02 April 2019 - Low-cost airline company Ryanair, based in Dublin, has launched scheduled flights from Bologna to Podgorica Airport starting April 1, 2019.
In February 2019, low-cost carrier Ryanair started looking into further expanding its operations in Montenegro. The airline's Route Development Manager, Gary Butler, met with the General Manager of Airports of Montenegro, Danilo Orlandić, to discuss growth potential. The budget airline has now introduced its sixth destination to Podgorica this summer season, with flights from Bologna launched on April 1.
As officially announced from Ryanair representatives, the company launched two weekly flights from Bologna to Podgorica, which will be maintained Monday and Friday with Boing 737-800 aircraft, which has a capacity of 189 seats.
Ryanair faces no direct competition on the route, with Alitalia and Montenegro Airlines maintaining services between Rome and Podgorica, while Wizz Air operates flights from Milan Malpensa to the Montenegrin capital.
Bologna will thus become the fifth Italian city which is directly connected with Montenegrin cities via Airports of Montenegro, and the route Bologna – Podgorica represents the sixth line to Montenegro held by Ryanair.
Speaking to EX-YU Aviation News, the airline said it expects to handle 175.000 passengers on its operations to and from the Montenegrin capital. "We look forward to carrying more than 175.000 annual customers through Podgorica airport this year. Ryanair offers six routes in total operating from Podgorica Airport. Customers can fly twice weekly from Podgorica to Stockholm Skavsta, Brussels Charleroi, London Stansted, Berlin Schonefeld, Bologna and Wroclaw".
The carrier launched services to the Montenegrin capital in the summer of 2013 following two years of negotiations with the government. On Thursday it handled its 500.000th passenger in Montenegro since it commenced operations to Podgorica. It has expanded its network from the city each year ever since. The company previously noted its Podgorica flights "continue to perform strongly."
