The business plan of the Management of Tuzla International Airport (MAT) for 2026 sets a target of 760,000 passengers, which would represent more than a twofold increase compared to 2025, when 338,132 passengers passed through the airport.
If this plan is realized, 2026 will become a record year in the history of Tuzla Airport. The airport’s previous best result was achieved in 2019 with 593,050 passengers, while 2023 was also very successful, ending with 582,336 passengers.
Two Wizz Air Base Aircraft
These optimistic projections are primarily based on the return and expansion of Wizz Air’s base in Tuzla. One aircraft of the airline has been based there since December last year, while the second is expected to be based by the end of March.
The aircraft are Airbus A321neo models, each with a capacity of 240 passengers, a significant increase compared to the previously used 180-seat planes.
With the first base aircraft, four new routes have already been introduced Cologne, Hamburg, Maastricht, and Malmö, alongside previously established flights to Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, Memmingen, and Dortmund. Tuzla Airport also currently offers weekly flights to Istanbul, operated by Pegasus Airlines and AJet.
Once the second aircraft is based at the end of March, the destination network will be further expanded. Planned new routes include Larnaca, Paris, Bratislava, Gothenburg, Frankfurt-Hahn, and Berlin, significantly improving Tuzla’s connectivity with European cities.
New Route to Zürich
Additional traffic growth is expected in the summer, when Chair Airlines will launch a regular route between Tuzla and Zürich starting July 9, expanding the airport’s flight options to Switzerland.
All of this suggests that 2026 could mark a strong comeback and a new developmental cycle for Tuzla International Airport, according to Tuzlainfo.
