Mostar Airport sets January deadline for LCC talks
Mostar Airport has said it is in discussions with two low cost carriers over the introduction of flights, with the outcome of those talks to be known by the end of next month. The airport’s Planning and Development Manager, Marko Djuzel, said, "The increase in passenger traffic will depend on the outcome of these negotiations”. While Mr Djuzel did not reveal the name of the airlines in question, it is believed that one of them is Ryanair, which has been in discussions with Mostar Airport over the past few months. The two sides have held talks on several occasions since 2012. Previously, it was proposed for the low cost airline to introduce services from Charleroi, Frankfurt and Oslo to Bosnia and Herzegovina's fifth largest city. However, there is also strong potential for the carrier to cater for religious tourism on routes from Italy and Poland. Over the past few years, Mostar Airport has also held talks with Wizz Air. In 2012, the two sides discussed potential services from Dortmund and Malmo, but the airline ultimately opted to operate from Tuzla instead.
The government of the Herzegovina - Neretva Canton in Bosnia and Herzegovina has expressed its willingness to provide financial assistance to airlines serving Mostar. It approved a five-year subsidy agreement with Eurowings in 2018. The low cost airline is being granted just over a quarter of a million euros on a yearly basis until 2023 (inclusive) for its seasonal services from Dusseldorf and Stuttgart. The Canton is also providing financial assistance for the upkeep of Croatia Airlines' two weekly year-round service between Zagreb and Mostar. The agreement is valued at half a million euros per year. In addition, Mostar Airport also boasts an incentive scheme for all airlines.
Mostar Airport handled 31.265 passengers between January and October, representing an increase of 14% compared to the same period last year. The growth came as a result of an increase in capacity on behalf of Eurowings, which operated larger aircraft on its routes from Germany, as well as an increase in the number of charter flights to Italy, which are being run by FlyBosnia. The Sarajevo-based airline plans to commence a scheduled one weekly service from Mostar to Rome on December 16, which is expected to further contribute to the airport’s passenger growth over the winter months.
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