Lufthansa and Wizz Air Secure North Macedonia Route

As of April 20, 2023, Lufthansa and Wizz Air have announced that they have secured new routes from North Macedonia. The airlines will launch these routes from Skopje International Airport (SKP) and will connect through 5 new routes to destinations in Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, and Slovenia.

The government of North Macedonia announced in December that it would provide incentives to airlines that would introduce flights from Skopje and Ohrid. Wizz Air won the three previous tenders, being the only applicant to bid. 

Following the latest tender, Lufthansa will establish a link to Frankfurt, operating 10 times a week using both Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft models. Wizz plans to launch four routes starting November 1, connecting Skopje with Ljubljana, Luxembourg, Salzburg, and Stuttgart. Each city will receive about three flights per week.

North Macedonia's subsidy scheme will provide €7, or roughly $7.70 per departing passenger transported from the Skopje International Airport. The government has stated that carriers will be obligated to continue operating routes even after the subsidies end.

"Our commitment as the government is to provide quality services with a wider range of destinations for citizens. The data shows that in 2022 we have transported over 2.3 million passengers through our two international airports," states North Macedonian Transport Minister Blagoj Boçvarski. 

Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski has also stated that the Frankfurt route is significant, as the passengers will be able to transfer to over 200 destinations worldwide.

While it is true that Adria Airways, which had unfortunately gone out of business in October 2019, had provided a Skopje-Ljubljana route, the other four destinations have not previously been served from North Macedonia. This new interconnectivity will provide for an easier access point between Eastern and Southwestern Europe.

In a similar venture, Slovenia's government this month issued a call for the launch of new subsidized air services, with $16.8 million allocated to the program over three years. The government will offer subsidies to carriers launching routes or increasing capacity from Amsterdam, Athens, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Madrid, Prague, Vienna, and Skopje. 

If funds remain after the first tender, then connections to Barcelona, Lisbon, Oslo, Paris, Pristina, Rome, and Stockholm will be added to the list. Carriers can apply until May 4th.