Summer changes for Adria, B&H and Montenegro Airlines

Tomorrow, the 2012 Northern Hemisphere summer season begins. Following on from last week, when changes and additions were published for Croatia Airlines and Jat Airways, this week amendments for Adria Airways, B&H Airlines and Montenegro Airlines can be viewed.

Adria Airways’ summer season sees a big reduction in operations compared to last year. Flights to Paris, Warsaw, Toulon and Banja Luka were all suspended last year. Seasonal flights to Athens, Dublin, Kiev and Stockholm won’t be resuming this summer. The airline will reduce frequencies on regional flights with services to Priština, Tirana and Skopje taking a hit. On the other hand, the Slovenian carrier will launch new flights to London Luton Airport, increase frequencies to Copenhagen and operate numerous charters.

B&H Airlines will operate flights only to Istanbul, Copenhagen and Zurich via Banja Luka. The airline currently has a single ATR72 in operation. However, if its Turkish part owner manages to make amends with the Bosnian government other aircraft could be returned to the B&H fleet which would lead to some destinations being resumed.

Finally, Montenegro Airlines will reduce frequencies to several destinations. The most notable is a reduction of nine weekly flights from Podgorica to Zurich. The airline will also halve the number of flights to Moscow. However, the Montenegrin carrier will introduce a new service from Tivat to London Gatwick and will strengthen frequencies to Paris.

By clicking on the links below, you can view the 2012 summer season changes in more detail.

Adria Airways • B&H Airlines • Croatia Airlines • Jat Airways • Montenegro Airlines

All smiles for Adria at Priština

Priština has quickly become a success for Slovenia’s Adria Airways, a claim reinforced by the strong results the airline has seen on the recently launched services from the city to Verona in Italy. In the first three weeks since the route was launched on January 28, the airline carried approximately 2.500 passengers and recorded an average cabin occupancy index of 81.6%. "I am very pleased that we have introduced this service and I expect it to satisfy both Kosovo and Italian citizens", Adria CEO Klemen Boštjančič said at a recent launch party for the service.

Adria is quickly becoming one of the major players at Priština Airport. In 2011 the Slovenian national carrier welcomed some 140.000 passengers on board flights to and from Priština, making it the second busiest airline at the airport after Edelweiss. This summer, besides Verona, Adria will be operating flights to Frankfurt, Ljubljana and Munich as well.

Adria is the only former Yugoslav airline to have a secondary base outside of its borders. There have also been other attempts by national carriers in the region to open bases in neighbouring countries. Montenegro Airlines has attempted several times to open a base in Belgrade since 2006 but so far hasn’t received the green light from local authorities to do so. In 2010, Jat Airways attempted to open a base at Skopje Airport following the collapse of MAT Macedonian Airlines. However, its subsidiary Aeromak was denied a license by the Macedonian Civil Aviation Directorate.

Tomorrow you will be able to review summer changes Adria, Montenegro Airlines and B&H Airlines will be making to their summer timetables. Special thanks to the Sierra5 portal for contributing to the above news story.

Déjà vu?

Adria Airways CEO, Klemen Boštjančič, has announced that if Adria Airways’ pending privatisation process fails, a single airline for the former Yugoslavia will need to be created as no carrier in the region has the chance to survive in the current economic climate. “If the sale of Adria to a foreign partner fails, then our last chance is for regional integration with Croatia Airlines, Jat Airways and Montenegro Airlines”, Boštjančič told one of Slovenia’s most popular web portals - “SiOL”. The news comes a week after the Association of European Airlines urged Adria Airways to take a leading role in the integration of the former Yugoslav aviation market.

Adria’s CEO notes that Brussels has already shown support for the creation of a single airline for the former Yugoslavia. “Croatia will soon become an EU member and Serbia and Montenegro are not far off”, Boštjančič adds. However, Adria will first attempt to put itself on the market to foreign airlines. By the end of the month a financial consultant will be chosen to assist the Slovenian carrier with its privatisation process. While Boštjančič says that there is interest in Adria, he notes, “We and the government have to do everything in order for Adria Airways to get a new owner but I do not know whether we will succeed”, adding that regional cooperation must develop simultaneously with the privatisation process. Currently, many bigger players in Europe such as LOT Polish Airlines and Czech Airlines are awaiting privatisation.

