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.
Since its establishment in March 2021, HiSky has transported a total of 2.5 million passengers, registering a 170% increase in 2023 alone, surpassing the figures reported after the first two years of operation which totaled 900,000 passengers. The total number of flights operated, both regular and charter, stands at 20,000, accumulating over 45,000 flight hours.
In the past year, HiSky's fleet expanded with three new aircraft, now boasting a total operating capacity of eight planes and 1,500 available seats. Seven of these eight aircraft are narrow-body, single-aisle Airbus 320 family, including one A319, three A320s, and two A321 LRs manufactured in 2023, the first of their kind registered in Romania, with a non-stop flight range of up to 7,400 kilometers, the longest distance covered by an aircraft in this class. At the end of 2023, the first wide-body aircraft, a two-aisle Airbus A330-200 with a range of over 13,400 km, joined the fleet, marking another premiere, the first Airbus A330-200 to be operated under a Romanian registration.
