A new record - one week in operation

The newly established Golden Air which commenced flights from Maribor to London Stansted via Vienna last week has cancelled all services after the airline was grounded on Wednesday. Golden Air is experiencing problems with Eastern Airways from which it has leased a Cessna to operate the flights. “The Friday flight has been cancelled and passengers have been offered alternative transportation”, Urban Simčič, the airline’s representative told Slovenian media. However, the company’s owner says that he is not throwing in the towel and that a lot has been invested into the airline venture. “The Slovenian public has responded well to the new flights and we see enormous potential in them”, officials from the airline stress.

Golden Air highlights that the Maribor - Vienna - London service has only been temporarily suspended and is certain that flights will resume soon. The airline says it has lined up a Boeing 737-300 for future flights. The aircraft is now undergoing necessary licensing checks and once it is cleared the airline should restore the scheduled flights. The new services are seen as an opportunity for Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport to revive itself.

Golden Air is partially owned by English businessman Harjinder Singh Sidhu who has previously invested into the now bankrupt Air Slovakia. AvioFun, a Slovenian company, has also invested heavily into the Golden Air project.

Maribor gets London and Vienna flights

The newly established airline Golden Air, based at Maribor’s Edvard Rusjan Airport, inaugurated services last week from its hub to London Stansted Airport, with little success so far. Behind the new airline is a British businessman of Indian descent, Harjinder Singh Sidhu, as well as the Slovenian company Avio Fun. The first week of service saw only three passengers with the airline, which originally planned to operate a Boeing 737-300 on the route, using a Cessna 510 Citation instead. The service operates via Vienna. Although a return ticket from Maribor to London will set passengers back only 150 Euros, the airline has seen little advertising or publicity. Questions are being raised whether the route will survive for long.

Urban Simčič from Golden Air says the carrier will not throw in the towel and will continue to operate the three weekly service. He adds that it will take up to six months for the airline to reach a 70% cabin load factor which is needed for the Golden Air flights to make a profit. “We want to take advantage of Slovenia’s great tourism potential. The next six months will be crucial for us as we need to make a profit”, Simčič said.

Singh Sidhu from India, one of the key investors in the Golden Air project, purchased Air Slovakia in 2006. Four years later the airline ceased operations. If Golden Air’s flights to London and Vienna prove successful, the newly formed airline plans to expand next year with flights to Birmingham, Bergamo in Italy and Amritsar in northern India. There is hope that the new airline will revive Maribor Airport which hasn’t seen scheduled flights taking off for the past three years.

New airline to be based at Maribor Airport

A newly formed private airline, Golden Air, to be based at Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport is to commence scheduled flights to Vienna and London from October 6. Behind the new airline is a British businessman of Indian descent as well as the Slovenian company Avio Fun. Golden Air will launch operations with flights to London Stansted via Vienna. The airline has secured rights to sell tickets on the Vienna - London -Vienna sector as well. The service will operate four times per week, from Thursday through to Monday. Golden Air has leased a 1992 Boeing 737-300 for the flights. A return ticket will set passengers back some 150 Euros. Urban Simčič from Golden Air says that the newly formed airline plans to expand next year with flights to Birmingham, Bergamo in Italy and even Amritsar in northern India. “We have a team of young and enthusiastic people with a strong desire to succeed”, Simčič said.

The new flights will give a much needed boost to the deserted Maribor Airport which hasn’t had scheduled flights for three years. The airport promises to continue the refurbishment of its terminal after work ceased following the bankruptcy of the construction firm carrying out the work. The airport is also to be sold through an auction soon. A few years ago, its owner Prevent Global, filed for bankruptcy.

Soon in Pescara

B&H Airlines will commence scheduled charter flights from Sarajevo via Mostar to Pescara in Italy. The service will begin next Saturday, on September 17. Flights will operate with an ATR72 with the departure times from Sarajevo alternating between 13.00 one week and 13.45 the other. A total of 7 flights are planned to be operated, with the last service taking place on October 29. The flights are being subsidised by the local authorities in Mostar and Pescara.

All sides participating in this project are hoping to attract Christian pilgrims from Italy visiting Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina. B&H Airlines should make good money from the service as all seats on the aircraft will be pre-booked by a tour operator. Pescara is located on Italy's eastern coast, some 180 kilometres from the capital Rome.

B&H Airlines has attempted several times to operate flights out of secondary airports in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2008 and 2009 the airline commenced flights from Mostar to Istanbul and Stuttgart but failed to attract any interest. Similarly, it operated out of Tuzla to Frankfurt in 2009 and from Banja Luka to Istanbul and Frankfurt in 2008 and 2010 respectively, with little success.

