Sarajevo Airport is expected to soon reveal which airline will base an aircraft in the city and launch a handful of new routes. The announcement could come as early as this week. The airport has remained tight-lipped on which carrier will open a base in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital ever since it confirmed that a deal had been reached with an airline. Local media have speculated the carrier in question is Ryanair, which has expressed interest in expanding its operations in the county. However, other airlines that have been tipped have included easyJet, Eurowings and a smaller lesser-known European carrier. “Once all necessary permits are granted and after the agreement is ratified in line with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s legislation, the public will be informed which airline it is, along with all other additional details”, Sarajevo Airport said.
The development comes after Sarajevo Airport launched a tender to find an airline interested in opening a base in the country’s capital in return for subsidies and incentives. The development comes just five months after Wizz Air closed its base at Sarajevo Airport, citing inflation and commercial viability. Wizz itself won a similar public call in 2020, however, it now maintains a single route to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital, from Abu Dhabi. Sarajevo Airport is expected to extend its work hours this summer in order to be operational past midnight, a demand reportedly made by the airline which will open the base.
Under the terms issued by Sarajevo Airport in its public call, the carrier must open its base in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital this year in order to qualify for the incentives. The subsidies are limited only to the number of passengers carried, however, the airline will qualify for the incentives regardless of how many travellers it handles. The more departing passengers it welcomes on board its aircraft from Sarajevo, the greater the financial support, however, the exact amount of funds have not been made public. European hubs are among the top unserved destinations from Sarajevo Airport based on indirect passenger traffic volumes. They include London, Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels, Prague and Milan, Ex Yu Aviation writes.
