EX-YU Aviation News

Croatia Airlines rolls out multilingual announcements

2026-06-23T14:02:06.986+02:00

News Flash

Croatia Airlines has introduced a new onboard announcement system on its Airbus A220 fleet featuring recordings in fourteen languages. The multilingual announcement package was produced by Zagreb-based Jukebox Studio and is used for passenger welcome, safety and onboard service messages. The project forms part of the carrier's ongoing A220 fleet renewal programme, which is seeing Croatia Airlines gradually transition to an all-A220 fleet.

According to Jukebox Studio, the recordings were produced in fourteen different languages. The voices used in the recordings were provided by Croatia Airlines cabin crew members. The languages played onboard depend on the destination or the passenger structure.

Qatar Airways reduces Zagreb, Belgrade winter flights

2026-06-23T10:30:00.000+02:00

News Flash

Qatar Airways is reducing frequencies on its flights from Doha to both Zagreb and Belgrade for the upcoming 2026/27 winter season, compared to its original plan. Following revisions to its network last week, the carrier now intends to serve both the Croatian and Serbian capitals four times per week, down from the originally scheduled daily flights on both routes. Further changes at this stage remain possible. The 2026/27 winter season begins on October 25 and runs until March 27, 2027.

Mixed July for EX-YU capital airports, Wizz tops one million seats

2026-06-23T09:00:00.000+02:00

Three capital city airports in the former Yugoslav region are set to see their scheduled seat capacity levels decline in July when compared last year, while others will reach record levels. Wizz Air remains by far the region’s largest carrier, registerring a combined total of over one million seats across the seven markets.

Belgrade Airport has the most available seats on scheduled flights in July, standing at 1.145.299. The figure represents an increase of 5.6% on 2025. Air Serbia will continue to maintain its position as the largest carrier with a record 616.646 seats, up 6.7%. It marks the first time the flag carrier will have over 600.000 scheduled seats in a single month at its Belgrade hub. Wizz Air will add 37.035 seats, growing by 20.5%. Zagreb follows as the second largest with 602.888 available seats on scheduled flights during the month. It represents a decrease of 3.9% on the previous year. Croatia Airlines will decrease its capacity by 1.6% but will continue to be the airport’s largest carrier with 221.264 seats. It is ahead of Ryanair with 197.638 seats, up 4.1%.

Skopje Airport will boast 489.508 seats in July, representing a 31.6% increase compared to the same month in 2025, with all of the growth driven by Wizz Air. The low cost carrier will add 140.014 seats, marking an 86.6% increase year-on-year. However, excluding Wizz Air, all other scheduled airlines at Skopje Airport will collectively register a 10.7% decline in seat capacity. Pristina Airport will have 455.642 available seats, with capacity currently projected to decline 5.6%. It follows large-scale frequency cuts by GP Aviation, which will result in the airline removing over 27.3% of its capacity compared to last July.

Podgorica Airport will see the full impact of the latest batch on new Wizz Air routes launched throughout June following the opening of its base in the Montenegrin capital in late March. The airport has 359.900 seats on scheduled flights during the month, up 47.3%. Wizz Air will be the largest carrier by adding 107.676 seats, representing growth of 200%, for a total capacity share of 44.9%. It is followed by Ryanair with 12.4% of the market.

Sarajevo will have 351.470 scheduled seats in July, representing a decrease of 2.6% on 2025. The decline is being fuelled by the absence of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, which has shut down, Qatar Airways and SAS Scandinavian Airlines, as well as frequency cuts by Turkish Airlines and Kuwait Airways. Finally, Ljubljana has a total of 233.593 seats on scheduled services, up 18.1% on July 2025. Lufthansa, despite having fewer flights, will have more seats, retaining its position as the airport’s largest, holding 16.6% of capacity. It is followed by Turkish Airlines with a 10.4% share, with its number of seats down 10.9%, and Swiss with 8.9% of the market and its capacity up 51.8% year-on-year.

