Prague Airport seeks flights to three former Yugoslav capitals
Prague Airport has said it is pursuing flights to Zagreb, Ljubljana and Sarajevo, with the three cities being among the Czech capital’s top unserved destinations within Europe. However, the airport’s business development team has singled out the Croatian capital of Zagreb as its most sought-after of the three. Services between the two cities were last maintained by Croatia Airlines and Czech Airlines in 2019 on a seasonal summer basis, however, following the outbreak of the coronavirus, neither of the two resumed operations between the capitals. The last scheduled flight on the route was operated by Croatia Airlines on October 26, 2019, while Czech Airlines ended operations on October 16. The Croatian carrier utilised a mix of Dash 8 and wet-leased CRJ1000 aircraft on the route, while Czech Airlines deployed its ATR72 turboprop. A total of 25.589 passengers flew between the two cities that year. Zagreb was Czech Airlines' first international destination, launched back in 1930.
Ljubljana Airport lost its connectivity to Prague following the collapse of Adria Airways in September 2019. The former Slovenian flag carrier maintained year-round flights between the two cities with a mix of CRJ700 and CRJ900 aircraft. It handled 10.229 passengers on the route in 2019, up until late September when the airline declared bankruptcy. On the other hand, Sarajevo last boasted flights to the Czech capital in May 2009, when the now-defunct B&H Airlines maintained the service up until October that year with its ATR72 turboprop. In 2016, Czech Airlines planned to introduce four weekly flights between the two cities with a mix of ATR42 and ATR72 aircraft but shelved the initiative months prior to the service launch.
Zagreb Airport recently introduced an incentive scheme for airlines with the aim of connecting the city to fifteen points in Europe. Among those included is Prague. Similarly, Sarajevo Airport issued a public call to airlines last month for the launch of new routes in return for subsidies. It listed 26 potential routes deemed to be of strategic importance, among which is the Czech capital. In 2021, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ambassador to the Czech Republic initiated talks with low cost carrier Wizz Air over the introduction of flights between Sarajevo and Prague ahead of the opening of its base in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital. However, the budget airline has since discontinued most of its flights to Sarajevo and relocated aircraft elsewhere.
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