Air Montenegro has scheduled five routes from Podgorica under Montenegro’s one-year Public Service Obligation (PSO) programme, with each to operate three times per week throughout the year. Services to Zagreb will begin on November 26, followed by Brussels on November 30, Frankfurt on December 4, while Paris Charles de Gaulle and Bari will launch on December 17. Ticket are now on sale. The carrier secured all five contracts as the sole bidder, with their combined estimated value standing at 4.79 million euros excluding VAT. Funding earmarked for each route amounts to approximately 1.49 million euros for Brussels, 1.05 million for Paris, 912.660 euros for Frankfurt, 680.742 euros for Bari and 661.790 euros for Zagreb.
| Destination | Launch date |
| Zagreb | 26.11.2026 |
| Brussels | 30.11.2026 |
| Frankfurt | 04.12.2026 |
| Paris | 17.12.2026 |
| Bari | 17.12.2026 |
Click on link for flight details
Air Montenegro handled 417.900 passengers during the first three quarters of the year, an increase of around 4.000 on the same period in 2025, while its average cabin load factor improved two percentage points to 81%. The carrier expects to welcome more than 520.000 travellers for the full year, excluding passengers on its new PSO services. CEO Vukadin Stojanović said the results were achieved despite increased competition and higher operating costs. Wizz Air opened a base in Podgorica in March and now competes directly with Air Montenegro on five routes. Furthermore, the introduction of visa requirements for nationals of Azerbaijan and Armenia resulted in the carrier not operating its Baku and Yerevan services this year.
Air Montenegro reported a positive financial result of around two million euros at the end of September. Higher fuel prices generated an additional 5.5 million euros in costs during the first nine months, with the full-year impact expected to reach seven million euros. Mr Stojanović said the airline expects to end 2026 in positive territory before tax and potentially a net profit, provided fuel prices stabilise. He added that the company has around eleven million euros across available funds.
What kind of company is it if you need a PSO to Frankfurt, Paris, or Brussels? As for Zagreb, we know who initiated it.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you tell us? What kind?
Delete^ not a very good one. If you can't make flights from the capital of your country work profitably to two airports which are one of the busiest in Europe and need the state to pay you to fly there.
DeleteThe question is more 'What kind of country is it if you need a PSO to Frankfurt, Paris, or Brussels?' and the answer is a very small one with heavily seasonal traffic. The galling is thing is they will give all this money for the routes and then attempt to charge passengers vast sums to fly them. Which really sucks.
DeleteThey could gave tried to do deals with Lufthansa and Air France which would allow them to offer connecting traffic, new destinations through a codeshare. But nothing.
DeleteOnce Montenegro joins the EU I'm sure the days of 4O are up. Not because its a black hole of dodgy money (we know that continues within the EU), but because increased connectivity with other airlines will just compound the fact its a total waste of time.
Delete@9:21 But what can they achieve with just three weekly flights? Especially since Austrian Airlines already flies from Vienna, and Lufthansa couldn't care less about Air Montenegro. In any case, how would carriers like Air France or Lufthansa even notice a company that has only 3–4 aircraft and operates PSO routes to Paris and Frankfurt? And what if it turns out that the PSO status could be revoked overnight? What would those two airlines do with the passengers then?
DeleteEU airlines have no restrictions to fly MNE-EU even now
DeleteIndeed. But traffic will grow, further making the airline a relic of the past.
DeleteImagine what routes would Wizz bring in with that kind of money. Air Montenegro can fly mostly empty planes and still be profitable.
ReplyDeletePSO to Paris and Frankfurt...
ReplyDeleteMuch more convenient to fly direct than through BEG.
Delete^ Air Montenegro flew both CDG and FRA.
DeleteThrough BEG you can fly double-daily.
Delete@09:03 as long as you want to go on the three days a week they will fly. JU or OS will remain mainstays both in terms of price and flexibility.
DeleteJU has already increased frequencies to TGD, in any case. Now they should deliberately lower prices for CDG, BRU, and FRA.
