Sarajevo International Airport had been on track to achieve record-breaking flight frequencies and seat capacity for the 2026 summer season. However, escalating geopolitical tensions namely the military actions by the United States and Israel targeting Iran and Lebanon, followed by Iran’s retaliatory strikes on U.S. military bases in the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have led to widespread airspace closures and significant flight disruptions.
Prior to these developments, Sarajevo Airport was projected to offer its highest-ever capacity, with approximately 2,2 million seats scheduled between April and November 2026.
As a result of the ongoing conflict and associated fuel shortages, several airlines have either suspended or reduced their operations to Sarajevo:
• Qatar Airways has fully canceled its seasonal summer service between Doha and Sarajevo, eliminating a key connection through its Doha hub and resulting in a loss of approximately 22.000 seats.
• Jazeera Airways had planned to commence daily flights between Kuwait City and Sarajevo starting April 1, however, due to military activity in the region, operations have been suspended until May 15, affecting nearly 15.000 seats scheduled during this period.
• Flydubai has reduced its Dubai–Sarajevo service from four to five weekly flights down to two, decreasing capacity by around 4.000 seats.
• Flynas has scaled back its services from both Jeddah and Riyadh through May 15, cutting approximately 5.000 seats.
• Salam Air will end its Muscat–Sarajevo route two weeks earlier than planned, reducing capacity by 2,500 seats.
• Additionally, Turkish Airlines will reduce its Sarajevo operations between July and October as follows: departures will decrease from 93 to 80 in July, 93 to 77 in August, 90 to 77 in September, and 89 to 62 in October. Overall, scheduled departures for this period will drop from 367 to 296 flights, resulting in a loss of approximately 23,460 seats.
Despite these disruptions, Sarajevo Airport is still expected to offer slightly over 2 million seats during the summer schedule. With reduced capacity and sustained demand, many remaining flights are operating at or near full capacity, pushing load factors to record highs. Consequently, the airport may still approach last year’s passenger figures.
During the summer timetable, Sarajevo Airport will be served by 26 airlines, connecting it to 23 countries across 40 routes.
NEW ROUTES THIS SUMMER:
Source: Zahid Krkić
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