Several airlines have secured slots to introduce new routes to cities across the Western Balkans for the summer 2026 season, starting on March 29. Proposed services include flights to Skopje, Prishtina, Dubrovnik, and Sarajevo.
However, since these allocations are based on initial applications, airlines may ultimately repurpose approved slots for other destinations. As a result, the launch of these flights is not guaranteed, reports exyuaviation.
Key planned routes include:
- Dublin – Skopje: One carrier has received takeoff and landing slots to operate 300 movements (150 flights each way) during the summer season, offering a total of 52,200 seats. Currently, no airline serving Skopje is based in Dublin, and neither easyJet nor Wizz Air, which operate in the Macedonian capital, fly to Ireland. Major Dublin carriers, Ryanair and Aer Lingus, are preparing for significant expansions in 2026, with 1.4 million and 1.3 million additional seats, respectively.
- Warsaw – Prishtina: A carrier has been approved to operate 179 flights, totaling 31,146 seats for the summer season. LOT Polish Airlines previously served this route during the summer of 2022.
- Jeddah – Prishtina: Flynas has received approval to extend its recently launched service into the 2026 summer season.
- Dubai – Dubrovnik: A carrier has been granted slots for 120 movements (60 flights), adding 20,640 seats between the two cities. Dubrovnik is currently connected to Dubai seasonally via Flydubai, though it is unclear if the new slots are for Flydubai’s expansion or a new entrant.
- Dammam – Sarajevo: A carrier will operate 38 flights, offering 7,068 seats over the summer season. Dammam is located on the Persian Gulf coast of Saudi Arabia, across from Bahrain.
These proposed expansions indicate a growing interest in connecting the Balkans with both Europe and the Gulf, but passengers should note that schedules are preliminary and subject to change.
