✈Flynas to increase Riyadh-Sarajevo flights to daily from May

Saudi low-cost air carrier Flynas will increase Riyadh-Sarajevo flights to daily from June 01, 2022. The airline will operate daily flights between two capital cites during June, July and August, in September flights will be operated three times weekly. Flynas will pause Sarajevo flights from both Riyadh and Jeddah during Holy month of Ramadan in April. From May until the end of summer schedule Jeddah-Sarajevo flights will operate three times weekly, except July and August, when flights will increase to four weekly. Flynas will increase Sarajevo flights according to bookings, with Jeddah flights most likely to go daily during peak summer months. All flights will be operated by Airbus A320neo aircraft offering 174 seats (8 in business and 166 seats in economy class).

✈ Jazeera Airways schedules Sarajevo flights from April

Jazeera Airways has scheduled Kuwait-Sarajevo flights beginning April 28, this is two months earlier when compared to the last year. The airline will operate four weekly flights on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays using Airbus 320neo aircraft, configured to seat 162 passengers (150 in economy and 12 in business class). Last year Jazeera Airways initially scheduled two weekly flights, but due to high demand increased it to four weekly, and then to daily. Most likely, the airline will operate daily flights during peak summer months. Kuwaiti national flag carrier Kuwait Airways is also planning Sarajevo flights from May. Kuwait Airways, Kuwait City-Sarajevo schedule will be published during next month.

Source: Flying Bosnian

✈Gulf Air to operate Sarajevo flights during winter

Gulf Air will reintroduce two weekly flights from Bahrain International Airport (Manama) to Sarajevo on December 15, 2021. The flights are scheduled as regular charters and will operate on Wednesdays and Saturdays with Airbus 320neo aircraft. The airline initially started Sarajevo flights in June of this year, as summer seasonal, but due to increased demand for tourist visits from Bahrain to Bosnia, Gulf Air will now operate flights as year-round.

Last week Flynas has decided to upgrade its Sarajevo service to year-round from both Riyadh and Jeddah. During spring and summer months Bosnia and Herzegovina is very popular tourist destination from countries in the Gulf region, but due to opening of many new hotels and resorts, and promotion of the country as  year-round destination,  the airlines are seeing very strong demands and upgrading seasonal flights to year-round. With the introduction of extra flights from Gulf countries, Sarajevo Airport will start reaching  pre-pandemic passenger numbers in December.

This winter season Sarajevo will be connected with following destinations in Gulf region:

• Abu Dhabi – Wizz Air 2x weekly
• Dubai – Flydubai 4x weekly (two daily 24.12.21.-08.01.22.)
• Flynas – Jeddah 2x weekly
• Flynas – Riyadh 3x weekly
• Gulf Air – Manama 2x weekly

For upcoming summers season 2022. Air Arabia has already scheduled Sharjah-Sarajevo flights resumption three months earlier than usual. The service is scheduled to resume on March 30, 2022. with three weekly flights, increasing to daily from July.

Source: Flying Bosnian

✈ Gulf carriers extending Sarajevo flights!

✈ Gulf Air inaugurated flights from Manama to Sarajevo

Gulf Air inaugurated regular charter flights from Bahrain International Airport (Manama) to Sarajevo with Airbus 320neo aircraft. Flights are scheduled to operate two times a week (Wednesdays and Saturdays) until the end of October.

Source: Sarajevo Airport and Flying Bosnian

✈ Sarajevo Airport is ready for very busy July

The month of July, Sarajevo Airport will see a total of 1.425 flights (712 arriving and 713 departing flights). Three new airlines will launch Sarajevo flights during July: Kuwait Airways, Jazeera Airways and Gulf Air. Destinations in Gulf region will see large number of flights during the month of July with record number of destinations served in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Total of 120 round trip weekly flights are scheduled between Sarajevo and Gulf destinations during the month of July.

Norwegian Air will mark its return to Sarajevo after 15 months of absence due to the pandemic. Norwegian Air will operate two weekly flights between Stockholm Arlanda and Sarajevo until the end of summer flight schedule. During the month of July Sarajevo Airport will be served by 19 airlines on 32 destinations with approximately 220.000 seats on offer.

