than 367.000 during the summer season. With the expansion, Wizz Air will become the largest scheduled airline at Pristina Airport. During the first half of the year, the carrier operated around 1.400 Pristina flights and handled more than 304.000 passengers.
Wizz Air’s expansion in the market comes as GP Aviation, which has dominated operations at Pristina Airport over the past two years, ends four routes. Services to Oslo, Bremen, Brussels and Memmingen will all be discontinued by the end of the month. The airline had already made notable cuts throughout the first half of the year as well.
Ljubljana is surely next
ReplyDeletei also think that.
DeleteLjubljana will probably get Pristina and Tirana soon, which would mean that Wizz only intra Ex-Yu routes would be to Ljubljana. And you tell me that Lju has reached their peak
DeleteLjubljana is planned and much needed as GP aviation fly only some random flights, not even once per week... It seems they basically gave up on the route.
DeleteYes it reached its peak in trasnfers via hub airports :D
DeleteAnn 10:56 planned? How sure are you about that?
Deletefanboy talk
DeleteWhat's happening with GP aviation btw, why do they cut routes?
ReplyDeleteOld planes, high fuel prices.
DeleteGP Aviation grew extremely quickly and now seems to be correcting its network. Wizz has a much stronger brand and distribution system, so it will be interesting to see how the market develops.
DeleteI wouldn't write GP Aviation off. Their business model is different from Wizz and they have built a strong position in the Kosovo market. Some consolidation after rapid expansion isn't necessarily surprising.
Delete^ agree
DeleteJP was caught off guard by the doubling of jet fuel prices.
DeleteThey did not have hedged for it.
and some guy from GP got literally caught
Delete10.30
DeleteAdria? I thought it went bust long ago 🙂 And, yes, I know it was typo 🙂
Does this mean they already have selected various routes theyr just not mkaing it public yet? Or just planning and wishful thinking?
ReplyDeleteI think they are negotiating with airport. Probably to be announced in November or December.
DeleteFingers crossed they base a second plane!
DeleteOne A321neo means they need enough routes and frequencies to keep the aircraft busy throughout the week. I suspect there are at least another two or three destinations coming.
DeleteIf they base a second aircaft then we are looking at some 5 or 6 new destinations.
DeleteThe aircraft based will take over some of the existing routes/frequencies. It will not be just for the new routes.
DeleteFinally. Time for a real airline to call PRN home.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteAbout time
DeleteHopefully some non diaspora routes.
ReplyDeleteAgree. Would much rather see Madrid than another airport somewhere in Germany. PRN already has excellent coverage of Germany and Switzerland. Time to diversify.
Deleteunlikely. I mean like 95% unlikely
Delete@9:13 do you think there will be sufficient demand to keep this route year-round? I hope but highly doubt. I would be one of the first passengers to visit Madrid, but that would be it, maybe one more time in next 2-3 years. Barcelona would make more sense as could be used for summer holidays as well.
DeleteHow many Kosovars you think there are who can afford a holiday in Spain that actually live in Kosovo? Turkey is pushing it, forget about Barcelona, Madrid or Costa Blanca.
DeleteUnfortunately very few Spanish will be interested in visiting Pristina.
Kosovars are much richer than you give them credit for.
Delete@10:40 hard to tell how many indeed, but a lot of Kosovars are using SKP and TIA to visit Barcelona/Costa Brava region. As I said, Barcelona might have SOME chances, but Madrid none.
Delete@Anonymous11:21
DeleteActually they are not. Remember, we are talking about those who still live there.
Majority can afford a 3-400 EUR weekend no issue.
DeleteLol for sure
DeleteIf true dat, you can expect immigrants from bangladesh, pakistan, india, etc soon!
DeleteThis is a very significant expansion for Wizz at PRN. Half a million additional seats is no small increase. If they add Spain and France as well, Pristina could have a very strong Wizz network within a year.
ReplyDeletethey flew to all these destinations before from PRN. just saying
DeleteBarcelona would surely work from Pristina. There is already plenty of demand for Spain and not only from tourists. Hopefully this is one of the next announcements.
ReplyDeleteI think Barcelona, Paris Beauvais and maybe Nice would be realistic Wizz candidates. Mallorca could also be interesting seasonally.
Deletehaha Mallorca form Pristina. spilled my coffee
DeleteCaboverde next
DeleteMallorca has proven successful for the not so deep pockets of exyu countries. Why won't it work from PRN?
DeleteI was in Majorka last March. Paid 100EUR/night for a 4BR pool house (in the middle of nowehere). Car rental on the other hand - 120EUR/day for a nasty Renault Twingo.
