From MAT Airways to Kon Tiki Sky to Alfa Air

Kon Tiki Sky (branded as MAT Airways), led by disgraced Dutch businessmen Harry van Achteren, has found a way to operate flights out of Skopje as Serbian tour operator Kon Tiki Travel confirmed it has sold its stake in MAT Airways to Bays Air from the Netherlands and has no connection to Kon Tiki Sky. Last week, Kon Tiki Sky announced it would launch fourteen new destinations out of Skopje but later noted the mentioned destinations were only a list of cities the airline would wish to fly to since it did not receive a license from the Macedonian Civil Aviation Directorate.

However, it has now found a solution. Kon Tiki will operate under Alfa Air codes, which is an airline based in Romania. It will use its aircraft as well (pictured above). As a result, the MAT Airways Boeing 737-500 won’t be used. Kon Tiki Sky says it will launch low cost flights from Skopje to Basel (5 times per week), Dusseldorf (3X p/w), Stuttgart (2X p/w), Hamburg (2X p/w), Berlin (2X p/w), Malmo (2X p/w) and Istanbul (2X p/w) from April 30. From May 28 the airline will launch services to Ancona (3X p/w), Milan (3X p/w), Bologna (3X p/w), Rome (4X p/w), Trieste (4X p/w) and Bratislava (4X p/w). All flights will operate with two Alfa Air British Aerospace RJ85 jets.

According to Kon Tiki Sky reservations can already be made. Ticket prices, which start from 45 euros, can already be seen on the airline’s website but are still unavailable for online purchase. If the flights do go ahead they should help boost Skopje Airport and its passenger numbers. Kon Tiki Sky will also be up for a chance to receive government subsidies designated for low cost airlines.

Scam master running Kon Tiki Sky

Kon Tiki Sky, also known as MAT Airways, which recently announced the launch of fourteen new destinations from Skopje, says it has not obtained a license for any of its advertised flights. It has emerged that Kon Tiki Sky is no longer owned or run by the Serbian tour operator Kon Tiki, rather, it has been taken over by Harry van Achteren, who has been involved in several scandals and bankruptcies. The airline has advertised low cost flights from Skopje to Antwerp, Ancona, Bologna, Bratislava, Basel, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Rome, Milan, Trieste, Stuttgart, Istanbul and Malmo.

However, on its website the airline states, “Kon Tiki Sky was not yet able to negotiate commercial terms, with Skopje Airport and/or local authorities, justifying the start of its scheduled routes out of an “emerging market” like Macedonia. Under the chapter “Coming Soon” on our website we mentioned all of the routes Kon Tiki Sky would like to operate out of Skopje”.

In 2004, Harry van Achteren set up jetsSky.com in his native Netherlands. The airline never took off the ground but sold “ghost” flights via its website, meaning it sold tickets for nonexistent flights. Last year van Achteren was arrested on fraud charges in connection to the collapse of the Antwerp Container Repair & Trading Company. Skopje Airport, which has already seen strong growth at the start of 2012, could have significantly profited from the above mentioned flights which were advertised to begin from May 1.

MAT to launch fourteen destinations from Skopje

The charter airline MAT Airways will resume operations from Skopje for the first time since August 2011. The airline, owned by the Serbian tour operator Kon Tiki, will launch fourteen destinations from May 1. The carrier will first inaugurate two weekly flights to Antwerp in Belgium. Just over a month later, on June 18, Mat Airways will launch flights to Ancona (3 times per week), Milan-Bergamo (3 p/w), Bologna (3 p/w), Rome (4 p/w), Trieste (4 p/w), Bratislava (4 p/w), Basel (5 p/w), Dusseldorf (3 p/w), Stuttgart (2 p/w), Hamburg (2 p/w), Berlin (2 p/w) Malmo (2 p/w) and Istanbul-Sabiha Gokcen (2 p/w).

The airline owns a sole Boeing 737-500 but is also likely to use Sky Wings International’s Boeing 737-300, which has been sitting at Skopje Airport for months. MAT operated flights last summer but suspended operations due to poor loads in August. The new flights can be booked via the airline’s website. Prices start from 45 euros. MAT could also be interested in applying for subsidies to be offered by the Macedonian government for low cost airlines.

