Ex-YU airlines should unite

Posted on 18 March 2012. Tags: aerodrom skopje, aerodrom skopje petrovec, air macedonia, air maecdonia, air prishtina, airmacedonia, avio karte cene, Balkan Airways, cheap flights to skopje, flight macedonia, flights to macedonia, jat airways, kosova airlines, macedonia air, macedonia airline, macedonia airport, mat airways, travel macedonia

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.

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Skopje Alexander the Great International Airport

Posted on 18 March 2012. Tags: aerodrom, aerodrom skopje, aerodrom skopje petrovec, air macedonia, air prishtina, airport skopje, avio karte, cheap flights to skopje, dolsaci, flight macedonia, flights macedonia, flights skopje, flights to macedonia, jat airways, kosova airlines, macedonia air, mar airways, mat airways, mat macedonia, mat macedonian airlines, odlasci, ohrid, skopje, travel macedonia, travel to macedonia

Skopje Alexander the Great International Airport
TAV Airports Holding, in what is a significant step towards establishing itself in Europe has recently undertaken operations of the Alexander the Great International Airport in Skopje, the capital of Macedonia. Operating the airport of the capital of Macedonia, which is expected to join the European Union in the near future, has been a rather significant step. The entrance gate of Macedonia, with its strategic location and 500-year past of historical ties with Turkey, was passed through by 657,000 passengers in 2008. Modernization is planned in such a way as to cover the technical infrastructure at the Alexander the Great International Airport by TAV Airports. Thus, it is targeted to contribute to the commercial and tourism relations of both Macedonia, and the capital city Skopje, which are symbols of the ethnic mosaic, and to increase the number of passengers.

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Ohrid St Paul the Apostle International Airport

Posted on 18 March 2012. Tags: aerodrom skopje, aerodrom skopje petrovec, air macedonia, airport skopje, cheap flights to skopje, flights macedonia, flights to macedonia, macedonia airline, macedonia airlines, macedonia flights, macedonian air, mat airways, skopje avio karte, travel to macedonia

Ohrid St Paul the Apostle International Airport
Ohrid, among the tourism destinations of Macedonia, has all the characteristics of a Mediterranean city. The city is famous for its historical and natural beauty and known for the lake which gave the city its name. TAV Airports will operate the St Paul the Apostle International Airport of Ohrid for 20 years, a city that was included in the UNESCO list of heritage sites due to its priceless riches. TAV Airports also aims to increase the number of Airlines and passengers using the St Paul the Apostle International Airport. In order to achieve that modernization studies are planned regarding the technical infrastructure of the airport.

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Mar Airways will start again

Posted on 18 March 2012. Tags: aerodrom, aerodrom skopje, aerodrom skopje petrovec, air, air macedonia, airmacedonia, flights to macedonia, flights to skope, macedonian airlines, macedonian airways, makedonija, Mat, mat ailines, mat airways, ohrid, skopje, skopje avio karte

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

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

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

Skopje – Antwerp 2 weekly flights MAT Macedonian Airways
Skopje – Ancona 3 weekly flights MAT Macedonian Airways
Skopje – Milan-Bergamo 3 weekly flights MAT Macedonian Airways
Skopje – Bologna 3 weekly flights MAT Macedonian Airways
Skopje – Rome 4 weekly flights MAT Macedonian Airways
Skopje – Trieste 4 weekly flights MAT Macedonian Airways
Skopje – Bratislava 4 weekly flights MAT Macedonian Airways
Skopje – Basel 5 weekly flights MAT Macedonian Airways
Skopje – Dusseldorf 3 weekly flights MAT Macedonian Airways
Skopje – Stuttgart 2 weekly flights MAT Macedonian Airways
Skopje – Hamburg 2 weekly flights MAT Macedonian Airways
Skopje – Berlin 2 weekly flights MAT Macedonian Airways
Skopje – Malmo 2 weekly flights MAT Macedonian Airways
Skophe – Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen 2 weekly flights MAT Macedonian Airways

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