DeleteProbably. But 4O's prices are so horrid that they'll unlikely to be competitive anyway.
DeleteAt least a new route for Zagreb
ReplyDeleteYes, completely unreasonable. We also know who the idea came from. If they are going to squander money anyway, wouldn't it make more sense to open routes to Munich, Copenhagen or Stockholm?
DeleteWhere did the idea come from? Genuinely interested.
DeleteI didn't know Ryanair was completely unreasonable operating the service over years with much larger aircraft
DeleteAnd did Ryanair actually succeed on that route?
Deleteno
DeleteYes
DeleteI wonder if they are gonna keep LJU route after they open ZAG one, on the other side, prices with Wizz from LJU to TGD are sometimes < 20 eur one way. Probably, some people from Croatia are also using the service.
ReplyDeleteBeing able to find ticket for 20 eur during these days (where jet fuel has peaked) indicate a lot about the profitability of the route.
DeleteIt's a short route, which also has subsidies.
DeleteThat is a one hour flight which is certainly not profitable at those prices.
Delete@11.22 as if you had any insights
DeleteWaste of money
ReplyDeleteLiterally!
DeleteAnd Serbian PSO is not waste of money?
DeleteMy favourite PSO was Rijeka to Zadar during 2022, It was subsisted to the tune of 6k per passenger (of which there were like 6), something along those lines, its all available online to see.
Delete@11.55
DeleteWho said it wasn't? Go to the comments under that news and you will see what people think. But your comment says a lot about you.
@11:55 Well, when last time PSO was introduced from KVO and INI , I read loads of comments here praising every move of the smartest JU leadership and country itself in the whole world...
DeleteWhat is the the reason a PSO is needed to Bari?
ReplyDeletesmuggling.
DeleteTourists visiting Casino in Pržno
DeleteThat is the reasoning for a pso?
DeleteYes, it brings tourist who spend a lot
DeleteItalians come to this side of Adriatic mainly for gambling while locals claim that Itali do not have good coast.
DeleteFive new routes is quite an expansion. Do they have enough aircraft to operate all of this alongside the existing network?
ReplyDeleteOnly 4,000 additional passengers in nine months suggests the existing network has barely grown. These routes should make next year’s figures more interesting.
ReplyDeleteThe first flights are less than a month away and tickets are only going on sale now. That doesn’t give them much time to build bookings.
ReplyDeleteThey couldn't care less. They are getting money from the state. Not that they have not been getting it all this time.
DeleteThey didn't start SKP yet?
ReplyDeleteOf course not lol. They can only waste so much money a month on silly routes.
Delete^ With all due respect, what difference is ZAG in this particular case?
Deletethe false flag guy
Delete^ Zagreb is significantly more sizeable and wealthy, with a history being connected to Podgorica. So there is a modicum of an economic case. Skopje to Montenegro is as least as unlikely to work as Zagreb, and probably more so given limited economic links and size of the market at both ends.
DeleteBoth cities will be a failure.
DeleteThats a given.
Delete4O desperately need 2 turboprops (AT72?). That would benefit frequencies all around region. bring more tourists, cut fuel expenses and reduce seasonality. But they are still stubborn
Delete^ And increase other overheads and complexities of the operation. An non starter.
DeleteSKP actually needs more TIV than than PDG and it could be operational during summer only. People need to land close to sea not in the city od Podgorica where they still need to travel to reach the sea
DeleteIts not gonna work as a route. Drive it.
DeleteSkopje to Tivat is most suitable as seasonal route for the summer.
DeleteFrankfurt will probably be the strongest of these
ReplyDeleteThe Zagreb route needs cooperation with Croatia Airlines
ReplyDeleteWhy? What kind of hub does Croatia have that would lead Air Montenegro to feed routes into it?
DeleteCroatia Airlines is not capable and not interested cooperating with United and Air China, let alone Montenegro
DeleteThis PSO is simply a direct subsidy that helps Air Montenegro get through the winter.