If the flights get off to a successful start it will be a major coup for Skopje Airport which has already seen strong growth this year. In February, Macedonia’s two commercial airports (Skopje and Ohrid) handled 49.031 passengers, an increase of 22% compared to the same month last year. It was accompanied by a 4% increase in the number of operated flights to and from the airports. Recently, Skopje Alexander the Great Airport finally received a public transport bus link to the city centre, allowing passengers easier access to the country’s main airport.

B&H cancels all flights

B&H Airlines has cancelled all flights as its ATR72 leaves for Germany. Officially the aircraft has joined the other B&H Airlines ATR72 for maintenance. The airline’s Airbus A319 is grounded in Istanbul. As a result, the Bosnian carrier has cancelled all operations until further notice.

Flight delays and cancelations at Croatia Airlines

Croatia Airlines has been forced to cancel many of its flights today as the union of Croatia Airlines pilots, cabin crew, airline technicians and the “Novi sindikat” planned to begin a 24 hour strike. However, late last night they announced they were cancelling today’s strike. Nevertheless all of the planned flight cancellations remain in place. Despite spending over a year discussing the terms of their collective agreements with the airline’s management, no solution has been found. Today's strike was only supposed to be a warning to the management and further industrial action could be taken in the coming months if no agreement is reached. Despite the fact that the strike was supposed to last from 06.00 this morning until 06.00 tomorrow morning, the Croatian national carrier was forced to cancel its evening service to Sarajevo yesterday, since the aircraft would be unable to return to Zagreb in the morning and several flights will be cancelled tomorrow as well. Furthermore, passengers can expect delays on early morning flights tomorrow until operations resume to their full capacity.

The unions note that Croatia Airlines will be operating 80% of its scheduled services. Today, the airline has cancelled its flights to Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Brussels, Zurich, Dubrovnik, Split, Rome, Priština, Vienna, Munich, Pula, Zadar, Sarajevo and Skopje. As a result, return flights from Pula, Zadar, Sarajevo and Skopje, which are scheduled to operate on March 9 have also been cancelled. It should be noted that on some of these destinations, Croatia Airlines operates more than one daily flight and in most cases only one of the daily flights has been cancelled.

Croatia Airlines’ management is fuming over the planned walk out by staff saying that the industrial action is unnecessary. It has been further angered after employees said that they wouldn't strike with the airline unable to resume normal operations today. The carrier claims that the terms set out by the unions go against the airline’s cost cutting measure while seven of the eleven conditions set out by the unions go against Croatia’s state laws. Furthermore, the management says the strike will cost the airline 200.000 euros. Croatia Airlines is offering passengers the opportunity to be either rebooked on other flights or compensated to the full amount of their ticket price. Latest strike details can be found on the carrier’s website here. Those interested in viewing the collective agreement from 2011 that unions want to be changed can view it here (PDF document - in Croatian).

Strong start for Skopje and Ohrid

Skopje and Ohrid airports have continued their impressive growth in 2012. The two Macedonian airports handled 64.394 passengers in January, an increase of 24%. The figures were aided by 923 flights operated to and from the airports, thus representing an increase of 17% compared to the same month last year. The two airports experienced particularly strong growth during the holiday New Year season. Skopje Alexander the Great Airport handled 5.458 passengers in the first two days of 2012, representing an increase of 140% on last year. Similarly, Ohrid Airport recorded a boost of 86% during the two days by handling 643 passengers.

In 2011, Skopje Airport welcomed 759.928 passengers, while Ohrid saw 74.345 passengers pass through its doors. As a result, Macedonia recorded the eighth biggest passenger increase by country in Europe in 2011. The only country in the former Yugoslavia ahead of Macedonia was Serbia, by one place, while others fell behind. Estonia saw the biggest increase in passengers in 2011, while Slovenia and Slovakia were the rare ones to detract. Macedonia was ahead of much larger markets such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey, Spain and France.

Confirmed new arrivals to Skopje Airport this summer will be B&H Airlines from Sarajevo and Jetairfly from Brussels. Ohrid will also enjoy Jetairfly flights, while Jat Airways resumes its seasonal service from Belgrade. Sky Express, which operated flights from Moscow to Ohrid last year, has since gone bankrupt.

Turkish Airlines Macedonia’s only regular carrier

The Macedonian Civil Aviation Agency has confirmed that Turkish Airlines has been given the status of a “regular carrier”, thus granting it numerous privileges over other airlines operating to the country. Experts believe that the regular carrier status is another step towards Turkish becoming Macedonia’s national carrier. Turkish Airlines, which operates daily flights to Skopje, will now have exclusivity over other airlines in selecting destinations as well as landing and handling fee exemptions at Skopje and Ohrid airports. Turkish Airlines is the only to have been granted the status of a regular carrier in Macedonia, with Mat Airways having the status of charter airline until June. TAV has been lobbying since 2010 for Turkish to become Macedonia's national airline.

