Gulf carriers plan new Sarajevo flights
Carriers from the Gulf are continuing to show interest in launching services to Sarajevo with Bahrain’s Gulf Air being the latest to schedule flights, joining Kuwait Airways, Jazeera Airways, Air Arabia, Flynas and Flydubai. Sarajevo Airport has confirmed that Gulf Air will commence a two weekly charter operation from Manama to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital starting next Saturday. It is in line with earlier talks held between the country and the carrier. In addition, Saudi Arabian Airlines has shown interest in commencing flights to Sarajevo, as well as Flynas in launching services from Dammam, in addition to its existing Riyadh and Jeddah operation. However, a recent decision not to lift visa requirements for Saudi nationals entering Bosnia and Herzegovina has deterred Saudi airlines from announcing new flights. On the other hand, residents from other Gulf countries can enter the Balkan state visa free.
Another Gulf carrier from a country that is presently not linked to Bosnia is also considering operations to Sarajevo this summer. The city is being heavily promoted in the Gulf as a destination for middle class families looking at cheaper alternatives to Western Europe, fuelling point to point travel from the region during the summer months for those wanting to escape the heat. As a result, demand is highly seasonal. This summer there is additional interest due to entry bans and quarantine requirements imposed by the majority of European countries for Gulf residents and nationals.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has the greatest demand for flights from the Gulf out of any other state in the former Yugoslavia, almost all of which is being generated by tourists during the summer. Sarajevo Airport’s busiest unserved route in the Middle East is Kuwait City, followed by Muscat and Tel Aviv. Turkish Airlines and Pegasus Airlines have been the big winners, jointly handling 64% of the Sarajevo - Middle East indirect traffic flow. They are followed by Flydubai with a 20% share. Meanwhile, FlyBosnia which had plans to maintain flights from Sarajevo to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain this summer, has so far only scheduled services to Riyadh, which are due to commence tomorrow.
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