Low cost carrier Ryanair has total of 669.004 seats on sale on 3.612 flights to and from former Yugoslav markets this coming winter season. The figures are slightly down on last year (just over 1%), with the airline to discontinue several routes. The budget carrier will serve Zagreb, Banja Lika, Podgorica and Niš, with the Croatian capital accounting for 401.282seats of its total winter capacity in the region. As previously reported, it will terminate three routes out of the Croatian capital from late October – Podgorica, Sofia and Manchester – but will increase frequencies on several other services, such as Malaga, Dublin, Gothenburg and Malta. This will result in the airline having just forty fewer flights across the entire winter period compared to last year but still bosting greater capacity.

In Banja Luka, Ryanair will reduce capacity by some 2.000
seats on last winter for a total of 117.308. The carrier will operate a total
of 618 flights, maintaining services to Berlin, Charleroi, Memmingen,
Gothenburg, Stockholm, Nuremberg and Vienna. It will no longer serve Bergamo,
which was terminated in late January. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s second largest city will become Ryanair’s
second busiest destination in the former Yugoslavia this winter, overtaking
Podgorica.

The airline will make the biggest cutbacks in Podgorica, with 92.338 seats available throughout the winter, down 21% on last year. “Due to Podgorica Airport’s decision to increase their fees, we are forced to discontinue flights from Podgorica to Barcelona, Manchester and Zagreb this winter. The fee hike makes Podgorica Airport completely uncompetitive compared to other European airports which reduce their fees to stimulate recovery and traffic growth. This will have a detrimental impact on Montenegro’s connectivity, tourism and the economy”, the low cost airline said. The no frills airline will continue to operate flights from Podgorica to Berlin, Charleroi, Gdansk, Krakow and London Stansted.

This winter, Ryanair will be offering a record 58.076 seats on its Niš operations, up 3% on last year. The carrier no longer maintains operations between Niš and Bergamo, which were terminated in January, but will continue to serve Vienna, Stockholm and Malta. “Ryanair has launched its biggest ever winter schedule with over 56.000 seats for Serbia’s holidaymakers looking to soak up some winter sun with friends and family or simply looking to liven up the drearier winter months with some overseas adventures”, the airline said.