Four EX-YU markets to surpass 2019 capacity in Q3
Four markets from the former Yugoslavia are set to see the number of available seats on aircraft grow during the all-important third quarter of the year (July - September), which is the busiest in the aviation industry, compared to the same period during the pre-pandemic 2019. According to data compiled by “Air Service One”, Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia will have their figures exceed those from four years ago. The biggest increase will be registered in Macedonia, the second highest in Europe, where capacity will grow 27.5% compared 2019. The main driving force will be Wizz Air, which plans to have six aircraft based in Skopje during the height of summer. Also aiding the figures is the arrival of Lufthansa with its ten weekly service from Frankfurt, as well as Norwegian Air Shuttle which will commence operations from Oslo to the Macedonian capital on June 23.
Serbia will see its capacity levels increase 23.2% during the third quarter when compared to the same period in 2019, the third highest on the continent. It comes off the back of over twenty routes being launched by Air Serbia this summer, as well as new services by the likes of KLM, Luxair, Hainan Airlines and airBaltic which were not present on the market four years ago. Bosnia and Herzegovina will follow closely behind with its seat capacity growing 21.1% on the same period in 2019. On the other hand, Croatia will see the number of available seats increase 2.9% on four years ago.
Capacity levels in Montenegro and Slovenia will not reach pre-pandemic levels this summer, with the latter to record the second biggest decrease in available seats in Europe, exceeded only by the sanction-hit Belarus. The Ukrainian market has not been included as it will have no capacity in Q3. Montenegro will register a 25.7% decrease in available seats, primarily due to the loss of both the Russian and Ukrainian markets which made up a large portion of its operations during the summer months. Slovenia’s capacity levels will decline 44.9% during the busiest part of the year, with Ljubljana Airport still feeling the impact of Adria Airways’ collapse. The former Slovenian flag carrier declared bankruptcy in late September of 2019.
Overall, at this point, Europe has 393.6 million available seats during the third quarter, which is 96.2% of Q3 2019. Albania will see the biggest capacity growth in Europe on four years ago with a 112.9% increase, generated primarily by Wizz Air’s rapid expansion in Tirana. Of Europe’s top ten largest markets, five have exceeded pre-pandemic levels, led by Greece, Turkey and Portugal.
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