Ryanair, Turkish and Lufthansa make biggest cuts on EX-YU markets
Ryanair, Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa will record the largest year-on-year reductions in available capacity across the former Yugoslavia this coming winter season, which begins on October 25 and runs until March 27. Ryanair will offer 225.092 fewer seats, taking its total below one million. Most of the reduction stems from the termination of its Niš operations and the suspension of its Sarajevo flights for the winter. Turkish Airlines will cut 75.029 seats as it reduces services to Podgorica, Pristina, Skopje and Zagreb, and suspends flights to Tivat. Lufthansa’s capacity will fall by 51.792 seats following the temporary suspension of Munich - Ljubljana flights, the termination of Frankfurt - Skopje services and reductions on its Zagreb routes. The use of larger aircraft elsewhere in the region will offset part of that decline. Ryanair will account for the largest capacity reductions in both Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In Croatia, Lufthansa will make the biggest cut, primarily because its Munich - Zagreb flights will be taken over by Air Dolomiti under the latter’s own code and flight numbers in January and February of next year, while overall frequencies will be halved during that period. Air Dolomiti will record the largest reduction in Slovenia. It operated services on Lufthansa’s behalf last winter but will not serve Ljubljana this winter. It will be followed by Swiss. Lufthansa itself will offer more seats in Slovenia than last winter despite suspending Munich - Ljubljana flights, thanks to the use of larger Airbus A321 aircraft on its Frankfurt service. Lufthansa will also make the largest capacity cut in Macedonia following the termination of Frankfurt- Skopje service this summer. In Montenegro, Turkish Airlines will record the biggest reduction as it scales back Podgorica operations and suspends winter flights to Tivat. At Pristina, locally based GP Aviation will make the largest cut after reducing its network and frequencies amid the opening of Wizz Air’s base at the airport. EX-YU Aviation News
