Bosnia and Herzegovina has room for a much stronger positioning on the European air traffic map, and the growth in the number of passengers and new airlines shows that there is both demand and potential for further development of this sector, it was announced from today’s meeting of the Minister of Communications and Transport, Edin Forto, with Olivier Jankovec, director of the Airports Council International Europe, the leading organization of European airports, the Ministry of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina announced.
“Sarajevo has shown what can be achieved when there is a clear policy of attracting new airlines and when different levels of government, airports and the tourism sector work together. A few years ago we started to change the approach and create conditions for new lines, and today we are talking about more than 2.2 million passengers a year. It is a model that we can learn from when we are talking about better connectivity for the whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Minister Forto.
One of the topics of the meeting was the need to create more favorable conditions for the further growth of air traffic, including the issue of taxis that burden airlines and passengers.
“We need to reopen the issue of taxis. The moratorium we introduced at the beginning of my term gave good results and was well received by the public. Especially in times of crisis, we should consider the possibility of reducing taxis or a new moratorium in order to maintain growth, attract new airlines and open new routes,” said Forto.
He emphasized that the further development of air transport must be accompanied by the improvement of the legal framework.
The Ministry has prepared a new law on aviation and the law on BHANSA, and Minister Forto expressed the expectation that both legal solutions will receive the necessary support because, he stated, the modernization of this sector must be a common interest.
The meeting also discussed the possibility of starting the process for the inclusion of Sarajevo International Airport in the European security recognition system, which, after meeting the necessary standards and procedures, could simplify travel and reduce the need for repeated security checks of passengers at connected European airports.
ACI Europe gathers more than 600 airports from 55 countries and represents one of the key organizations of the European airport sector, which is why cooperation with this organization is important for a stronger connection of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the European air transport market.
The Ministry of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with BHDCA, BHANSA, domestic airports and international partners, will continue to work on creating conditions for new airlines, modernization of infrastructure and raising standards in air transport, with the aim of making Bosnia and Herzegovina better connected and more competitive on the European air transport map, according to the statement.