Sarajevo Airport - Destination Map - Europe

Sarajevo Airport - Destination Map - Asia and Afrika

Source: Flying Bosnian

✈Gulf Air to launch Bahrain-Sarajevo flights

Gulf Air will launch two weekly Manama-Sarajevo flights from June 26, 2021. Flights are scheduled to operate as regular charter flights until the end of October. Flights will operate with Airbus 320neo aircraft.

Source: Flying Bosnian

✈ Strong demand for air travel from Gulf countries to Sarajevo!

All airlines flying from Gulf countries to Sarajevo are recording extraordinarily strong demand for air travel to Sarajevo. At the beginning of the year the airlines were selling limited number of flights, but with the vaccines roll out and Covid cases under control in Bosnia, tourists from Gulf countries are returning in big numbers. Strong demand for vacationing in Bosnia has created many new flights between Gulf countries and Sarajevo.

From June 1^st FlyBosnia will fly two daily flights between Sarajevo and Riyadh. Flynas will maintain daily flights between two cities as well. During summer season Riyadh will have three daily flights from Sarajevo, making it most frequent route out of Sarajevo. Gulf destinations will definitely lead Sarajevo Airport to recovery from Covid-19 pandemic.

Two more airlines from Kuwait have applied for permit to operate flights from Kuwait City to Sarajevo, Kuwait Airways plans to introduce two weekly Kuwait–Sarajevo flights on June 07^th. Also, Jazeera Airways plans to launch Kuwait–Sarajevo flights on June 07^th with two weekly flights. Both airlines are waiting for approval from Kuwait Civil Aviation Authority for flight introduction. All Kuwait-Sarajevo flights are sold by the travel agencies with advanced bookings, even with approval coming late, the flights are already pre-booked.

Qatar Airways has postponed Sarajevo flight resumption until October, but this is a major mistake by the airline, since every single airline flying from that region is having remarkably successful summer.

The Gulf region-Sarajevo market is huge with solid growth year after year. The market has matured enough for Emirates to start its own flights, with two daily flights from Dubai in summer and at least 3 weekly flights during winter months.

Saudia Airlines is another strong contender for introduction of daily Sarajevo flights from Riyadh from March to October and 3 weekly flights during winter. Flights from Jeddah and Dammam could work as well.

In the future we will definitely see following airlines launching flights to Sarajevo: Gulf Air from Bahrain, Oman Air from Muscat, and Wizz Air from Abu Dhabi.

Source: Flying Bosnian

✈Sarajevo - Persian Gulf region summer 2020 network

Gulf region destination map from Sarajevo

Sarajevo International Airport will see another solid year when comes to connectivity to countries in Persian Gulf region. The airport will see Kuwait Airways launching flights from Kuwait City and flynas from Gassim. Flynas will significantly increase number of flights from Riyadh and Jeddah, extending flying season to the end of September. Flydubai is the only airline from the Gulf region that will see major flight decreases, due to the fleet shortage caused by grounding of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. 

Last summer season Flydubai operated three daily flights from Dubai to Sarajevo, while this summer season the airline will operate only one daily flight from Dubai to Sarajevo. Flydubai flights are operated in cooperation with Emirates, offering wide range of connections on Emirates network out of Dubai. 

FlyBosnia will operate same number of destinations in Persian Gulf region as it did last year. Riyadh is the only destination with less flights when compared to the last year. Last year, FlyBosnia operated daily flights from Sarajevo to Riyadh from mid-June to the end of September, while this summer season the airline will operate three weekly flights from June 03, to September 06.

Due to Corona virus (COVID-19) outbreak, changes to flight schedules and flight cancellations are very likely.

Source: Flying Bosnian

✈Bosnia and Herzegovina tourism statistics for 2018

Stari Most - Mostar 

Bosnia and Herzegovina is rapidly emerging as one of the top adventure destinations in Europe, and year after year is recording record number of tourists visiting the country. In 2013, the World Economic Forum reported in its Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report that Bosnia and Herzegovina was the world's eighth friendliest nation towards tourists. According to an estimate of the World Tourism Organization, Bosnia and Herzegovina will have the third highest tourism growth rate in the world between 1995 and 2020.