Adria Airways already enjoys cooperation with airlines in the former Yugoslavia. It has code share agreements with both Jat Airways and Montenegro Airlines. Klemen Boštjančič says that regional integration could fail out of purely political reasons. All of the national EX-YU airlines ended 2011 with multi million euro losses. Once again the debate over a single national carrier for the countries of the former Yugoslavia reopens, 21 years after its break up.

Scandinavian model for former Yugoslavia suggested

The Secretary General of the Association of European Airlines, Ulrich Schulte Strathaus, has told the Slovenian daily “Dnevnik” that in order for the national carriers of the former Yugoslavia to survive they will need to unite into a single airline. “The once single Yugoslav market is now fragmented and a regional solution is necessary. The region needs an airline that would cover local needs and connect with global hubs”, Strathaus says. He notes that he recently discussed the issue with Adria Airways’ management. “It would be great if Adria Airways, which has extensive knowledge of the Balkan market, were to initiate a regional summit which would be dedicated to this issue, however, due to political quarrels I doubt this could happen”, Strathaus adds.

The Association of European Airlines counts 34 members, mostly national carriers. Adria Airways, Croatia Airlines and Jat Airways are all members. Montenegro Airlines also used to be a member of the association but mysteriously left after a few months. Strathaus believes that certain markets in the former Yugoslavia are too small to have their own national carrier. He notes that Serbia can’t find an investor for Jat, Croatia Airlines and Montenegro Airlines are operating with mounting problems and that B&H Airlines will go bankrupt when Turkish Airlines ceases financing it.

Last year, an idea to unite the former Yugoslav aviation market was put on the table during talks between the Serbian government and Turkish Airlines. It was suggested that a regional airline, Balkan Airways, could serve as a national carrier for Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedonia. In September 2011, Croatia Airlines and Adria Airways reached an agreement over a common business plan model. The two airlines agreed to strengthen ties and cooperate on jet leasing as a means of improving efficiency and streamlining fleet utilisation.

B&H resumes operations

B&H Airlines has resumed operations with a single ATR72 and will operate flights to Istanbul. It’s Airbus A319, will soon rejoin Turkish Airlines’ fleet as the carrier abruptly ended its lease of the aircraft to B&H on February 27.

Passenger numbers continue to tumble at Adria

Passenger numbers have continued to decline at Adria Airways in February. The Slovenian national carrier handled 58.013 passengers. Compared to the same month last year the airline’s figures have slumped by 5.1%. Back in February 2011 the carrier handled 60.946 passengers. However, it should be noted that this February had an extra day as 2012 is a leap year. Still, there are some encouraging signs as Adria welcomed more passenger in February than it did in January. Since February had two days less than the previous month and is usually the slowest month of the year, the trend is encouraging. In 2011, there were 5.000 passengers less in February than that of January, while this year there were 2.000 passengers more than in the first month of 2012.

The slump in numbers can also be attributed to the suspension of a number of routes. Still, Adria operated several special flights including those from Torino to Belgrade since the airline has signed a contract to carry Fiat employees from Italy to the Zastava-Fiat car manufacturer in Serbia. The airline will hope its new flights to London Luton and seasonal flights to Barcelona, Manchester and Lulea in Sweden will boost passenger numbers while continuing to implement cost cutting measures.

Meanwhile, the crisis hit Adria Airways Tehnika, which has been separated from its parent company Adria Airways, could be reintegrated into the national carrier as the Slovenian government looks for a solution to the aircraft maintenance company’s problems. Tehnika has managed to come to an agreement with aircraft leasing company ILFC for the return of Spanair jets which found themselves in Ljubljana as the Spanish airline collapsed. As has been previously mentioned, Spanair was Adria Tehnika’s second biggest customer.

Adria soon to Split as government plans to save Tehnika

Adria Airways will be operating charter flights out of Split this summer. The Slovenian carrier will operate a one weekly service from Split to the city of Lulea, on Sweden’s northern coast. Adria will launch the service on May 12 with a CRJ900. Flights will operate until September 29. Dubrovnik Airline was supposed to operate the route to Luela as it was selected by the tour operator last year, however, the airline ceased operations at the end of 2011. Flight details for the Lulea service can be found here. Adria Airways operated charter flights out Split to Kristiansand in Norway last summer, although the service is not set to resume this summer season.

