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Fear of Landing, News

Fear of Landing

The Art of Not Hitting the Ground Too Hard
  • Fatal Crash Overshadows Opening Day of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024
    On Monday, the 22nd of July, a Lancair Super ES crashed on approach to Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH) flying into the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Oshkosh is the aviation event in the US and during the event, KOSH becomes the world’s busiest control tower. For that one week, Oshkosh has the highest concentration of aircraft in…
  • From Mayday to Miracle: Cessna Bellylanding at Bankstown
    On the 26th of May 2024, a private pilot in a Cessna T210 Centurion II suffered an engine failure while downwind at Bankstown Airport in New South Wales, Australia. What followed was an emergency landing on video that will make you sweat. The pilot and one passenger, his wife, were on a private flight between…
  • How to tell an F-16 Fighting Falcon from a Eurofighter Typhoon
    There are a number of reasons why you might need to quickly point out the differences between a General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon and a Eurofighter EF2000 Typhoon. You might be writing a review of an airshow, as a completely random example. Or you might be abducted by aliens who insist that you explain Earth…
  • More than you ever wanted to know about Baltic International Air Show 2024
    Thirteen thousand people descended on Liepāja Airport for the Baltic International Air Show on the weekend of June 15th. One of them was me, clutching a VIP ticket that I’d been offered just the week before. I expected an intimate airshow at a small airfield but the Baltic International Air Show was clearly a major…
  • The Fenestron Factor: Cabri G2 Crash in Gruyéres
    The Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB) has released the final report for the Cabri G2 light helicopter crash in Gruyères, Switzerland in 2022. I wrote about it at the time, but I’m repeating the information and the videos here for reference. The final report is only available in French, with no mention of it…
  • Hail Damage to Austrian Airlines A320
    I’ve been intrigued by the photographs being passed around of the Austrian Airlines Airbus A320 that flew into a hailstorm. We’ve seen some hail-battered planes before but this one took the nose cone right off! Austrian Airlines, a subsidiary of Lufthansa, is the flag carrier of Austria. They ordered four new Airbus A320neo aircraft in…
  • Cessna 172M forced landing after go-around in New South Wales
    On the 15th of October 2023, a private pilot rented a Cessna 172M from Air Gold Coast for a private flight from Gold Coast Airport, Queensland, to Murwilumbah, New South Wales. The aircraft, registered as VH-JUA, was 47 years old and had been in Australia since 1989. It had over 14,000 hours, although there were…
  • Continental flight 11
    Sixty-two years ago, on the 22nd of May 1962, Continental Airlines flight 11 broke up at 39,000 feet. Flight 11 was the last flight of the day: a one-hour commuter flight from Chicago O’Hare, Illinois, to Kansas City, Missouri. It was a stormy Tuesday evening and only half of the seats had been sold. The…
  • Terminally Early: The Berlin Viewing Platform
    Mistakes were made. All of them were mine. Before I left for Dresden, I planned out my full itinerary. Berlin is a much busier airport than Tallinn, so I needed to remember that when it was time to leave, I’d need to arrive two hours before. When I added the revised time to my online…
  • Extreme Turbulence in Singapore Airlines flight 321
    A few days ago (21st of May 2024), Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 encountered heavy turbulence on a passenger flight from London-Heathrow to Singapore. There were 229 on board, including eighteen crew members. The flight had been uneventful until about ten hours into the flight. The aircraft was cruising at FL370 (37,000 feet) while breakfast was…

EX-YU Aviation News

EX-YU Aviation News

Latest news from the aviation world of the former Yugoslavia
  • Ryanair to end all but one Podgorica route over winter

    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 weekly rotation between London Stansted and Podgorica during the 2024/25 winter season.

    The newly appointed CEO of operator Airports of Montenegro, Roko Tolić, has acknowledged the issue and plans to persuade Ryanair to reconsider their decision. He will soon meet with the airline's management in Dublin. “We hope for positive developments, but more will be known in October. Our discussions aim to halt this trend and foster a stronger relationship moving forward,” he said. He added, "I don't have a magic wand; changes won't happen overnight. However, we are working diligently every day to better prepare for the upcoming season. We offer airlines million-dollar discounts each year."

