The Montenegrin government yesterday adopted a decision to designate six Public Service Obligation (PSO) routes from Podgorica Airport. PSOs enable the allocation of state funds to support unprofitable air services deemed essential for the economic development and connectivity of the regions they serve. The designated year-round routes include Brussels National, Amsterdam, Zagreb and Bari, while services to Paris Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt will operate on a seasonal winter basis. A public tender for the selection of operating carrier(s) is expected to be launched shortly. The PSO services are scheduled to commence on June 1 this year and will run for a four-year period, until May 31, 2030.
Air Montenegro is widely expected to operate the majority of the PSO routes, if not all six. The carrier is facing intensifying competition at its home base, with low cost airline Wizz Air set to station aircraft in Podgorica starting late next month and introduce seventeen new routes. Air Montenegro maintained services to both Paris and Frankfurt until October 2025, while it has already announced plans to launch flights to Bari this coming summer in cooperation with the Maestral Resort and Casino in Budva. On the other hand, Ryanair operated services between Zagreb and Podgorica from September 2021 until October 2024. Prior to that, Croatia Airlines linked the two capitals from June 2008 until February 2013.
The government’s decision will formally enter into force in eight days, after which a public call can be issued to interested airlines. The state has said that frequencies will vary by route and will be agreed with the selected operating carrier. Montenegro will become the third country in the former Yugoslavia to introduce Public Service Obligation flights, joining Croatia and Serbia. Croatia’s existing PSO contracts end in late March, while Serbia’s will conclude at the end of 2027. Both are expected to be renewed.
