EX-YU markets eye recovery as summer season begins
The 2021 summer season has begun today, bringing with it hope that airlines and airports will see an increase in traffic, while the desire for travel will grow as the rollout of coronavirus Covid-19 vaccines gains pace and so-called digital passports are introduced. A year after the start of the global pandemic, just two national carriers in the former Yugoslavia have been left standing, while a number of start-ups hope to fill the void. This summer is also set to see two low cost airlines open bases in two cities in the former Yugoslavia - Sarajevo and Zadar.
The following are some of the highlights of the summer season for each market. The tables below indicate the busiest carriers for each market based on the number of planned flight operations (return service included). The data is correct as of March 28, however, figures change on an almost daily basis due to the constant addition and removal of planned flights. The data only includes scheduled services and does not take into account summer charters.
The 2021 summer season runs until October 30.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
In just over a month and a half, Wizz Air will open a base at Sarajevo Airport and launch nine new routes. As part of Wizz’s expansion, the budget carrier will increase its operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina by 50%. The airline will have over 250.000 seats on sale from Sarajevo in 2021, which is more than the total number of travellers the airport handled for the whole of last year. In addition, FlyBosnia is soon set to take delivery of its first aircraft and restore operations from Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital. Despite Wizz Air’s big expansion, Turkish Airlines, along with its AndoluJet brand, will offer the most flights and capacity out of the country.
Croatia
Croatia’s costal airports expect a solid summer this year with a number of new routes planned to launch over the coming months. Leisure travel is expected to perform strongly in Europe this year. Dubrovnik Airport’s General Manager, Frano Luetić, said, “Announcements for the season are excellent. The number of planned flights are very big". Zadar Airport, which will become a seasonal summer base for Ryanair’s subsidiary Lauda Europe, noted, “We expect an improvement over the results from last year”. Croatia's new charter carrier ETF Airways will soon take delivery of its first aircraft and launch a number of services from the coast. This summer, Croatia Airlines will offer the most flights and capacity out of the country.
Kosovo
Diaspora travel continues to perform strongly for Pristina Airport, dampening the effects of the ongoing crisis. Tour operator MyWings has struck a deal with charter airline Air Mediterranean to run a number of new routes out of Pristina this summer. These include Memmingen, Friedrichshafen, Bremen, Salzburg, Verona, Lyon, Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen and Maastricht. Overall, Eurowings will offer the most scheduled flights out of Kosovo during the summer, based on existing schedules.
Macedonia
Wizz Air will continue to be the dominant carrier on the Macedonian market this summer, albeit with a significantly reduced volume of flights compared to the pre-Covid period. AnadoluJet will launch a new service to Skopje, helping Turkish Airlines solidify its position as the biggest legacy carrier on the market.
Montenegro
Montenegro will see the launch of its new national carrier during the summer under the guidance of Lufthansa Consulting. The 2021 summer season will mark the first in thirteen years without Montenegro Airlines. This summer also sees the arrival of several new carriers onto the Montenegrin market, including Luxair (from April 1) and Chair Airlines (from May 13). Air Serbia becomes the largest operator out of Montenegro with Montenegro Airlines out of the picture.
Serbia
The coming weeks and months will see the launch of a number of new routes from Belgrade. This includes Wizz Air’s new service to Hamburg which begins today and its subsequent Sandefjord service on April 25. Several carriers will enter or renter the Serbian market this summer, including SkyUp Airlines (March 30), Eurowings (May 2), KLM (May 13), Luxair (June 3) and AnadoluJet (July 3). Ryanair will also commence a new service from Vienna to Niš. Air Serbia will offer the most flights from the country, accounting for 52.2% of all operations.
Slovenia
Ljubljana Airport is expected to see a gradual recovery with a number of airlines restoring flights to the Slovenian capital over the coming months. This summer could also see LOT Polish Airlines play a greater role on the Slovenian market with a mini base in Ljubljana, while Ryanair has also secured rights to operate flights to the city. Based on current schedules, Lufthansa will continue to maintain its position as the country’s busiest airline.
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