No go for Milan - Zagreb flights

The Alitalia subsidiary airline, Air One, has cancelled its plans to commence flights from its base in Milan to Zagreb later this month. The flights, which were announced several months ago, were to begin on September 25 and operate 3 times per week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Tickets were on sale until recently. The flights were to be code shared by Alitalia. As a result, Croatia Airlines will maintain its monopoly on flights between Zagreb and Italy. The only Italian city currently served from Zagreb is Rome, by Croatia Airlines.



Zagreb Airport has seen a significant increase in passenger numbers this year thanks to a resurgent national carrier and more interest from foreign airlines. Earlier this year it managed to lure the low cost airline easyJet to operate flights from several European cities. In the first 7 months of the year the airport saw the number of flights operating in and out of Zagreb increase by 6.9% with 24.772 flights. Still, the airport is hoping for more new inter European routes to open and is particularly pushing for flights from Warsaw, Helsinki, Bucharest and Geneva. Meanwhile, the second phase of the tender to select a partner to build the much anticipated new terminal is ongoing.



To view details for the Air One flights that were not to be, click here.

Grand opening next week

Next Tuesday the new terminal building at Skopje’s Alexander the Great Airport will open. New details are now emerging regarding the grand opening on September 6. The opening ceremony will take place at 13.30. Turkish Airlines is chartering a special flight to the Macedonian capital on Tuesday carrying members of the Turkish Government and businessmen. Shortly after, Turkish’s scheduled service from Istanbul will touch down in Skopje together with the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who will open the new terminal with his Macedonian counterpart Nikola Gruevski. As a result, Turkish Airlines will be the first to use the new facilities. Later that day Malév, Adria Airways, Pegasus Airlines, Croatia Airlines and Jat Airways will also use the new terminal.



TAV, the airport’s operator, is keeping the interior of the new terminal a closely guarded secret. Known so far is that the terminal will have 23 check-in desks, 6 air bridges and 15 passport control counters. The new terminal also features a large statue of Alexander the Great and several duty free stores and restaurants including the first Burger King fast food restaurant in Macedonia. Skopje’s city transportation company will operate two double-decker busses from the city centre to the airport on the opening day so those interested can see the final product of the 110 million Euro investment.



Meanwhile, Mat Airways, the only passenger airline which calls Skopje its home has once again ceased operations, a second time it has done so this summer. It is unknown when and if the airline will resume flights. The Macedonian Civil Aviation Agency is talks with several airlines in hope that one will base an aircraft in Skopje from the 2011/12 winter season. One of them is a national airline from the former Yugoslavia which operates flights to Skopje.

Passengers to enjoy new terminal even sooner

Skopje’s new multi million Euro terminal will open its doors two days ahead of schedule, on Tuesday September 6. Originally, it was planned for the terminal, which will handle all of Skopje Airport’s customers, to open on Macedonian Independence Day on September 8. However, the airport’s management believes that the new terminal will get more publicity if it is opens ahead of the public holiday. The first airlines and passengers to use the new terminal should be those arriving and departing in the afternoon. The new terminal has 23 check-in desks, 6 air bridges and stretches over 40.000 square metres. When construction started last year it was planned for work to be completed by October 23.



Meanwhile, Macedonia’s Minister for Transport and Communications, Mile Janakieski, held a bilateral meeting with his Turkish counterpart last Friday in Skopje. Both ministers signed an agreement which further liberalises the possibility of airlines commencing flights to each other’s countries. The agreement also aids TAV’s hunt to find a foreign airline to base an aircraft in Skopje. The Macedonian Civil Aviation Agency has now also joined TAV in its bid to find an airline willing to make Skopje its hub from the 2011/12 winter season, according to a source from the agency.

B&H records growth in 2011

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s national carrier, B&H Airlines, has had a strong first half of the year. The airline carried a total of 65.309 passengers in the first 6 months, an increase of 20.5% on last year. In the first quarter of 2011 the airline saw its figures jump 59%. However, growth slowed in the second quarter with numbers increasing by only 2%. This is explained by the sharp decrease in flights as B&H suspended several routes during the summer, most notably Frankfurt and Vienna.