Meanwhile, the new Slovenian government is planning to provide a cash injection to Adria Airways Tehnika, which was left reeling after the collapse of its second largest customer Spanair. According to the “Finance” portal, the Slovenian government will provide between two and three million Euros to the maintenance company owned by Ljubljana Airport and the government run asset management firm PDP.

Recently, employees at Adria Tehnika agreed to a 20% reduction in salaries as the company battles with debt, made worse by Spanair’s bankruptcy. Tehnika is hoping to replace Spanair through new contracts with Wizz Air and Air Berlin. The company was previously an Adria Airways subsidiary but was separated from the airline as a part of the carrier’s financial restructuring process.

Passenger slump at Adria

Adria Airways has continued to see a large decline in passenger numbers in 2012. In the first month of the year the Slovenian carrier handled only 56.214 passengers, its lowest January result in years. The airline’s numbers were down 14.3% on January 2011 when it welcomed 65.635 passengers. However, it should be noted that Adria has significantly decreased the number of flight operations compared to last year. In December, Adria saw similar results as the airline recorded a passenger slump 14.5% accompanied by a 18% reduction in flights and a load factor of only 57%.

In an attempt to offset the worrying figures Adria is offering special fares for stranded Malev passengers, following the collapse of the Hungarian national carrier. Passengers holding a Malev ticket have been offered special prices for Adria’s direct scheduled flights. The price for one flight coupon in economy class is 60 Euros, except for Moscow (200 Euros) Brussels (80), Frankfurt to Priština (120) and Munich to Priština (100). The offer is valid for travel until February 29. The Centre for Aviation believes that Adria, along with Austrian and Croatia Airlines, will absorb a portion of the transit traffic previously carried by Malev.

Meanwhile, Adria Airways Tehnika, which is struggling following the collapse of Spanair has said that staff has agreed to 20% reduction in wages. Spanair was Tehnika’s second largest client after Adria itself. On a brighter note, Adria Tehnika’s new hanger at Ljubljana Airport is nearing completion.

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.

More challenges ahead for Adria

Adria Airways CEO, Klemen Boštjančič, has said that Adria can expect another “dramatic year” as the airline prepares for privatisation. The Slovenian government has a 70% stake in the carrier while banks hold the other 30%, as of last year. However, the banks want to sell their shares as soon as possible and only agreed to take part in the deal so Adria could avoid bankruptcy. The plan is for a tender to find a strategic partner for the Slovenian carrier to begin later this year and for the sale agreement to be finalised in the second quarter of 2013. With Lufthansa tied with many investments in Europe, Adria expects to see interest from Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines and Etihad Airways. All are looking to invest in Europe. Qatar Airways was recently locked in takeover talks with Spanair, which ultimately failed, Etihad recently bought a large stake in airBerlin, while Turkish Airlines is eyeing Poland’s LOT.

Despite a tough year ahead, Boštjančič notes that most of the hard work has been done with the suspension of high profile routes and other cost cutting measures already implemented. “Closing the route to Paris and London was a huge media and political story. We constantly hear from people that say because we received money from the government we should continue flying to those destinations. We have to explain to these people that we got the money from the government to stop flying unprofitable routes. There are a lot of people who really don’t get it”, Boštjančič said in a recent interview to CAPA. However, one more major obstacle remains before Adria’s restructuring programme can be deemed a success. It concerns the airline’s fleet rationalisation plans. “Clearly 2012 will be another critical year”, Adria’s CEO concludes.

As the first month of 2012 passes by Adria has already announced the resumption of seasonal flights to London, Barcelona and Manchester and has launched new flights from Priština to Verona. It also plans to significantly increase its frequencies from Priština to Frankfurt during this summer season so as to retain its place as the busiest carrier operating out of Priština. Back at home, this January, Adria holds a massive 77.5% share of all departures and arrivals out of Ljubljana Airport. Its closest rival, easyJet, managed only 8.2% and this share is set to tumble during the summer as the airline suspends flights from Paris.

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.