In 2018, 1.465.412 tourists visited Bosnia and Herzegovina, representing an increase of 12,1% with 3.040.190 overnight hotel stays, a 13,5% increase from the previous year. Also, 71,2% of the tourists came from foreign countries. Majority of tourist arriving in Bosnia and Herzegovina are using commercial air carriers. With the increase of presence of low-cost air carriers and connectivity to major European airports the number of tourists is expected to grow at bigger rate then expected.

Large number of tourists is coming from Gulf countries (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar). Flydubai is offering three daily flights in summer months from Dubai to Sarajevo, Qatar Airways is offering four weekly flights between Doha and Sarajevo (it is planed for flights to go daily in near future), Air Arabia if offering two daily flights during July and August between Sharjah in United Arab Emirates and Sarajevo. Bosnian startup airline FlyBosnia has received all necessary permits and signed cooperation agreements with tourist agencies, airports and ground handling agencies in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain to start flights. Flights are booked in advance  by travel agencies and should start in June. FlyBosnia will fly from Sarajevo to Riyadh 3x weekly, Jeddah 2x weekly, Kuwait City 2x weekly and Bahrain 2x weekly.

FlyBosnia Airbus 319 E7-FBA at Sarajevo Airport

Bosnia and Herzegovina is expecting to record 10% growth in tourist arrivals this year, with numerous new hotels being opened through the country, to name the few: two Marriot hotels in Sarajevo, one in Banja Luka and Mostar. Swissotel in Sarajevo and Novotel in Sarajevo. Hilton Sarajevo is currently under construction. Arrival of new airlines and development of domestic airline. FlyBosnia will increase tourists’ arrivals by double digit numbers.

Swissotel in Sarajevo

Cumulative data, January –December 2018

In the period from January – December 2018 Bosnia and Herzegovina recorded 1.465.412 tourists’ arrivals which represent the increase of 12.1% and 3.040.190 overnight stays which is an increase of 13,5% compared to the same period of 2017.

Top 20 countries (tourist arrivals)

The number of domestic tourist nights increased by 14.5% and number of foreign tourist nights increased by 13.1% as compared to the same period of 2017. Domestic tourist’s share of total number of overnight stays was 28.8% and foreign tourists share was 71.2%.

Overnight stays (in 51.8 percent) were done by tourists from following countries:

Croatia (12.5%), Serbia (8.2%), Turkey (6.1%), Slovenia (5.7%), United Arab Emirates and Germany (5.0% each), Italy (4.9%) and Poland (4.4%). Tourists from other countries made up 48.2% of tourist night stays.

Foreign tourist with longest stay in 2018 were from Malta with average stay of 5.2 nights, followed by Ireland by 3.7 nights, Kuwait by 3.6 nights, Qatar with 3.3 nights, United Arab Emirates with 3.1 and nights and Egypt, France and Island with 3.0 nights. Most common accommodation booked by foreign tourist was in Hotels, total 91,1% of all tourists stayed in Hotels, while 8,9% used private rooms and other type of accommodation.

Full list of countries with numbers of tourists visitingBosnia and Herzegovina in 2018.

Source: Flying Bosnian and Agency for Statistics of Bosniaand Herzegovina

✈Sarajevo Airport Winter schedule 2017/18

Destinations in Europe

Destinations in Arabian Peninsula

The 2017/18 winter timetable enters into force on Sunday, October 29^th. Until March 24^th of 2018. passengers will be able to fly to 14 destinations in 11 countries in Europe and Gulf region. The airlines will offer a total of 83 weekly departures, compared to the winter of last year number of weekly departures have increased by 14 flights.

New airlines and destinations in upcoming winter timetable:

• Atlas Global-Istanbul (IST), 4 weekly flights
• Wataniya Airways-Kuwait City (KWI), 2 weekly flights
• Wizz Air-Budapest (BUD), 2 weekly flights
• Qatar Airways-Doha, 4 weekly flights

Following Airlines will increase weekly frequencies:

• Adria Airways-Ljubljana (LJU) from 6 to 7
• Eurowings- Cologne (CGN) from 2 to 3

Winter timetable analysis

Number of flights	Available seats
Flights by destinations

Source: Flying Bosnian