Route Analysis: Nur-Sultan-Podgorica

Air Astana will inaugurate new services between Kazakhstan and Montenegro on June 9, with flights to the country’s capital Podgorica (TGD).

Service from Nur-Sultan Nazarbayev International Airport (NQZ), Kazakhstan, will be on Wednesdays and Saturdays and from Almaty (ALA) on Thursdays and Sundays. All flights will be operated by new Airbus A321LR aircraft.

Flights from NQZ are scheduled to depart at 9 a.m. and arrive in TGD at 10.55 a.m., with the return from Podgorica at 12 p.m. and arrival in Nur-Sultan at 9.20 p.m. The ALA service will depart at 7.30 a.m. and arrive in TGD at 10.25 a.mm, flying back at 11.30 a.m.

OAG Schedules Analyser shows that the routes will be the only nonstop services operating between Kazakhstan and Montenegro. Both services are scheduled to run through the end of September.

Figures provided by Sabre Market Intelligence reveal that O&D traffic between Kazakhstan and Montenegro was fewer than 6,300 two-way passengers in 2019. However, Air Astana will be hoping its direct flights will stimulate domestic leisure demand. The latest travel rules require passengers to have a negative PCR certificate in order to enter Montenegro.

Air Astana is the latest carrier to add flights to TGD following the collapse of Montenegro Airlines. The likes of Pegas Fly, Ryanair and Luxair have also launched new routes. Montenegro Airlines’ planned successor, Air Montenegro, this week began ticket sales, with the startup’s first routes set to connect Tivat (TIV) and TGD with Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG) in Serbia.

Photo credit: joepriesaviation.net