    Ryanair has been Montenegro’s busiest low cost carrier for several years, handling over 200.000 passengers annually. However, its figures have been declining since 2022. This coming winter, Ryanair has 39.820 seats on sale to and from Podgorica, down 50.9% on the 2023/24 winter season and a reduction of 66.1% on the 2022/23 winter. In total, Ryanair has scrapped 41.312 seats from the market this upcoming winter compared to last. Ryanair previously said that Podgorica Airport’s charges are unsustainable. “Podgorica Airport is completely uncompetitive compared to other European airports which reduce their fees to stimulate recovery and traffic growth. This has a detrimental impact on Montenegro’s connectivity, tourism, and the economy”, Ryanair said.


    EX-YU Aviation News
  • Belgrade - Larnaca route reaches new passenger record
    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 six months of the year stood at 82.5%.

    Belgrade - Larnaca passenger performance, H1 2024


    EX-YU Aviation News
  • Croatia Airlines concludes new collective bargaining agreement
    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 entire fleet by 2027, which involves the arrival of fifteen new Airbus A220 aircraft”.

    EX-YU Aviation News
  • Belgrade - Turkey air travel closes in on million passengers per year

    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 two flag carriers. Air Serbia also maintains flights from Niš and Kraljevo to Istanbul, as well as charters between Niš and Antalya, in addition to its Belgrade operations to Turkey.

    Belgrade - Turkey passenger performance by route, 2023


    Unsurprisingly, flights between Belgrade and Istanbul’s main gateway were the busiest with over half a million passengers. The figure represents an increase of 32.9% on 2022, or an additional 124.879 travellers. The growth was generated by the close cooperation between Air Serbia and Turkish Airlines, which has resulted in a wide-ranging codeshare agreement and a potential joint venture. Furthermore, tourism exchange between the two countries has significantly increased and flows both ways, there is a notable rise in Turkish workers in Serbia, while a larger number of Russian travellers are transferring via Turkey to and from Serbia, which also generated more traffic.

    Despite the Turkish side pushing to obtain rights to commence scheduled operations between Antalya and Belgrade as part of the revised Air Service Agreement, it failed to do so, with Air Serbia remaining the exclusive operator. As a result, the route continues to be maintained as a charter. Last year, the Serbian flag carrier operated up to eight daily flights between Belgrade and Antalya during the height of the summer season. It handled 111.546 travellers on the route, which is maintained only during the summer months. On the other hand, ten years after commencing flights to Belgrade, Pegasus Airlines saw direct competition on its flights to Belgrade, with AJet commencing operations between Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport and the Serbian capital in December 2023.


    EX-YU Aviation News
  • Air Montenegro issues call for new CEO
    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
  • Belgrade Airport to install sixteen passport eGates
    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 gates would take at least three weeks, during which passport processing capacity would be reduced by 25%, we made the decision to begin with their installation in September. We simply could not risk reducing the flow of passengers at passport control during the summer rush”.

    The use of the eGates will commence in October, which is expected to expedite passport control procedures five-fold. “We reached an agreement with the airport to initially have trained personnel assist passengers with the use of the eGates in case they did not have the opportunity to use them in the past. All passengers will receive flyers with instructions on how to use these gates. They will be distributed upon arrival, as well as on board Air Serbia flights. Our goal is to get as many passengers as possible to use these gates, as they will expedite passport check procedures and will require fewer police officers at passport control”, Mr Vesić said.

    eGates usually involve a two-step process. Passengers first scan their passport after which the first gate opens. The traveller’s photo is then taken for facial recognition, after which a second gate is opened, and the passenger can continue onwards with their journey. Airports are increasingly using eGates with Singapore Airport becoming the first in the world since June to process all incoming passengers from all countries using eGates.

    EX-YU Aviation News
  • Niš Airport opens new terminal as state plans subsidies for LCCs

    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 operations due to the grounding of aircraft as a result of manufacturing issues with engines on part of its fleet.



