Losses and gains

Adria reports 13.5 million loss

Slovenian flag carrier Adria Airways registered an operating loss of 12.2 million Euros and a net loss of 13.5 million Euros in 2009, according to Wednesday's issue of the Slovenian daily “Dnevnik”. Jat Airways’ net loss in 2009 amounted to 23.5 million Euros while Croatia Airlines’ loss came out to 27.3 million Euros.

Meanwhile, after almost 20 years, Mali Lošinj Airport, located on the island of Lošinj in Western Croatia, handled its first aircraft. Some 40 tourists from Innsbruck in Austria arrived on the island. The airport had to invest 300.000 Kuna (41.296 Euros) in security in order for the Austrians to agree to commence flights. The director of the airport, Alan Horvat, said “This line for us will not be profitable. However, we hope to have similar flights next season that would not only connect Mali Lošinj to Innsbruck but to Vienna too, maybe Munich as well. If we had five to six lines per week we would turn a profit”.

The airport’s director admits that greater interest will be generated once the runway is extended by at least 1.500 metres.

Ljubljana profit takes a tumble

Small passenger increase recorded

Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport saw its first quarter net profit fall by 37.3% year on year to 424.000 Euros, the “STA” news agency reports. Earnings fell by 66.8% compared to the first quarter of 2009 to 169.000 Euros. It should be noted that Ljubljana Airport was shut down for 2 weeks due to a runway overhaul. Still, the airport managed to increase its passenger numbers by a symbolic 0.6% to 240.588 passengers. Cargo was up 15.7% while 9.239 passengers transited through Ljubljana Airport, up 0.2% on last year.

The airport’s management is happy with the figures saying that it didn’t expect to see big increases in this first quarter. Passenger arrivals and departures were on par with 2009. The global financial crisis has led to cost cutting by airlines which the management says is the reason fewer people are using Ljubljana for transit.

Besides Adria Airways, the airport is used by easyJet, Air France, Turkish Airlines, Jat Airways, CZA Czech Airlines and Montenegro Airlines.

Ohrid – Belgrade with Mat Airways

Belgrade awaits Mat Airways

As reported several days ago, Mat Airways is planning to commence services from Macedonia this summer and the first destination will suitably be Belgrade, since the new Mat is owned by the Serbian tour operator Kon Tiki Travel. The first service, to be operated with a Boeing B737-500, is expected to be Ohrid – Belgrade, the “Macedonian International News Agency” reports. If so, the airline would be in direct competition with Serbia’s Jat Airways which operates services to Ohrid with an ATR72.

The “Sitel” agency reports that Mat Airways will withdraw from Macedonia if the Civil Aviation Agency does not grant them a flight permit within the next week. The management of the airline had a meeting with the Agency recently during which questions were raised whether Mat Airways is in fact the former MAT Macedonian Airlines.

Special thanks goes to visitors for contributing to this news item.

Russian invasion

No vacant seats to Tivat

Both Montenegro Airlines and Russian charter companies are reporting bumper ticket sales on flights between the 2 countries this summer season. Moskovia Airlines told the “Novosti” newspaper, that the airline is sold out on the Moscow – Tivat route until June 15. “We have sold 2.220 tickets for the next 13 flights”, a spokesperson from the airline says. Moskovia has 4 weekly flights operating between Moscow and Tivat, increasing to 5 from June. From July to September, the airline will operate daily flights to the Montenegrin seaside town. Montenegro Airlines has also said that it only has business class seats available to Moscow for the next 2 weeks. The national carrier operates 5 weekly flights from Montenegro to Moscow. Rossiya, S7, Transaero, Yamal, Ural, Polet and VIM are other Russian based airlines operating to Tivat this summer.

Meanwhile, charter flights from Skopje to Burgas in Bulgaria will be launched in July, the Macedonian “Dnevnik” daily writes. The flights will take place on Mondays between July 19 and August 23 from Alexander the Great Airport in Skopje to Sarafovo Airport in Burgas.

Mat Airways ready to fly

Look whose back

Macedonian newcomer Mat Airways is eagerly awaiting to take to the sky. All it needs now is the most important piece of the puzzle, a license from Macedonia’s Civil Aviation Agency, which has proved a challenge to come by. Mat Airways has been formed by Serbia’s largest tour operator, Kon Tiki Travel based in Belgrade. Kon Tiki is also planning to set up a charter airline in Serbia this summer.