Later this month, B&H Airlines will suspend its flights to Stockholm and Gothenburg. Despite rumours that the airline will also terminate flights to Copenhagen at the end of the 2011 summer season, B&H itself confirmed to Source : EXYU aviation news : http://exyuaviation.blogspot.com that flights to the Danish capital will continue as normal. Due to the suspension of its Swedish routes there will be minor changes to the airline’s Amsterdam service. One of the 3 weekly flights will be served by the ATR72 while other days will see the Airbus A319 deployed, as has been the case since the service was launched.



Due to a relatively small destination network, the airline won’t be seeing a new aircraft entering its fleet this summer as was originally planned but it remains to be seen what its Turkish owners, who have now completely taken over the management positions at the national carrier, have in store.

Loss making routes to be cut

After announcing that it will shed its route network by suspending flights to Paris, Istanbul, London and Warsaw, Adria Airways is now considering terminating flights to the Danish capital Copenhagen in an attempt to cut costs. “The decision to suspend certain destinations is yet to be adopted but we will cut all unprofitable lines”, Maks Tanjikar, the head of the Supervisory Board said. Tanjikar added that these cities are likely to disappear from Adria’s destination network in late October, at the start of the 2011/2012 winter season, although no firm timeframe has been given. This decision will be made once the state aid for the airline is approved. For the first time, Copenhagen has been mentioned as a potential city to be cut from the network. Adria currently operates 5 weekly flights to the Danish capital, code-shared by SAS Scandinavian Airlines, and is reporting losses on the route.



Adria is in the red, just like every other national airline in the former Yugoslavia. The Slovenian carrier has been reporting an increase in passenger numbers this year thanks to improving figures at the beginning of the year and a strong charter flight network. In the 7 months so far, Adria carried 678.203 passengers, an increase of 5%. However, latest figures show a worrying trend. In July the airline welcomed 148.931 passengers, a decrease of 4%. Its average cabin load factor also slumped to 72%, 5 points less than the same month last year.

Farewell Tuzla

Air Arabia, which was hired to perform 2 weekly summer charters from Dubai Airport to Tuzla has cancelled its service. The flights, which were to mark the rebirth of Tuzla Airport have been terminated due to extremely low loads. According to the airport’s management in Tuzla, on one flight there was only one passenger, representing the difficult the route faced to attract passengers. Before services were launched in July, the airport’s management expected strong figures thanks to tourism and connecting passengers from Australia and the United States.



Originally, a total of 31 flights were planned to operate this summer with the possibility of extending the flights if they proved successful. Last month Source : EXYU aviation news : http://exyuaviation.blogspot.com reported that the airline was experiencing a slow start to its services. Return ticket prices for the Dubai – Tuzla flights hovered between 460 to 700 Euros. Jat Airways now remains the only airline to offer flights from the former Yugoslavia to the largest city in the United Arab Emirates.

RusLine to help a stagnating Ljubljana Airport

The Russian airline RusLine will commence 2 weekly flights to Ljubljana Airport this August. Flights will operate to Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport and will be in direct competition with Adria Airways’ service to Sheremetyevo Airport. As a result, Ljubljana will be connected to Moscow’s two largest airports. Adria operates 9 weekly flights to the Russian capital. RusLine will begin services on August 15 with a Bombardier CRJ200. Flight details can be found here. This will be RusLine’s first scheduled destination in the EX-YU region.

Ljubljana Airport is in need of new airlines. The airport is recording almost no improvement in passenger figures this year compared to last, with the exclusion of April as the airport was closed due to runway redevelopment last year. Adria Airways’ recent announcement to suspend up to 32 weekly flights from its hub will prove as a new challenge. Ljubljana Airport has seen its passenger figures slide each year since 2008. In 2010 the airport handled 1.3 million passengers. If such a downward trend continues, Ljubljana is in danger of losing its position as the third busiest airport in the former Yugoslavia to Priština, which is having a bumper year so far with growth of over 10% in the first half of the year (helped partly by Adria Airways' expanding operations from the airport).

Adria to bid farewell to Paris, London, Istanbul and Warsaw

Adria Airways’ Board of Directors has approved a restructuring plan for the debt stricken Slovenian national airline which will see the suspension of four destinations, a fleet reduction and a slash in jobs. Speaking to the national broadcaster RTV SLO, Adria Airways' Executive Director Robert Vuga said that the airline is likely to suspend flights to Paris, London, Istanbul and Warsaw. Vuga says that these routes are not profitable. The airline will decrease its fleet, although it hasn’t disclosed any further details to the public yet. Adria’s employees will also be reduced with the airline preparing redundancy packages and social programs. Adria currently employs only 450 people.

