Unhappy unions plan flight disruptions

Four Croatia Airlines unions will go on strike next Thursday, March 8, if their demands for a revised collective agreement are not met. The four trade unions count approximately 650 employees. They have put up ten demands to the airline’s management. If their demands were to be met, Croatia Airlines will have to fork out an additional 2.3 million euros in 2012 and a further 3 million euros in 2013. The additional costs would offset the carrier’s plans to further cut down on its losses. The airline finished 2011 with a loss of 10 million euros, which is down 52% on 2010.

There has been growing discontent amongst Croatia Airlines’ pilots who are unhappy with work conditions and what it sees as incompetent management. Their hundred page revival plan for the company was struck down by the management earlier in the year. Things were made worse when a daily newspaper published an article claiming that Croatia Airlines’ pilots are overpaid and work the least in Europe, an article the pilots believe was planted by the management. It came after pilots told the media that the carrier’s Dash 8s are unsafe and experience constant technical faults. Besides the pilots, cabin crew are also unhappy with their work conditions. Only the airline’s technicians and engineers have managed to come to an agreement with the management.

Croatia Airlines claims that if the strike action goes ahead on March 8 it will cost the carrier 200.000 euros and disrupt flights and passengers. Meanwhile, the Croatian government yesterday formally awarded Aéroports de Paris the concession over Zagreb Airport, much to the discontent of the airport’s unions.

Government approves Montenegro Airlines privatisation

The Montenegrin government decided yesterday that Montenegro Airlines will be privatised during 2012. It follows a difficult year for the national carrier in 2011. Montenegrin Prime Minister Igor Lukšić said that the airline will be offered to investors through a public tender. Montenegro Airlines has become a costly business to keep running after the government agreed to provide 400.000 Euros to the carrier each month to cover operational costs and write off the airline’s debt to Podgorica and Tivat airports. In order to cover the debt owed to the Serbia and Montenegro Air Services Agency the government has offered them ownership of the Park Hotel in Bijela on the Montenegrin coast. Earlier in 2011, the government wrote off a further 3.2 million Euros in debt and ordered the country’s two international airports to lower its fees to the national carrier. Recently, there has been discontent amongst pilots unhappy with late wages. Unlike its regional rivals, the global economic gloom did not have an effect on Montenegro Airlines in either 2008 or 2009.

The Montenegrin carrier has faced sliding passenger numbers, handling under 600.000 passengers last year, although is reported to have had strong growth in January 2012. This summer the national airline will introduce flights to London from both Podgorica and Tivat and has announced plans to purchase another Embraer jet.

It will be the second time the government has attempted to privatise Montenegro Airlines. In 2010, it unsuccessfully tried to sell a 30% share in the airline. Although El Al Israel Airlines, Etihad Airways and Arkia Israel Airlines all purchased the tender documentation, none of them made an offer. The CEO of the airline, Zoran Djurišić, is firmly against the sale. Late last year he told the media, “The government knows my stance regarding the privatisation which is why I have been completely excluded from the process”. He added that privatising the airline will have long term negative effects on the country. Instead, Djurišić says the government should cover the airline’s losses and pressure Montenegro’s largest petroleum company, Jugopetrol, to reduce its unreasonably high costs.

Adria Tehnika counts its losses after Spanair collapse

The owner of Adria Airways Tehnika has announced that the aircraft maintenance company is in serious trouble following the bankruptcy of Spainair, its second largest client. Adria Airways Tehnika, the maintenance division of national carrier Adria Airways, was separated from the airline in January last year and sold to the government owned asset management firm PDP. It owns the company jointly with Ljubljana Airport which took a share in the company in return to writing off Adria’s debt to the airport. Adria Airways Tehnika has already reported poor financial results, which are set to be aggravated by the loss of its second biggest customer after Adria Airways. Spainair accounted for 25 to 30% of the company's revenues.

Spanair ceased operations last week in a surprise move after takeover talks with Qatar Airways failed and the Catalan government, which owns the majority of the Barcelona based airline, refused to come to its aid once again. On Monday the airline filed for bankruptcy. Currently, two of Spanair’s Airbus A320s are in Ljubljana. They were being serviced when the airline announced it was suspending operations. The maintenance work done on the jets has not been paid for. Adria Airways Tehnika is now negotiating with the owner of the Spanair aircraft, ILFC Leasing, to resolve the matter.