The Serbian tour operator has said that together with another Serbian company, the Metropolitan Investment Group, it has invested great means into the new Mat, the “Makfax” news agency reports. The airline has denied that it has links with the former national carrier of Macedonia saying that the 2 only share a similar name. The airline will operate charter services with a Boeing B737-500, which used to belong to MAT Macedonian Airlines before it was grounded by the country’s Civil Aviation Agency. Mat Airways currently counts 60 employees.

Jat close to Airbus deal?

Joining Jat's flock in 2012?

The 12 year saga between Jat Airways and Airbus may soon come to an end, acceding to some Serbian media and the CEO of the Serbian national carrier. The politically motivated order for 8 Airbus A319s, in 1998, never materialised but Jat has already paid 23.5 million US Dollars for the aircraft. According to the media, the airline will now purchase 4 Airbus A319s, due to be delivered between 2012 and 2013.

“We are still negotiating, but a deal is imminent. Airbus has offered us good terms and has lowered their initial asking price. The problem is that Airbus wants to be paid 14 million Euros immediately while the rest would be paid off until 2022”, a source close to the airline said, adding that the immediate payment would be difficult for Jat to make. The news was confirmed several days ago by Srdjan Radovanović, Jat’s CEO, who said that the terms set out by Airbus are better than those previously offered and that it involves 4 aircraft that would be paid off within the next 12 years. Reportedly, the Serbian carrier is also hoping to get free training for its pilots and maintenance crews from the Toulouse aircraft manufacturer.

The 1998 order was worth a total of 580 million US Dollars.

Winners and losers

B&H Airlines’ passenger numbers up by 133%

The national carrier of Bosnia and Herzegovina, B&H Airlines, is reporting a sensational start to the year with the airline increasing its passenger numbers by 133.7%, compared to the same period last year, official statistics say. It should be noted that the airline has increased its number of flights by 46.4%. More frequencies, improved marketing and a sounder product have led B&H Airlines to handle 17.258 passengers. From January 1 until the end of March, the airline operated a total of 340 regular flight and 9 charters. However, the national carrier still has one of the lowest load factors (cabin occupancy rates) in the EX-YU region, standing at only 49%.

On the other hand, it has been no secret that the “Big 3” in EX-YU aviation: Adria Airways, Croatia Airlines and Jat Airways have been having financial problems. The management of Croatia Airlines reported a loss of 100 million Kuna (13.7 million Euros) in the first quarter of 2010. The loss is 3 times greater than that for the same period last year. The airline registered a 7% decrease in passenger numbers for the first 3 months of the year, the “Poslovni.hr” business portal reports.

Air Berlin to Montenegro

To Montenegro from 2011

The first low cost airline to serve Montenegro will be Air Berlin in 2011. The largest German airline, which is not part of the Lufthansa conglomerate, plans to commence services to the country from its hub at Nuremberg Airport. The decision comes after talks were held with Predrag Nenezić, Montenegro’s Minister for Tourism. With the financial crisis still brewing, Montenegro has moved away from the concept of being a holiday destination designated only for the rich and famous.

Following strict protectionist policies, the Minister said that the Government is considering subsidising low cost airlines in order for them to begin flights to Podgorica and Tivat. “The main reason why there haven’t been any low cost airlines in Montenegro so far is because there has been no interest”, Nenezić told the “Pobjeda” newspaper. It’s no secret that the Government has done little to entice low cost airlines to commence flights. Last year, the Ministry for Transport said, “Low cost airlines that are interested in commencing services to Montenegro want certain amenities, such as lower airport taxes, reduced airport handling fees and so on. If we allow this to happen we would seriously be infringing competitiveness regulations and equal rights for all”. The Ministry also warned that there was “a dark side to low cost airlines”.

The European Union abolished entry visas for Montenegrin citizens in December 2009. Montenegro Airlines is expected to be privatised but the process has stalled. Whether the Government plans to privatise its national carrier this year and introduce some competition in 2011 remains to be seen.

Jat pilot in India crash

Indian plane crash kills scores

Almost 160 people tragically lost their life yesterday when an Air India Express, Boeing B737-800 jet, crashed in the southern Indian city of Mangalore. The aircraft was piloted by Jat Airways captain Zlatko Glušica. Jat’s PR manager confirmed yesterday that Glušica had been working for Air India Express while on temporary leave from Jat. The pilot, who was 55 years old, had 10.000 hours of flying experience and was considered very skilled. He arrived at Air India Express from Jat last year. Since 2007, Jat Airways and Air India have a partnership agreement. Some 20 Jat pilots temporarily work for Air India (and their low cost subsidiary Air India Express). On the other hand, Air India cadets train at the Jat Flight Academy in Serbia. The “B92” network reports that there is a large amount of Serbian pilots working in India’s ever growing aviation industry.

