✈Bosnia and Herzegovina half yearly air traffic report!

First half of the year airports in Bosnia and Herzegovina are reporting mixed results. On one side Sarajevo and Tuzla International airports are reporting record numbers, while Mostar and Banja Luka International airports are reporting decline. Overall Bosnia and Herzegovina recorded 20 percent increase in air passengers and this trend will continue in the second half of the year with many new destinations being introduced during the second half of the year. Last year all four international airports in Bosnia and Herzegovina handled 1.225.676, while this year it is estimated that all four airports will handle over 1.500.0000 passengers. Majority of passengers are traveling through airports in Sarajevo and Tuzla. Sarajevo is expecting to close year with 910.000 passengers, Tuzla 520.000 passengers, Mostar 50.000 and Banja Luka 20.000 passengers. Cargo traffic should improve with the Turkish Airlines resuming cargo flights from Tuzla to Istanbul. Mostar is expecting its passenger numbers to rise with introduction of regular flights to Germany and Sweden at the end of October. Currently all passenger traffic at Mostar airport is coming from charter flights from Italy and Lebanon. At the moment Banja Luka Airport does not have any plans to introduce any regular or charter flights, and it will depend solely on Air Serbia 5 weekly flights to Belgrade (3 weekly in winter timetable). 

Kuwait City, new destination from Sarajevo

Bosnia and Herzegovina is just being discovered by many word travelers and many airlines are putting Bosnia and Herzegovina on its destination map. This year alone five new airlines started flights to the country: Wizz Air, TUI fly Belgium, Nesma Airlines, Wataniya Airways, Atlas Global Airlines. Wizz air has stationed one more Airbus 320 at Tuzla International Airport and introduced six new routes from the city. New destinations from Sarajevo in 2017: Budapest, Dusseldorf, Charleroi, Istanbul, Kuwait City, Riyadh. New destinations from Tuzla in 2017: Bratislava, Cologne, Friedrichshafen, Nuremberg and Vaxjo. Both Qatar Airways and Kuwait Airways announced beginning of flights from their respective hubs to Sarajevo by the end of the year. 2017 will be marked as a very successful year for air travel at Sarajevo and Tuzla airport, while 2018 is promising even greater success, adding Mostar Airport to the list.

Jan-Jul 2017	Sarajevo	Tuzla	Mostar	Banja Luka	B&H
Passengers	383.983 +7,41%	226.462 +59,44%	16.709 -9,61%	9.599 -1,04%	636.753 +20,66%
Aircraft mov.	5.854 +12,29%	1.597 +27,86%	350 +10,06	656 -26,94%	8.457 +10,14%
Cargo tons	1.606 +61,24%	76,1 -98,74%	0 -10,00%	1,2 -40,00%	1.683,3 -35,75%

________________________________________________________________

Jan-Jul 2016	Sarajevo	Tuzla	Mostar	Banja Luka	B&H
Passengers	357.467	142.029	18.486	9.700	527.682
Aircraft mov.	5.213	1.249	318	898	7.678
Cargo tons	996	1.172	450	2	2.620

Detailed air traffic report on all four airports in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Source: Flying Bosnian and BHDCA

✈Mostar Airport to get flights to Germany and Scandinavia from October!

The Government of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (HNC) approved the transfer of 150,000 BAM intended for subsidizing the regular scheduled passengers flights to Mostar International Airport.

In a statement issued to media Government of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton stated: “It should be known within a month what airline will connect a German city with Mostar. Flights should start from the end of October. We are not talking only about the agreement and the start of flights, but our German partners also need some time to introduce and advertise these flights to the market. Everything is going as previously agreed and we expect all of the procedures to be completed without any major problems”.

Also, the funds from the government subsidies will be used for the establishment of an air connection with one of the Scandinavian countries. All the analysis state that flights to Scandinavia would be profitable due to the large number of B&H diaspora living in this part of the world.

It is rumored that Germanwings will connect Mostar with Stuttgart with two weekly flights, and Wizz Air will connect Mostar with Malmo with two weekly flights with the start of winter timetable of flights at the end of October.

Mostar International Airport already is receiving funds from higher levels of government and the European Union. These funds are used for modernization of the equipment and expansion of the airport capacity, because the number of passengers will be significantly increased with the introduction of regular flights.

