From the spring of next year, airplanes should fly from Sarajevo to at least ten new destinations, and another public call for subsidizing air traffic should also attract Scandinavian airlines.
The Prime Minister of the Canton of Sarajevo, Nihad Uk, confirmed that three of the five registered airlines met the Public Invitation and that they are Ryanair, SunExpress Airlines and Wizz Air.
“According to the promise made a few months ago, Sarajevo will soon get new airlines,” he wrote.
The President of the Sarajevo Canton Tourist Board, Haris Fazlagić, told Klix.ba that all three listed companies will be selected and that they will all fly and open new direct lines and destinations from Sarajevo.
The Tourist Board previously encouraged airlines with 500,000 BAM to open a base at Sarajevo Airport, after which Ryanair, SunExpress and Wizz Air came forward.
“This is just the beginning. This week there is a new public call for new airlines,” said Fazlagić.
When asked how the airlines will “draw” that money, Fazlagić says that the funds have been allocated in the budget and that it is a program that will last at least three years.
The airline is expected to have at least one new or strategic destination, to operate flights at least twice a week, and to have a capacity of at least 100 seats.
“That part (500,000 BAM) is not divided, but is successively withdrawn in accordance with the number of tickets sold, i.e. arrivals here. That money will be withdrawn, we are already invoicing and doing it, according to the number of passengers. In this way, we we subsidize them, so that they keep favorable ticket prices. This is a normal practice today everywhere in the world,” he added.
Sarajevo International Airport will now conclude contracts with airlines that meet the criteria based on a public invitation issued by the Canton Sarajevo Tourist Board. Funds for this purpose will be allocated from the Budget by the Ministry of Economy of the CS.
As Klix.ba learns, Ryanair will have the most destinations.
“For me, it is more important that we go further. We have inquiries from Norwegian Air and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). We are going with a new public invitation because we want more destinations and more airlines. The airport has expanded its capacities, runway and parking spaces. They have space to work. Sarajevo we need as many direct lines as possible”, says the president of the Tourist Board.
Given that the winter regime, i.e. the flight calendar, is already “closed”, plans are now being made for spring and summer.
“We expect at least ten new lines in the spring of 2024,” Fazlagić points out.
Fazlagić pointed out that airlines all over the world have big problems with planes and personnel and that subsidies are the only way to attract them.
Despite the cancellation of the base of the airline Wizz Air in November 2022 and the consequent reduction in the number of air operations, in September of this year, as in the previous one, they reached the number of one million passengers served.
144,013 passengers passed through Sarajevo Airport in September 2023. In addition, the airport transported 345,126 tons of cargo in September 2023, while in the same month of the previous year it transported 212,008 tons of cargo, which is 63 percent more, Klix.ba reports.