Air India Express said there were 7 survivors among the 160 passengers and 6 crew on board its Boeing B737 jet arriving from Dubai. The plane overshot the hilltop runway as it tried to land and burst into flames in a forested valley beyond, the “BBC” reports. Air India Express began operations about 5 years ago as an offshoot of the state run Air India. The aircraft was less than 3 years old.

Sympathy goes out to all the victims of this horrible accident.

Priština to get new terminal

The French and Turks to run Priština as claims of corruption mount

Authorities in Priština have announced that the French-Turkish consortium has won the bidding for a 100 million Euro contract to run Priština Airport for the next 20 years, the “USA Today” newspaper reports. Under the deal, Limak Holding and Aeroport de Lyon will construct a new passenger terminal. The consortium beat the Turkish-German group Fraport-ICTAS and the Bouygues Batiment-Egis-PAIC international consortium for the contract. Priština Airport handles some 1.2 million passengers on a yearly basis.

Limak Holding and Aeroprot de Lyon will be required to modernize and expand the airport, investing over 100 million Euros in new infrastructure, including the construction of a new terminal building. Priština Airport was opened in 1965 and renovations to the apron and terminal were conducted in 2002 and 2009.

The news has been overshadowed by claims of corruption. Allegations from businessmen and opposition politicians say that the deal was not transparent. The decision to award the French-Turkish consortium the job was also strongly criticized by the American ambassador to Kosovo, Christopher Dell. Meanwhile, members of the Kosovar Government say that the process should be praised for its transparency.

‘Cheap as chips’

Zagreb’s new terminal to top 266 million Euros

The first construction phase of the much delayed new terminal at Zagreb Airport should amount to 150 million Euros, Tonči Peović, the airport’s director said. The “Croatian Times” portal reports that the new terminal should be built in 3 phases. During the first phase, a passenger terminal stretching over 40.000 square meters should be built with the capacity to handle 3 to 4 million passengers annually. The building would feature 3 air bridges. If things go according to plan the first phase could be complete by 2015. Peović says that a contract should be signed by the end of the year with a private partner that would build the new terminal.

Once passenger numbers reach five million annually, the second phase of the project would begin. During this second phase the terminal would be expanded with the addition of air bridges to the western side of the building, costing an additional 72 million Euros. Finally, during the third phase, air bridges would be added to the eastern side of the terminal at a cost of 44 million Euros.

How will the finances be secured? Peović suggests that there are several financing options which include the Government, the European Union Cohesion Fund and strategic partnership with a private company. Peović believes that the public private partnership would be the best option. This method has been successful in Croatia so far. It entails a private company footing the bill for a large infrastructure project (in this case the airport) after which it is given the right to run the airport for several decades, taking in all the profits. Afterwards the airport would be returned to the Government.

Low cost snub

Wizz Air cancels Zagreb flights, Germanwings dumps Sarajevo

The low cost airline Wizz Air will cancel its Dortmund – Zagreb service only 2 months after its launch. The airline commenced flights from the German city to the Croatian capital in late March but will be discontinuing the service on May 29. Initially, the route was served 3 times per week and shortly after was reduced to 2 weekly flights. Low interest is blamed for the cancellation. Nevertheless, Wizz Air will keep its presence in Zagreb with flights from London Luton Airport.

Meanwhile, across the boarder, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germanwings has announced that it will cancel all services to Sarajevo. The airline operates flights from Stuttgart and Cologne to the Bosnian capital twice per week. The services will end on October 30. On the other hand, there is some good news. Norwegian Air Shuttle will resume its seasonal flights from Oslo to Sarajevo on June 30. The flights will operate from Oslo’s second airport, Rygge. Flight details can be found in the new route launches section on the right hand side.

New Dubrovnik terminal opens

New look Dubrovnik Terminal B

The most modern airport terminal in Croatia has been opened by the Croatian Prime Minister, Jadranka Kosor, in Dubrovnik. The opening of Terminal B is part of a massive multi million Euro airport project which will also see the redevelopment of another terminal.

The new terminal building stretches over 13.700 square metres. In the arrivals hall, located on the ground floor of the terminal, one will find 3 conveyer belts for baggage claim, 2 for international flights and 1 for domestic services. The first and second floors stretch over 1.300 square metres and contain 4 gates and 2 air bridges. Offices and a gallery have been placed on the third floor. The new terminal has retail space of up to 575 square metres where a duty free shop, 2 coffee bars and a bistro, as well as tour operators’ offices are located. Dubrovnik Airport is the first in Croatia to contain air bridges or, as the director of the airport said, “dry crossings” from the terminal to the aircraft.