The former head of Macedonia’s two airports says that the country must have a national carrier because every serious state does. Macedonia has so far had two national airlines, Palair Macedonia and MAT Macedonian Airlines which replaced Palair following its bankruptcy. MAT ceased operations in 2009 upon the order of the Macedonian Civil Aviation Agency under the pretext of a faulty aircraft. However, the airline was also high in debt. Skopje Airport handled the most passengers in 2000 when it saw over one million passengers and in 1999 when it handled 970.000 passengers. This summer B&H Airlines will launch flights from Sarajevo to the Macedonian capital while Jetairfly will operate seasonal flights from Brussels to both Skopje and Ohrid. The Civil Aviation Agency says there have been no other applications for new flights this summer. ČSA Czech Airlines will terminate flights from Prague on March 24.

Meanwhile, the former head of the Macedonian Civil Aviation Agency, Zoran Krstevski, who was instrumental in the grounding of MAT, is under investigation on suspicion of corruption. It is believed that Krstevski misused the Agency’s funds and is accused of reckless spending on mobile phone bills and car petrol.

EX-YU cities loose Budapest flights after Malev collapse

Following Malev’s demise on Friday, EX-YU cities have been left without direct air links to Hungary’s capital Budapest, which, amongst other things, attracted many transit passengers. None of the national carriers of the former Yugoslavia have attempted to introduce flights to Budapest and try to scoop stranded passengers. On Friday Lufthansa, easyJet, Wizz Air and Air Berlin were quick to react and increase frequencies while Ryanair announced over thirty new destinations to the Hungarian capital.

Malev had an extensive network in the former Yugoslavia operating flights to Belgrade, Priština, Podgorica, Sarajevo, Skopje and Zagreb. The Hungarian national carrier operated nine weekly flights to Belgrade. Recently, the airline had seen sliding passenger numbers on the route as more competition saw fewer transit passengers. The airline planed to reduce the service to one daily flight from the 2012 summer season. Malev operated two daily flights to Priština and thirteen weekly to Skopje, from which it saw numerous transit passengers. There were no plans to either increase or reduce flights over the coming summer. Sarajevo enjoyed daily flights and Podgorica six weekly while nearby Zagreb saw 18 weekly services between the two cities this winter. None of the former Yugoslav national carriers operate flights to the Hungarian capital and none have jumped at the opportunity to inaugurate services between the two cities since Malev’s demise. While the Hungarian low cost airline Wizz Air is based in Belgrade, it is unlikely it will be tempted to launch flights between the two cities as its aircraft are too big and inter Eastern European flights have proved unsuccessful for the airline in the past.

Officials at Budapest Airport, one of the biggest losers of Malev’s grounding, said it doubts the flights will ever be reinstated. "There are some estimates that over 20 or 23 routes of Malev will never be served by other airlines", airport spokesmen Mihaly Hardy said. It is believed that the Hungarian government will work to set up a new national carrier by the start of the 2012 summer season, which begins in over a month. It remains to be seen whether EX-YU destinations, on which Malev had a complete monopoly, will be resumed.

Flight delays and cancelations across EX-YU

UPDATED 21.00 CET

Snowstorms, fog and freezing weather have disrupted flight operations across the former Yugoslavia. Podgorica has been closed on and off for the past three days while Sarajevo Airport closed its doors this morning until 20.00 CET. In Belgrade meanwhile, the airport was evacuated when an anonymous call came that there was a bomb on board Air France's jet, which turned out to be false.

Both snow and fog are proving to be a problem at Sarajevo Airport. Sarajevo closed this morning with all departures cancelled for the day. Nearly all flights from Sarajevo were cancelled yesterday as well. Only early morning departures and B&H Airlines’ flights to Zurich and Istanbul were unaffected. Austrian was forced to divert its evening Sarajevo service to Belgrade. Operations resumed in the evening hours with Austrian, Jat and Croatia Airlines performing their flights as normal.

Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport saw short delays throughout the day however there was some panic after an anonymous phone caller said there was a bomb onboard an Air France jet which was being prepared for its return flight to Paris. The airport was forced to evacuate and the flight cancelled although no bomb was found. The caller, a 62 year old from Bor, was later arrested. He said he was “only having some fun”. It was later disclosed that the man in question is mentally challenged.

