Sarajevo International Airport in fog and smog. It has been written lately that flights are cancelled, that precisely the thick fog and smog do not allow landing of many planes, and mentioned irregularities in the conduction of air traffic certainly affect the business of Sarajevo Airport. The question is – how much does it actually cost?
Pollution in Sarajevo can be solved. All it takes is more intellect, investing and responsibility. Problem of fog which Sarajevo deals with is not solvable, at least according to an expert in air traffic and a long-time pilot Omer Kulić.
„The fog which was present lately can be categorized as natural disaster and that problem cannot be solved. All those who say that this problem can be solved should know that smog can be influenced, but not fog; fog will be present even without smog and that will not change for a long time,“ Kulić said.
Kulić added that, ultimately, the fog will not affect much the financial operating of Sarajevo Airport, but there will be losses. “Exact losses shall be calculated in certain time. All passengers who did not travel somewhere, plus all taxes, landing and take-off services – all of that will ultimately affect the finances. However, that’s all part of business and one must be aware of that,” Kulić highlighted.
It was recently discussed in public about why the existing flights are not redirected to other airports in B&H, but a conclusion was drawn soon that such a decision depends exclusively on airline companies, and it is simply not in their interest to do that.
Sarajevo International Airport has a quite successful business year 2015 behind. They believe that problems in conduction of air traffic, caused by bad weather conditions, have not undermined their business significantly.
„All of this would not be possible without exceptional commitment of the management and entire collective of the Airport, our business partners, as well as passengers whose trust in our services increases every year,“ said Belma Čureković, expert associate for public relations of the Sarajevo International Airport. Furthermore, Čureković added that more than 770,000 passengers passed through Sarajevo Airport in 2015. „A total of 772,851 passengers passed through our airport, which is by nine percent more than in 2014. That is certainly a great success for the Sarajevo International Airport, and for our country as well,“ Čureković believes.
In 2014, Čureković claims, generated profit of this public enterprise amounted to around 6.5 million BAM, and in 2015 the profit should amount to around nine million BAM. „Precise data will be available upon completion of financial report,“ Čureković highlighted, explaining that successful business results were contributed to by newly established air routes as well. Today, 11 airlines operate from the Sarajevo International Airport, and a larger number of charter flights also.
(Source: novovrijeme.ba)