The “Croatian Times” web portal adds that Dubrovnik Airport will now be able to handle some 2 million passengers. This is the third of five phases of the airport’s development. Prime Minister Kosor announced the reconstruction of Terminal C, which will be extended and stretch over 17.800 square meters. So far Terminal A has also been extended.

There was more good news for Dubrovnik after the low cost airline Jet2.com announced that it will commence seasonal flights from Belfast to the Croatian city during the 2011 summer season.

Turkish confirms Jat interest

Turkish Airlines CEO verifies Jat interest

The CEO of Turkish Airlines, Temel Kotil, has confirmed that his airline is interested in taking over both Jat Airways and LOT Polish Airlines. The, much talked about, possible Turkish takeover of Jat has been confirmed for the first time by a high ranking official from the carrier. In Warsaw, Kotil said, “We are not interested in any other carriers in Eastern Europe aside from LOT and Jat”. Meanwhile, Jat’s CEO, Srdjan Radovanović told the “Beta” news agency that the airline is in constant contact with the Turkish carrier. It is believed that Turkish Airlines has requested the Serbian Government to create a successor to Jat. This way the new Jat would take over the fleet, brand, destinations and international agreements minus the multi million Euro debt. Analysts predict that the new national carrier could be created in the first half of 2011.

Speaking to the “Biznis” newspaper, an official from B&H Airlines said that Turkish’s takeover of Jat could lead to rationalization and development of air travel in the entire EX-YU region. Turkish Airlines owns 49% of B&H Airlines.

Wizz Air to Tuzla?

Tuzla Airport passenger terminal

The management of Tuzla Airport in Bosnia and Herzegovina has announced that the national carrier, B&H Airlines, will commence charter flights to Turkey and Egypt from June 8. The flights should run through to September 21. The direct flights will operate from Tuzla to Antalya in Turkey and Hurghada in Egypt. The news was welcomed by the Tuzla Airport authorities who were very unhappy when B&H Airlines published its 2010 summer timetable with the absence of Tuzla. All flights will be operated by the Boeing B737-400, which will, from June, primarily be used on charter flights, as it will be replaced by the Airbus A319 on regular services.

The director of Tuzla Airport, Enver Jukanović, revealed that the airport is negotiating with the low cost Wizz Air, which has expressed interest to commence flights from Dortmund. Apparently, the airport has also found an airline interested in commencing services to Dubai, although Jukanović did not wish to elaborate, the “Nezavisne novine” newspaper reports.

Jukanović admitted that the airport has financial problems and that the absence of needed equipment forced the airport’s closure during most of winter. Tuzla once had flights to Istanbul and Frankfurt although low interest led B&H Airlines to terminate the service.

Tuzla is located in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s North East and has approximately 180.000 citizens. It is the country’s third largest city after Sarajevo and Banja Luka.

Ash cloud hits Croatian airports

Split Airport

April’s Icelandic ash cloud has seen Croatia’s airport numbers dwindle for the month. All of Croatia’s airports recorded a decrease in passenger numbers, just as the decline in passengers began to ease in March.

In April 2010, Rijeka led the pack with passenger numbers tumbling by 69%. The airport handled 2.277 passengers while the number of operational flights dipped by 50%. Osijek saw passenger numbers decline by 54%. The airport only handled 63 passengers while the number of flights decreased by 3%. Pula was particularly affected by the ash cloud with the number of flights in April 2010 decreasing by 44% and passenger figures by 26%, compared to April 2009. The decrease at Zadar and Split airports was mild compared to others in the country with both recording a 15% decrease. Dubrovnik faired the best out of all the airports, handling 63.033 passengers, a decrease of 8%.

Zagreb did not escape the ash cloud. It handled 141.053 passengers in April 2010 compared to 168.111 the same month last year – a drop of 16%. The number of flights to and from the Croatian capital declined by 11%.

Below you can view April’s 2010 results for Croatian airports:

Airport	Passengers APR 2010	Passengers APR 2009	Change (%)
Zagreb	141.053	168.111	▼ 16.1
Dubrovnik	63.003	68.907	▼ 8.5
Pula	6.915	9.381	▼ 26.2
Split	46.188	254.878	▼ 15.9
Zadar	12.305	14.585	▼ 15.6
Osijek	63	137	▼ 54.0
Rijeka	2.277	7.414	▼ 69.2

Time to go

Zoran Krstevski resigns

Zoran Krstevski, the director of the Macedonian Civil Aviation Agency, resigned from his post on Thursday, the “Sitel” network reports.