Largest carriers by scheduled seat capacity in the former Yugoslavia, July 2026

Overall scheduled seat capacity in July across all former Yugoslav markets and airports combined: 6.116.260, up 6.7% year-on-year

Please note that the above figures are correct as of the date of publication. As the month progresses, they may change due to schedule revisions or equipment adjustments. Nevertheless, they provide a reliable indication of overall capacity trends across the airports.

Air Serbia plans third year-round Croatia route

2026-06-22T14:00:00.000+02:00

Air Serbia is planning to add a third year-round destination in Croatia this coming winter. As EX-YU Aviation News has learned, the move follows the strong performance of the carrier's Belgrade- Split service during the previous winter season, when the route ranked among the airline's best performers in terms of load factor. As a result, frequencies on the route will increase from two to three weekly rotations during the 2026/27 winter season, which begins in late October. The airline is now considering upgrading another seasonal destination on the Croatian coast to year-round operations, which would bring its total number of winter services in the country to three, alongside its existing routes to Zagreb and Split.

Over the weekend, Air Serbia inaugurated flights to Brač, making the island destination its seventh in Croatia. The seasonal service will operate twice per week until late September and was scheduled only recently in response to shifting travel patterns resulting from the conflict in the Middle East. Upon arrival, the carrier's aircraft was welcomed with a traditional water cannon salute. “We believe that this new seasonal route will be of interest to passengers from Serbia and the region, but also those from our wider network who wish to continue their journey toward the Adriatic via Belgrade”, the carrier’s General Manager for Commercial and Strategy, Boško Rupić, said.

With the addition of Brač, Air Serbia will operate up to 39 weekly flights between Belgrade and Croatia this summer, representing a post-war record. The airline will offer more than 3.600 seats per week in each direction between the two countries. During the busiest summer season for Air Serbia's predecessor, JAT Yugoslav Airlines, in 1987, the carrier maintained 161 weekly flights between Belgrade and Croatia, including seventy weekly services to Zagreb, thirty to Dubrovnik, 26 to Split, fifteen to Pula, eleven to Rijeka, five to Zadar and four weekly flights to Osijek.

PHOTOS: Third flag carrier touches down at Ohrid Airport

2026-06-22T13:30:00.000+02:00

News Flash

Austrian Airlines inaugurated seasonal flights between Vienna and Ohrid over the weekend, becoming the third flag carrier to serve the city alongside Air Serbia and Turkish Airlines. Services will be maintained twice per week, on Thursdays and Sundays, with the Airbus A320 aircraft until October 18. The inaugural service carried 154 passengers from Vienna.

The General Manager of airport operator TAV Macedonia, Nejat Kurt, said, "The Austrian Airlines service between Ohrid and Vienna will bring numerous benefits, first and foremost for our airport, but also for tourism development in the region and the country's overall economic connectivity. Through this direct air link, Ohrid gains access to one of Europe's most important aviation hubs, enabling passengers to benefit from fast and efficient connections to destinations across Europe and around the world. It is particularly significant that the route will cater to a wide range of travellers, including tourists, business passengers, transit travellers and members of the diaspora. We expect the service to generate around 5.000 inbound passengers.

Stefan Linhart, Senior Director of Sales for Central and Eastern Europe, Israel and Turkey at the Lufthansa Group, noted, "Having recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of Austrian Airlines' flights to Skopje, we are proud to further expand our presence by launching a second destination in North Macedonia. Ohrid and its surrounding region are becoming increasingly attractive to travellers from around the world, and we look forward to bringing more visitors to this beautiful destination while also providing people in North Macedonia with another gateway to the world through Vienna".

Vienna Airport

Ohrid Airport

Croatia Airlines to receive world’s first Star Alliance-liveried A220

2026-06-22T10:30:00.000+02:00

News Flash

Croatia Airlines will take delivery of two additional Airbus A220-300 aircraft this summer, following the arrival of another jet last week. One of the new aircraft will become the first Airbus A220-300 in the world to be painted in the official Star Alliance livery. Under alliance guidelines, member airlines are required to dedicate a specified number or percentage of their fleets to the distinctive black-and-white Star Alliance colour scheme. The incoming aircraft will become the tenth and eleventh A220s in Croatia Airlines' fleet. The carrier is then expected to receive a further three aircraft by the end of the year, subject to any delivery delays, followed by a final jet in 2027, completing its transition to an all-A220 fleet.

