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Tuesday, May 27, 2025

✈ Tuzla Airport: public call for flight subsidies


Pursuant to Articles 3. and 30. of the Law on Tourist Associations ("Official Gazette of Tuzla Canton", No. 11/15), Articles 27. and 30. of the Statute of the Tourist Board of Tuzla Canton ("Official Gazette of Tuzla Canton", No. 5/17), the Work Program and Financial Plan of the Tourist Board of Tuzla Canton for the year 2025, the Subsidy Program for Air Transport at Tuzla Airport aimed at developing tourism in the territory of Tuzla Canton (No. 02/1-0417170/25 dated 22nd of May 2025), and the Decision on the Announcement of the Public Call for the Allocation of Subsidies at Tuzla International Airport (No. 02-277-2/25 dated 26th of May 2025), the Head of the Tourist Office of the Tourist Board of Tuzla Canton hereby announces:

PUBLIC CALL FOR

The Award of Air Transport Subsidies at Tuzla International Airport for the Purpose of Tourism Development in Tuzla Canton

I Subject of the Public Call

The subject of this Public Call is the award of subsidies to airlines for the establishment of a base and new air routes at Tuzla International Airport, specifically routes that have not been operated for at least 12 months prior to the publication date of this Public Call, which are expected to contribute to the development of tourism in Tuzla Canton.

Establishment of an airline base:

This refers to the airline stationing aircraft and crew at Tuzla International Airport and conducting scheduled flights from this location.

New air routes:

The establishment of new routes to strategic destinations in the following countries:

Austria

Germany

 France

 Benelux countries

 Sweden

 Other countries for which the Government of Tuzla Canton determines that there is a justified interest in accordance with market changes in the field of air transport (prices, regulations, competition, taxes...), based on a proposal by Tuzla International Airport.

Il Purpose and Objective of the Public Call

The purpose and objective of this Public Call is the implementation of the tourism development project in Tuzla Canton through subsidizing air transport at Tuzla International Airport, by encouraging airlines to:

Establish a base at Tuzla International Airport;

+-Launch new air routes to strategic destinations;

Increase the number of arriving passengers and development of tourism in the Tuzla Canton area.

Ill Subsidy Mechanism

Funds for air transport subsidies for the year 2025 in the amount of BAM 1,200,000.00 (one million two hundred thousand Convertible Marks) are secured under the budget line 22010001

 Ministry of Trade, Tourism, and Transport, economic code 614300, sub-analytic code MAXI 00 (function 0473), as a current transfer to non-profit organizations.

The air transport subsidy will be paid per arriving passenger to Tuzla Canton in the amount of EUR 6/passenger, calculated in BAM at the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina's middle exchange rate on the date of disbursement.

The funds planned under a separate Government decision for the period 2026—2028, in the annual amount of BAM 2,000,000.00 (two million Convertible Marks), will be executed in accordance with the budget implementation law applicable to the relevant fiscal year, and under the same audit principles defined in point Ill of the Program for Air Transport Subsidies at Tuzla Airport No. 02/1-04-17170/25 dated May 22nd 2025.

The determined subsidy amount per arriving passenger may be subject to revision based on an analysis of the economic effects on tourism in the Tuzla Canton area and market changes in air transport, for a period of 24 months from the start of the subsidization. The revision includes an assessment ofachieved results (number of flights, number of arriving passengers, load factor, seasonality), tourism effects (tourist traffic, overnight stays, revenues), market conditions, and compliance with contractual obligations. The revision may lead to: continuation ofthe contract, modification of subsidy conditions, temporary suspension of payments, or a proposal for contract termination.

IV. Eligibility to Participate

1.     The following airlines are eligible to participate:

a)  Those holding a valid Operator's License;

b) Those holding a valid EU Air Operator Certificate (AOC);

c)  Those registered to perform the relevant business activity;

d) Those having an operational backup aircraft with a minimum of 180 seats within their fleet;

e)  Those with an established online system for the sale of airline tickets and related services;

f)   Those that will operate aircraft with a minimum seating capacity of 180 seats.

2.     Interested airlines must submit an application including the following documentation:

a)  A completed, signed, and certified application form, which is an integral part of this

Public Call (available on the website of the Tourist Board of Tuzla Canton: www.tourism-tk.ba);

b) A copy of the Operator's License;

c)  A copy of the valid EU AOC certificate;

d) A copy of the current extract from the court register or an equivalent document proving registration for the relevant activity in another national register;

e)  An original Statement on the fleet, sales system, and aircraft capacities as per items

l.d), 1 .e), and l.f). The statements must be signed and certified by a person authorized to sign such documents. If the signatory is not listed as a legal representative in the registration document, a copy of the authorization to sign must also be submitted.

V Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on the following elements: number of aircraft to be based and the proposed timeframe for basing, number of new routes to strategic destinations, fulfilment of formal, legal and technical requirements. The specific scoring criteria are outlined in the table below:

 

Criteria Name

Scoring

each based aircraft is individuall awarded oints

10 Points

5 Points

a)

Planned number of based aircraft from the date of contract signing: deadline for basing one aircraft deadline for basing two aircraft deadline for basing three or more aircraft

 

within 180 days

from 181 to 365 days

within 180 days

from 181 to 365 days

within 180 days

from 181 to 365 days

b)

Planned number of new routes to destinations in countries identified as strategic, within the first 12 months from the contract signing date

Note: The participant in the public call procedure is required to propose the introduction ofat least one new destination in each orthe identified strategic countries. For the Benelux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands and

Luxembourg), a proposal ofat least one new destination within anv ofthe mentioned countries is su Icient.

6 or more routes

5 routes

In the event of equal scores, prioritp will be given to the airline that currently operates a higher number ofregular. non-subsidized routes (rom Tuz.la International Airport.

VI Application Procedure and Deadline

The Public Call is published on the official websites of the Tuzla Canton Tourist Board, Tuzla International Airport, the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Transport of Tuzla Canton, and the

Government of Tuzla Canton.

Electronic submission deadline:

Applications must be submitted via email to turzajtk@bih.net.ba no later than 13:00 (CET) on the fifth day following the publication of this Public Call on the official website of the Tourist Board of Tuzla Canton (www.tourism-tk.ba).

This Public Call will also be distributed via email to a minimum of three potentially eligible airlines.

Hardcopy submission:

In addition to electronic submission via email to turzajtk@bih.net.ba, applicants are also required to deliver the original application and supporting documentation in hard copy to the following address: Tourist Board of Tuzla Canton, Muftije ef. Kurta no. 1, 75000 Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The documents must be submitted in a sealed envelope clearly marked with: "Public Call for Air Transport Subsidies — Do Not Open".

The hard copy must be delivered no later than 15 days after the electronic submission deadline.

Opening of Applications:

All applications received via email will be opened at 14:00 (CET) on the same day the electronic submission deadline expires, at the premises of the Tourist Board of Tuzla Canton.

VII Selection and Deadlines

Upon expiration of the electronic submission deadline, a Commission appointed by a formal act of the Tourist Board of Tuzla Canton will review, evaluate, and rank the submitted applications in accordance with the conditions and criteria outlined in this Public Call.

The evaluation process will be completed no later than two (2) days from the date of application opening.

Based on the Commission's recommendation, the Tourist Board of Tuzla Canton will issue an official Decision on the outcome of the Public Call, which will be published on the official website (www.tourism-tk.ba) within three (3) days of receiving the Commission's recommendation.

VIll Appeals

Airlines that have submitted a formally and legally valid application under this Public Call may file an appeal against the Decision of the Tourist Board of Tuzla Canton.

The appeal must be submitted via email to turzajtk@bih.net.ba, within three (3) days from the date of publication of the Decision on the official website of the Tourist Board of Tuzla Canton.

The Tourism Council will issue a ruling on the appeal within three (3) days from the date the appeal is received.

The decision of the Tourism Council is final.

IX Contract Award and Signing

The Tourist Board of Tuzla Canton will sign a contract with the selected airline, regulating in detail the mutual rights and obligations, no later than fifteen (15) days from the date of issuance of the Decision on the selection of the airline for subsidy allocation.

If the subsidy funds under this Public Call are awarded to an airline that, at the time of the Public Call publication, already operates routes to destinations in the countries listed under

Section I of this Call, the contract will stipulate the airline's obligation to continue operating those existing routes for a minimum period of twelve (12) months from the date of aircraft basing at Tuzla International Airport.

Failure to comply with this obligation entitles the contracting authority to unilaterally terminate the contract, except in cases where the suspension or reduction of existing routes is due to force majeure and/or proven economic unfeasibility.

X Additional Information

For the purposes of this Public Call, electronic communication — specifically email — is established as the official means of correspondence, and will be used for the exchange of documents and conducting all procedural steps related to this Public Call.

The official website of the Tourist Board of Tuzla Canton (www.tourism-tk.ba) will be used for publication of relevant documents.

The official language of communication with airlines is English.

The legal protection procedure shall be conducted in one of the official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Source: Tuzla International Airport


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