In Montenegro, most flights to and from Podgorica Airport have been cancelled for the last three days due to heavy snowfall. There is now a big backlog of passengers on the Podgorica - Belgrade - Podgorica service with both Montenegro Airlines and Jat Airways cancelling most flights between the two cities. The two airlines attempted to operate flights to Tivat yesterday but before making their descent into the coastal city were forced to turn back to Belgrade. In order to clear the backlog of passengers Jat planned to operate an early morning service to the Montenegrin capital at 4.40 today but has cancelled the flight.

In Skopje, Priština and Ljubljana, flights have been operating normally (other than those to Montenegro) although all with an average forty minute delay. Out of all the airports in the former Yugoslav region, Zagreb was operating most smoothly with nearly all flights taking off from the airport yesterday, registering only minor delays. Split Airport has been closed due to snow and extreme winds reaching up to 180 kilometres per hour.

All of Eastern Europe is grappling with a Siberian freeze which is spreading westwards. Freezing conditions, which have claimed hundreds of lives across the continent, are set to persist for days to come.

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

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 

B&H expanding network for 2012 summer season

B&H Airlines is spreading its wings this summer. After announcing that it will resume seasonal summer flights to Stockholm and Gothenburg, the Bosnian carrier will now also resume two destinations from the past - Skopje and Vienna. Flights to Vienna were terminated last year along with Frankfurt to the dismay of many loyal passengers. B&H Airlines plans to operate up to 5 weekly flights to Vienna with the regional ATR72. As a result, a ticket pricing war between B&H and its rival Austrian has now begun, with Austrian lowering fares over night. Austrian profited from B&H’s pull out on the Vienna service and it currently operates two daily flights to the Bosnian capital. However, it remains to be seen whether B&H will make the Sarajevo - Vienna route work this time around. In 2011 the airline suspended the flight citing poor loads. Flight details for the service to Vienna can be found here.

The national carrier of Bosnia and Herzegovina will also expand regionally by launching five weekly services to Skopje. Flights will also operate with the ATR72. The airline has previously flown to the Macedonian capital nonstop as well as via Podgorica. Details can be viewed here.

During the 2012 summer season, B&H Airlines will operate flights to Amsterdam, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Vienna, Skopje, Istanbul, Banja Luka, Copenhagen and Zurich. However, the airline is still formulating its summer timetable, leaving the possibility for other new routes to be announced. Both flights to Skopje and Vienna will be launched on March 25.

Good start for Macedonian airports

Skopje Airport has started the year off by posting strong passenger growth in the first days of 2012. The airport managed to handle 5.458 passengers in the first two days of the year, up 140% compared to the same period last year. Despite not having any scheduled flights over the winter, Ohrid Airport managed 643 passengers, up from 345 last year, representing an increase of 86%. Combined, Macedonia’s two airports welcomed 6.101 passengers, up from 2.613 a year ago.

The 2011 end of year result for Skopje Alexander the Great Airport is expected to be released soon and it will be a question of whether the airport has finally managed to top 800.000 passengers. With strong results recorded throughout the year, it is expected that it could well do so. In 2011, Macedonia’s main hub handled 716.000 passengers. With no scheduled airline based in the city, airport authorities will look to attract as many carriers as possible this coming summer. State subsidies for low cost airlines, which are set to kick in later on in the year, will help towards achieving such a goal.

In the first week of 2012, the airport also published its redesigned web page to correspond with its new terminal opened in September last year.

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.

Soon in Skopje and Ohrid

Belgian Jetairfly will commence flights to both Ohrid and Skopje in Macedonia from Brussels during the 2012 summer season. The route will operate as a triangle service, departing Brussels National Airport to Ohrid before returning back to the Belgian capital via Skopje. The flights will launch on May 13 and will operate twice per week with a Boeing 737. Jetairfly is aiming to attract leisure passengers heading to Ohrid but also passengers from Skopje in need of a direct link to Brussels. Macedonia is one of the rare countries in Europe not to have a direct service to the self proclaimed European capital city. Flights will operate on a seasonal summer basis until September 19. Details for the Brussels - Ohrid sector can be found here and for flights to Skopje here. No tickets will be sold for the twenty minute hop from Ohrid to Skopje.