Flydubai reduces operations across former Yugoslav markets

2026-06-21T09:00:00.000+02:00

Flydubai has revised its schedule through October 1, affecting all markets it serves in the former Yugoslavia, with the exception of its seasonal operations to Tivat.

The carrier now plans to maintain twice-daily flights between Dubai and Belgrade, equivalent to fourteen weekly services, down from the seventeen weekly frequencies planned prior to the conflict in the Middle East. However, the revised schedule remains in line with the airline's operations during the same period last year. Flights are currently scheduled to return to seventeen weekly frequencies from October 1. However, this is likely to be revised, as the airline has yet to finalise its schedule beyond that date.

In Zagreb, Flydubai will operate three weekly rotations through September, down from both the initially planned and last year’s daily service. Flights will run on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Operations are expected to return to a daily schedule from October onwards.

In Ljubljana, the airline will maintain just two weekly flights, down from the five initially planned and below the four weekly services operated during the same period last year. Flights will run on Wednesdays and Sundays, with frequencies set to increase to five per week from October.

Sarajevo will see a more modest reduction, with services decreasing from the planned fourteen weekly flights to twelve in July. However, frequencies will align with the original schedule for the remainder of the summer season, including fourteen weekly flights in August, matching last year's operations, and four weekly services in September.

The airline has cancelled its seasonal flights to Dubrovnik throughout June. Last year, services resumed on June 5 and were meant to do so this year as well. However, operations are now scheduled to restart on July 2 with three weekly rotations, matching last year's frequencies, and will run until September 13.

The only destination in the region unaffected by the reductions is Tivat, where services will continue to operate four times per week until September 5.

TRIP REPORT: Air Serbia/easyJet, Belgrade - Paris and back

2026-06-21T08:59:00.000+02:00

Trip Report

Recently I travelled from Belgrade to Paris with Air Serbia and returned on an easyJet flight. I managed to find a very reasonably priced outbound ticket with Air Serbia during a promotional sale. However, the return ticket was significantly more expensive, even with the discount, and exceeded the price range I am willing to pay for the lowest fare category. As a result, I opted to return with easyJet, whose ticket was more affordable than Air Serbia's, while also operating from Charles de Gaulle Airport.

As with my previous short trips, I found it more convenient and cost-effective to drive to the airport myself, rather than taking a taxi, and parking in the Tesla Parking lot. Unfortunately, since August 2025, online reservations are no longer available. At first, there was a notice saying the system is in a process of upgrading, but now the link is completely gone. This could be a bit risky, as the night before my trip, the airport website showed only 40 available spaces. Luckily, by morning, more spots had opened up, so everything worked out fine.

I got through passport control and security quickly. Compared to my last visit, Tesla Square - if it’s still called that, since the sign seems to have disappeared - has been expanded, and new restaurants have popped up right on the square. Despite these improvements, the area still feels rather dark and a bit uncomfortable.

I also couldn’t help but notice that some of the cafes and restaurants have become quite pricey, especially when compared to previous visits or to larger European airports.

The works are still visible inside the terminal, and for some reason, the acceleration bars weren’t working. I have to admit this happens quite often, though I’m not sure why.

An AI assistant has been introduced as a very useful service.

Air Serbia has rolled out a new boarding system, but from what I could see, it was slower and more confusing than ever. Passengers were called by rows that didn’t match the zones shown on the signs, and it seemed like many people were expecting a neat, sequential boarding from 1 to 4 - which only made the whole process drag on even more.

I purchased my ticket through the Air Serbia mobile app, and I noticed that the prices are no longer lower than those on the website, as they used to be. I hope that with the introduction of the new loyalty program, Air Serbia will allow passengers to enter their frequent flyer number in the app and enable offline functionality as well.