Spanair’s bankruptcy will prove as another blow to the already struggling maintenance company. Two years ago Adria Airways Tehnika posted a loss of five million Euros while the loss amounted to one million in 2011. However, this does not include millions of Euros owed by Adria Airways to its maintenance division. As a result, Adria Airways Tehnika plans to sue it main customer. Furthermore, its employees have been receiving only 90% of their pay recently and have not received social security payments. The management of Adria Airways Tehnika has put forward a restructuring plan, the details of which remain unknown.

Photo © Sierra5.net

Farewell Malev

Hungarian national carrier, Malev, has ceased all operations, ending with it services to Belgrade, Zagreb, Priština, Skopje, Sarajevo and Podgorica.

Priština overtakes Ljubljana as third busiest airport in the former Yugoslavia

Priština has finished 2011 as the third busiest airport in the former Yugoslavia, for the first time since it opened its doors in 1965. The dethroned Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport fell into fourth place with Dubrovnik Airport hot on its heels. A total of six airports managed to handle more than one million passengers.

Ljubljana Airport was affected by Adria Airways’ crisis last year and its significant reduction of flights, which were felt during the months of August, November and December. Since January the airport has recorded declining or break even numbers compared to those from 2010, with the exception of April when the airport saw significant growth. As a result, Slovenia’s capital city airport welcomed just under 1.370.000 passengers, a decrease of 1.3% compared to 2010. It should be taken into account that Ljubljana was closed for almost an entire month in 2010. Since 2008, when Ljubljana saw record traffic by handling 1.673.050 passengers, its figures have steadily decreased each year. Ljubljana Airport expects lower traffic volumes and revenue in 2012. Still, the airport says that Adria’s decline should be substituted by foreign airlines and charter flights this year.

Priština Airport handled 1.422.302 passengers, an increase of almost 9%. The three busiest airlines operating out of Priština were Edelweiss, Adria Airways and Belle Air. The most popular destinations out of the city were Zurich, Vienna and Dusseldorf. As has previously been reported, Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport is well ahead of its competition and in 2011 strengthened its position as the busiest airport in the former Yugoslavia. Other notable achievements were recorded by Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Skopje, Ohrid and Tivat. Joining Ljubljana as the only EX-YU capital city airport to see its figures decline in 2011 was Podgorica.

Below you can review the number of handled passengers by the ten busiest airports in the former Yugoslavia in 2011:

Airport	Passengers 2011	Passengers 2010	Change (%)
Belgrade	3.124.633	2.698.730	▲ 15.8
Zagreb	2.319.098	2.071.561	▲ 11.9
Priština	1.422.302	1.305.532	▲ 8.9
Ljubljana	1.370.000	1.388.651	▼ 1.3
Dubrovnik	1.349.501	1.270.062	▲ 6.3
Split	1.300.381	1.219.741	▲ 8.1
Skopje	759.928	681.080	▲ 11.6
Tivat	647.169	542.000	▲ 19.4
Podgorica	611.666	651.478	▼ 6.1
Sarajevo	599.996	563.266	▲ 6.5

Passengers still loyal to Adria

Adria Airways, which experienced financial problems last year and endured negative press in 2011, has managed to see only a slight decrease in passenger numbers when compared to 2010. Last year, Adria Airways welcomed a total of 1.163.016 passengers, a decrease of only 0.6% compared to 2010. Despite a significant downturn in passenger numbers in November and December, figures were aided by an outstanding performance in April and nearly the same passenger numbers recorded in the first half of 2011 compared to 2010. The Slovenian national carrier saw its average cabin load factor stand at 63%, a decrease of three points. In November, the airline recorded one of the lowest load factors amongst European national carriers as its figures dipped below 60%, to only 58%.

However, there are still tough times ahead for Adria. Even though it will launch a new service from Priština to Verona this Saturday and seasonal flights to London, Barcelona and Manchester in the summer, the airline will significantly cut down on its summer network and capacity compared to last year, which is likely to be followed by fewer passenger numbers. The airline is currently deciding whether to resume services to Paris which were suspended over the winter period. However, as the low cost easyJet bids farewell to the route, a new opportunity has been given to Adria to restart the flights and hopefully make a profit, having to compete only against Air France this time around.

