Due to an Increase in Airport Charges, Low-cost Airlines are Cancelling Flights from Montenegro

Budget airlines Ryanair and Wizz Air have announced that they will be cancelling flights from Montenegro to Barcelona, Zagreb, Manchester, Rome, and Vienna starting from the end of October due to increased airport charges.

He made this statement during an interview on the morning show TVCG. 

"This is an abnormal figure for Montenegro, and keep in mind that these airlines operate relatively large aircraft. If we consider the already poor connectivity with Montenegro during the winter, the situation is catastrophic. There are no flights to Frankfurt, Zurich, Copenhagen, and Paris," said the Croatian analyst.

Earlier, the media reported that the airlines cancelled flights because the airports in Montenegro raised taxi prices. However, Schuric finds it strange that these mentioned airlines did not increase ticket prices.

"The airports in Montenegro previously couldn't boast positive results. Was it worth raising taxes? How much money could these 82,000 passengers have spent? How much have the airports lost due to the absence of these guests at the parking lots and in the food and beverage establishments? This is a significant loss for the country," stated Schuric.

On the other hand, the expert also criticized the airlines, stating that they are audacious and rudely blackmailing the airports.

"This is their modus operandi. Sometimes they cancel flights within a day and lay off employees," he added.

It should be noted that it was the decision of Podgorica Airport to increase taxes that led Irish low-cost airline Ryanair to cease flights from Podgorica to Barcelona, Manchester, and Zagreb. Previously, the company operated nine flights from Podgorica, but in the future, it will have a maximum of six flights.

Ryanair used to operate twice a week on these routes, and from November, Montenegrin passengers will be deprived of this opportunity.

According to the company, the increased charges make Podgorica Airport completely non-competitive compared to other European airports that are reducing their fees to stimulate recovery and traffic growth. This will have a detrimental impact on tourism and the economy of Montenegro.

After the airline's reaction, the Podgorica Airport officials stated that their service price list has remained unchanged since 2014. They also mentioned that they increased the security fees from 1.75 euros to 3.25 euros per passenger. Additionally, they claimed that they were not officially informed about the cancellation of low-cost flights from Podgorica to Barcelona, Zagreb, Rome, and Vienna starting from November.

As reported by The Gaze, Hungarian budget airline Wizz Air has reduced the duration of free online check-in starting from June 12. Passengers can now check-in and obtain their boarding pass within 24-3 hours before the scheduled departure time. Previously, this window was from 48 to 3 hours before departure.