Tarom reveals flat passenger numbers for 2017, loses ground to competitors

Romanian state-owned airline company Tarom carried 2.4 million passengers in 2017, according to Zf.ro, marking a second year in a row of flat numbers on a booming market.

Tarom is now ranked third among Romanian airway companies, behind Wizz Air and Blue Air, and the first numbers for 2017 suggests the state-owned carrier lost market share.

Romanian-owned low-cost company Blue Air and the market leader, Wizz Air, recorded double-digit increase in passenger numbers and gained market share against Tarom, taking profit of rapid increase of the Romanian passenger traffic.

In 2016, Tarom was officially ranked third among airways operating in Romania, five years after losing the position of leader to Wizz Air. In terms of passenger numbers, Ryanair is ranked fourth.

Tarom is losing money and market share since 2008 and is facing huge competitive hurdles. With no real strategy to become competitive, its competitors are talking about a possible bankruptcy.

“With all due respect, but it’s just a matter of time until Tarom is out of the market,” Wizz Air CEO Jozsef Varadi said recently, quoted by Economica.net.