Adria Airways ended 2011 as the third busiest national airline in the former Yugoslavia. It was behind Croatia Airlines which handled 1.880.000, recording an increase of 15%, and Jat Airways which welcomed 1.219.703 passengers onboard and recorded an increase of 14% compared to 2011. The Serbian carrier had the best average cabin occupancy on its flights, standing at 70%, followed by Croatia Airlines at 67% and Adria at 63%. Apart from Croatia Airlines and Jat, all the other national EX-YU carriers saw their passenger figures decline in 2011 compared to 2010.

ČSA farewells Skopje

ČSA farewells Skopje

ČSA Czech Airlines will suspend services to Skopje at the end of the 2011/2012 winter season on March 25. The Czech national carrier is in the process of implementing severe service cuts as it looks to curb losses and become attractive to a potential new owner. A total of six weekly flights were planned between Prague and Skopje this summer. The airline has relied heavily on transfer passengers on the route. Over the past few years Prague has constantly featured as one of the top ten busiest destinations being operated out of the Macedonian capital on an annual basis. Skopje won’t be the only causality of ČSA’s service cuts as the airline also intends to suspend flights to Athens and Oslo.

Last year, ČSA terminated flights to Belgrade as well, despite having a complete monopoly on the route. It even operated double daily flights between the Czech and Serbian capitals in 2011. Elsewhere, in the EX-YU region, ČSA will be reducing flights to Ljubljana from twelve to ten times per week while flights to Zagreb, the airline’s first international service dating back from 1930, will increase from five to six weekly.

Skopje Airport recently saw another cancellation, as the low cost Italian airline Blu-express terminated its two weekly service from Rome due to poor loads. The route has been operating for only two months. Skopje Alexander the Great Airport handled just over 800.000 passengers in 2011, making it one of its best years in recent history but still short of its all time record of 1.020.000 passengers achieved in 2000. B&H Airlines and Jetairfly from Brussels are the only new airlines to announce flights to Skopje this summer, with Jetairfly to operate only a seasonal service. MAT Airways, which operated regular charter flights from Skopje last year is unlikely to get its license renewed by the Macedonian Civil Aviation Agency. It expires on June 15. The airline has been grounded since September 2011.

Czech Airlines 

Croatia Airlines busiest airline in the former Yugoslavia

As was widely expected, Croatia Airlines strengthened its position as the busiest carrier in the former Yugoslavia in 2011. The Croatian carrier welcomed the highest number of passengers since it began operations in 1991. Croatia Airlines handled 1.880.000 passengers, an increase of 15% compared to 2010, a press release from the carrier says. The Zagreb based airline also improved on its average cabin occupancy index, which stood at 67%, an increase five points on 2010.

The airline recorded even growth on both its domestic and international operations. A total of 1.370.000 passengers used Croatia Airline on international flights while 507.000 opted for the carrier on domestic services. Croatia Airlines operated a total of 27.598 flights, representing an increase of 8% in 2010. The increase in the number of passengers was also driven by a reduction in ticket prices and a record year in the tourism industry. Croatia Airlines will have increased competition during the summer of 2012 from low cost airlines, however, it no longer has to worry about its rival Dubrovnik Airline which ceased operations late last year.

Meanwhile, the management of the carrier has rejected all proposals made by the union of Croatia Airlines pilots, in a report they delivered to their employer. The airline says the proposed business changes have no financial viability. Croatia Airlines pilots have requested for the government to sack the airline’s entire management saying that the Croatian carrier is being mismanaged and controlled by Lufthansa.

More passengers for Jat in 2011

Jat Airways handled 1.219.703 passengers in 2011, an increase of 14% compared to 2010. The Serbian carrier operated a total of 17.946 commercial flights and recorded an average cabin load factor of 70%, up 8 points on 2010. The airline improved most on its Montenegro services with passenger numbers increasing 19%. Numbers were also up on Euro Mediterranean flights by 16%. On the other hand, passenger figures declined by 22% on charter flights, with a significant decrease in the number of these flights operated throughout the year. Its busiest routes continue to be those to London Heathrow, Moscow and Zurich. Financial results are expected to be made public by March.

Jat had constant growth throughout the year although it significantly slowed in December. With the number of operated flights decreasing by 10%, the Serbian carrier recorded passenger growth of only 1%. In the last month of 2011, the airline welcomed 78.054 passengers onboard while its cabin load factor stood at 66%, up by 8 points.

