Sarajevo Airport has entered negotiations with Air China and United over potential flights but noted these will require a concerted effort to bring to fruition. The airport’s Acting CEO, Dino Selimović, told the “N1” network, “We are in talks with airlines from the United States and China, including United Airlines and Air China, about launching nonstop flights to Sarajevo”. New York is Sarajevo’s busiest unserved long haul destination, both in North America and overall, followed by Chicago, Toronto and Washington. In Asia, Kuala Lumpur leads the way, ahead of Shanghai, Beijing and Singapore, while Sydney and Melbourne round out the top ten.
The airport is hoping to attract Air China under a similar model to Zagreb, whereby the airline would serve Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital via another European city. The country’s visa-free regime for Chinese nationals could make Sarajevo an attractive prospect for Chinese carriers. On the other hand, contact with United Airlines has been established through US stakeholders in the country, with the carrier demonstrating a growing willingness to serve secondary cities across Europe. Mr Selimović noted that services to both China and the United States remain “dream projects” for the airport. While such routes remain longer-term ambitions, management sees improved long haul connectivity as an important part of Sarajevo Airport’s future development.
There have been prior attempts to establish long haul flights from Sarajevo. In the summer of 2021, US-based carrier Eastern Airlines planned on launching operations between Chicago and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital but cancelled ticket sales within days. It intended on operating the route once per week on a seasonal summer basis with its 238-seat Boeing 767-200ER aircraft. The airport successfully passed a TSA [US Transportation Security Administration] audit in 2024 but would likely have to do so again if US flights were to be established in the future, Ex Yu Aviation news writes.