ReplyDeleteI just looked at the fares and they are expensive for PSO.
ReplyDeletePSO routes often are.
DeleteQuite the opposite. PSO routes are supposed to be cheap because they are subsidized.
Delete^ PSOs exist to ensure a route is available and accessible, meaning fares are designed to be stable, predictable, and fair for the community rather than strictly speaking cheap. Take a look at very established PSO is places like Scotland. Far from cheap.
DeleteThe situation inside Air Montenegro is terrible. Many people have recently left. Good luck with the new routes though
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteFive routes starting within three weeks of each other is a lot to introduce at once for a small airline. Hopefully they are ready.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think?
DeleteI'm not sure. On paper of course. But looking at the timetable some of those turnaround times in Podgorica are tight and these flights are coming from airports like Paris and Brussels where delays are frequent due to congestion at the airport. This summer was not the best for Air Montenegro operationally. Huge delays.
DeleteI’d be more impressed to see a route launched because the airline believes it can make money.
ReplyDeleteBut it cannot- MNE is too small market to have year round flights that are profitable. Giving it to Wizz or calling it PSO is basically the same.
Delete@11.24 trust me bro
DeleteSo what is the plan after the first year? Another tender, more subsidies or five route closures?
ReplyDeleteIt was written in some article here a month or so ago that next year the list of routes will likely be expanded.
DeleteThe government should explain why these five destinations offer the best value for taxpayers.
ReplyDelete+1
DeletePaying money to serve Bari and especially Zagreb is unreal and silly , the only route worth to be payed is Paris and I would say Frankfurt , all others are just waste of money😔
ReplyDeleteRyanair had +80% LF on ZAG-TGD route, with 180 seater and with no PSO subsidies. Why everything related with ZAG is doom and gloom for some people here, is another story
DeleteAnd the route with 80% load factor failed. That tells you a lot about yields. And it tells you a lot if it could not work with the airline with the lowest cost per passenger.
DeleteBari is important for Montenegro. The Bar-Bari ferry was an important mean of transport for decades. Don't you think that flying is better than sailing?
Delete'Don't you think that flying is better than sailing?' Actually I do not. Its a mad-ass route with no chance of profitability and is just funning taxpayers money into 4O.
Delete12:25 there is always but , do you think that paying ferry will be same as paying airline ticket? Do you compare that price with the airline ones? Do you think that everyone will choose paying the airlie option than ferry which is always cheaper ??
DeleteThere is no Bar-Bari ferry currently. The airline route is a replacement for the ferry.
Delete@Anonymous 12:06
DeleteWhat's exactly your problem? How can you even imagine comparing fully commercial 180 seater with PSO 100 seater? Do you even understand there is huuuuge difference between the two and they are incomparable? But hey, let's spit on ZAG whatever the case is
You really need to calm down. Stating my opinion that Podgorica-Zagreb is a waste of money does not mean I am spitting on Zagreb. I think this particular city pair won't work and has proven twice in the past that it hasn't worked. I have no doubt the PSO line will go along but it won't be a success and will likely be removed next year when a new PSO tender is launched. Stating that, I don't see how it is 'spitting on Zagreb'. Zagreb has dozens of other routes and is a successful airport. Stating my opinion that this particular route won't work has nothing to do with Zagreb Airport's other routes or the city.
DeleteBoth cases when it "didn't work" were ordinary, non-subsidized flights. PSO and smaller a/c type are exactly what will make it work this time. But you have every right to believe "this city pair" will never work. Is it prejuducial, I will refrain from commenting
DeleteAny idea if they plan on expanding the fleet
ReplyDeleteNow codeshare or interline agreements. Who would want to fly unconnected through FRA or CDG? ZAG could use an OU codeshare or interline as well, but it's not as crucial as the other two.
ReplyDeleteEveryone going to Frankfurt or Paris is connecting somehow?
DeleteWell the 12 passengers a flight they'll be carrying won't be going further on one ticket that's for sure.
Delete