Jat Airways has announced that in 2012 its passengers will continue to see promotional ticket sales, which lasted throughout 2011. The first one has already been launched for January. Furthermore, Jat will be rolling out its new frequent flyer program entitled “Extra Flight Club”. Finally, its independent technical division, Jat Tehnika, will begin servicing Airbus aircraft this year. Then again, it remains to be seen whether long lasting problems such as its old fleet, threaten year old Airbus jet order, political inference and everlasting privatisation process will be resolved in the next twelve months.

You can review all of Jat Airways’ passenger results from 2011 in the table below.

Month	PAX	Change (%)
JAN	70.788	▲ 3
FEB	67.635	▲ 24
MAR	79.408	▲ 20
APR	88.597	▲ 33
MAY	96.466	▲ 17
JUN	116.105	▲ 18
JUL	156.508	▲ 8
AUG	155.163	▲ 6
SEP	125.431	▲ 18
OCT	107.624	▲ 23
NOV	77.751	▲ 10
DEC	78.054	▲ 1

Montenegro Airlines back in London

Montenegro Airlines will launch services from Tivat to London during the 2012 summer season, as the airline looks to recover after underperforming in 2011. Flights from Tivat will be inaugurated on Sunday, March 25 and will operate every Wednesday and Sunday on a seasonal summer basis. The airline is hoping to attract British tourists on the route but also profit from the 2012 Olympic Games, being held in the British capital from July 27. This summer, all of the national carriers of the former Yugoslavia (with the exception of B&H Airlines) will be offering flights to either London Heathrow Airport or London Gatwick. Flight details for Montenegro Airlines’ new service can be viewed here.

Until the start of the 2011/2012 winter season, Montenegro’s national carrier operated regular all year round flights to London from its hub in Podgorica. However, the service was cancelled after it reported major losses on the route. Although the Montenegrin carrier is yet to report precise passenger figures for 2011, it carried just under 600.000 according to its CEO, a decrease of 5% compared to 2010 when it welcomed 630.000 passengers onboard.

Meanwhile, Tivat Airport handled approximately 645.000 passengers in 2011, an increase of 20% compared to 2010. It managed to finish the year off well ahead of EX-YU capital city airports such as Sarajevo and Podgorica. On the other hand, Podgorica handled approximately 615.000 passengers, down 4% on 2010.

Belgrade most successful EX-YU airport in 2011

In 2011, Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport saw its most successful year in the past twenty two years and its third most successful year in history. The airport handled 3.124.633 passengers in 2011, an improvement of 16% on 2010 when it saw 2.698.730 passengers. The significant passenger surge was recorded despite the number of flights increasing by only 1.7%. In December, the airport maintained its double digit growth by handling 217.684 passengers, an increase of 13.2% compared to the same month in 2010. The busiest month of the year was July while the busiest route was Vienna. Strong passenger figures were propped up by Jat Airways, which itself managed to significantly improve its passenger figures as well as Wizz Air which opened its Belgrade base in March.

During 2011, the airport also managed to report a strong profit, decrease its aircraft handling fees several times and begin a multi million Euro overhaul and expansion project at the very end of the year. Despite the success, several airlines cancelled services to the Serbian capital in 2011. They are: B&H Airlines (Sarajevo), Cimber Sterling (Copenhagen), ČSA Czech Airlines (Prague) and Aerosvit Airlines (Kiev). On the other hand, several carriers commenced operations to Belgrade Airport in 2011. They include Olympic Air (Athens), Croatia Airlines (Dubrovnik), Flydubai (Dubai) and Sky Work Airlines (Bern).

Below you can view Belgrade Airport’s five most successful years since opening its doors in 1962

Year	PAX
1987	3.311.951
1988	3.277.537
2011	3.124.633
1979	2.839.995
1986	2.822.908

Passenger increase for Niš Airport

Niš Constantine the Great Airport has seen improved figures in 2011 compared to 2010 by handling 25.124 passengers. The figure represents an increase 6.3% compared to 2010 with August being the airport’s busiest month. The number is still down on 35.518 passengers handled in 2006, the airport’s record since it reopened its doors in 2004. During last year, Niš Airport was only served by daily Montenegro Airlines flights from Podgorica. Unlike previous years, there were no summer charters in 2011. Furthermore, in 2010 the airport was served by the low cost Italian airline Wind Jet.