Adria and Jat plan for the summer

Adria Airways will be resuming services to Barcelona and Manchester on a seasonal basis this upcoming 2012 summer season, however, ten destinations that were operated last summer won’t make a comeback in the airline’s network. The Slovenian carrier will operate 170 scheduled flights per week to 18 destinations. The only new additions compared to last summer will be the Priština - Verona service and Ljubljana - Luton, which replaces services to Gatwick. The airline will not be resuming flights to Athens, Banja Luka, Dublin, Kiev, Paris, Ohrid, Split, Stockholm, Warsaw and Toulon, which were all featured last year. Adria will once again be operating charter service all summer round to Greece, Malta, Egypt and Turkey, with Greece to see most Adria Airways flights.

Meanwhile, Serbia’s Jat Airways will increase frequencies to many of its destinations as it formulates its preliminary summer timetable. Some highlights include a nonstop service to Brussels, which will now operate separately from the Amsterdam flights. Flights to Paris Charles de Gaulle will operate eleven times per week (up from seven) during the peak summer season, there will be new seasonal flights to London Gatwick Airport while Moscow will see ten weekly flights (up from seven) with an introduction of a late evening service from Belgrade and a morning flight from Moscow. The airline has also made minor readjustments to its new seasonal Pula flights and has moved the service forward by a month from July 2 to June 2.

B&H back to Dusseldorf as Adria moves from Gatwick to Luton

B&H Airlines will be resuming another destination from the past as it plans to launch services to Dusseldorf on June 2. It comes days after announcing it will inaugurate flights to Vienna, Skopje, Stockholm and Gothenburg this summer as well. Flights will operate twice per week, every Monday and Saturday with an Airbus A319. Details can be viewed here.

B&H Airlines has previously flown between the Bosnian capital and Dusseldorf. Flights were launched on May 18, 2009 and suspended on March 15, 2010 due to poor loads. It will be the airline’s first destination in Germany since discontinuing flights to Frankfurt last year. In Germany, the airline has also flown to Cologne, Berlin and Stuttgart in the past. B&H had its last major network expansion in 2009 when, besides Dusseldorf, it inaugurated flights to Podgorica, Vienna, Prague, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Stockholm and Berlin. Most were cancelled within a year, although many are set to see a comeback this summer.

Meanwhile, Adria Airways, which announced its service launch to London Gatwick Airport a few weeks ago, has now decided to move the flights to London’s Luton Airport instead. The Slovenian carrier said that operations to Luton will allow passengers faster rail connections to central London and notes its close proximity to main motorways. It is believed the airline will move operations to Luton because of lower handling fees. Flights will operate four times per week, every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with tickets to be put on sale next week.

Adria full of surprises

Adria Airways has announced that it will be launching flights from Priština to Verona in Italy. The news wouldn’t be that surprising if it weren’t for the fact that they will be launched in just over two weeks, in the middle of the winter season. The flights are not being operated as charters, rather, as a scheduled service. The flights to Verona will launch on January 28 and will operate twice per week, every Tuesday and Saturday with an Airbus A319. Details can be viewed here.

The unexpected new route launch will see Adria serving a total of four destinations out of Priština Airport, with Verona being added alongside Frankfurt, Ljubljana and Munich. The Slovenian national carrier will have tough competition on the route as it will face off against Belle Air Europe and Italy’s second largest airline Meridiana Fly.

Flights to Verona come only a week after the carrier announced it would resume flights from Ljubljana to London Gatwick this summer, suspended late last year due to cost cutting measures. The airline is still implementing its restrictive financial restructuring policy. In 2011, Verona was the ninth busiest route operating out of Priština. It managed to outperform several cities in Germany as well as Switzerland, traditionally the strongest markets. Now it seems, Adria wants a piece of the cake.

Adria to launch London flights in the summer

The Slovenian national carrier Adria Airways has started the year bearing good news. The airline will resume services to London Gatwick Airport during the 2012 summer season, after it was suspended due to low profitability in October 2011. Announcing the route launch on its Twitter account, the news comes as the airline implements the first phase of its restructuring program, which it hopes will bring it back into profitability. The route launch will come as welcome news to passengers, Slovenian tourism and Ljubljana Airport which is in need of more passengers after a disappointing 2011.