Source: Akta.ba and Flying Bosnian

✈Qatar Airways is hiring in Bosnia and Herzegovina!

Qatar Airways is gearing up for its new service from Doha to Sarajevo by hiring local population to support upcoming flights. Flights from Doha to Sarajevo should start before Winter Time Table of flights starts. All open positions are full time, last application date is July 16.2017.

Qatar Airways current opportunities in Bosnia and Herzegovina (click on a link for more info):

• QR15094 - Commercial Manager l Qatar Airways l Sarajevo
• QR15102 - Marketing & E-Commerce Executive | QatarAirways | Sarajevo
• QR15104 - Senior Sales Support Agent | Qatar Airways |Sarajevo
• QR15106 - Sales Executive | Qatar Airways | Sarajevo
• QR15111 - Senior Reservations & Ticketing Agent | QatarAirways | Sarajevo
• QR15113 - HR & Administration Assistant | Qatar Airways| Sarajevo
• QR15132 - Finance Officer | Qatar Airways | Sarajevo
• QR15133 - Senior Finance Assistant l Qatar Airways lSarajevo
• QR15134 - Airport Services Manager | Qatar Airways |Sarajevo
• QR15135 - Airport Services Duty Officer | Qatar Airways |Sarajevo
• QR15136 - Airport Services Supervisor | Qatar Airways |Sarajevo
• QR15137 - Senior Airport Services Agent | Qatar Airways |Sarajevo
• QR15138 - Airport Services Agent | Qatar Airways | Sarajevo

Source:Qatar Airways 

✈Kuwait Airways plans to launch Kuwait City-Sarajevo flights!

Kuwait Airways Airbus 310 parked at the gate at Sarajevo Int. Airport

Kuwait Airways plans to launch flights from its hub in Kuwait City to Sarajevo. Kuwait Airways Chairman, Sami Al-Rushaid, said the airline is considering introducing flights to the Bosnian capital as part of a "moderate network expansion", which will also include Seoul and Manchester. "There will be a moderate expansion and some routes may start as early as this year. This way, Kuwait Airways aims to return to profit and lure more high-end customers", Mr Al-Rushaid said in an interview to financial magazine Bloomberg. In the past Kuwait Airways operated two wekkly summer seasonal flights from Kuwait City to Sarajevo, one weekly flight was operated via Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport. Flights were operated with wide-body Airbus 310 aircraft. 

Source: Kuwait Airways 

✈Sarajevo Airport recorded strong growth in June

Last month Sarajevo International Airport handled 78.170 passengers representing an increase of 17,67% or 11.741 passengers more compared to the same month last year. The airport recorded increase in aircraft movements and cargo handled. Next three months  Sarajevo airport is expecting for its passenger numbers to rise sharply due to handful of new destinations introduced and increase in charter flights.   

Source: Flying Bosnian and SIA

✈Wataniya Airways is launching Kuwait-Sarajevo flights!

Kuwait based Wataniya Airways will launch Kuwait-Sarajevo flights on 13. July with two weekly flights. Flights will operate on Thursdays and Sundays with an Airbus 320 aircraft. For airfare bookings please visit the airlines website www.wataniyaairways.com 

Route	Flight number and times	Days of operation
Kuwait (KWI)- Sarajevo (SJJ)	Q9805 12:55-17:05	---4--7
Sarajevo (SJJ)- Kuwait (KWI)	Q9806 17:50-23:30	---4--7

Source: Flying Bosnian

✈Atlas Global established Istanbul-Sarajevo flights

The Turkish airline Atlas Global has established Istanbul Ataturk-Sarajevo flights. First Atlas Global flight (KK6650 Airbus 320 TC-AGU) from Istanbul Ataturk airport landed at Sarajevo airport today at 10:25. This is the third airline operating flights from Istanbul to Sarajevo after Turkish Airlines and Pegasus.