Readers might remember Krstevki for his hunt on MAT Macedonian Airlines and countless refusals to accept new airlines wishing to become national carriers. Last April, MAT Macedonian Airlines, threatened it would sue Krstevski for “countless lies about multi million Euro debt”. Back then MAT stated, “Krstevski has been driven to destroy MAT due to personal reasons and hidden motives. Macedonia is the only country in the world where its civil aviation authorities are against their own national carrier”. Later, the Agency put the nail in MAT’s coffin after it grounded its only aircraft for safety reasons.

Yesterday, Krstevski told the “Alfa” network that his resignation has come as a result of a new aviation law which requires the director of the Agency to be nominated through standard procedure, rather than being elected by the Government in power. The new director of the Agency has to be independent from any political party, according to the new law. Whether the new director will see inn a new national carrier remains to be seen.

The Agency’s final act, before Krstevski’s resignation, was awarding AirLift Service with scheduled flights.

Belgrade tops Europe

The good times roll

According to analysis conducted by the web portal “Anna Aero”, Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport has attracted the most new carriers during the past 12 months (from August 2009 to August 2010) in Europe, leaving Marseille Airport in France in second place. Belgrade took charge by attracting 10 new airlines, among which are 5 flag carrier and 3 low cost airlines. The following have commenced flights to the Serbian capital since August 2009: Cimber Sterling (2X per week from Copenhagen), airBaltic (4X from Riga), Spanair (3X from Barcelona and 2X from Madrid), TAROM Romanian (5X from Bucharest), Niki (6X from Vienna), B&H Airlines (6X from Sarajevo), Adria Airways (6X from Ljubljana), Malev Hungarian (daily from Budapest), Aegean Airlines (daily from Athens) and Wizz Air (3X per week from Dortmund and 4X per week from London Luton). Both B&H Airlines and Wizz Air are yet to begin flights to Belgrade, although Wizz Air has bought its London Luton service forward by a month and increased the initial frequency of 3 weekly flights to 4. The good times keep rolling for the airport after it recorded a 16 million Euro profit in 2009.

“Who would have predicted this? Belgrade Airport in Serbia attracts more new carriers than any other airport”, the UK based portal reports. It sites the end of EU visa restrictions for Serbian citizens as a plausible explanation for such high interest, although, the country’s recent implementation of the open skies policy should also be noted. There have also been milestones with the new arrivals. Adria returned to Belgrade for the first time in 20 years, scheduled flights to Spain were resumed after 20 years and scheduled flights to Riga commenced, connecting the two cities via the air for the first time.

Second A319 arrives

Ready for take off ... Adria’s new A319

Adria Airways’ second Airbus A319 arrived on Tuesday afternoon from Hamburg. The aircraft had already been utilised by Wednesday, operating scheduled flights mostly within Western Europe, although the aircraft has also visited Priština. The Airbus’ first revenue flight with Adria was to Frankfurt. The A319 has received the registration S5-AAR.

The latest Airbus A319 is the second for Adria within the last 2 weeks, with all aircraft of this type now delivered to the Slovenian national carrier. The airline now has 14 aircraft in its fleet, though an Airbus A320 is set to leave later this year while a Bombardier CRJ900 is expected to arrive. According to Adria’s CEO, Tadej Tufek, this is the airline’s biggest fleet modernisation push to date.

The Airbus A319 is becoming (or will become) a prominent fixture in the fleet of many EX-YU airlines including Croatia Airlines and B&H Airlines.

Skywings won’t be flying the flag

Skywings becomes Macedonia’s only scheduled airline

Macedonia’s Skywings International, officially known as AirLift Service, went from being the flag carrier of Macedonia to nothing more than a scheduled airline in less than 24 hours.

Skywings is a tour operator based in Germany. Following the collapse of the national carrier MAT Macedonian Airlines, Skywings created a subsidiary in Macedonia called Skywings Macedonia and created a Skopje based airline named AirLift Service, which has taken over most of MAT’s services to Western Europe. On Monday, Skywings claimed that its airline had received national carrier status from Macedonia’s Civil Aviation Agency. The airline has 1 aircraft (a B737-300) and operates flights to 6 destinations. An AirLift pilot, Stevo Stefanovski, said that the airline had received flag carrier status because it has followed strict air safety regulations outlined by the Civil Aviation Agency, the A1 network reports. Another airline official said that Skywings, more precisely ArLift Service, has now received a privileged status from the authorities.