As of this moment, Adria Airways operates 14 weekly flights to Istanbul, 5 weekly to London Gatwick, 10 weekly to Paris and 3 weekly flights to Warsaw, which are code-shared by LOT Polish Airlines. Lufthasa is likely to take the airline's slots at these airports. Adria Airways is expecting to receive 50 million Euros in state aid and will borrow a further 40 million Euros from the banks. Both of these are under the condition that the airline carries out the restructuring plan it just approved.

Charter flights for B&H

B&H Airlines will begin subsidised charter flights from Mostar to Pescara in Italy. Flights are expected to begin in early September and are scheduled to run until the end of October. The service will operate once per week. All sides participating in this project are hoping to attract Christian pilgrims from Italy visiting Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina. B&H Airlines should make good money from the service as all seats on the aircraft will be pre-booked by a tour operator. Pescara is located on Italy's eastern coast, some 180 kilometres from the capital Rome.

Mostar Airport has been reporting strong passenger figures this year, thus becoming Bosnia and Herzegovina’s second busiest airport, behind Sarajevo. The airport is booming thanks to religious tourism and has seen an increase in charter flights this summer. However, the airport still doesn’t have a single scheduled service, as a result preventing it from reaching its full potential.

Meanwhile, Dubrovnik Airline from Croatia will begin summer flights from Dubrovnik to Pescara. The 1 weekly service will commence next week. Flight details can be found here.

Strike to close Banja Luka Airport’s doors

Banja Luka Airport will be forced to close its doors from July 27 as its employees will begin a general strike, unhappy with unpaid wages. Employees of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s third largest airport (passenger wise) are demanding for government funds, currently being directed for the inexistent Trebinje Airport and the Sky Srpska airline, to go towards their salaries. A total of 63 people are employed at the airport. The head of the worker’s union said, “We are aware that the airport is having financial trouble but this is not our problem. The government and management are responsible for the fact that this international airport offers flights to only two destinations”.

Banja Luka Airport is currently served by Adria Airways from Ljubljana and B&H Airlines, which operates flights to Zurich. The 5 weekly flights operated by Adria Airways are heavily subsidised and on average have 6 passengers per flight. The strike, scheduled for next Wednesday, will disrupt both B&H’s and Adria’s operations to and from the airport. The strike will continue until the demands of the workers are met, which includes a 30% wage increase.

Banja Luka Airport has been in financial strife for some time. Its employees held a warning strike on July 4 but none of their terms have been met.

Belgrade losses Cimber Sterling and LOT

Cimber Sterling will terminate its services from Copenhagen to Belgrade on August 29 due to low interest. The Danish airline will suspend its services to the Serbian capital 2 years after flights were inaugurated. Cimber has operated 2 weekly flights to Belgrade from Copenhagen Kastrup Airport with the 148 seat Boeing 737-700. The news will be warmly welcomed by Jat Airways which flies to Copenhagen 3 times per week with the 126 seat Boeing 737-300 and will no longer have any direct competition on the route from September.

On the other hand, LOT Polish Airlines will also terminate its 5 weekly flights from Warsaw to Belgrade. The airline launched the service last year but has failed to attract too many passengers. The last flight will operate on October 28. As a result, Belgrade will no longer have a direct air link to the Polish capital.

So far this year, B&H Airlines has been the only scheduled carrier to cancel its flights to Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport and is soon be joined by Cimber and LOT. Scheduled airlines which began flights to Belgrade in 2011 are Olympic Airways, Croatia Airlines and airBaltic (the latter two on a seasonal summer basis). During the winter, Skywork Airlines will begin flights from Bern in Switzerland and a national carrier from Europe, which has previously never flown to the city, will announce its flights in the coming weeks.

No more flights to Sweden with B&H

B&H Airlines is to add Stockholm and Gothenburg in Sweden to its growing list of suspended destinations in 2011. The airline will operate its final service to both cities on August 31. Both have been operating once per week this summer, with one flight to Stockholm operating via Gothenburg and one weekly service to Gothenburg flying via the Swedish capital. Poor loads are said to be the reason behind the suspension. In the summer of 2010 flights to both cities operated 3 times per week.

The Bosnian national carrier launched both destinations when it received its first jet engine aircraft, a Boeing 737-400, back in 2009. The flights have recently been operating with the airline’s Airbus A319. With these latest terminations, Sarajevo will no longer have a direct link with Gothenburg while Norwegian Air Shuttle continues to provide an alternative to Stockholm, although only during the summer months.

So far this year B&H Airlines has suspended flights from Sarajevo to Belgrade, Vienna and Frankfurt. The airline has 3 aircraft, 2 ATR72s and 1 Airbus A319.