Atlas Global flights between Istanbul and Sarajevo will operate four times a week - on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Sarajevo airport director, Armin Kajmaković said:

 "We are delighted to have Atlas Global arrivals at Sarajevo airport. The airline with a fleet of 26 modern Airbus aircraft is already flying to 50 destinations in 35 countries in Europe and Asia, and is now recognizing Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina as a promising tourist and business destination. Atlas Global offers another option to Istanbul and Turkey's largest airport Ataturk, which is one of the largest transfer centers in the world. " 

AtlasGlobala director Recep Zeman said:

" With the start of Sarajevo flights, the company continues to expand its network to the west. This year new lines were added to our network in Europe, the Middle East, Ukraine, Russia and the CIS region. We have increased the number of destinations to 50. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in each of our markets, we will try to become the preferred airline selected by passengers. We believe that our new established line to Sarajevo has a bright future. "

A ceremony at the airport was attended by numerous guests, including the Turkish Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Haldun Koc. 

Source: Klix and Flying Bosnian

✈Wizz air celebrates a new record in Tuzla

Tuzla, 14 June 2017: Wizz Air, the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe, and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s leading airline, celebrated today a new passenger record along with remarkable achievements of four years of operations at Tuzla Airport. WIZZ’s lucky 1 millionth passenger was travelling from Mulhouse to Tuzla and was greeted upon arrival with a WIZZ return ticket.

Wizz Air, the pioneer of high quality and low-fares air travel in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is dedicated to its customers since 2013, when the first WIZZ flight took off from Tuzla to Malmo. Over the past 4 years of successful operations at Tuzla International Airport, WIZZ has carried 1 million passengers on its low fare routes, constantly expanding its operations in the country and bringing even more truly affordable travel opportunities for its customers.

Since the beginning of 2017, more than 189,000 passengers have enjoyed WIZZ’s low fares, easy booking system and excellent on-board service, to and from Tuzla, showing an increase of over 56% compared to the same period in 2016 and have supported over 140 local jobs* in aviation and tourism industry. Already the largest airline in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the WIZZ base from Tuzla represents an investment of more than $ 198 million**, with two allocated aircraft and a local staff of more than 65 aviation professionals. Furthermore, WIZZ offers in total nearly 687,000 seats on sale on Tuzla routes in 2017, increasing its yearly total capacity with more than 90%.

Looking to provide the lowest fare possible, WIZZ is offering now tickets from as low as BAM 19.99***, to 16 destinations in 7 countries across Europe from Tuzla, stimulating bi-directional tourism and boosting trade links  between the countries. Passengers travelling on WIZZ low-fare routes from Bosnia and Herzegovina can discover in total 17 destinations across 8 countries in Europe and beyond, from Sarajevo and Tuzla, including the newest connections from Tuzla to Växjö, Bratislava, Cologne or Nuremberg. During 2017, 6 new routes to 4 countries have already commenced from Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with adding Sarajevo as its second Bosnian airport and introducing the exciting low-fare connection to Budapest.

Speaking at a press conference in Tuzla, Sorina Ratz, Communications Manager at Wizz Air, said: ” After four years since the start of our Tuzla operations, Wizz Air is celebrating remarkable results and a new passenger record, reaching the first million carried passengers in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As the leading airline in Bosnia and Herzegovina, our investment in the country created affordable travel opportunities for our passengers and since the beginning of 2017, our traffic increased with more than 56%, compared to the same period in 2016. In 2017, we expanded our Tuzla offer to a total of 16 services across 7 countries, allocated a second aircraft and created more local jobs. We look forward to continuing our fruitful partnership with Tuzla International Airport and remain committed to bringing even more exciting opportunities that can best meet our customers’ needs, while further stimulating economic and business relations in the country.”

The Prime Minister of Tuzla Canton, Bego Gutić at today’s press conference, said:” The progresses made, 16 destinations and one million passengers carried surely mark a result that deserves only words of congratulations aimed at Wizz Air and Tuzla International Airport. We hope and wish that the next million passengers will be carried by the end of 2018.

It is not an impossible task to achieve.

With another positioned aircraft and introduction of some new, attractive destinations, the next milestone is closer than we think.

This would also represent an invitation to our partners, Wizz Air with whom we cultivate friendship, due to the fact that Tuzla Airport and The Government have implemented activities on increasing the capacity of the terminal building”.

General Director of the Tuzla International Airport, Rifet Karasalihović said:” With the number of operations increased by introduction of new routes from Tuzla International Airport, as well as the increase of passenger flow, came a necessity of expanding and overhauling the passenger terminal building, in order to meet the needs of passengers travelling from Tuzla International Airport.