Niš will hope to attract new airlines in 2012. At a meeting late last year the airport’s management announced that it was working on bringing seasonal summer flights between the city and Rijeka, to commence in 2012. Furthermore, Sky Work Airlines from Switzerland has shown interest in launching flights from Bern. The airport should see a spike in traffic this January as the city co-hosts the European Handball Championships. However, in a few months a new commercial airport in Kraljevo, only some 140 kilometres away, is set to open.

Niš Airport was opened for commercial use in 1986, with Adria Airways being the first to launch charter flights. Soon after, JAT Yugoslav Airlines commenced scheduled services to Belgrade. The airport was deserted after the breakup of Yugoslavia and bombed in 1999. It was rebuilt and reopened in 2004.

Numbers up as airline subsidies are approved for next year

Skopje is enjoying a significant increase in the number of passengers since it opened the doors to its new terminal in September. Last month, Macedonia’s main hub welcomed 56.180 passengers, an increase of 17.1% compared to the same month last year. The strong growth was followed up by an increase in the number of flights being operated to Alexander the Great Airport, up 15.4% on November 2010. Ohrid Airport, on the other hand, welcomed 1.332 passengers. Combined, the two handled 57.512 passengers, up from 50.541 passengers last November.

So far this year, Skopje and Ohrid airports have handled a combined total of 765.309 passengers. Therefore, they have already exceeded 2010s end of year result when they saw 756.088 passengers through their doors. In recent years the two airports have recorded rapid passenger growth, despite the demise of Macedonia’s national carrier MAT Macedonian Airlines.

Meanwhile, the Macedonian government has approved plans to attract new airlines by offering subsidies of up to five million Euros within the next three years. The choice of airlines that will receive the financial support will depend on several criteria such as frequencies, number of destinations as well as projected passenger numbers. A total of 1.4 million Euros in subsidies will be offered next year, increasing to 1.5 in 2013 and 2.2 million in 2014. Macedonia is currently served by two scheduled low cost airlines: Wizz Air and Pegasus Airlines.

November numbers down at Adria, on the up at Croatia Airlines

Adria Airways has faced the full brunt of its network suspensions in November as the Slovenian carrier handled 60.300 passengers, down 9.5% compared to the same period last year. The average cabin load factor was also under par standing at 57.9%. The figures were to be expected since the number of flights operated by Adria in November decreased almost 8%. So far this year the carrier has handled approximately 1.098.538 passengers, which is just under last year’s result for the same period. Adria will have a tough ask to exceed last year’s annual result when it welcomed 1.170.235 passengers.

Meanwhile, in November, Croatia Airlines carried 112.100 passengers, an increase of 6% compared to last year. From January until the end of November, the Croatian carrier welcomed 1.708.355 passengers. It is on course to surpass its 2008 end of year record when it saw 1.8 million passengers. This November, its cabin load factor stood at 67%.

As was previously reported, Jat carried 77.751 passengers in November, leading to a total of 1.141.476 passengers for the year. As a result, until the end of November, when passenger figures from all of the national carriers of the former Yugoslavia are combined, they carried a total of just over four million passengers.

Tempers flare at Montenegro Airlines

Montenegro Airlines pilots have issued a public plea to the Government of Montenegro to save the embattled national carrier from “imminent collapse”. The airline’s pilots have requested an audience with the Montenegrin Prime Minister Igor Lukšić as “the company finds itself in a difficult financial state due to incompetent management”. Pilots say that they are just starting to receive their August salaries, meaning that they haven’t been paid for three full months of work. Some are also receiving lower salaries than outlined in their contracts. The Montenegrin judiciary has warned the airline against such actions.

Montenegro Airlines CEO, Zoran Djurišić, who has been at the helm of the company since its creation in 1994, hit back at the pilots saying that the airline’s financial woes are a result of the unstable economic climate across the globe. He adds that “a group of pilots have been creating a negative working environment within the airline for the past year and a half”. Djurišić claims that Montenegro Airlines is one of the most successful airlines in Europe and that its losses are less than those of its rivals Adria Airways, Croatia Airlines and Austrian. Meanwhile, a group of Montenegro Airlines’ most experienced pilots are staying loyal to their employer saying that they are proud to work for such an airline and are satisfied with their wages. On average, a pilot at Montenegro Airlines earns 4.500 Euros per month, according to the company.