Flight JU240 to Paris was operated by a 20-year-old A320, YU-APH, even though the night before it had been listed as an A320 Sharklets. Business class had 8 passengers, while economy was roughly 80% full. Interestingly, this was the first Air Serbia flight I’ve taken where the majority of passengers were foreigners. Russian and French dominated the conversations, and the crew even addressed passengers in English and Russian during disembarkation.

The seat pitch was good, and the seats themselves were comfortable. However, the cabin was clearly showing its age, particularly the carpets, which appeared quite worn. During takeoff, part of an overhead panel came loose and remained open for the rest of the flight. The crew handled the situation professionally, promptly relocating the passengers seated in that row to available seats elsewhere in the cabin.

I would also like to give special credit to the captain on this flight. Over the course of three separate announcements, he provided exceptionally detailed updates on the flight status, routing, and weather conditions at our destination. Such informative communication is becoming increasingly rare these days and reminded me of the old days.

Compared to my previous, longer, flight with Air Serbia 2-3 years ago, the airline has made improvements to its catering. This time, we had the option of choosing between a chicken or a beef sandwich. The sandwiches also came in interesting packaging, which was a nice touch. Unfortunately, the taste itself hasn’t changed, so I hope there will be room for improvement in that area in the future.

For the remainder of the flight, products from the Elevate program and duty-free items were offered, and we landed on time at CDG airport. I passed passport control surprisingly quickly, in just a few minutes. The EES (Entry/Exit System) kiosks were not operational, but the border police officer was very efficient and notably polite.

For the return leg, I arrived at Paris’ main airport about three and half hours before departure, taking a direct train line from the city centre. I must admit, navigating the airport was a bit confusing at first, as my boarding pass showed Terminal 2D (it was for check-in), while the gate was assigned to Terminal 2B. Initially, I didn’t realise the terminals were connected. After spending around 20 minutes at security, it took roughly 40 minutes to walk from the train station to Terminal 2B, in total. Interestingly, easyJet allows free check-in starting 30 days before the flight, whether or not you have a reserved seat.

The terminal is very spacious, with a great view of the apron for true aviation enthusiasts, and it also offers plenty of restaurants and shops.

Unfortunately, the rest of my stay wasn’t quite as pleasant, due to the long line at passport control. I joined the queue about two hours before the scheduled departure, and there were easily around 500-700 passengers ahead of me. I’m not sure whether the delay was solely due to the EES system (nobody scanned me) or the high number of flights at the same time (two Boeing 787s, two B738s, and two A320s). Either way, the line barely moved.

After an hour and a half in the line, and just half an hour before departure, my flight was called and directed to a separate line at passport control for expedited processing. I must highlight the professionalism of the airport staff, who were clearly well-trained for such situations. They distributed free bottles of water and reassured passengers.

Boarding started on time, but since it was pouring rain outside, it was done only through the front door, which made the process quite long and much disorganised. After that, due to air traffic restrictions, we had to wait an additional 20 minutes before pushback. Including taxiing to the active runway, we took off about 45 minutes behind schedule. I also noticed that the evening Air Serbia flight boarded at the same gate as easyJet.

The flight was operated by an 11-year-old A320, and since this was my first time flying with the "orange airline", I was curious to see what the experience would be like. One of the first things that caught my attention was the cabin interior. For some reason, I had expected leather seats, so I was slightly surprised to find fabric ones instead. The boarding announcements were played in French, English, and Serbian, a detail that I must admit is a nice touch.

The seat pitch was adequate for a low-cost carrier, although I couldn't shake the feeling that the seats sat a little lower than those on other airlines I have flown with. Must admit it was a bit uncomfortable to sit like that. The crew were friendly and approachable throughout the flight, and they kindly allowed me to move to the last, free, row. Interestingly, easyJet's A320 accommodates 31 rows, with the lavatories located in the tail section of the aircraft. Load factor stood around 80%, mostly of Serbian passengers, while there were also several tourists from France, and I noticed them waiting for the city bus at the arrival terminal in Belgrade.