Both of Macedonia’s airports are seeing a significant surge in passenger figures this year. In the month of October the two airports handled a combined total of 74.703 passengers, an impressive increase of 18.8% compared to the same month last year. This is in line with the strong growth the two airports have seen throughout the year. From January until the end of July the two welcomed 453.527 passengers, an increase of 13%. In 2011, Skopje handled 680.000 passengers, a figure it is certain to surpass this year.

New flights from Skopje and Ohrid

The Macedonian Government will offer low cost airlines a total of 1.4 million Euros in subsidies in an attempt to attract more tourists and passengers to both Skopje and Ohrid airports in 2012. The Macedonian Civil Aviation Agency recently announced that it is working on connecting Skopje with Milan, Dublin, Basel, Paris, Barcelona and Dubai. Currently, low cost airlines operating to Skopje do not receive subsidies from the state but are given incentives from airport operator TAV through lower landing and handling fees. The practice has so far proved successful. After Wizz Air launched flights from London and Treviso to the Macedonian capital, Pegasus Airlines, Blu-express, Belle Air Europe and the semi low cost Air Berlin followed. Soon, German Sky Airlines, a subsidiary of Sky Airlines from Turkey, will commence flights from Zurich to Skopje. The Civil Aviation Agency announced that these flights will be launched sometime during the winter season.

Wizz Air could be one of the airlines to take advantage of the government’s subsidies by expanding its offer from the Macedonian capital. Recently, Gyorgy Abran, Wizz Air’s Chief Commercial Officer, said at a press conference that the no frills carrier plans to introduce new routes soon. “We plan to introduce more routes, but we will first wait and see how our current offer performs”, Abran said.

Meanwhile, Ohrid Airport has managed to secure new flights for the coming summer. The mixed Turkish-Dutch airline Corendon will launch two weekly flights from Eindhoven in the Netherlands to Ohrid during the 2012 summer season. Flights will be inaugurated on May 4 and will operate until October 16. The airline has previously operated seasonal flights from Amsterdam to Ohrid.

Skopje Airport awaits new winter flights

The Albanian low cost airline Belle Air Europe will commence flights from Skopje to Rome and Dusseldorf. The airline will launch its two weekly service to Rome Fiumicino Airport on December 15. The flights will be in direct competition with Blu-express from Italy, which began services on the same route yesterday. Interestingly, both airlines will operate flights on exactly the same days (Thursdays and Sundays) with only a few hours between them. Return ticket prices on both vary between 150 and 200 Euros. Belle Air will also launch flights from Dusseldorf to the Macedonian capital with a two weekly frequency. Services from Dusseldorf will be inaugurated on December 10.

The Macedonian Civil Aviation Agency, in cooperation with Skopje Airport operator TAV, is looking to fill in the void left by MAT Macedonian Airlines and its successor Mat Airways by finding alternative airlines to operate the same routes, as a result catering for the needs of Macedonian travellers. Tour operators are also confident that the new flights to the Italian capital will attract tourists from both sides. Negotiations are now underway for flights from Amsterdam and Brussels to be launched.

Flight details for the Rome service can be found here, while information on the Dusseldorf flights can be viewed here. So far this year, Skopje Airport has seen many new arrivals including Wizz Air, Air Berlin, Blue-express and Pegasus Airlines.

Soon in Skopje

In just under two weeks, Skopje will once again see a direct air service from Rome Fiumicino Airport. The low cost Italian airline Blu-express will operate the service twice per week from Sunday, October 30. Currently, a return ticket in November will set passengers back 80 Euros, all taxes included. Blu-express is the low cost and short haul subsidiary of Blue Panorama Airlines which operates flights from Italy to holiday destinations such as Havana, Cancun and Montego Bay. The new service from Rome to Skopje will operate with a Boeing 737-300. Flight details can be found here.

Since MAT Airways grounded its single aircraft more than a month ago due to poor ticket sales, Skopje Airport hasn’t had scheduled flights to the Italian capital. The Macedonian Civil Aviation Agency has in the past two months been in pursuit of airlines interested to commence flights from Zurich, Rome, Dusseldorf and Amsterdam to the Macedonian capital in order to fill in the void left by MAT. The airline is unlikely to see its operating license extended for the 2012 summer season.

