Ryanair and Mostar Airport advance talks
Low cost carrier Ryanair and Mostar Airport have held another round of talks this week over the potential introduction of flights. The negotiations are said to be heading "in the right direction" with a "positive outcome" expected. Potential destinations from Mostar include Rome, Warsaw and Dublin. The two sides have already discussed potential routes at the carrier's headquarters in the Irish capital. Ryanair simillarly negotiated with Banja Luka Airport throughout the winter of 2017 and 2018 before announcing flights to Bosnia and Herzegovina's second largest city in late April of last year, which were eventually launched in October.
Ryanair and Mostar Airport have discussed possible services on several occasions since 2012. Previously it was proposed for the low cost airline to introduce flights from Charleroi, Frankfurt and Oslo. However, there is also strong potential for the carrier to cater for religious tourism on routes from Italy and Poland. Ryanair previously said, “We are the leading airline in Europe. We have developed many small and regional European airports and there is no obstacle for us to do the same in Mostar”. The company added that its only condition is for flights to the city to be profitable. The General Manager of Mostar Airport, Marin Raspudić, previously noted that low cost carriers would reverse the trend of declining passenger numbers. "Without budget airlines we will find it difficult to survive since we are surrounded by a number of high quality airports. There is always interest and we are at everyone's disposal. We are confident there is a significant number of people from our diaspora who would fly to Mostar". He added, "Our main objective is to see the return of those passengers who left us during the war and post-war period. They are now using Dubrovnik and Split for charters to Medjugorje and Sarajevo Airport for scheduled services".
Mostar Airport rolled out an incentives program late last year in a bid to attract carriers to launch flights to the city, after its passenger numbers tumbled 34% in 2018. "Mostar Airport is offering a number of incentives in the form of discounts to encourage airlines and tour operators to develop their services to Mostar, as well as to stimulate greater choice and greater benefits for all airline companies", the airport said. It added, "The incentives do not distort competition among airlines at the airport and are offered for a limited period of time on a non-discriminatory basis". Mostar Airport's incentives program includes discounts for handling and landing services, as well as the passenger tax, for a three-year period.
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