Air Montenegro nears deal to commence Tuzla operations
Air Montenegro is close to reaching an agreement with Tuzla Airport to launch operations from the city this coming winter season, although a deal is yet to be confirmed by either side. Cologne Airport has already listed the launch of Air Montenegro’s two weekly service between Bosnia and Herzegovina’s second busiest airport and Cologne starting November 1, while both Tuzla and Air Montenegro have previously confirmed they were in negotiations over potential flights aimed at alleviating the impact of Wizz Air’s base closure earlier this month. The Montenegrin flag carrier had previously submitted a Letter of Intent to Tuzla Airport’s management over plans to commence services from the city.
Air Montenegro has increasingly looked at expanding its reach in other markets in recent months. Over the summer it commenced operating charter services between Sarajevo and Tirana. Air Montenegro’s CEO, Mark Anžur, previously spearheaded a strategy at Slovenia’s national airline Adria Airways to develop bases outside of the country. Montenegro’s former flag carrier, Montenegro Airlines, had also attempted at operating out of Tuzla, running flights to Vienna over the 2015/16 winter season, while selling tickets through local tour operators. However, the route was discontinued only a few weeks later.
Wizz Air closed its base at Tuzla Airport last week, just over eight years after stationing its first aircraft in the city. The airline has discontinued the majority of its operations out of Tuzla and relocated its two stationed aircraft. Wizz Air will continue to maintain operations from Basel, Dortmund and Memmingen to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s second busiest airport, which it has deemed as its three most profitable routes to Tuzla. Services to Hahn, the only other remaining route in addition to the abovementioned trio will end in late October. This coming winter season, Wizz Air will provide a total of 82.100 seats on its Tuzla operations (both inbound and outbound combined) down 72.7% on the previous winter. Furthermore, the figure is down 75.9% on the 340.200 seats it initially put on sale on its Tuzla services for the coming winter before deciding to shut its base. Wizz Air has said a “challenging macroeconomic environment, along with complicated weather conditions, such as frequent fogs” have made it impossible to operate a large network from Tuzla Airport.
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