    During the official terminal opening ceremony yesterday, Serbia’s President, Aleksandar Vučić, said the government would provide subsidies for low cost carriers to expand their respective networks from Niš. “Next year Niš Airport should be able handle over 500.000 passengers, which is why additional low cost carriers need to launch flights. We will now enter into talks with low cost airlines over the introduction of new routes. It is important for us to ease pressure on Air Serbia due to the upcoming EXPO 2027”, Mr Vučić said. The state is already subsidising Air Serbia’s operations out of Niš under a Public Service Obligation agreement. This summer season, Ryanair is Niš Airport’s largest carrier based on available seat capacity, with a 37.4% share, followed by Air Serbia on 35%, and Wizz Air with the remaining 27.6% of capacity.



    The new terminal building in Niš can handle 1.5 million passengers per year and up to six aircraft at the same time. It boasts ten check-in desks, self-check-in stations, eight passport control booths, four passenger gates, a business lounge and one VIP gate. Furthermore, it features a luggage sorting facility. New food and beverage outlets, as well as duty free shops will be added over an area of 700 square metres. Initially, the new terminal will cater for departing passengers with the old terminal to be used for handling arriving travellers. However, the airport plans to demolish the old terminal and construct a new building which will form a single functioning unit with the new terminal. A car park with the capacity for 580 vehicles has also been built. The new terminal is valued at eleven million euros, while a further five million was invested for the purchase of new equipment.




    EX-YU Aviation News
  • Split Airport hacked by Akira ransomware gang
    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 faced numerous delays. Although some flights have been cancelled today, most are heavily delayed but operating. Hackers behind the attack had called for negotiations, but authorities have refused to comply. The incident occurred just days after a global IT outage caused by an update to CrowdStrike software upended operating systems across the world, causing chaos at airports, banks and financial institutions.

    The Akira ransomware gang has attacked more than 250 organisations over the last year and continues to impact a “wide range of businesses and critical infrastructure entities in North America, Europe, and Australia”, the FBI and European law enforcement agencies have warned. In April, officials from the FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), and the Netherlands’ National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-NL) published an advisory about the group, which has earned about 42 million US dollars in ransoms since emerging in March 2023. After initially targeting Windows systems, Akira has deployed a Linux variant targeting VMware ESXi virtual machines that are used widely across many large businesses and organisations.

    The ransomware gang has claimed a steady stream of incidents in 2024, including an attack on prominent cloud hosting services provider Tietoevry. The group has taken credit for other attacks on Stanford University, the largest switching and terminal railroad in the US, the government of Nassau Bay in Texas, Bluefield University, a state-owned bank in South Africa, major foreign exchange broker London Capital Group, and Yamaha’s Canadian music division.

    EX-YU Aviation News
  • Sarajevo Airport breaks 24-hour passenger record
    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 previously reported, Sarajevo Airport welcomed 722.981 passengers during the first half of the year, up 34.9% on 2023. The airport is also one of the fastest growing in the former Yugoslavia during the ongoing third quarter.

    EX-YU Aviation News
  • Flydubai warns of frequency cuts and network revision

    Flydubai, which maintains year-round operations to Belgrade, Zagreb, Sarajevo, and Ljubljana, as well as seasonal flights to Dubrovnik and Tivat, has announced that its expansion plans have been significantly impacted by Boeing’s latest update regarding ongoing delays in its aircraft delivery schedule. The carrier is currently evaluating its route development plans and potential frequency revision across the network due to a lack of new aircraft deliveries over the next few months. “We are extremely disappointed to learn that Boeing will not be able to fulfil its commitment to deliver more aircraft for the remainder of the year. Boeing’s short-noticed and frequent delivery schedule revisions have hindered our strategic growth plans resulting in significant disruptions to our published schedules. The reduced capacity will ultimately affect our customers as well as our projected financial performance”, Flydubai’s CEO, Ghaith Al Ghaith, said.

    Flydubai maintains a considerable network to the former Yugoslavia. This week alone the carrier has 46 flights scheduled from Dubai to the former Yugoslav markets, with 7.788 seats in each direction. It handled over 300.000 passengers on its operations in the region last year. In the past, the carrier had also served Podgorica and Skopje, with the latter attempting to secure Flydubai’s return. “With six new routes scheduled to launch over the next few months, the airline is currently reviewing its schedule and frequency of operations across its network due to restrictions in aircraft availability”, the airline said.