DeleteThe most impressive part is that Wizz is going from around 615,000 seats this year to adding another half a million. That's a massive percentage increase.
ReplyDeleteLet's see whether all this capacity can actually be absorbed. Adding roughly 500,000 seats in a relatively small market is ambitious, even with Pristina's strong growth.
Delete600k is nothing. It reached that in its first year of operation.
DeleteWizz can easily reach 3mln PAX annually from PRN.
The question is what happens to GP Aviation now
ReplyDeleteCharleroi is a good addition, especially with GP Aviation dropping Brussels. Different airport of course, but for many passengers the destination market is essentially the same.
ReplyDeleteSo.many routes could be working our of PRN.
ReplyDeleteNot so sure about France (!), but Spain, Athens, Eindhoven, Ljubljana, Copenhagen etc. would be selling like hot potatoes.
France seems much more obvious to me than Spain. There is a substantial Kosovo diaspora there and Paris should be able to support a regular low-cost service.
DeleteCould Marseille be an option? Large Albanian-speaking community in southern France and Wizz already has experience operating there from other Balkan markets.
Delete@9.37 no
DeleteLyon could be a very interesting addition. There is a sizeable diaspora catchment in that part of France and relatively limited competition.
DeleteLyon is flown by EasyJet im amazed how you dont know your own airport ...
DeletePristina becoming a Wizz base was probably inevitable considering how rapidly passenger numbers have grown there. The airport has one of the strongest diaspora markets in the Balkans.
ReplyDeleteSpain makes sense for leisure but I wonder how much local outbound tourism demand there really is outside July and August. Barcelona would probably have the best chance because it also has VFR demand.
ReplyDeleteCompetition is exactly what PRN needs. Wizz becoming number one should put pressure on other airlines to improve fares and schedules.
ReplyDeleteFor leisure Malta, Barcelona, Paris would work. Maybe even Naples later. A big problem would the overlap with SKP. Any new route or increase in PRN, will affect SKP numbers.
ReplyDeleteand thatswhy they will not launch such routes that "could" affect SKP numbers.
DeleteI think, they will do exactly that: Diaspora routes from PRN and leisure routes from SKP with some interlap ofc.
Deletewill never get the obsession with SKP. The affected ones are gonna be GP, Eurowings, SAS, MyWings or what they are called and the rest
Delete@10:39 come on, noone is obsessed with SKP, I personally see them as complementary. Due to vicinity they are direct competitors if on same routes. I don't think Wizz will serve lets say Barcelona, Malta, Catania from both PRN and SKP.
DeleteNot you but the comments go in that way if you see the other article.
DeleteI dont see why they shouldnt launch Malmö and Hamburg like i wrote already
If the first aircraft performs well, I can easily see PRN becoming a two-aircraft base. There are still plenty of obvious markets Wizz could enter.
ReplyDeleteIts going to be Cologne, Hamburg, Malmö ...
ReplyDeleteThese would probably make the most sense
DeleteI know, this is how it started at us in SKP :)
DeleteAny destination is a win for PRN - as long as its passengers are not sucked dry by the likes of Reizebüros & Ganesh Piga enterprise.
DeleteI hope they don't just add more German destinations.
ReplyDeleteWizz cash cow routes in most exyu airports are the ones serving diaspora. There is nothing bad about them focusing on those routes in the start.
DeleteMemmingen being dropped by GP Aviation seems like an obvious opportunity for Wizz. Surprised it isn't part of the initial base announcement.
ReplyDeletebecause they fly to Memmingen for like 10 years ???
DeleteThis will be shocking to you but Wizz already flies to Memmingen.
DeleteAnd its one of the busiest routes also :)
DeleteGP is continuing with the cuts into winter seacon?
ReplyDeleteWell done PRN!
ReplyDeleteBut to replace GPs influence in PRN with just few routes, it will take a loong time.
ReplyDelete615k seats for only 9 routes, goes to show how strong the demand is our of PRN. And they are not even properly established yet.
ReplyDeleteHalf of which commencing in November/December! Lol.
Deleteas of next year Wizz routes in PRN should reach an average of 100k per destination annually. Something that rarely any exYu Airport can offer to an LL.C.
SKP is offering much more than those numbers , why u saying rarely 🙄 or because its SKP you just dont want to mention it
DeleteWizz maintains roughly 40 destinations out of SKP. If they had 100k PAX per route as you say, Wizz would of had 4 mln PAX out of SKP.
DeleteReality is it's half of that. That makes 50k per route on average. And some of them have been established over a decade ago!