bye bye British Aiways, bye bye London
British Airways to suspend Pristina service in October
After months of speculation, British Airways has officially suspended ticket sales for its flights from London Gatwick to Pristina starting late October. The move comes following British’s growing dissatisfaction with the airport’s primary operator, Limak Holding. Limak angered airlines after it significantly increased handling fees at the airport. Furthermore, British Airways was furious after the airport owner terminated contracts with British Petroleum for the supply of aircraft fuel and selected the Kosovar Ex Fis company instead. As a result, on its flights to Pristina, British Airways introduced refuelling stops in Dubrovnik.
First whispers of British’s plans to suspend flights to Pristina were reported back in May. The final flight between the two cities will operate on Thursday, October 25. British Airways runs three weekly flights from London Gatwick to Pristina and will prove as a big loss to the airport as it is the most established carrier operating flights to the city. Until recently, Pristina has provided subsidies for certain airlines operating flights to the city, however, the new management has now suspended them. Following British’s exit, there will no longer be direct flights between the United Kingdom and Pristina.
Pristina Airport handled 658.304 passengers in the first half of the year, cementing its position as the third busiest airport in the former Yugoslavia. The figure represents an increase of 7% compared to the same period last year. Construction of the airport’s new terminal building is ongoing and is set to open in 2013.
