NEWS FLASH Passenger numbers on flights between Belgrade and the Cypriot city of Larnaca have continued to grow into 2024 following last year’s record levels. During the first half of this year, a total of 75.338 passengers flew between the two cities on Air Serbia and Wizz Air flights, with the figure growing 3% on 2023, despite a 22% reduction in the number of operated flights by the low cost carrier due to ongoing engine troubles requiring inspections, which reduced capacity on the route by 36.9%. Overall, across the two airlines, the average cabin load factor on the route for the first ..read more

NEWS FLASH Croatia Airlines has struck a deal with its cabin crew, pilots, and maintenance staff yesterday over a new collective bargaining agreement following several months of negotiations. The details of the five-year deal have not been disclosed. In a statement, Croatia Airlines said, “The joint position of the management and trade unitions is that the new collective agreement ensures long-term social peace, which is an important prerequisite for employee satisfaction in terms of the implementation of the most important project in the company’s 35-year history - the renewal of the enti ..read more

Ryanair will turn three year-round routes from Podgorica into summer seasonal, resulting in the low cost carrier maintaining a single destination out of the Montenegrin capital this upcoming winter season, which begins on October 27 and runs until March 30 of next year. It follows on from last winter when three routes were also downgraded to summer seasonal. The airline does not plan to operate services from Berlin, Krakow, and Gdansk past this winter. They join Charleroi, Zagreb, and Manchester which were downgraded to summer seasonal last year. As a result, Ryanair will only run a four we ..read more

NEWS FLASH Air Montenegro has issued a public call for the post of Chief Executive Officer after Mark Anžur was dismissed by the carrier’s founder, the Montenegrin government. In the pursuit for its sixth CEO since the company was established in 2021, the airline is seeking an individual with prior managerial experience and knowledge of English. Both Montenegrin and foreign nationals are eligible to apply. The deadline for the submission of applications has been set for August 7. Further details can be found here. EX-YU Aviation News ..read more

NEWS FLASH Sixteen eGates or automated self-service passport control machines have been delivered to Serbia as part of plans to streamline passport control procedures at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. In a statement to EX-YU Aviation News, Serbia’s Minister for Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure, Goran Vesić, said, “The Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Serbia has acquired sixteen electronic gates which were delivered to Belgrade in July. Everything is ready for their installation. As we are now at the height of the summer season and the installation of the electronic ga ..read more

Air Serbia, Turkish Airlines, Pegasus Airlines and AJet handled 855.720 passengers on flights between Belgrade and Turkey last year, data from Turkish authorities show. The figure represents a record number of travellers handled on six different routes, including charters in 2023. It was achieved, in part, due to renegotiated terms of the restrictive Bilateral Air Service Agreement between the two countries in late 2022, which enabled Air Serbia to launch several new routes to Turkey, as well as AJet’s expansion on the Serbian market. Furthermore, it ushered in closer cooperation between the ..read more

NEWS FLASH Numerous flights have been cancelled at Split St Jerome Airport since Monday evening after it fell victim to the Akira ransomware gang, forcing the complete shutdown of its IT infrastructure. On Monday, all flights after 19.30 CEST were either cancelled or diverted. Earlier in the day flights were operating, but travellers still faced difficulties. Airport operations were hindered due to the lack of IT support, and check-in was conducted manually. As a result, departures were also delayed. On Tuesday 70% of flights were able to operate in and out of Split but passengers still fa ..read more

NEWS FLASH Sarajevo Airport saw its busiest day on record this Monday, July 22, when it handled 10.404 passengers across 79 flights. The airport registered its previous daily record on June 24, 2022 when it handled 7.714 travellers in a single day. At the time, it served as a base for Wizz Air. In a statement, Sarajevo Airport said, “We thank our employees and all supporting services who, despite the large crowds and challenging working conditions due to high temperatures, once again gave their best to ensure that the process of handling aircraft, passengers, and luggage went smoothly. As ..read more

Niš Constantine the Great Airport opened its new terminal building for passenger use this morning following two years of construction, with the state outlining plans to subsidise low cost carriers (LCCs) to boost traffic. Air Serbia passengers bound for Athens this morning were the first to use the new facilities. The terminal’s opening comes at a time when the airport faces declining passenger numbers, handling 168.406 travellers during the first half of the year, down 19% on the same period in 2023. The airport blames the underperformance on Wizz Air which has been forced to reduce its op ..read more

NEWS FLASH KLM will boost its capacity on flights between Amsterdam and Belgrade next year. The carrier, which currently maintains its double daily flights between the two cities primarily with its 100-seat Embraer E190 jet will begin deploying a mix of the E190 and 142-seat Boeing 737-700 aircraft from January 6, 2025. The larger Boeing aircraft will be utilised on one of the two daily flights until February 14 but is set to completely takeover the route from the start of the 2025 summer season on March 30. It is currently scheduled to be deployed on both daily rotations to Belgrade throu ..read more