It took only a few hours before the Macedonian Civil Aviation Agency denied claims coming from Skywings saying instead that the airline had only received an operational certificate, thus becoming a scheduled airline, rather than a charter carrier which it had been up until now. On Tuesday, Skywings International apologised for their earlier statements.

Skywings International is the only commercial airline which calls Macedonia home. However, its short record is far from impressive. Tour operators from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom are suing the airline for failing to uphold to contractual obligations.

Thus, as it stands now Macedonia remains without a national carrier. Other airlines – Aeromak, Mont Air and Mat Airways had all hoped to become the main carrier of Macedonia only to have their hopes dashed by the Civil Aviation Agency.

Rijeka says no to Ryanair

Rijeka Airport

The “Rijeka Danas” internet portal has revealed that Rijeka Airport’s management and the town authorities rejected an offer from Ryanair last year to begin services to the coastal town because the two sides could not agree on suitable destinations. Wile Ryanair wanted to commence seasonal flights from Cologne in Germany and Pisa in Italy, the airport wanted the world’s largest low cost airline to commence services from Birmingham and London in the United Kingdom. The former director of the airport said that there was no point for flights to originate from Pisa because Italians come to Rijeka by car. The portal notes that because of this decision Rijeka’s citizens can not use Pisa, one of Ryanair’s largest hubs, as a transit point to Western Europe and Northern Africa.

Rijeka Airport is in deep financial problems. More about the airport’s financial woes can be read here. Since Ryanair is heavily subsidised for its flights to Croatia, it is debatable whether Rijeka Airport’s authorities should have the right to set down the terms of the deal. Ryanair has helped wake up many airports in Croatia due to seasonal and all year round services.

Jat sells headquarters

Jat moving to the airport

Jat Airways has sold its headquarters building to the state owned Telekom Srbija. The building, located in Belgrade, fetched 10.3 million Euros and will come in handy for the airline which is struggling with financial problems. Jat will use 8 million Euros to pay off part of the 10 million Euro loan it took from the Serbian Government in February 2009. The 8.500 square metre office building had been shared with Telekom Srbija for decades. It is believed that Jat will stay in the building for several months after which it will move to its mostly unused office building at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport.

Meanwhile, in a letter to the CEO of the airline, the Ministry for Infrastructure said that Jat would experience minimal disruption as a result of the creation of a new Serbian national carrier and Jat’s successor. The new airline, in which the Government will invest 400.000 American dollars, is expected to start up by the end of the year, taking over Jat’s brand, destinations, employees and fleet.

Jat’s HQ, known as the Jat Business Centre, was opened in May 1996. The entire building takes up 25.000 square metres although the airline sold 17.000 square metres to other companies several years ago in order to boost revenue.

Airspace reopened

Airspace across most of Europe, with the exception of Portugal, has reopened today after a weekend of disruption caused by ash emitted for the Icelandic volcano.

AIRSPACE CLOSURE

Due to an oncoming cloud of ash from a volcanic eruption in Iceland, Croatia has closed Zadar and Split airports. The flight from Zagreb to Pula via Zadar will not be making the stop in the city, while the Zagreb to Rome service, scheduled to operate via Split will proceed directly to the Italian capital without the stop over, the HRT public broadcaster reports.

Some airports in Portugal, Spain and Italy have been closed while closures in Austria and Germany are expected tonight. Last month European aviation was paralysed by the volcanic ash cloud.

Runway overhaul in full swing

Zagreb Airport

Following Ljubljana’s example, the runway at Zagreb’s Pleso Airport is now receiving a partial upgrade. The runway overhaul project began in April and will last until June 30. Linking taxiways to the runway will also be widened and receive some general repair. Aircraft are currently taking off and landing on a shortened runway which is 2.512 metres in length, compared to the regular 3.252 metres.

The airport has announced that some delays in take off and landing can be expected due to the reconstruction. Citizens of nearby neighbourhoods, namely from Velika Gorica, have complained about noise levels coming from the work site. The repairs are expected to be complete before the summer tourist season begins, the Croatian business portal “Poslovni Dnevnik” writes. Zagreb’s runway received its biggest extension in 1974. In 2004, the CAT-IIIb instrumental landing system was installed, allowing aircraft to land and depart in foggy weather.

Turkish heading to Podgorica

Soon in Podgorica

Turkish Airlines will commence services to the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica, from June, the Montenegrin vice premier, Vujica Lazović, told public broadcaster RTCG. Lazović, who is attending the Eurasian economic summit in Istanbul, spoke to the CEO of Turkish Airlines who confirmed that 3 weekly flights between Istanbul and Podgorica are set to commence soon.