Montenegro Airlines, which keeps most of its business operations a closely guarded secret, was forced to suspend flights to Priština and Skopje due to unpaid fees earlier in the year. The Montenegrin government has written off over 3 million Euros worth of the carrier’s debt and issued state guarantees for a 9.6 million Euro loan. It recently announced that it will restructure the flag carrier in order to return it to profitability. Montenegro Airlines said, several months ago, that it should carry 600.000 passengers by the end of 2011, a 5% decrease compared to last year.

Passenger plunge at Dubrovnik Airport

Despite a record breaking year for most Croatian airports, growth somewhat slowed in November compared to the same month last year. The number of passengers using Croatia’s main airports decreased by half of a percent compared to the same month last year.

Zagreb Airport, which launched a new look website earlier this week, continued to report positive figures by handling 156.755 passengers, up 3.2%. Overall, growth this year has amounted to 8% with 2.083.366 passengers passing through its doors. In November, Zagreb was joined by Split, Rijeka and Mali Lošinj as the other airports also to record growth. In Rijeka it amounted to 753% with the airport handling 111 passengers (up from 13 last year), while growth at Mali Lošinj reached 304% with 97 passenger welcomed.

On the other hand, Dubrovnik saw disappointing results. The coastal airport handled 26.007 passengers, down 20.3% on last year. Numbers were also down in Pula which saw only 1.051 passengers.

Below you can review the performance of Croatia’s airports in November 2011. Overall, Croatian airports handled 212.410 passengers, a decrease of 0.5% compared to November 2010. The statistics have been provided by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics.

Airport	Passengers NOV 2011	Passengers NOV 2010	Change (%)
Zagreb	156.755	151.908	▲ 3.2
Dubrovnik	26.007	32.626	▼ 20.3
Pula	1.051	1.201	▼ 12.5
Split	26.666	25.905	▲ 2.9
Zadar	1.657	1.672	▼ 0.9
Osijek	66	130	▼ 49.2
Rijeka	111	13	▲ 753.9
Mali Lošinj	97	24	▲ 304.2

Passenger numbers slide as Ljubljana Airport plans for 2012

Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport has announced that it will see a decline in passenger numbers this year compared to 2010. As a result, Slovenia’s main airport will record a third consecutive year of sliding passenger figures. In 2010, the airport handled 1.388.651 passengers, which was down on the crisis hit 2009. During last year the airport was closed as construction work was carried out on its runway, which coincided with the closing of European airspace due to the Icelandic volcano ash cloud, all resulting in sliding passenger volumes. The airport cites Adria’s network cuts as the main reason for its underperformance this year. However, Ljubljana Airport’s problems began well before Adria’s financial troubles escalated. This entire year the airport has only seen passenger growth in the month of April.

On the other hand, the airport has managed to see an increase in profits. Due to Adria’s plan to lease part of its fleet and cut frequencies on some of its routes next summer, Ljubljana Airport expects lower traffic volumes and revenues in 2012, its report states. Still, the airport says that Adria’s decline should be substituted by foreign airlines and charter flights.

Finally, a total of 13.1 million Euros will be invested into Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport next year. Almost 11 million Euros will be spent on construction projects and the rest on equipment. All of the planned investments will be financed through the airport’s own means. The construction of the much anticipated new terminal is set to begin next year, with work set to be completed by 2015.

Future look of Belgrade Airport

The expansion and overhaul of Belgrade Airport’s two terminals has begun. With the new business class lounge completed and opened for passengers to use, construction work has now begun on the refurbishment of the A (terminal one) and C (terminal two) gates. The first phase of the project, which will be completed by the summer of 2012, will see the expansion and refurbishment of the C1-2 gate as well as gates from A1 to A5. The price tag of the first phase will amount to 5.5 million Euros. Work will be carried out so as not to disturb flights and passengers. Pictured below is the area being overhauled.

Gates C3-4 and C5-6 will be expanded in the second phase. The third phase will involve the expansion of the A6 gate and onwards with the fourth and final phase seeing the construction of a completely new floor which will stretch over 4.900 square metres. Another apron will be built next to terminal two which will be able to handle four medium sized aircraft. Once the project is completed, a total of 9.900 square metres will be added and the terminal one air bridges will be replaced.

The airport will finance the project entirely through its own means with no bank loans required. It marks the biggest overhaul of the airport building since terminal two was renovated several years ago. The airport’s two terminals currently have the capacity to handle seven million passengers per year.

Last Friday, Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport welcomed its third millionth passenger in 2011. It is the first time the airport has managed to break the three million mark since 1988. If sustained growth continues into 2012, Belgrade Airport is on course to post its best figures since opening its doors forty years ago and a place in Europe’s top 100 busiest airports list.