As has previously been the case, Adria will have to compete against the low cost easyJet which operates flights to London Stansted Airport. According to inside sources, London was one of Adria’s biggest loss making routes in 2010, with the carrier recording a loss of 1.3 million Euros on the service. In December, the Slovenian public broadcaster, RTV SLO, said that Ljubljana Airport was in talks with easyJet for the airline to increase its frequencies from London next summer. Adria will operate four weekly flights from Ljubljana to London. Flight details are to be revealed soon.

The year that was … 2011

Historic passenger and traffic growth, a new airport, bankruptcies, government bailouts, failed privatisation and a bag of corporate corruption insured 2011 to be one of the more eventful years in commercial aviation in the former Yugoslavia. Read below for the most important Source : EXYU aviation news : http://exyuaviation.blogspot.com of 2011 by month.

~ JANUARY ~

• New CEO for Adria Airways chosen in face of financial trouble
• New terminal plans revealed for Priština Airport
• Tunisia flights suspended due to revolution

~ FEBRUARY ~

• Skywings International based in Skopje declares bankruptcy
• Wizz Air announces flights to Skopje
• Construction of Kraljevo’s Morava Airport begins
• B&H Airlines and Jat Airways begin evacuation flights from Tripoli
• Montenegro Airlines suspends Priština and Skopje due to unpaid debt

~ MARCH ~

• Tender for the construction of Zagreb’s new terminal begins
• Jat announces return to Spain after fourteen years
• Adria Airways expands Priština base operations
• Flights to Tripoli suspended as no fly zone introduced
• Iran Air begins refuelling stops at Belgrade Airport
• Wizz Air opens Belgrade base

~ APRIL ~

• Banja Luka Airport faces closure
• Montenegrin government bails out national carrier
• Overhaul of Ohrid Airport completed
• Chicago - Zagreb - Belgrade flights announced for summer months
• Air Arabia launches Tuzla flights

~ MAY ~

• Croatia Airlines turns twenty
• Ten companies in Zagreb terminal bid
• Montenegro Airlines orders new jet
• B&H Airlines suspends Vienna and Frankfurt flights
• Eagle flies into Montenegro Airlines Fokker nose cone

~ JUNE ~

• Adria celebrates fifty years
• Adria requests 50 million Euro bailout
• Jat Airways resumes Dubrovnik service after two decades
• Chicago - Zagreb - Belgrade flights cancelled hours before inauguration
• Croatia Airlines launches Belgrade service

~ JULY ~

• Mat Airways ceases operations
• Record year for Croatia Airlines
• Construction begins on new Priština Airport terminal
• B&H suspends Stockholm and Gothenburg

~ AUGUST ~

• The tender to find a partner for Serbia’s “new Jat” begins
• Flydubai announces Belgrade flights

~ SEPTEMBER ~

• A new era for Skopje Airport as new terminal opens
• Adria announces network suspensions
• B&H Airlines launches Pescara flights
• airBaltic expresses interest for the “new Jat”
• Croatia Airlines and Adria join forces
• Adria saved from bankruptcy

~ OCTOBER ~

• First flight to Kraljevo Airport
• New Maribor based airline Golden Air launches flights
• Source : EXYU aviation news : http://exyuaviation.blogspot.com reveals party politics at Jat Airways
• Golden Air grounded
• Dubrovnik Airline grounded
• Baltic Aviation System buys Jat tender documents

~ NOVEMBER ~

• Family rules at Montenegro’s airports
• Qatar Airways announces Zagreb flights in 2012
• Jat Airways announces Croatia expansion in 2012
• Qatar Airways announces Belgrade flights in 2012
• US blocks Adria jet sale to Iran

~ DECEMBER ~

• Baltic Aviation System looses Jat interest
• Single offer for Zagreb’s new terminal
• Record year for Tivat Airport
• Belgrade Airport tops three million passengers
• Belgrade Airport expansion begins

With 370.000 visits in 2011 and 365 news items, thank you for visiting, reading, contributing and interacting with Source : EXYU aviation news : http://exyuaviation.blogspot.com.
See you in 2012!

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.

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%.