With the addition of Podgorica, Turkish Airlines will serve all capital cities of the former Yugoslavia. Turkish Airlines is striving to become the third largest carrier in Europe after the Lufthansa Group and Air France/KLM. It is the owner of B&H Airlines and is a firm favourite as the future owner of Jat Airways. Podgorica will become Turkish Airlines’ 159th destination.

A319 roll out soon

Coming soon to B&H Airlines

According to unofficial sources, B&H Airlines will roll out its newest fleet member, an Airbus A319, on June 4. The aircraft will make its first revenue flight on the evening service from Sarajevo to Istanbul. Originally, it was planned for the Bosnian and Herzegovinian national carrier to receive a Boeing B737-700, however that plan was abandoned in favour of the Airbus aircraft. The airline’s sole B737-400 will remain in the fleet until the end of the 2010 summer season, serving mostly on charter flights and flights to Turkey. With the arrival of a second A319, at the start of the 2010/2011 winter season, the airline will phase out the B737-400. According to current plans, a third Airbus will be introduced during the 2011 summer season. Two of the Airbuses will be provided by Turkish Airlines while the third will be owned by B&H itself, as the Bosnian Government had ordered the aircraft for Air Bosna several years ago. The order will now be taken over by Air Bosna’s successor B&H Airlines.

The new aircraft, to arrive in June, will take over most of the B737-400s routes.

Jat hit by ash cloud

Figures take a tumble after cancelled flights

The ash cloud from Iceland that grounded flights for almost a week across Europe and beyond has had an affect on Jat’s passenger figures in April. The Serbian national carrier reported a 14% decrease compared to April 2009. Jat Media Centre reports that it was forced to turn away 12.000 passengers and cancel 137 flights which led to the bad results. With these passengers, Jat Media Centre says, the airline would have seen a 2% increase compared to last year. In April 2010, Jat handled 66.782 passengers. It transported 8.871 passengers to Montenegro (compared to 5.646 in April last year), 55.903 on Euro-Mediterranean services (compared to 67.323) and 2.008 passengers on charter flights (compared to 4.304). The cabin load factor stood at 63%, which is an increase of 6% compared to last year.

Jat recorded its biggest passenger growth on flights to Tivat (+ 82%) replacing Brussels after 3 consecutive months, which recorded growth of 78% in April. Performing worst was Trieste which saw passenger numbers tumble by 77%. Also underperforming was Istanbul.

UPDATEDPig out

No longer welcome on B&H

The national carrier of Bosnia and Herzegovina, B&H Airlines, caused a big stir yesterday after it was revealed that the airline will no longer be serving meals containing pork meat or alcoholic beverages. Politicians have also weighed in on the debate saying that the move threatens Bosnia and Herzegovina’s diverse multi cultural make up.

Branko Dokić, the acting president of the transportation and communication commission in the Bosnian parliament said, “It is surprising that a national carrier would modify its inflight service in line with customs of only one group. Such behaviour goes against European values and is even uncommon in countries with a predominately Muslim population, such as Turkey where alcoholic beverages are served on all airlines”. On the other hand, another politician, Nedeljko Čubrilović, said that the owner of the airline has the right to set its own inflight rules but also adds that B&H Airlines is the country’s national carrier and as such must cater to the needs of all sizeable ethnic groups. The director of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Civil Aviation Directorate said that people should have the choice to choose the meal of their liking. “This is definitely not a wise marketing move by the airline”, he remarked.

Turkish Airlines, which owns 49% of B&H Airlines, serves alcoholic beverages on its flights. However, the airline upholds halal principles and does not serve pork. Other world leading carriers from the Middle East also serve alcoholic beverages on their flights. Other national carriers which come from ethnically diverse countries serve pork including Singapore Airlines and AZAL Azerbaijan Airlines.

The move has received substantial coverage in Croatia and Serbia, to which B&H Airlines will commence services in the coming weeks.

UPDATE

Since the news broke, B&H Airlines has today commented on the story. The airline said that it has 8 different menus for its flights (which are rotated on a weekly basis), none of which contain pork products. The airline said that on flights lasting less than an hour it does not serve either any food or alcohol, instead it serves juices and soft drinks, like many other European carriers. The airline denied that it does not serve alcoholic beverages on longer European flights, adding that it doesn’t serve alcohol only when laws of the country of arrival prescribe so. B&H Airlines does not have the option of special meals. Catering to the airline is provided on behalf of the DO&CO company.