    Flydubai was due to take delivery of another fourteen Boeing 737 MAX jets by the end of the year, all of which have now been pushed back. “The aircraft delivered in the first half of the year were from the backlog of previous years and faced extensive delays. Flydubai has more than 125 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on order to be delivered over the next decade”, the carrier said. It added, “To mitigate the delays in aircraft deliveries and to meet the surge in demand for travel and add capacity, particularly during peak travel periods, Flydubai had to enter Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance (ACMI) agreements”. Flydubai operates a single type fleet comprising of 88 Boeing 737 aircraft, which includes 29 B737-800s, 56 B737 MAX 8s and three B737 MAX 9 jets.


    EX-YU Aviation News
  • Pragusa.One eyes 2025 summer launch
    NEWS FLASH


    Croatian start-up Pragusa.One, which initially planned to launch long-haul operations in 2021 from Dubrovnik and Prague to Asia and North America, has said it is in the process of acquiring four Airbus A330-200 jets. "The company is currently in discussions with multiple vendors and expects delivery of the aircraft by the end of 2024", Pragusa.One said. The company’s Croatian subsidiary plans to apply for an Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) this year, with the strategic goal of starting operations by June 2025. In 2022, Pragusa.One became a minor stakeholder in flag carrier Croatia Airlines by acquiring 3.682 shares or a 0.04% stake in the company.

    EX-YU Aviation News
  • KLM to boost Belgrade capacity in 2025
    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 throughout the summer of next year. Changes at this early stage remain possible.

    EX-YU Aviation News
  • Air Serbia open to future airline consolidation

    Air Serbia has said it would be open to future airline consolidation if such a move would be beneficial for both sides. Europe’s airline industry has been gradually consolidating for the last twenty years but remains fragmented, with small national carriers struggling to compete with bigger rivals. Recently, the European Commission approved the partial acquisition of ITA Airways by Lufthansa, while Air France - KLM is investing $1.2 billion in SAS Scandinavian Airlines in return for a 19.9% share in the carrier, although it is pushing for a bigger stake in the company. Speaking at an IATA conference in Dubai recently, Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek noted, “Europe is still very fragmented. If you look at our region, we sill have a couple of national airlines. We are happy to cooperate with anyone. If there were to be some consolidation that would have benefits for both sides and was win-win scenario then why not”.

    Mr Marek noted that Europe still hasn’t fully embraced consolidation in the airline industry. “In Europe, we always do things a bit by half. We are still keeping the airline brands because there is still a strong local affinity towards them. It is not like in the US where you merge airlines, and you repaint the aircraft of one of the carriers into the colours of the other. Here, in Europe, there is a lot of complexity attached because airlines keep an independent brand, independent management, and retain their independence in many other aspects. I am not sure that the true benefits of consolidation are still unlocked in Europe”.

    Air Serbia is not actively seeking equity tie-ups with other carriers but has so far pursued expanding codeshare partnerships with nearby airlines. Bulgaria Air currently codeshares on 21 routes operated by Air Serbia, TAROM on seven, Turkish Airlines on five, and Aegean Airlines on four. Air Serbia and Turkish Airlines are also exploring closer cooperation in the form of a joint venture for aircraft maintenance. The Serbian carrier had also previously cooperated with the now defunct Adria Airways, B&H Airlines, and Montenegro Airlines. Both Air Serbia and Air Montenegro are currently seeking to conclude a codeshare partnership. This summer season, Air Serbia is the tenth largest carrier by available seat capacity based in Central and Eastern Europe. If carriers from Russia, which have a strong domestic network, are excluded, it places sixth, behind Ryanair, Wizz Air, LOT Polish Airlines, easyJet, and airBaltic.

