Wizz Air ahead of GP Aviation and easyJet as Pristina's busiest

Wizz Air ahead of GP Aviation and easyJet as Pristina’s busiest

Wizz Air was Pristina Airport’s busiest airline in 2023 for a second year in a row as three major European low cost carriers handled the bulk of its traffic despite the significant use of tour operators utilising ACMI providers. Wizz Air welcomed 526.572 passengers on its Pristina operations, improving its performance by 27% on the year before. The carrier also outperformed its pre-pandemic traffic levels, as it handled 253.282 passengers in 2019. GP Aviation, which transports customers on behalf of tour operators, was the second busiest overtaking easyJet which came third with 438.692 travellers, up 6.6% on 2023. Eurowings positioned itself as the fourth busiest by handling 314.080 passengers.

Pristina Airport’s ten busiest airlines in 2023

Wizz Air had initially targeted 600.000 travellers on its Pristina operations in 2023 but fell short of the number after it discontinued services to Basel and Baden Baden on August 31 last year. It now maintains five routes out of the city. Wizz Air’s President, Robert Carey, previously noted, “It is very important for us that travellers from Kosovo, but also those from nearby markets, fly with Wizz Air when they need to. Part of our job is to add as many new destinations as possible. We hope to build a base here in the future”.

Low cost carriers and flights sold through tour operators again took a leading role at Pristina Airport, which saw its busiest year on record in 2023. Turkish Airlines was once again Pristina’s busiest legacy carrier, handling 216.844 passengers on its flights from Istanbul last year. It was followed by Austrian Airlines with 133.596 travellers and Swiss International Air Lines, which managed 36.918 passengers on its service between Geneva and Pristina. Pristina Airport is poised for another record year in 2024, with the recent European visa liberalisation for Kosovo passport holders, the launch of Albawings’ base, the upcoming arrival of airBaltic, as well as the introduction of new routes by Pegasus Airlines, SunExpress and Norwegian.

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