The rest of the flight passed smoothly and uneventfully. Duty-free and buy-on-board products were offered during the flight. We landed about 15 minutes behind schedule and parked at gate A3, allowing me to reach passport control quite quickly. As the airport was fairly quiet at that time, I was already at the parking lot around 20 minutes after landing.

One thing that pleasantly surprised me was receiving an online survey from easyJet shortly after the flight, asking for feedback on my overall travel experience.

Share your travel experience by submitting a trip report to exyu@exyuaviation.com

Investigators rule out weather in Croatia Airlines A220 incident

2026-06-20T09:00:00.000+02:00

Croatian investigators have determined that adverse weather and runway conditions were not factors in the runway excursion involving a Croatia Airlines Airbus A220-300 at Split Airport last month, although the exact cause of the incident remains under investigation. The Croatian Agency for Investigation of Accidents in Air, Maritime and Rail Transport (AIN) released its preliminary report into the serious incident involving aircraft 9A-CAN, which occurred on May 16 during an attempted departure from Split to Frankfurt.

According to investigators, the aircraft had arrived from Dusseldorf approximately one hour earlier and was preparing to operate the scheduled service to Germany with 132 passengers and five crew members on board. Around twenty minutes before departure from Split, a brief rain shower had passed through the area, leaving the runway wet. However, investigators concluded that the condition of the runway was satisfactory and "could not have been a factor that endangered the take-off". During taxi, the crew requested a change from Runway 05 to Runway 23 due to wind conditions, as the originally assigned runway would have resulted in a tailwind component. Air traffic control approved the request.

At the time of departure, winds were recorded from 290 degrees at 15 knots, with gusts of up to 23 knots, resulting in a crosswind component of 13 knots, gusting to 20 knots. The report noted that the maximum permitted crosswind component for the A220-300 during take-off is 32 knots. "The influence of the wind was not negligible, however it was below the permitted limit", investigators said. The report added that another Croatia Airlines A220-300 departed from the same runway approximately four minutes earlier without incident.

The aircraft commenced its take-off roll at 13:27 local time and accelerated normally, reaching a speed slightly below V1 before beginning to veer left. Investigators said the deviation initially developed gradually before becoming sudden. The crew successfully aligned the aircraft parallel to the runway centreline and rejected the take-off. The aircraft eventually came to a stop with the left main landing gear on unpaved ground and the nose gear in a shallow drainage ditch alongside the runway. Investigators classified the damage as minor and repairable. The left engine and nose landing gear sustained damage, while all tyres were affected by skidding, including a burst left nosewheel tyre. Additional damage occurred when reverse thrust operations lifted debris from the ground, affecting the lower fuselage and left wing. The left engine also struck runway signage.

The agency said investigators have already conducted interviews with the flight crew, collected documentation, analysed weather data and retrieved information from the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. Further work will focus on analysing the aircraft's maintenance records, pilot training programmes, emergency procedures and data obtained from the flight recorders.

Air Serbia eyes further expansion amid airline sector consolidation

2026-06-19T14:30:00.000+02:00

Air Serbia is looking to capitalise on shifting market dynamics and ongoing consolidation within the European aviation sector, with CEO Jiri Marek indicating that recent industry developments have already enabled the carrier to accelerate network expansion and strengthen its operational position. Speaking about current market conditions, Mr Marek said Air Serbia had added two destinations this year that were not originally included in its 2026 network plans: Brač and Munich.

According to the CEO, the decision to launch services to the Croatian island of Brač was driven by changing travel patterns following the slowdown in demand for certain long-haul leisure markets traditionally served via Middle Eastern hubs. "There is a shift in demand, which traditionally went to Southeast Asia through the Middle East hubs. That demand is now looking for leisure destinations in Europe", Mr Marek said, noting that Brač had already been identified as a potential future destination but was brought forward due to evolving market conditions.

The launch of flights to Munich, meanwhile, was linked to capacity reductions and restructuring efforts within the Lufthansa Group. "Following the capacity reduction and restructuring of the Lufthansa Group, the opportunity arose to launch Munich", Mr Marek explained. He added that Air Serbia expects further opportunities to emerge as airlines across Europe continue to face financial challenges. "I will not name names, but multiple airlines have already gone bankrupt and it is always unpleasant. Unfortunately, that is the reality", Mr Marek said, adding that there is widespread expectations that additional market disruption could occur during the peak summer season.