    In the past, the Serbian carrier has explored other opportunities to base operations in other markets. The airline presented plans to establish flights from Ljubljana to several European destinations in September 2020. The then CEO of the carrier, Duncan Naysmith, was accompanied to Ljubljana by Luka Tomić, the head of the Cabinet of the Serbian Minister for Finance, as well as the then-assistant in charge for aviation from the Serbian Ministry for Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Zoran Ilić, where they held talks with the Slovenian Ministry for Infrastructure. “Air Serbia presented its proposal for linking Slovenia with nonstop flights to key markets, as well as flights via Belgrade. The airline outlined potential plans to open a base in Ljubljana, acquire a Slovenian Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC), presented its strategy and network, and potential routes from Slovenia”, documents from the Slovenian Ministry for Infrastructure show. The Serbian carrier has since given up on the idea, focusing instead on developing its Belgrade hub.


    EX-YU Aviation News
  • Slovenia and Brazil ink air agreement
    NEWS FLASH


    Slovenia and Brazil have signed a bilateral Air Service Agreement, which regulates air transport between the two countries. The agreement was signed by the Slovenian Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, Tanja Fajon, and her Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira. In a statement, the Slovenian government said, “The two ministers signed an air transport agreement to improve air connectivity and support the eventual establishment of scheduled air services between the two countries once conditions are met”. Brazil accounts for more than half of Slovenia's trade with Latin America. Last year, merchandise trade topped 253 million euros, making Brazil Slovenia's 35th largest trading partner globally.

    EX-YU Aviation News
  • Croatia Airlines revises A220 entry into service
    NEWS FLASH


    Croatia Airlines has again revised the deployment of its incoming 149-seat Airbus A220-300 aircraft on revenue flights. The jet's inaugural service has now been set for August 6, between Zagreb and Split. The full deployment schedule for August can be found in the table below. Further changes remain likely.

    Croatia Airlines’ A220-300 deployment, August


    EX-YU Aviation News
  • EX-YU wide-body flights below pre-pandemic levels

    The number of airlines using wide-body aircraft on flights to and from the former Yugoslav markets is still below pre-pandemic levels in 2019. This August, there will be 117 flights departing the region on wide-body aircraft down 25% on the same month five years ago. Total capacity offered by airlines operating wide-bodies to the former Yugoslav markets will decline 25.2%. Much of the drop is being generated on the Croatian market, which unlike five years ago is no longer served by American Airlines, Air Canada Rouge, Emirates and Korean Air. In August of 2019, Qatar Airways, which back then operated year-round flights to Sarajevo, performed eight services with the 260-seat Airbus A330-200 jet to Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital, while Iran’s Mahan Air ran nine flights with its 210-seat A310 jet from Tehran to Belgrade, which it no longer serves.

    This August, there will be the most wide-body capacity from Belgrade. Air Serbia will operate a total of 49 flights from the Serbian capital using its two A330-200 jets, one of which has the capacity to seat 268 passengers and the other 257. In addition, Hainan Airlines will be using its 292-seat A330-300 jets on its nine flights from Beijing to Belgrade. Overall, wide-body flights and capacity have increased 114% and 124% respectively out of Belgrade on the pre-pandemic 2019.

    Wide-body capacity by route, August 2024


    In Zagreb, next month sees three airlines operate wide-body services. These include seventeen flights from Toronto by Air Transat and fourteen by newcomer T’Way Air. The Canadian carrier will deploy its 332-seat A330-200 aircraft on its Zagreb service next month, while T’Way will operate with its 347-seat A330-300 jet. Due to the absence of Air Canada Rouge, Emirates and Korean Air, overall wide-body usage from the Croatian capital will be down 59%. Capacity will decrease 58%.

    Dubrovnik is the only other city to have scheduled wide-body services in the former Yugoslavia, operated by United and TUI Airways. In August, United Airlines will maintain eighteen flights from Newark to the coastal city with its 231-seat Boeing 767-400, while TUI will deploy the 325-seat Boeing 787-8 from London Gatwick on five services and on another five flights from Manchester. In 2019, Dubrovnik was not served by United but American Airlines maintained operations from Philadelphia. As a result, despite having the same number of wide-body flights, capacity is slightly down, just 0.8%. Unlike last year, United is now utilising the larger -400 version of the B767, compared to the -300 version in 2023, adding an extra 28 seats per flight.

