The Irish low-cost airline Ryanair has announced a continuation of strong growth in the Balkans, with its CEO Michael O’Leary recently dismissing Wizz Air as a challenger.
Ryanair operates in four out of the seven markets of the former Yugoslavia. Exceptions are Slovenia, Macedonia, and Kosovo. Wizz Air is currently the largest low-cost carrier in Pristina, Macedonia, and Serbia, while Ryanair has the advantage in Croatia and Montenegro. This year, it will surpass Wizz Air in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and become the largest low-cost carrier in the country, with almost 200,000 seats in the BiH market.
“Ryanair is the only major European airline that has significantly increased the number of passengers after COVID-19, especially in the Balkans, where other airlines have stopped growing, reduced routes, and decreased the number of passengers. This year, Ryanair will grow to 11 million passengers transported annually in the region (an increase of 260% compared to the pre-COVID period),” the company stated.
This passenger growth, they add, complements Ryanair’s plans to grow to 300 million passengers transported annually by 2034 as it takes delivery of another 400 aircraft.
“We want to focus on this region. We see this as a significant part of our upcoming expansion,” the company emphasizes.
Ryanair has significantly increased its presence in Croatia over the past few years by opening a base in Zagreb, as well as seasonal bases in Zadar. This year, it further solidified its position by opening a year-round base in Dubrovnik.
The company maintains its position as the largest airline in Croatia, expanding its offering to 4.5 million seats annually, almost twice as much as the second-largest, Croatia Airlines. However, it faces greater challenges in other markets. Nearly a decade ago, Ryanair announced that it would launch flights to Skopje directly challenging Wizz Air; however, those plans were canceled for unknown reasons.
The airline has also stagnated in Serbia with its operations from Nis, while it does not have flights to Pristina, where Wizz Air has become the largest carrier by the number of passengers transported. Although talks have been held between Ryanair and the Slovenian government, O’Leary called Ljubljana Airport “simply too expensive,” Forbes writes.
E.Dz.
