Adria Airways launches big network expansion this summer

Adria Airways commenced one of its biggest network expansions to date with seven new routes to be launched this summer season. Despite scheduling inaugural flights from Ljubljana to Sofia, Bucharest, and Hamburg for today, the airline has pushed back the latter two, as new crew members undergo training. Instead, only the service to Sofia will be launched this afternoon, with Bucharest from the end of March and Hamburg from April 2018.

Services to Geneva and Dusseldorf, as well as seasonal flights to Dubrovnik and Bra?, will be introduced over this month. Initially, all of the airline’s new routes were to run with the fifty-seat Saab 2000 turboprop aircraft, previously operated by its now-defunct subsidiary Adria Airways Switzerland. However, their arrival has been delayed with entry into service not expected before June. Until then, all of the airline’s new flights will be operated by a mix of Bombardier CRJ700 and CRJ900 aircraft. The carrier recently added two newly leased CRJ900s to its fleet.

Commenting on the new route launches, the company stated that at Adria Airways, they want to maintain their position as a reliable airline and good market player. By introducing these new connections they will also be opening up new opportunities for both business and tourist. Adria Airways will consistently continue to improve its offerings and has ambitious plans for 2018. The year will be dedicated to opening more connections between cities in Europe and the Balkan region. With the implementation of novelties and optimizations, Adria Airways is continuously committed to improving the travel experience and offering the most convenient way of travelling in the region, they said.

Adria’s Chief Commercial Officer, Christian Schneider, said, “This year will be key for Adria Airways and this is why they are happy to follow their growth strategy by launching seven new destinations out of Ljubljana. This is good for the market, this is good for the customer because it gives more variety, more choice. We have seen the demand already in 2017 and this is why we believe that 2018 with seven new destinations will be good for the market”.

Adria carried over 1.2 million passengers in 2017, representing an increase of 10 % on the year before. It expects for the strong growth to continue throughout 2018.

Source: Kongres Magazine