Sarajevo Airport in talks with Ryanair

Sarajevo Airport is in discussions with Ryanair and several other carriers to replace Wizz Air, which has announced the closure of its base in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital from November. Talks are ongoing with Europe’s largest airline after the airport was made aware that Wizz Air may leave after it started suspending a number of routes for the upcoming winter back in August. Sarajevo Airport had previously described the opening of Wizz Air’s base as being of “strategic interest for Bosnia and Herzegovina”. It generated a significant portion of the airport’s traffic, while almost all of its routes were unserved by others from the city, significantly improving its connectivity.

Wizz Air’s departure will result in Sarajevo Airport losing all flights to Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Italy, as well as year-round operations to Sweden, Denmark and Norway. All destinations operated by Wizz Air from Sarajevo were driven primarily by VFR (Visiting Friends and Family) traffic. Prior to the budget carrier inaugurating its base from Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital last year, Austrian Airlines was the main transfer airline for passengers heading to and from other European markets. It held a 26% share of Sarajevo’s European transfer traffic, followed by Turkish Airlines with 18% and Lufthansa with a 13% share.

Ryanair is in the process of expanding its operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It entered the market in 2018 with services to Banja Luka from which it now serves seven cities, which will grow to eight with the introduction of flights to Berlin at the end of the month. Furthermore, the carrier will launch operations to Tuzla in November, with services from Vienna, Stockholm and Memmingen. Ryanair’s Director of Route Development, Ray Kelliher, said, “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”.

EX-YU Aviation News

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