Gulf carriers eye new Montenegro flights
Several carriers from the Gulf region are considering introducing flights to either Podgorica or Tivat airports in the coming period. The General Manager of operator Airports of Montenegro, Danilo Orlandić, said, “There is significant interest from Arab countries. I believe we will improve connectivity from these markets. It is obvious that Montenegro will be much better connected next year through its airports, especially to markets we have been unable to cover so far”. Over the past year, Airports of Montenegro has held talks with Saudi Arabian Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Flynas and Flydubai. "We continue to improve our cooperation with airlines which have been serving our airports for years, however, we are also initiating contact with new carriers that have not flown to Montenegro in the past", Mr Orlandić said recently.
Flydubai is currently the only Gulf carrier to maintain scheduled flights to Montenegro. The CEO of the hybrid airline, Ghaith Al Ghaith, met with Mr Orlandić in April to discuss their future cooperation. Mr Orlandić noted the two held talks over upgrading the airline's seasonal summer service between Dubai and Tivat to year-round operations. This summer, Flydubai maintained two weekly flights on the route from mid-June until early September. The service is codeshared by Emirates. Talks were also held with Air Serbia's former CEO Dane Kondić, who now serves as Saudi Arabian Airlines' Chief Commercial Officer. The potential for the introduction of flights between the two countries was discussed.
The Saudi budget carrier Flynas, which successfully launched its first two routes to the former Yugoslavia this year, both of which are to Sarajevo, has also expressed interest in better serving the Montenegrin market. The airline’s Vice President for Corporate Communications and Marketing, Mousa Bahri, visited Montenegro recently. Gulf states have become one of the biggest investors in Montenegro in recent years, with both trade and tourism links growing. Construction and financial services are the two prominent sectors in the investment portfolios of Middle Eastern nations in Montenegro. However, Israeli tourists still make up the greatest share of visitors from the Middle East to Montenegro.
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