Ryanair challenges Wizz Air in Tuzla
Ryanair is making a second attempt at launching flights to Tuzla after it was initially blocked from doing so by the cantonal government last September. Europe’s largest carrier has scheduled flights from Stockholm’s main airport of Arlanda, as well as Memmingen in Germany, to Tuzla starting November 2 and 4, respectively. Both will be maintained twice per week and will go head-to-head against Wizz Air. Unlike Ryanair, Wizz will run six weekly flights to Memmingen this winter season and four weekly to Stockholm. However, it operates to Skavsta Airport instead of Arlanda, which is further away from Sweden’s capital.
Last year, the head of the Supervisory Board of Tuzla Airport said the local government did not sign off on an agreement with Ryanair, so as not to put its existing business partner, Wizz Air, in an “unequal position” and cause “unfair competition”. Ryanair, which had scheduled flights from Weeze and Baden Baden to Tuzla, discontinued ticket sales after Tuzla’s cantonal government declined to agree to the negotiated terms and conditions. The budget airline was also to announce a further three new routes from Tuzla for the 2021/2022 winter season. The President of Tuzla Airport’s Supervisory Board, Enes Avdić, said last year, “We want to negotiate better financial terms than the ones that were agreed. Furthermore, we believe the agreement must not put our strategic partner, with whom we do business, in an unequal position. We shouldn’t bring them unfair competition”.
Wizz Air is currently the only scheduled airline operating out of Tuzla Airport, with two aircraft based in the city. Commenting on its new Tuzla service, Ryanair’s Director of Route Development, Ray Kelliher, said, “We are pleased to add Tuzla to our growing network of over 225 airports across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa thanks to the efforts of the new management team who recognised the benefit of having Europe’s biggest and most reliable airline operating at the airport. These new routes at Tuzla will now offer the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina access to the biggest airline and most diverse network in Europe. We look forward to growing in Bosnia and Herzegovina over the coming years and being able to announce more new and exciting routes for next summer”. The General Manager of Tula Airport, Dževad Halilčević, noted, “The entire Tuzla Airport team sees this as a historical event for its development. Tuzla Airport has thus gained in importance and improved its position compared to other airports in the region. With the arrival of Ryanair at Tuzla Airport, the network of destinations is expanding. Passengers will have more choice when planning their trips which justifies Tuzla Airport’s primary role in connecting Bosnia and Herzegovina with the rest of Europe. Our expectations are for a long-term and successful cooperation with the new airline”.
Further flight details for the new Stockholm service an be found here, while additional information for the Memmingen flights can be viewed here.
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