Meanwhile, Macedonian plane spotters had a sight for sore eyes on Monday when a VIP Qatar Airways Airbus A340-500 jetted into Skopje carrying the Emir of Qatar along with another Airbus A320 for the Emir’s entourage. Both countries signed a bilateral agreement for the development of tourism. Last year, Qatar and Macedonia signed an Open Sky Agreement granting airlines from both countries the ability to operate an unlimited number of passenger and cargo flights using any type of aircraft. The two countries also agreed to adopt an open skies policy in order to include third, fourth and fifth freedom passenger rights on intermediate routes and beyond.

New flights to Milan, Dublin, Basel, Paris, Barcelona and Dubai

The Macedonian Civil Aviation Agency has announced that Skopje will soon get direct flights to Milan, Dublin, Basel, Paris, Barcelona and Dubai but did not reveal the airlines which would operate the services. The Agency adds that several low cost airlines have expressed interest to fly to Skopje. Only a few days ago, Wizz Air launched flights from Venice (Treviso) to Skopje, their second destination to the Macedonian capital after inaugurating flights from London over the summer. German Sky Airlines, a subsidiary of Sky Airlines from Turkey will commence flights from Zurich to Skopje this winter.

The Civil Aviation Agency says that it is trying to attract as much airlines as possible which will in turn lead to a reduction in ticket prices, making flying more accessible to the general population. “We would like to point out that some thirty airlines are operating flights to Macedonia this year, an increase of 50% compared to last year. For the first time, Macedonia has direct air links to Moscow, Amsterdam, Rome, Ancona and Helsinki”, the Agency said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Skopje based MAT Airways has been grounded for over a month. Its single Boeing 737-500 has been parked at Skopje Airport and the airline has halted ticket sales. Although there is no official confirmation as to why it has ceased operations, it is believed that poor ticket sales have forced the airline to suspend services for a second time this summer. MAT Airways has an operational license from the Macedonian Civil Aviation Agency until mid 2012. It is unlikely that it will be extended.

New terminal to attract new passengers

Following the opening of a brand new passenger terminal at Skopje Alexander the Great Airport, the Turkish operator TAV Holidings expects to see a big passenger boom and is negotiating with several airlines to commence new flights to the Macedonian capital. In the first 7 months of the year, Skopje handled more than 400.000 passengers and over 100.000 in the busy month of July. Last year, Macedonia’s busiest airport welcomed some 680.000 passengers. Now, the new aim is to attract even more passengers and get an airline to base an aircraft at the airport. Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Paševski said last Friday, “Efforts will be made for the airport to handle about 1 million passengers as soon as possible and the number to rise to 2 million in 5 to 10 years time, hence stimulating tourism, which is one of the strategic branches for the future development of Macedonia”.

Skopje Airport’s new terminal can now handle up to 4 million passengers per year. As Source : EXYU aviation news : http://exyuaviation.blogspot.com can reveal, the Macedonian Civil Aviation Agency is in talks with a national carrier from the former Yugoslavia to base one of its aircraft in the country. However, the airline in question will only do so if it is granted rights to fly out of Skopje to several cities in Europe. While it has been cleared by the Macedonian Civil Aviation Agency it is uncertain whether it will be granted rights from other countries since it is an airline originating from a country other than Macedonia and operating to a third country.

Meanwhile, passengers have praised the new terminal at Skopje and its facilities. On Friday, arriving passengers were given a glass of Macedonian wine and white roses while Burger King opened its fast food restaurant at the airport. The price tag of the new terminal amounted 110 million Euros. TAV believes it will see a return on its investment and make a profit by 2030.

Skopje and Ohrid airports to be affected by strike

Macedonian Air Traffic Control has said it will go on strike on September 19, which will in turn cause disruption to airlines operating flights in and out of Skopje and Ohrid. The Union of Macedonian Air Traffic Controllers is requesting higher pay and better working conditions. Talks between the union and government broke down recently. The union says that the government has issued threats to the air controllers, saying that they will lose their jobs if they go on strike. Negotiations between the two sides regarding the collective agreement have been ongoing for the past year.

M-NAV, the Macedonian Air Traffic Control Agency has strongly denied claims made by the union. It hopes that a collective agreement will be signed within the next 10 days in order for the strike to be avoided. M-NAV has seen record growth in the number of handled flights and is now the 13th busiest air traffic control agency in Europe, according to EUROCONTROL.

Macedonia’s air traffic controllers staged a strike back in 2009, disrupting flights for 6 hours. In the former Yugoslavia, Air Traffic Control went on strike once, in 1985. They were quickly replaced by military personnel and the strike went by largely unnoticed.