A July to forget at Sarajevo Airport
Sarajevo Airport has seen a major passenger plunge in July. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s busiest airport welcomed only 69.346 passengers, a decrease of 14.4% compared to the same month last year when it handled 81.042 passengers. It is the third consecutive month that the airport has seen its numbers plummet. The figures have been affected by B&H Airlines’ cut in operations. The Bosnian national carrier handled only 29.459 passengers in the first half of the year, a 54.9% plunge on 2011.Recently, rumours have been circulating that the Bosnian government is planning to introduce a new passenger tax at Sarajevo Airport which would further boost ticket prices. However, the Bosnian Civil Aviation Directorate has told EX-YU aviation news that they are unaware of any proposal for the introduction of new taxes. Currently, passengers have to fork out 28 euros for taxes at Sarajevo Airport which, many believe, is why low cost airlines have mostly stayed away from the Bosnian capital.
However, there is some good news as well. The charter company Gryphon Airlines has now introduced daily flights between Kuwait City and Sarajevo. Flights are operating with a Boeing 767. This winter, Sarajevo will be served by eight airlines with scheduled flights. The low cost Niki, which was considering launching services from Vienna, has decided against the move.
Thank Star alliance
ReplyDeleteAt SJJ 10€ of every ticket is earmarked for BH Airlines. OMO & TZL do not have this fee. I believe that the idea is basically to have LCCs target these airports instead of SJJ.
ReplyDeleteCould you state the source of the Niki news ExYu?
ReplyDeleteKWI to SJJ on daily basis by 767 !?!
ReplyDeleteWho is travelling on the route with such a high demand? Any resources?
Why do I have a feeling that there is some valuable “cargo” on those flights.
Deletehttp://www.sarajevo-airport.ba/vijest.php?lang=eng&id=142
DeleteThat's so bizarre! They don't have connections to major European hubs such as FRA, CDG or LHR but they can fill-up a B767 on a daily basis to KWI. Nothing against this route, but this just tells you how mismanaged and with no direction this country is. In addition to this, the introduction of so called passenger tax will decrease the numbers even further. The politicians in Bosnia don't think about making lives better and easier for its citizens, they only worry how to fill up their own pockets.
ReplyDeleteThe daily flights were only for this week, of which 2 were cancelled. So don't start talking crap about Bosnia when we are talking about 5 flights to Kuwait
DeleteWell, no coincidence that when the main airline at the airport (JA) almost goes belly-up and loses all bar one turboprop, the numbers are going to tumble. Frankly, i'm surprised they aren't worse!
ReplyDeleteMy question is why other carriers in the region haven't stepped in to fill this unmet demand, either upgauging aircraft or additional flights. OU, JP and JU are all looking for ways to maximise profitability given their less-than-stellar financial records, surely higher yields and greater market share at SJJ is an easy win??
um hello? Jat increased capacity from ATR72 to 737-300, doubling the seat capacity...! I bet they would increase frequency too if they had a larger fleet.
DeleteGryphon Airlines that is American (USA) owned. It seems to target the US government contractors. I highly doubt there is the type of cargo you insinuate there to be.
ReplyDelete