    Although wide-body usage is still down on 2019 levels, it has improved compared to last year, with twin-aisle jets deployed on 13.6% more flights. This is primarily due to the launch of T’Way Air’s new Seoul – Zagreb service and additional flights by Air Transat on its Toronto - Zagreb route.


    EX-YU Aviation News
  • TRIP REPORT: Lufthansa, Tokyo - Belgrade via Frankfurt
    TRIP REPORT   


    Flight date    : 22.2.2024.
    Purchase date: 10.11.2023.
    Flight time: 14h 25min. HND-FRA, 1h 55min. FRA-BEG.
    Total flight duration (HND-BEG): 19h 30min. including 3h 10min. transfer at FRA.
    Flight numbers: LH717 (HND-FRA) and LH1410 (FRA-BEG).
    Aircraft: Boeing 747-8 and Airbus A321.
    Full ticket price (BEG-HND and back): Lowest economy fare, little less than €1000 plus around €100 for seat reservation on every flight. (€100 is total price for all four flights)
    Luggage: 2x23kg checked luggage and 1x8kg cabin luggage.


    I have to start this trip report with a question. How would you react if you saw this message?


    I was actually laughing when I saw this, but when I started rebooking my journey, it wasn't that funny. First, I tried using their customer support bot to rebook me, but that bot was useless. Then I saw that Lufthansa has an office in Tokyo at HND airport. It wasn’t there even though that location was listed on Lufthansa’s official website. Lufthansa’s check-in desks were nearby, so I went there and asked the agent if she could help me. She told me that if I wanted to rebook, I’d have to call their customer service via payphone (you’ll see images below).

    I tried to buy a sim card instead, since my e-sim expired on that day. After hours of searching for a sim card, one worker told me that they don’t have physical sim cards, only e-sim for internet, and you can’t make phone calls on e-sim. That same worker also told me that if I wanted to call someone in Japan, I would have to use a payphone. Since I had no choice I used one, and it was actually fun using it, not gonna lie. :)



    After about half an hour of waiting, I started speaking with their customer service agent. She tried to rebook me on the same day, but I told her that she could rebook me even after the 21st. She rebooked me on the same flight, but on the 22nd, and I booked my hotel room for one more night. I later found out that the airline was responsible for taking care of the hotel, and I found out about that after I had already paid for one more night at the hotel. Oh well, you live and you learn from your mistakes. I didn’t have much energy to call Lufthansa again for that issue, and who wouldn’t want an extra day in Tokyo?

    Anyway, let’s continue with the trip report. I arrived at Haneda Airport about two hours before the flight. The queues at the check-in desks were huge, and it took me about 45-50 minutes to check in, again.


    After checking in, I wandered around the airport since I couldn’t find security and passport control. Eventually, I asked one lady, and she told me where to go. Finally, I found it. If you wear shoes above your ankles, you need to take them off at the security, and they offer you slippers so that you don’t go through barefoot.


    Security was quick, and so was passport control, since they use an automated border control system. Terminal 3 looks beautiful and has a big duty-free area. A lot of the shops are luxurious. But it also has some down-to-earth shops, vending machines, and convenience stores like 7/11. Where I went to spend my leftover coins. These working desks are almost everywhere. Free wi-fi is available as well, and you can charge your phones/laptops at your gate.




    Even though boarding commenced a little late, and the queue was really long, it was quite fast. We again boarded in groups. After entering the plane, there were pillows and blankets waiting on every seat. Pushback started exactly 10 minutes behind schedule, and after about 20 minutes of taxiing, we took off.




    The crew waited a little longer to hand out headphones and menu cards, 46 minutes to be exact. I also had the same issue with the IFE, the left earpiece didn’t work again. Twenty minutes after they handed out menu cards and headphones, they started lunch service with mini crackers, and an hour and ten minutes later, they finally served us our meals. Two options were available: Linguine pasta with creamy sauce, tomato sauce, mixed bell pepper and green bean, topped with parmesan cheese and parsley (I chose that), and Pork cutlet bowl with tonkatsu sauce and steamed rice. They were also serving beverages during the entire lunch service, but I only drank water, so it’s not really something worth mentioning.