At the moment, Tuzla International Airport is implementing its project of passenger terminal expanding and overhauling. First of two planned stages should commence by the middle of July 2017, while the second one should start after the announcement of tender competition, hopefully this week.

The investment for the project is valued at 6.5 million BAM in total, of which 70% of the funds have already been secured while the remaining 30% should be secured by the end of July”.

Source: Wizz Air

✈Tuzla Airport continues strong passengers growth in May

Tuzla International Airport continued with double digit growth in May. The airport handled total of 47.701 passengers. Wizz Air transported a total of 47.673 passengers on 324 flights, while 28 passengers were transported on general aviation and business flights. Wizz Air cabin load factor on its flight from and to Tuzla in the month of May stood at 80,02% averaging 147 passengers per flight. 

Source: Flying Bosnian and BHDCA

✈Eurowings to start Dusseldorf-Sarajevo flights !

With the beginning of winter timetable Eurowings will start two weekly Dusseldorf -Sarajevo flights. Flights will operate on Thursdays and Sundays, beginning November 02.2017. Flights will be operated by Air Berlin Airbus 320 aircraft and crew . Flights are available for bookings on Eurowings.com Duesseldorf will be third destination for Eurowings from Sarajevo joining Cologne and Stuttgart.

Flight number	Route	Time
EW 9944	Duesseldorf (DUS)-Sarajevo (SJJ)	09:10-11:05
EW 9945	Sarajevo (SJJ)- Duesseldorf (DUS)	11:50-14:00

Source: Flying Bosnian

✈Tuzla-London Luton statistics for 2017

Tuzla- London Luton Airport (LTN) flights are slowly showing increase in passengers as summer months are approaching. During month of April a total of 2.443 passengers traveled between two airports, representing best month so far. Wizz Air inaugurated flights from Tuzla to London Luton on October 31. 2016. Flights were operated twice weekly until the end of December, when flights were reduced to once per week due to low bookings. Twice weekly flights were reintroduced back again at the end of March. Tuzla-London Luton is the only air link between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the UK, but due to visa requirements for holders of Bosnian passports  and very long and expensive process to obtain UK visa travel to the UK and Ireland is still very low. European Union has abolished visas for holders of Bosnian passports in December of 2010 except the UK and Ireland. Wizz Air is expecting solid bookings for the summer season with mostly British tourists visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Bosnians living in the UK. 

Source: Flying Bosnian and UK CAA

✈Sarajevo Airport issued a tender for the demolition of old terminal A

Sarajevo Airport Terminal A (soon to be demolished)

Sarajevo International Airport announced tender seeking a firm to carry out work on the  demolition and removal of the old Terminal A and commercial building, clearing the space for expansion of Terminal B.

The deadline for submission of bids is June 14, 2017. More details on this tender can be viewed HERE.

Planned expansion will increase terminal capacity by 10.000 square meters in terms of space and technology to: meet the needs of passengers and baggage, customs, security, passport and sanitary control on arrival and departure, waiting room for boarding passengers, ambulances, security screening baggage, baggage, waiting room in arrival hall, catering facilities, duty free shop, office and commercial space for the needs of airlines and other agencies, space for religious needs and all other airport and airlines related services. The project is worth 38 million Bosnian Marks (19,5 milion Euros).

Source:Flying Bosnian and Ekapija 

✈Sarajevo Airport statistics for May

Sarajevo airport arrival area

Sarajevo International Airport has recorded 84.137 passengers in May. Number of passengers have declined comparing to the same month of the last year when 85.738 passengers used the airport. Decline in passengers is a result of the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslim population is fasting and traveling is avoided during this month. The airport has recorded increase in aircraft movement and cargo handled. Sarajevo Airport is expecting very busy summer especially during July and August when majority of tourists from United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia visit Bosnia and Herzegovina. Many new flights are scheduled for upcoming summer season including new flights from Riyadh and Kuwait. Flydubai is drastically increasing its flights from Dubai to double daily beginning June 23^rd. Air Arabia will fly once daily from Sharjah to Sarajevo beginning June 22^nd. Nesma Airlines will start with flights from Riyadh to Sarajevo on June 24^th, offering 5 weekly flights. It is projected for Sarajevo Airport to handle 120.000 passengers in July, 125.000 passengers in August and 100.000 passengers in September.  

Source:Flying Bosnian and SIA