✈ Trip report: Sarajevo (SJJ) – Zagreb (ZAG) – Istanbul (IST)

Travel date: July 20, 2021.

Airline: Croatia Airlines and Turkish Airlines

I was flying yesterday from Sarajevo to Istanbul via Zagreb. My first flight was on Croatia Airlines Dash 8-400 (reg. 9A-CQA), the second one on Turkish Airlines Airbus 321 (reg. TC-JTG). Early morning at  Sarajevo Airport was kind of busy with three flights leaving in one hour time: Wizz Air to Dortmund, Croatia Airlines to Zagreb and Austrian Airlines to Vienna. While I was waiting for my flight, I had a chance to talk to a agent who was working on Dortmund flight, she informed me that Wizz Air flight to Dortmund was almost full with only 5 empty seats. My flight to Zagreb was surprisingly empty!? I took this flight many times in the past and usually this flight was always full of transfer passengers to the USA and Canada. It looks like Turkish Airlines and Austrian Airlines are doing majority of transfer to North America now. Our Zagreb flight OU341 had only 17 passengers, only a small  bottle of water was served, which is okay for such a short flight (it took us 35 minutes from Sarajevo to reach our gate at Zagreb Airport). This was my first time visiting new Zagreb Airport terminal, compared to the old one is huge improvement. I was surprised how empty the whole airport was, barely any passengers! While I was waiting at the gate for my flight to Istanbul, next to us Ryanair was boarding the flight to Milan-Bergamo, I counted 95 passengers boarding that flight. Our flight to Istanbul was on Airbus 321 aircraft (TC-JTG) with 103 passengers.

Sarajevo Airport

 

 

Zagreb Airport

 

Istanbul Airport

 

Source: Flying Bosnian

✈LOT Polish Airlines expanding code share network to Bosnia and Herzegovina

LOT Polish Airlines is expending the code share operation with Croatia Airlines on flights from Zagreb to Sarajevo and Mostar. New code share between two companies has started on January 1, 2020.

LOT Polish Airlines Code share flights on Croatia Airlines:

• Zagreb – Sarajevo OU342/LO4295
• Sarajevo – Zagreb OU341/LO4296
• Zagreb – Sarajevo OU344/LO4297
• Sarajevo – Zagreb OU345/LO4298
• Zagreb – Mostar    OU328/LO4299
• Mostar – Zagreb    OU329/LO4300

From January to November of 2019, total of 37.125 polish tourists visited Bosnia and Herzegovina. Majority of polish tourist are visiting catholic pilgrimage in Medjugorje. Possibility of direct flights between Poland and Mostar has been subject of talks between Mostar Airport authorities and Ryanair.

Source: Flying Bosnian

✈Mostar Winter 2019-20

During Winter timetable Mostar Airport won’t see any major changes to its schedule. Only airline operating to/from Mostar during winter months is Croatia Airlines with two weekly flights from Zagreb. Croatia Airlines flights are subsidized by the Government of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Hercegovina-Neretva County. 

FlyBosnia will operate charter flights from Italy to Mostar bringing Catholic pilgrims to Medjugorje. Majority of charter flights from Italy are scheduled around Christmas. 

During the summer, Bosnian media was reporting that Mostar Airport was holding talks with Ryanair about possible launch of flights to Mostar from Germany, Sweden and Poland. So far for the summer schedule of 2020 Eurowings has confirmed return of its seasonal service from Duesseldorf and Stuttgart. According to Mostar Airport Eurowings had very successful 2019 summer season by operating majority of its flights with 180 seats Airbus 320 aircraft, compared to year before when flights were not so popular due to operational aircraft being Dash 8-400 with 76 seats. Eurowings flights from/to Germany to Mostar are subsidezed by the Government as is the case with Croatia Airlines.

Source: Flying Bosnian

✈Air traffic report for Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik airports

Croatian airports get big share of passengers traveling to and from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Statistic data for last year for Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik airports.

Zagreb Airport

Split Airport

Dubrovnik Airport  

Source: Flying Bosnian and Eurostat

✈Mostar Airport - List of flights for May

Aviro Air and Croatia Airlines at Mostar Airport

• May 03. 2018. First flight Zagreb-Mostar by Croatia Airlines
• May 07. 2018. First flight for this year Beirut-Mostar by Croatia Airlines

✈Arrivals✈	✈Departures✈

Charter flights from destinations in Italy are operated by Alba Star Airlines and Aviro Air. Alba Star Airlines is Spanish airline company specializing in charter flights. The airline is operating charter flights from Milan and Bergamo to Mostar. New airline at Mostar Airport is Aviro Air. Aviro Air is Romanian airline company with only one aircraft in its fleet, 27 years old British Aerospace BAe 146/Avro RJ with registration YR-AVR. The airline is operating charter and ACMI flights.

Source: Flying Bosnian

✈Zagreb-Mostar flights inaugurated

Croatia Airlines plane landed at Mostar Airport in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday evening (May 03.2018), marking the introduction of direct Mostar-Zagreb flights.Croatian Transport Minister Oleg Butkovic was aboard of the inaugural flight, after landing in Mostar he said, “flights will connect two friendly countries and provide better connection with Europe and the rest of the world”

Croatia Airlines will fly between Zagreb and Mostar throughout the year on Thursdays and Sundays (late night departure from Zagreb), and between Mostar and Zagreb on Fridays and Mondays (early morning departure from Mostar).

Source: Flying Bosnian and Mostar Airport