    After lunch service, every passenger received a 0.5l bottle of water.

    Four and a half hours after lunch service, the crew gave us a mid-flight snack, which included salmon onigiri and a chocolate bar. Interestingly, on the flight from Frankfurt to Tokyo, the crew didn’t distribute a mid-flight snack. Other snacks and chocolate bars were available in the galley, at any time. The flight was super smooth, I don’t recall any turbulence at all.


    Since the flight was packed, there was always a line of people waiting to use the toilet. The entire flight people were standing there (tell me in the comments if that is normal on long haul flights). I assumed that some of the toilets at the back of the plane weren’t working properly. After another four hours, the cabin crew started dinner service with the hot “towel”. I know that it is not a real towel, but it still feels very bougie.


    One option was available for dinner (vegetable fried rice with fresh fruits as a dessert).

    It tasted great, I must say that I am truly surprised by Lufthansa’s food quality. Again, beverages were served all throughout dinner service, but I chose to drink only water. 45 minutes prior to landing, Lufthansa’s signature chocolate bars were served. We soon started descending towards Frankfurt, and shortly after we landed. The landing was so hard, it hurt my back a little bit.



    We landed on time despite departing a little late. Transfer wasn’t spectacular this time, since the airport was pretty much deserted, and you couldn’t really do proper planespotting at night. However, there was one thing that stood out about this transfer, and that was the SkyLine train at FRA. I just followed the signs to my gate after disembarking, and they took me to the SkyLine train stop. It was so exciting to ride that train, since it was my first time riding it. :D




    After exiting SkyLine, I wandered around my gate, and eventually just went straight to my gate waiting for boarding to start. An hour or so before we were supposed to depart, I checked Lufthansa’s app and saw an equipment change. They changed our aircraft from A319 to A321. Boarding started on time, and we entered the plane quickly. The legroom on both flights was amazing. Being 184cm tall, I had plenty of legroom. The captain told us that we would be delayed. The reason was that the baggage handlers were informed about the equipment change after they had already started sorting luggage in the cargo compartment. Felt sorry for them. :(

    After a 40-minute delay, pushback started. The captain was speeding through taxiways, and we departed only 10 minutes after pushback.


    You again, really?

    US military aircraft

    Since I was tired from traveling, I fell asleep right after takeoff. Even though I was asleep, chocolate bars and a bottle of water were put on the seat next to me. Really appreciate it.


    I woke up just before the descent started, and only had time to eat those chocolate bars and drink that bottle of water before landing. The landing was smooth this time, we touched down 15 minutes behind schedule, and disembarked after another 15 minutes.

    Novi Sad

    Embraer E195 involved in Marathon incident

    Also, Lufthansa offers free wi-fi for messaging apps on their short-haul flights. It is interesting that the much older A321 had wi-fi on board, but the newer A320neo (which I flew on from Belgrade to Frankfurt) didn’t have wi-fi. There were also other options to buy wi-fi on board, and the prices were fairly reasonable.




    I have to ask why there is no lift, or escalator pointing downwards when you disembark the airplane. It needs to be installed for clumsy people like me who forget their passport in the seatback pocket (I’m a little embarrassed to share this). Even though the building is almost brand new, there is a little issue with the floor. It has started to look a bit worn out, so I don’t really know for how long that floor will last, if it’s already showing signs of poor quality materials.


    Anyway, now comes THE GRAND FINALE of this trip report. One of the flight attendants was so awesome that she let me go inside the cockpit of a 747. The captain was even more awesome, as he allowed me to sit on his seat. xD



    Conclusion: Lufthansa’s crew is absolutely fantastic, honestly, I would fly with them again just because of their crew. Their hard product definitely needs an upgrade, it is showing its age. I like that you can now enjoy messaging for free on their short-haul flights. Their low prices and extensive network is what makes them competitive over other airlines in the region, along with Turkish Airlines. Flying to Tokyo with TK would cost about the same as LH, but as I said in my previous trip report, I wanted to fly on a 747. Also, LH’s employees were striking a lot around the time of my travel, and that was the reason why my flight was cancelled. I haven’t seen many strikes after that, so I am glad that they resolved that issue.

