The Romanian air transport market continues to grow: HiSky, over 40% more passengers in H1 2024

After concluding the first half of 2024, the HiSky reports a 42% increase in the number of passengers transported, compared to the same period of the previous year. A total of 767,000 people traveled with one of the HiSky aircraft on regular or charter flights between January and June of this year, which is 227,000 more than in the first six months of 2023.

According to traffic data, segmented by routes, the most accessed flights departing from Otopeni airport were the two domestic routes: Bucharest – Cluj Napoca with 50,000 passengers and Bucharest – Timișoara with 44,000 passengers. A significant impact on the company’s growth was also due to the inauguration of direct long-haul flights on the regular Bucharest – New York route and charter flights to distant destinations in Africa and Asia. In December of last year, after introducing a wide-body aircraft into its fleet, HiSky became the only operator offering this type of flight from a Romanian airport. Since the beginning of this year, 10,000 passengers have traveled to Zanzibar and the Maldives, and in just one month since the opening of the regular route, no fewer than 3,000 passengers have flown non-stop to or from the United States.

“Our progress so far has led to substantial growth in every reporting period, and we have succeeded in remaining among the top regional airlines for the past two years. We are particularly proud of the results from the first half of 2024, especially considering the shift in travel habits of our passengers. We have impressive traffic on domestic routes, as we predicted when we launched these flights. Additionally, a large number of passengers are choosing to explore destinations beyond Europe. We are pleased that the facilities we have put in place—a stable and accessible schedule for connections between major cities and Bucharest, connecting flights, and non-stop long-haul journeys—have contributed not only to our company’s development but also to the growth entire air transport market,” says Iulian Scorpan, CEO of HiSky.

With a fleet of eight aircraft, HiSky operates flights from Romania and the Republic of Moldova, from the airports of Bucharest, Cluj Napoca, Timișoara, Satu Mare, Iași, Oradea, and Chișinău, on 31 direct routes and 23 connecting routes. Of the total number of passengers reported in the first half of the year, 60% were recorded in Romania and 40% in the Republic of Moldova. In addition to regular flights, the airline maintains its position as the leader in the charter market, operating flights to the most popular holiday destinations in partnership with leading travel agencies.