Qatar and Macedonia sign air deal

Macedonian skies open for Qatar Airways

With the singing of an air transport agreement between Macedonia and the Gulf state of Qatar, the sky has opened for airlines between the 2 countries to commence an unlimited number of both passenger and cargo flights. The agreement was signed by Ibrahim Abdul Qadir, Qatar’s Civil Aviation Authority deputy chairman and the director of Macedonia’s Civil Aviation Directorate, Zoran Krstevski. Under the agreement, airlines from both countries would be able 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. This would, for example, allow an airline from Qatar to open flights between Macedonia and another third country.

Although Macedonian media have speculated that one of the world’s fastest expanding airlines, Qatar Airways, could begin services from Doha to Skopje, it seems unlikely at this point. Qatari newspaper, “The Peninsula”, believes that the new agreement could lead to increased trade and tourism between the 2 countries. Currently, Skopje does not have direct air links to the Middle East, with most passengers transiting through either Belgrade or Istanbul.

Expensive runway

Investments to be delayed

Zmago Skobir, the director of Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport, told the “STA” news agency that the airport lost an estimated 1.2 million Euros during the hubs 2 week closure brought on by a runway overhaul. Skobir said that the loss would probably put Ljubljana Airport’s revenue for this year at around 34 million Euros, which is on par with last year's result. The renovation of the runway, during which passenger traffic was scaled down and flights redirected to Maribor Airport, in part coincided with the air traffic disturbances caused by the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland. “If the airport had been open, the closed airspace above Slovenia would have cost us between 50.000 and 60.000 Euros per day”, Skobir explains. He noted that the damage caused by the ash cloud will have an affect on the entire aviation industry and that additional pressure on prices can be expected. “However, healthy companies will survive”, he added. On the other hand, Skobir said that airports will no longer be in the position to yield to the demands of carriers for lower or subsidised costs. If development is to be upheld, Ljubljana Airport will have to follow the example of some airports abroad and increase its prices of certain services. The crisis will delay some of the airport’s investment plans. Still, the company hopes to be able to launch a 60 million Euro investment into the construction of a new passenger terminal next year.

Slovenian flag carrier Adria Airways has meanwhile updated its assessment of the damage suffered between April 15 and 21 when it had to ground its fleet because of the ash cloud. While initial estimates put the damage somewhere between 1.3 and 1.4 million Euros, Adria chairman, Tadej Tufek, told the “STA" last Thursday that the damage in fact now stands at around 3 million Euros.

New airline – Kon Tiki Sky

New airline in Serbia’s skies

It seems that Serbia will soon get a new airline. Kon Tiki Sky, to be operated by the region’s largest tour operator Kon Tiki Travel, will organise charter flights at first but may later indulge in scheduled services. The owner of Kon Tiki Travel, Slobodan Mićić said, “There couldn’t be a better way to celebrate our 20th birthday. We have already purchased an aircraft and it is in the process of being registered”. It is unknown which aircraft type the company has chosen. It is believed that the Kon Tiki decided to create its airline in Serbia after plans to create Mat Airways in Macedonia failed.

Kon Tiki Travel operates tours to various countries around the world with Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey and Greece being the most popular with Serbian tourists. Mićić told the “Tanjug” news agency that the company recorded unprecedented bookings for the May Day long weekend with many choosing to spend the short holiday in Spain and Italy.

If Kon Tiki Sky becomes a reality it could hurt Jat Airways’ charter operations. The Serbian national carrier currently has a contract with Kon Tiki to transport its holiday makers to various parts of Europe and Northern Africa.

New terminal opening soon

Coming soon: Dubrovnik’s new terminal

Dubrovnik Airport is getting ready to open its new multi million Euro terminal, which will make the airport the most modern in the country, ahead of Croatia’s busiest hub Zagreb. The opening of Terminal B is set to take place mid May. In 4 days technical checks of the terminal will commence.

The new terminal building stretches over 16.740 square metres. In the arrivals hall, located at the ground floor of the terminal, one will find 3 conveyer belts for baggage claim, 2 for international flights and 1 for domestic services. The first and second floors stretch over 1.300 square metres and will contain 4 gates and 2 air bridges. Offices and a gallery will be placed on the third floor. The new terminal will also have retail space of up to 575 square metres where a duty free shop, 2 coffee bars and a bistro, as well as tour operators’ offices will be located. A VIP lounge will take up 125 square metres.

With the addition of the new terminal, Dubrovnik Airport will have the capacity to handle 2 million passengers. The total price tag of the project amounts to approximately 170 million Kuna (23.4 million Euros).