Wizz Air to reduce Sarajevo operations to single route
Low cost carrier Wizz Air will maintain a single route from Sarajevo during the 2023 summer season. The airline will discontinue flights between Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital and London Luton from March 24. As a result, at this point, Sarajevo will no longer be linked to the UK market through nonstop flights during the summer months, with TUI ending its seasonal winter operations on April 2, before restoring them next December. Wizz Air’s sole remaining service out of Sarajevo will be Abu Dhabi, operated by its subsidiary from the United Arab Emirates. Services to the Emirati capital will be maintained four times per week during the summer of 2023.
Sarajevo Airport has been unsuccessful in retaining a nonstop service to the United Kingdom. In March 2007, British Airways introduced a three weekly service from London Gatwick to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital with its Boeing 737 fleet. However, flights were discontinued in October 2008, citing the recession and increased costs as a result of the global economic crisis at the time. In September 2019, FlyBosnia commenced a short-lived three weekly service to London Luton, however, registered poor results on the route with average loads on the Airbus A319 at just 10%. The flights were discontinued at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, after which the airline ceased all operations. Wizz Air commenced services from Luton to Sarajevo this March, following several delays. Its average load factor on the route has hovered around 80%. Leisure carrier TUI inaugurated a one weekly seasonal service from Gatwick to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital this Tuesday to cater for British ski holidaymakers.
Wizz Air shut its Sarajevo base in November citing inflation and rising costs for its decision. It terminated nineteen routes in the process and relocated its two aircraft which were stationed in the city. Sarajevo Airport has since issued a public call for airlines to submit their proposals for the opening of a base, in return for incentives. The airport launched a similar tender in 2020, which was won by Wizz Air. It was the only one to have applied. Under the terms issued by Sarajevo Airport this time around, interested carriers must open their base in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital next year in order to qualify for the incentives. Ryanair is believed to be among those interested. The result of the tender could potentially bring about the resumption of flights to London. The public call will close next Friday.
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