Mr Marek suggested that further network expansion opportunities could materialise once the summer season concludes. "I see the opportunities are always there, but you have to be flexible to take them", he said. "I strongly believe there will be some opportunities on the network side, but we will see after summer how that will play out". He added that long-haul development could include another destination in China, a seasonal winter service, Miami, Seoul and Tokyo in the coming years.

Air Serbia’s CEO noted that the industry is experiencing a significant shift in aircraft availability after several years of severe capacity shortages. "There is now a lot of aircraft available on the market, which last happened during Covid", he said. Following the pandemic, aircraft availability remained constrained due to supply chain disruptions and technical issues affecting new-generation engines, which pushed lease rates higher and limited capacity across the industry. However, Mr Marek said the situation has changed markedly in recent months. "Currently, you still have 30% to 40% of wet-lease capacity unsold for the summer", he said. The airline is set to add two Airbus A320 aircraft to its fleet shortly.

According to the CEO, the increased availability of aircraft and crews is benefiting Air Serbia by lowering lease costs and improving access to additional capacity. "That for us is good because it brings prices down and the secondary market for aircraft has become available", Mr Marek noted. He added that the current market environment has also expanded the pool of available flight crew. "Due to this crisis, a lot of pilots have also become available. I won't say the exact figure, but in the last six months we hired dozens of new pilots", he concluded.

Bosnia and Herzegovina airports seek passenger fee freeze

2026-06-19T14:08:44.743+02:00

News Flash

Bosnia and Herzegovina's four international airports - Sarajevo, Tuzla, Banja Luka and Mostar - have called for the reintroduction of a moratorium on the passenger fee paid by airlines to the Bosnia and Herzegovina Directorate of Civil Aviation (BHDCA). The proposal, which was discussed at a recent session of the Council of Ministers, has yet to receive final approval, with no timeline set for a decision. Under the current system, airlines pay a fee of 1.5 euros for every departing passenger on flights from the country's commercial airports. The charge serves as a source of funding for the aviation regulator.

Sarajevo Airport said the initiative aims to strengthen connectivity, attract new airlines and support the development of air transport and tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Airport officials noted that a previous moratorium on the fee generated positive results, including higher passenger numbers, network expansion and increased tourist arrivals. The four airports are proposing that the moratorium be reinstated for a minimum of two years, citing rising fuel prices, increasing operating costs, inflationary pressures and ongoing disruptions across the global aviation market. At the same time, the airports stressed the importance of securing alternative funding sources for the BHDCA to ensure the regulator's uninterrupted operation should the proposal be approved.

Air Montenegro rules out price war with Wizz Air

2026-06-19T10:37:36.779+02:00

News Flash

Air Montenegro has said it will not engage in a price war with Wizz Air after the budget airline based two Airbus A321neo aircraft in Podgorica this summer and launched seventeen new routes, several of which overlap with the flag carrier's network. Air Montenegro, which operates a fleet of three Embraer E195 aircraft, will compete directly with Wizz Air's 239-seat A321neos on routes including Ljubljana and Rome.

Asked by EX-YU Aviation News at the recent Slovenian Aviation and Travel Summit how the carrier will compete against the low cost airline, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Tihomir Dragaš, said, "We intend to differentiate ourselves because we are not offering the same product. We have no plans to engage in a price war. As a smaller carrier, that is not a battle we could win. Instead, we will compete on service quality, on-time performance and the overall customer experience we provide. At this stage, we believe that is the right approach. So far, booking trends have remained stable compared to last year, and our forecasts remain positive. We are optimistic about the months ahead".

Wizz Air warns Belgrade base closure is a real possibility

2026-06-18T14:00:00.000+02:00

Low cost carrier Wizz Air held a press conference in Belgrade this afternoon, during which it addressed the company's plans for future operations in the Serbian market. The live coverage from the press conference, as it happened, can be viewed below.