Construction of Priština’s new terminal on schedule

By the end of October Priština Airport handled 1.212.856 passengers and is on track to improve on its 2010 end of year result when it saw 1.305.533 passengers. It is also on course to become the third busiest airport in the former Yugoslavia, after Belgrade and Zagreb, unless Dubrovnimk sees strong numbers in November and December. The airport has seen a strong increase in traffic throughout the year with Germanwings recently launching several new routes to Priština. Vienna topped the list of busiest routes to and from Priština this year followed by Istanbul, Budapest, Munich and Zurich. Ljubljana was the only city in the former Yugoslavia making it into the top ten position, at seventh place. Adria Airways remains the biggest carrier operating out of Priština followed by Austrian and Belle Air Europe. Turkish Airlines managed sixth place, British Airways ninth while Croatia Airlines settled as the eleventh busiest airline from Priština.

Meanwhile, construction work on Priština’s multi million Euro terminal is ongoing. The investment is worth 120 million Euros and will see the construction of a new terminal stretching over 42.000 square metres, a new control tower, an apron able to accommodate nine Boeing 737 jets, three air bridges, a car park for 1.750 vehicles, a new access road from the city to the airport and the widening of taxiways. A total of 150 people will work inside the new terminal, expected to open in January 2013.

Tivat Airport overtakes Sarajevo and Podgorica

For Tivat Airport 2011 is shaping up to be its busiest year on record since it opened its doors in 1971. By the end of November, Tivat welcomed 634.226 passengers, an impressive increase of up to 19.2%. The good figures come on top of a strong year for Montenegrin tourism. The airport handled a total of 4.413 flights which is up 11.5% on the same period last year. “We expect to end the year with a total of 645.000 passengers”, Tivat Airport CEO Ranko Bošković says.

With such strong figures, Tivat Airport will end the year ahead of larger airports such as Sarajevo and rival Podgorica. As a result, Tivat should take its place as the seventh busiest airport in the former Yugoslavia in 2011. On the other hand, by the end of November Podgorica Airport handled 572.272 passengers.

Montenegro Airlines was the busiest out if its hub airports this year followed by Jat Airways and the Russian charter airline Moskovia. Turkish Airlines managed fourth, while partner Star Alliance member Austrian only sixth. Belgrade continues to be the most popular destination from Montenegro in 2011, followed by Moscow in second and Vienna in third place.

EX-YU’s busiest airlines count their numbers

With 2011 coming to an end, the three busiest airlines of the former Yugoslavia - Croatia Airlines, Jat Airways and Adria Airways have carried a combined total of almost 3.770.000 passengers so far this year.

With the exception of a few industrial spats with its employees, Croatia Airlines has had a good year by decreasing losses and increasing passenger numbers. By the end of October, the Croatian carrier welcomed 1.596.235 passengers onboard, an increase of 15% compared to the same period last year. Its average cabin load factor has so far this year amounted to 66%, slightly up on last year when it stood at 62%.

On the other hand, Serbia’s national carrier, Jat Airways, handled 1.141.476 passengers by the end of November, an increase of 15% compared to the same period in 2010. Its average cabin load factor currently stands at 70%, significantly up on last year when it was 60%. The airline recently revealed its latest results for November to Source : EXYU aviation news : http://exyuaviation.blogspot.com, as it recorded its seventeenth consecutive month of rising passenger numbers. In November, the Serbian carrier welcomed 77.751 passengers onboard, an increase of 10% despite a 14% reduction in the number of operated flights. The average cabin load factor stood at 68%, 14 points up on November 2010. Passengers using Jat’s Montenegro services increased 22%, figures for Euro-Mediterranean flights were up 7% while passengers using Jat’s charter flights doubled compared to last November.

Finally, Slovenia’s Adria Airways, which has had to deal with plenty of negative publicity in the past few months in regards to its future, has managed to serve 1.032.238 passengers by the end of October, an increase of 1% compared to last year. However, since news of Adria’s delicate financial situation began to spread a few months ago numbers took a tumble. In October alone passenger figures were down 4% compared to last year. However, with its network reductions coming into force during November, it will be a few more days before its affect on passenger numbers is revealed. So far this year, Adria’s average cabin load occupancy stands at 64%, down on 2010 when it amounted to 69%.