European airlines set their sights on new international markets
By DAVID CASEY
Three European carriers—Air Serbia, Aer Lingus and Edelweiss Air—are each expanding their long-haul networks and entering previously unserved markets.
Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, and Chicago will soon have nonstop flights for the first time in more than three decades. Air Serbia will initiate service between the two cities on May 17, using Airbus A330-200s. Frequencies on the Belgrade-Chicago O’Hare route will initially be twice a week before rising to three times a week from June 12.
The carrier is aiming to tap into the large community of people with Serbian ancestry in the Chicago area, which is estimated to have around 350,000 residents of Serbian origin, as well as people from other countries in the former Yugoslavia and neighboring Balkan states.
Data from Sabre Market Intelligence indicates that in 2019, the Serbia-US market attracted 239,000 two-way O&D passengers, with almost 85% traveling indirectly. The largest city pair was Belgrade-New York, with about 61,400 two-way passengers, while Belgrade-Chicago was the second-largest market with nearly 38,000 two-way passengers.
Passengers traveling from Chicago will have the option to connect through Belgrade to other cities in Air Serbia’s network, such as Berlin, Bucharest, Prague and Sarajevo. Furthermore, the carrier’s interline partnerships with American Airlines and JetBlue Airways will provide onward connections from Chicago.
Air Serbia currently offers one US route, flying between Belgrade and New York John F. Kennedy three times per week. Frequencies are scheduled to rise to daily by mid-June.
The route to Chicago is one of 14 new routes from Belgrade being launched by the airline during the 2023 summer season. Other new destinations include Gothenburg, Marseille, Naples, and Varna.
The last nonstop flight between Belgrade and Chicago was operated by Air Serbia predecessor JAT Airways in the early 1990s.
Aer Lingus is set to become the sole nonstop carrier between Europe and Cleveland, Ohio. The Irish airline will launch a 4X-weekly service from Dublin (DUB) to Cleveland Hopkins International (CLE) from May 19, utilizing Airbus A321LRs.
Once launched, the DUB-CLE route will become Cleveland’s first nonstop connection to Europe in more than four years. OAG Schedules Analyser data shows that both Icelandair and the now-defunct WOW Air each operated flights from Reykjavik Keflavik between May and October 2018.
Prior to that, Continental served the London market from Cleveland, flying to London Gatwick until August 2008, before switching to London Heathrow in 2009. It also offered a direct link to Paris during the summer 2008 season.
According to figures provided by Sabre, Dublin was the fourth-largest Cleveland-Europe market in 2019, trailing only London, Paris and Rome. O&D traffic between Cleveland and Dublin totaled 14,340 two-way passengers during the year. This compares with 40,636 to London, 16,718 to Paris and 14,646 to Rome.
To incentivize the new route, Aer Lingus will receive a $600,000 grant over a three-year period for maintaining the service. A partnership comprising Jobs Ohio, the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Greater Cleveland Partnership, Team NEO and Destination Cleveland will also provide an undisclosed multimillion-dollar package.
Aviation stakeholders in Cleveland expect the route to have an $85 million economic impact during the first three years of the commitment.
Cleveland becomes the 12th US destination served from Dublin by Aer Lingus. The International Airlines Group (IAG) carrier intends to offer almost 56,000 two-way weekly seats between Dublin and the US during peak summer 2023. This compares with 54,500 during summer 2019.
Leisure airline Edelweiss Air is expanding its long-haul network during the winter 2023/24 season with the launch of its first flights to Colombia.
From Nov. 22, the carrier will become the sole operator of nonstop service between Switzerland and Colombia when it begins operations to Bogota and Cartagena. The move increases the SWISS-owned airline’s long-haul route map to 23 destinations.
The routing will see Edelweiss fly nonstop from Zurich to Bogota, on to Cartagena and back nonstop to Zurich on Wednesdays and Sundays. Airbus A340-300 aircraft will be deployed on the route.
Data provided by Sabre shows that O&D traffic between Switzerland and Colombia totaled 62,850 two-way passengers in 2019, up by 11% on the previous 12 months. Zurich-Bogota was the biggest city pair, accounting for 32% of the traffic.
In the absence of nonstop Switzerland-Colombia flights, Madrid was the largest one-stop connecting market, followed by Frankfurt and Paris.
Once Edelweiss begins flying to Colombia, data provided by OAG shows that it will become Cartagena’s third link to Europe. The latest schedules for the winter 2023/24 season show that KLM intends to offer a daily Amsterdam-Bogota-Cartagena-Amsterdam route, while Plus Ultra Líneas Aéreas will serve Madrid-Bogota-Cartagena-Madrid 3X-weekly.
Zurich will also become the eighth point in Europe connected to Bogota. Avianca will serve Barcelona, London Heathrow and Madrid direct from Colombia’s capital next winter, while Lufthansa will operate from Frankfurt nonstop.
Air France will also serve Paris Charles de Gaulle-Bogota, and Air Europa and Iberia will offer Madrid-Bogota. In addition, Turkish Airlines will fly an Istanbul-Bogota-Panama-Istanbul route.