Politics halts A320 sale

The United States has given a stern warning to Adria Airways not to sell its Airbus A320 to the Iranian airline Yas Air, the “Demokracija” weekly reports. The airline, which previously operated under the name, Pars Aviation Services Company, has been blacklisted by a United Nations Security Council Resolution in June 2010 where it brands the carrier as a “company involved in nuclear or ballistic missile activities”. The measure was introduced to put pressure on Iran against pursuing its controversial nuclear plans. Iran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only. Furthermore, it is believed that members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard used Pars Aviation jets for training. Allegedly, the airline changed its name to bypass the Security Council Resolution.

Part of the non paper from the United States to the Slovenian government reads, “We request that you freeze any Yas Air assets and prevent or stop the transaction between Adria Airways and Yas Air. We would appreciate any information you can provide and any actions you take with regard to this matter”. The Slovenian government cordially obliged and blocked the sale of the Airbus A320 (registered S5-AAS) as Yas Air was supposed to take delivery of the jet last month at Tehran Mehrabad Airport.

Adria, which is looking to reduce its debt, has grounded the A320 in question. It has been stripped of its livery and is sitting at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport, waiting for a new owner to be found.

It is not the first time this year that a former Yugoslav state has been warned of its dealings with Iran. Earlier in the year, the United States warned Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport against refuelling Iran Air jets which were flying from Western Europe to Tehran. The technical stop was introduced since oil companies at airports such as London Heathrow and Vienna refused to refuel Iran Air jets for its return voyage to Tehran. The airport, which made significant profit out of its arrangement, obliged with the request and terminated its contract with Iran Air. In June the United States issued an advisory to all airports in Europe to stop refuelling all Iran Air jets.

New hopes for 2012

In October the Banja Luka based Sky Srpska submitted its plan to launch flights in 2012. The plans were submitted to the relevant ministry and the airline’s CEO, Zoran Injac, says Sky Srpska is now waiting to be given the green light by the entity government. If things go according to plan the airline will launch services to Vienna in 2012. “Our research shows that there is a need for flights to Vienna. Furthermore, this market should ideally be catered by two smaller jets of up seventy seats”. The proposed plan outlines that a daily flight from Banja Luka to the Austrian capital should be inaugurated and another three weekly flights to Zurich should also operate.

Sky Srpska was formed in 2007 but no aircraft have ever been neither purchased nor leased. The new plan suggests a single jet should be leased in 2012. Injac adds that a total of 2 million Euros should be invested into the airline on a yearly basis which, according to him, is not a big sum in the aviation industry. An airline based in Banja Luka could revive the city’s airport which is currently only served by B&H Airlines’ flights to Zurich.

Banja Luka Airport previously served as a hub to Air Srpska, which was formed by JAT Yugoslav Airlines. The airline was formed in the summer of 1998 so that JAT pilots and crew could continue working since their company was banned from operating flights to the rest of the continent due to international sanctions. Until 2003 the airline operated flights to Belgrade, Tivat and Zurich. However, Jat Airways ended cooperation with Air Srpska by taking back its two ATR72s provided to the airline and effectively closing it.

Adria farewells Banja Luka

Adria Airways has suspended flights to Banja Luka after the entity government pulled its subsidies, despite initial plans to operate the route throughout the winter season. Originally, the Slovenian carrier listed Banja Luka as one of its suspend destinations as a result of its cost cutting push. However, only a few days later the airline reversed its decision and returned Banja Luka to its schedule with new timing. The Government of the Entity of Republika Srpska made a decision earlier in the week to suspend its subsidies for the unprofitable route. Out of a total of 969 flights operated, there were only 4.800 passengers onboard, or an average of five people per flight.

Banja Luka Airport, which is drowning in debt and nearly lost its status as an international airport earlier this year, will soon handle more flights. On top of the existing four weekly flights to Zurich operated by B&H Airlines, from December 1, the Bosnian carrier will launch flights from Banja Luka to Copenhagen twice per week which should contribute to improved passenger figures. In October, Banja Luka Airport handled 830 passengers, an increase of 92.1% compared to the same month last year. By the end of October, the airport saw 7.245 passengers, thus making it the third busiest airport in the country after Sarajevo (with 526.863 passengers) and Mostar (with 34.243 passengers) and ahead of Tuzla (with 4.124 passengers).

The Banja Luka based Sky Srpska, which was expected to be launched this year, is still without an aircraft. Although plans were made to purchase two Embraer jets in 2011, these plans have now been moved for next year.