RUSSIA: Traffic Through Moscow Airports Of Vnukovo, Domodedovo And Sheremetyevo Drops In August

Domodedovo International Airport
Passenger traffic through the three airports of Moscow namely Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo continued to climb in August compared to the same month in 2016, albeit at a slower rate than in July 2017.

Vnukovo saw its traffic increase by 22.9% to 2.071 million passengers- against 31.5% in July; Domodedovo, by 5% to over exceeding 3.5 million (5.8% in July); Sheremetyevo, by 19.6% to 4.141 million (22.9% in July).

At Vnukovo, international traffic continued to grow faster than domestic passenger numbers; it increased by 77.3% in August to 875,000 passengers.

The most popular destinations includes Antalya, Larnaca, Istanbul, Barcelona, Pathos, Dushanbe, Baku, and Heraklion. Domestic traffic grew by just 0.4% to 1.196 million passengers.

The most popular destinations were Sochi, Simferopol, Anapa, Mineralnye Vody, St. Petersburg, Makhachkala, Krasnodar, Surgut, and Rostov-on-Don.

A similar trend was observed at Domodedovo, where international traffic grew 15% year-on-year, exceeding 1.6 million passengers.

The most popular destinations were Antalya, Tivat, and Barcelona. Some 1.9 million passengers traveled on domestic routes, 2% down from the same month last year.

The fastest growing routes within Russia were to Krasnodar, Kaliningrad, Ufa, Makhachkala, and Sabetta.

At Sheremetyevo, the trend got reversed: international traffic grew at a slower rate than domestic in August.

The airport served 4.141 million passengers traveling abroad, up 18.3% year-on-year.

Domestic traffic, although smaller in absolute figures at 1.798 million, grew faster at 21.3%.

The most popular destinations out of Sheremetyevo in the past eight months were Paris, Tel Aviv, Prague, Beijing, Shanghai, St. Petersburg, Simferopol, Sochi, Yekaterinburg, and Krasnodar.



Tourism Observer

MONTENEGRO: Montenegro Airlines And Etihad Airways Sign Codeshare

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Montenegro Airlines, the flag carrier of the Republic of Montenegro, have signed a codeshare agreement that provides travellers with enhanced connectivity when flying between Southeast Europe and the Middle East.

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Montenegro Airlines, the flag carrier of the Republic of Montenegro, have signed a codeshare agreement that provides travellers with enhanced connectivity when flying between Southeast Europe and the Middle East.

The agreement will see Etihad Airways placing its “EY” code on Montenegro Airlines’ flights between Belgrade and two destinations in Montenegro – its capital Podgorica and the attractive town of Tivat on the Adriatic coast.

Montenegro Airlines will, in return, enhance access to Etihad Airways’ network by placing its “YM” code on the airline’s daily flights between Belgrade and Abu Dhabi.

The agreement will offer Montenegro Airlines’ passengers greater convenience and flexibility of travel to the UAE and beyond via the Serbian capital, and contribute to an increased inflow of business and leisure travellers to Montenegro.

Gregory Kaldahl, Etihad Airways Senior Vice President Network, said: We are pleased to sign a codeshare agreement with Montenegro Airlines, which is advantageous for both our airlines and guests. Travellers in Montenegro can now reach our Abu Dhabi hub with a convenient one-stop connection in Belgrade, from where they can access key destinations in our global network with greater ease.

In turn, Etihad Airways will expand its travel offer to Montenegro, an increasingly popular business and tourism destination.

Daliborka PejoviC, President of the Board of Directors of Montenegro Airlines, said: For us at Montenegro Airlines it is clear that such forms of collaboration with Etihad Airways, a global leader in the aviation industry, are very important for our airline and our country.

The codeshare agreement will strengthen our connections to Etihad’s network and consequently enhance the global profile of Montenegro Airlines.

As a result, travellers from across the world will now be able to access Montenegro with greater ease and convenience, which will contribute to our inbound tourism figures, a vital component of our national economy.

Flights under the codeshare agreement are bookable via travel agents, online via etihad.com or montenegroairlines.com, or by phoning the airlines’ contact centres. Guests can travel on the codeshare services.

*Subject to Government Approval

UAE: Fly Dubai Expands To Georgia, Azerbaijan, Montenegro

Flydubai has announced the addition of three new destinations for the upcoming summer season.

Batumi in Georgia, Qabala in Azerbaijan and Tivat in Montenegro are the latest destinations to join flydubai’s growing network and will operate from June to September 2017.

Following the launch of its latest popular destination, Bangkok, at the end of 2016, flydubai continues to diversify its network with the addition of more popular summer destinations for passengers from Dubai and across the region.

Flydubai will be the first carrier to offer direct flights from the UAE to Qabala and Tivat, and the first from Dubai to Batumi. GCC nationals will not need a visa to any of these three new destinations, while UAE residents will receive visa on arrival.

“We would like to thank the authorities in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Montenegro for making it easier for the residents of the UAE and GCC to visit these countries by facilitating their visa requirements,” said Ghaith Al Ghaith, chief executive officer at flydubai, commenting on the announcement.

“We continue to look for opportunities to further expand our network and offer our passengers more options to travel especially for the summer holiday season. These popular new routes will complement our existing comprehensive network and will be a gateway to explore this part of the region,” added Al Ghaith.

Supported by new aircraft deliveries in 2017, flydubai continues to widen its network, which comprises 93 destinations in 44 countries spanning from Yekaterinburg in the north, Bangkok in the east, Zanzibar in the south and Prague in the west.

Batumi, which will be served by three flights a week, will be flydubai’s second destination in Georgia following Tbilisi. Qabala, which will be served by two fights a week, is flydubai’s second point in Azerbaijan after Baku. The start of two weekly flights to Tivat will mark flydubai’s first entry to Montenegro following the successful promotional trip that was held in October 2016 in partnership with Porto Montenegro.

“We are confident that the demand for these new summer flights will be strong in both Business and Economy Class. The interest in affordable, popular and off-the-beaten-track holiday destinations continues to grow especially from the GCC markets and these routes offer alternative options for those seeking a beach holiday or city breaks,” said Jeyhun Efendi, senior vice president commercial (UAE, EU, ME, CIS) at flydubai.

Batumi, Georgia
Flydubai will operate three weekly flights between Dubai and Batumi from June 22 to September 30, 2017 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Batumi is the second largest city in Georgia, located on the coast of the Black Sea in the country's southwest region. Tivat, MontenegroBatumi is a popular tourist destination known for its bustling seaside resorts during the warm months of the summer. The city is also an important sea port with thriving shipbuilding, food processing and light manufacturing industries.

Qabala, Azerbaijan
Flydubai will operate two weekly flights between Dubai and Qabala from June 22 to September 17, 2017 on Thursdays and Sundays.

Qabala, also known as Gabala, is the capital of the Gabala District one of the richest archeological and historic regions of Azerbaijan. Qabala is considered a popular tourist destination due to the combination of a mild climate, woods along the mountains, excellent wildlife and recreational resorts.

Tivat, Montenegro
Flydubai will operate two weekly flights between Dubai and Tivat from 23 June to 25 September 2017 on Mondays and Fridays.

Already a popular tourist resort, Tivat is set to become a nautical tourism centre for the southern Adriatic. This coastal town in southwest Montenegro is renowned for its pleasant climate and natural beauty and is conveniently located a short drive away from Dubrovnik in Croatia and Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina.