Doubts Over Serbian Venture's Network Plans

Kon Tiki Sky, the airline operating brand of one of Serbia’s leading tour operators, Kon Tiki Travel, is reporting a significant new network of operations within Europe for summer 2012, although we have been unable to confirm details of its planned operations. The virtual carrier launched operations last year with a single leased Boeing 737-300 on a charter basis, but is now understood to be expanding into scheduled low-cost operations. It claims to be offering availability from Bucharest, Constanta and Skopje, although in the past week it has dropped plans for a major network of flights from Antwerp and is now claiming to be opening a base at London Southend Airport instead.

According to its website, the venture was due to introduce flights at Antwerp from May 1, 2012 including a twice daily business link to London Southend. This was due to be complemented by four weekly flights to Girona, three weekly services to Sofia and twice weekly links to Alicante, Bucharest and Skopje. From the start of June it said it would expand into a number of Balkan markets with flights to Bucharest, Constanta and Skopje.

However, over the past 24 hours these proposed operations have been removed from its website, with the venture now claiming: "Kon Tiki Sky is proud to announce the opening of its new base at London Southend Airport. New flights from London Southend will soon be announced."

Alongside these claims, the airline says that from Bucharest it plans to offer at least twice daily services to Chisinau, Cluj-Napoca, Iasi, Suceava and Timosoara from June 18, 2012. From Skopje it plans links to Ancona, Basel, Bergamo, Berlin, Bologna, Bratislava, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Istanbul, Malmo, Rome, Stuttgart and Trieste from the same date, while from Constanta it plans to offer tickets to Bergamo, Berlin, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Dusseldorf, Girona, Hamburg, London Luton, Madrid, Malmo, Paris, Rome, Stuttgart, Suceava and Timosoara.

According to Kon Tiki Sky, its flights will be provided on the Air Operators Certificate (AOC) of Romanian business venture Alfa Air Services. Efforts to substantiate its network plans have failed to add any light to the proposed venture.