Jat to Dubrovnik until 2011/2012 winter

Jat Airways will extend its seasonal summer flights from Belgrade to Dubrovnik until the end of the 2011 summer season. Flights were initially meant to operate until September 18 but due to the route’s popularity, the service will now be extended until October 28.

Jat Airways resumed services do Dubrovnik after 20 years on June 18, 2011. It competes directly against Croatia Airlines, which also operates the flights twice per week on a seasonal basis. However, Jat has had more success with the route. The Serbian national carrier on average per flight carries approximately 45 passengers on its 66 seat ATR72, while an average of 30 passengers choose Croatia Airlines. Although figures for both are set to further increase as the peak of the summer season begins.

The final service between Belgrade and Dubrovnik was operated by JAT Yugoslav Airlines on August 6, 1991, before its resumption this June. During the 1980s, the Belgrade - Dubrovnik - Belgrade service was one of the most popular domestic flights in the country.

MAT Airways ends flight hiatus

MAT Airways has resumed services after nearly 4 weeks from its hub in Skopje with a flight to Rome yesterday evening. The airline voluntarily grounded its sole aircraft, a Boeing 737-500. According to MAT’s management it did so in order to review its position on the market in face of increased competition. However, other sources claim that the airline has been having financial problems. Passengers are still unable to purchase tickets with the airline. Within the next few days MAT will not be operating its full schedule. Its next service is planned for tomorrow morning, to Dusseldorf.

MAT Airways began operations last year as a charter carrier, although its own management has admitted that the airline is aspiring to become Macedonia’s national carrier sometime in the near future. Currently, the airline has a license to operate flights out of Macedonia until June 15, 2012 after which the Macedonian Civil Aviation Agency will review its permit.

MAT went through a short term tie up with struggling charter airline Skywings International Airlines earlier this year, in turn adding a Boeing 737-300 to its fleet. However, the two are no longer partners. The operator of Skopje and Ohrid airports, TAV, has expressed its anguish at the fact that the country does not have a flag carrier.

Skopje’s new terminal takes shape

In a month and a half the brand new terminal at Skopje Alexander the Great Airport will be opened featuring 23 check in desks, 6 air bridges and 15 passport control counters, stretching over an area of 40.000 square metres. Approximately 80% of the construction work has been completed and the airport’s operator, TAV, has assured that the shiny new terminal will be opened on September 8. The main entrance to the terminal will be located at the right wing of the building. The ground floor is dedicated for check in desks and ticket counters while passport control, security, restaurants, free-shops and gates will be located on the second floor. Passport control will be separate for those departing for Schengen Zone countries and those leaving for countries outside of the zone. The price tag for the new terminal amounts to 110 million Euros.

Work has also been done on the airport’s runway which has been lengthened by 50% and now covers an area of 1.250 square metres. A 1.5 meter statue of Alexander the Great will be erected in front of the new terminal building, a move sure to ruffle some feathers.

Skopje Airport has seen solid growth in the first half of 2011. In the first quarter of the year Skopje and Ohrid handled a combined total of 137.498 passengers (an increase of 10.8%). It has also seen a flurry of new scheduled and seasonal traffic, welcoming recently airlines such as Wizz Air, Air Berlin, XL Airways and soon Pegasus Airlines.

Mat voluntarily grounds aircraft to prepare for competition

Macedonia’s Mat Airways could resume services next week after it grounded one of its aircraft, as reported on Monday. The airline says that it voluntarily grounded its Boeing 737-500 and took “time out” to reconsider its position on the market and better prepare for increased competition. Mat Airways operated its last service on June 20. Since then its sole aircraft has been grounded while Skywings International Airlines decided to split from Mat, only a month after it joined the charter airline. Mat’s management says that its aircraft will probably return to the sky next week and has been given a new look. On the other hand, Mat has halted the sale of all its tickets.

The Macedonian Civil Aviation Agency says that it did not play a part in Mat’s service suspension and adds that the airline has a permit to operate flights from Skopje and Ohrid to Zurich, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna and Copenhagen until June 15, 2012.

Meanwhile, the Turkish low cost Pegasus Airlines will commence 3 weekly flights from Istanbul’s Gokcen Airport to Skopje and 2 weekly flights from Izmir to the Macedonian capital. The airline will compete against Turkish Airlines, which operates flights to Skopje out of Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport. Flights from Izmir commence on August 15, while services from Istanbul will begin a day later on August 16. Flight details can be found on the right hand side in the new route launches section.