This year has witnessed the highest level of connectivity across the former Yugoslavia since the country’s dissolution, with nearly all of the busiest routes experiencing year-on-year growth in the first half of 2024. However, some have yet to return to their pre-pandemic passenger numbers. The busiest intra-EX-YU route during this period was Belgrade – Podgorica, followed by Belgrade – Tivat. Despite a 3.3% drop compared to last year, the Belgrade – Tivat service still handled 30% more travellers than in 2019. Air Serbia and Air Montenegro are the sole two commercial carriers on the two routes, handling a combined total of 265.296 passengers in H1 2024.
Busiest intra-EX-YU routes, H1 2024
Two domestic routes in Croatia follow, operated by the country’s flag carrier Croatia Airlines. Both the Zagreb – Dubrovnik service and flights between the country’s two largest cities have seen growth of almost 8% and 5% compared to last year, respectively, although both lag behind 2019. Percentage-wise, the fastest growing route within the former Yugoslavia during the first half of the year was Belgrade – Zagreb, followed by Zagreb – Sarajevo, while the biggest growth on 2019 was achieved on the Belgrade – Skopje and Belgrade – Zagreb routes.
Wizz Air’s service between Skopje and Ljubljana has performed strongly since its launch in September last year, surpassing the passenger numbers handled by Slovenia’s former flag carrier Adria Airways during the same period in 2019. Whereas Adria relied heavily on transfer passengers on the route, Wizz Air primarily caters for point-to-point travellers.
Travel patterns today have shifted significantly compared to those during the time of a unified Yugoslavia. In 1990, the largest flow of passengers between the republics within the federation was between Serbia and Croatia, followed by travel within Croatia itself, then Serbia – Slovenia, Serbia – Macedonia, Serbia – Montenegro, Croatia – Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia – Macedonia.