    I think that they started improving, and they are doing it slowly, but there is still a lot more to go.

    Thank you again for reading this trip report, I hope you have enjoyed. :)

    Also, I wanted to share some pictures I took while I was in Japan.















    Guess the airplane :D


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

    EX-YU Aviation News
  • Pegasus Airlines negotiating eighth destination in former Yugoslavia

    Low cost carrier Pegasus Airlines is in talks over the launch of its third destination in Bosnia and Herzegovina and its eighth in the former Yugoslavia. The carrier is engaged in negotiations for the introduction of flights between Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport and Mostar, Marko Djuzel, the CEO of Mostar Airport, confirmed. He anticipates for a positive outcome in the following weeks, noting the talks are the airport’s top priority. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pegasus Airlines currently maintains operations from Istanbul to Sarajevo, with a new one weekly service from Turkey’s largest city to Tuzla to launch on August 24. It also runs flights between Antalya and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital.

    Mostar Airport is served by Croatia Airlines from Zagreb, Air Serbia from Belgrade, and SkyAlps from Bari, Munich, Rome, and Verona, although the latter maintains operations only during the summer season. “The airport currently boasts six scheduled routes, with Zagreb and Belgrade being year-round. I believe that in the next month we will be able to confirm another four new routes so that next year we will have a total of ten”, Mr Djuzel said. He added, “This year we expect to handle some 40.000 passengers, while that figure should grow to 60.000 next year, which is close to the 2012 record when 80.000 travellers were handled”.

    Pegasus Airlines has been one of the fastest growing carriers in the former Yugoslavia this year. During 2024, it introduced seven new routes, and increased frequencies and capacity on others in the region. In addition to its existing seven destinations, it maintains a total of thirteen routes. Its new additions this year have included services from Istanbul to Zagreb, from Antalya to Pristina, Sarajevo, and Skopje, as well as new services from Ankara and Izmir to the Montenegrin capital. Overall, during the 2024 summer season, Pegasus Airlines has increased its capacity to the former Yugoslavia by 56% offering just under 740.000 seats.


    EX-YU Aviation News
  • President: Air Serbia to restore Cairo service

    The President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, has said the country’s state-owned flag carrier will resume flights between Belgrade and the Egyptian capital of Cairo shortly. The announcement came after Serbia and Egypt inked a Free Trade Agreement earlier this week aimed at boosting economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. According to Mr Vučić, “Many people have complained over the lack of flights between Serbia and Egypt. Air Serbia will resume its flights between Belgrade and Cairo as soon as possible. When I say as soon as possible, this will happen within the next two month, no later than that. As a result, we will once again establish even better connectivity between Egypt and Serbia”.

    Air Serbia itself has not commented on the matter. The airline commenced services between Belgrade and Cairo in the summer of 2019, but the flights were suspended following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. It then restored the overnight service last summer, however, the route was suspended in February 2024 amid capacity restraints and has so far failed to make a return to its network. The halt of the airline’s Cairo service also marked the end of Air Serbia’s scheduled flights to North Africa, although the airline maintains a busy charter network to Hurghada, Marsa Matruh, and Marsa Alam in Egypt, as well as Monastir in Tunisia. During the summer of 2023, Air Serbia saw significant transfer traffic on its Cairo service, primarily to and from Germany, Italy, France, and Scandinavian markets.

    The only scheduled flights between Belgrade and Egypt are currently maintained by Air Cairo, which runs year-round operations between Hurghada and the Serbian capital. The new Free Trade Agreement between Serbia and Egypt is expected to boost business travel between the two countries, as well as cargo demand. Trade exchange between Egypt and Serbia reached $120.4 million in 2023, compared to $104.7 million in 2022, an increase of 15%. Egypt's main exports to Serbia in 2023 were vegetables and fruits, fertilisers, and plastics. On the other hand, Serbia's main exports to Egypt included tobacco, grains, machines, electrical appliances, mechanical devices and tools, as well as rubber.


    EX-YU Aviation News