Wizz Air heading to Bosnia and Herzegovina
Early next month Wizz Air will start talks with Bosnian officials in order for the no frills airline to launch flights to the country in the summer of 2013, making it its fourth market within the former Yugoslavia. Talks will first be held with Mostar Airport, which was designated as a low cost airport by the government earlier this year. High ranking local and state officials, including Bosnia’s Minister for Transport and Communication, Enver Bijedić, met yesterday to discuss and prepare ahead of the planned talks with Wizz Air. All parties agreed for the state to give its support to Wizz Air and its planned Bosnian operations.
At this point, Wizz Air is considering launching flights to several cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, amongst which are Tuzla and Mostar, though some services will only operate on a seasonal summer basis. Earlier this year the airline held talks with Sarajevo Airport officials, however, they failed after the airport refused to slash its taxes for Wizz Air. The airport was worried that such a move would create a domino effect, thus forcing it to reduce taxes for its other customers as well. Sarajevo Airport is served by two low cost airlines - Germanwings and Norwegian Air Shuttle. Norwegian operates flights on a seasonal basis from Oslo and Stockholm while Germanwings maintains all year round flights from Cologne and Stuttgart.
With bases in Belgrade and Skopje, flights to Slovenia and seasonal services to the Croatian coast, Wizz Air has already established itself in the former Yugoslavia. The low cost airline is most likely to connect Bosnia with Sweden, which is home to a sizeable Bosnian diaspora. On the other hand, flights to Mostar would focus on carrying tourists making the pilgrimage to Medjugorje.
Most of diaspora people in Sweden travel to Banja Luka region, so a flight like Gothenbug-Banja Luka for instance would be a direct hit!
ReplyDeleteI agree ! Some 50 000 from Banja Luka region live there, and if they have cheep air transportation, that would be surely a direct hit !!!
DeleteI live there.
DeleteToday: Flight Gothenburg-Munich (or frankfurt)-Zagreb takes at least 5 hours and then trip by car to banja luka, additional 3 hours. Approximate cost of about 4000 SEK
It could also attract some people from Croatia whoc ould use the cheaper fares from Banja Luka to Sweden. Banja Luka could be used as an alternative airport for Zagreb.
DeleteEven better would be flights from Malmö to Banja Luka when most people from Banja Luka area live in Southern Sweden.
DeleteStupid Sarajevo bosses!
ReplyDeleteJust keep paying star alliance sky high fares. Sarajevoooo germany-austria love you.
ReplyDeleteAdmin, is the photo in the article W6 at LJU?
ReplyDeleteGermanwings a LCC?!whatever.
anyway, good news about BIH, i hope these flights materialise.a bit late for that, but could Mostar partly compete with Split, if it turns out to be a seasonal LCC destination?(of course it would have to be served with enough destinations though)
ExYU can you please change incorrect data about changing in ZAG winter 2011/12 comparing to 2012/13.
ReplyDeleteCorrect data are:
- from Zagreb
Amsterdam 7 this winter / 7 last winter = 0
Bruxelles 7 / 6 = +1
Copenhagen 5 / 5 = 0
* last year was also 5 flights, not 3 as in your table
Dubrovnik 21 / 21 = 0
Frankfurt 21 / 21 = 0
*last year was also 21 flights, not 20 as in your table
Istanbul 7 / 3 = +4
London LHR 9 / 9 = 0
London LGW 1 / 3 = -2
Munich 14 / 14 = 0
Paris 5 / 5 = 0
Podgorica 3 / 3 = 0
Priština 4 / 6 = -2
Pula-Zadar 7 / 7 = 0
Rome 0 / 3 = -3
Sarajevo 11 / 13 = -2
* last year was 13 flights (on Saturday there was just 1 flight), not 14 as in your table
Skopje 8 / 7 = -1
Split 21 / 21 = 0
Vienna 14 / 14 = 0
Zurich 14 / 14 = 0
- from Dubrovnik:
Frankfurt 3 / 3 = 0
* last year was 3 flights, not 7 as in your table
Paris 2 / 2 = 0
Rome 2 / 2 = 0
Zurich 2 / 0 = +2
- from Split:
Frankfurt 7 / 7 = 0
* last year was 7 flights, not 3 as in your table
Munich 4 / 4 = 0
* last year was 4 flights, not 3 as in your table
Rome 5 / 5 = 0
Wrong forum, this has nothing to do with WizzAir and flights to Bosnia.
DeleteI am still baffled that Croatia Airlines can not make Paris a daily flight.
DeleteThankyou Purger for correcting the mistakes!
DeleteWooow, Purger, you're so great, you just purge out everything... {kisses}{marjorettes}
DeleteI'll pass them your kisses :-)
DeleteAny info on nature of Jat's flights to Barcelona these days? Someone was just talking recently about why there is no direct connections to Spain from BEG.
ReplyDeleteEuroleagaue match Barcelona - Partizan.
DeleteIma jedan tim...
Wizzair with good advertisement could make a difference in B&H, BNX could do with flights to any Swedish airport and maybe one in Germany, Tuzla could do with flights to Germany, OMO pretty much the same and to target Catholic pilgrims, and also to be offered as SJJ alternative. This should eb done as it was with SKP and LJU, well in advance with sale and slowly, but surely, fill the planes up, and believe me there is no better marketing than word of mouth!
ReplyDeleteI think BNX is not being considered by Wizz. From What I hear its SJJ, Tuzla and Mostar are in the game. SJJ gets flights to Sweden, Tuzla to Germany and Mostar gets some pilgrim flights to Italy.
ReplyDeleteI can´t understand why SJJ should get Wizz flights to Sweden when they already have flights to Sweden with Norwegian and BH Airlines to Copenhagen (South Sweden). I live in Malmö and the most people I know here and around are originally from Banja Luka region.There is a great demand for a direct connection from Malmö / Copenhagen to Banja Luka. I'm almost certain that it would be successful. Buses depart daily to Banja Luka are fully booked throughout the year and the price for a bus ticket is about 180 euro. What I know, it should match Wizz ticket price plus no more a trip of 30 hours.
DeleteI agree completely! It is the same situation in Gothenburg area; a lot of people from Prijedor/Banja Luka area living there and traveling once year by bus or car. Think that it would be possible to take a long weekend trip buy having a direct flight to Banja Luka.
DeleteCan not agree this talk about Flight to Banja luka it is A LIE.people from banja luka dont take vacation in banja luka so you can not make money ON THAT ROUTE AND IT IS TRUE...sorry but this is a 100 % true.
DeleteOn Sarajevo you can make money but our politicians are shit they dont think on the people only on his own pocket.
Travel agency, I do not know what are your sources but I'm from Banja Luka and I live in Sweden and I am 100% sure that you are wrong.
DeleteBosnia deserves low-cost flights. It must compete with Macedonia and Serbia!
ReplyDeleteDo you hear this, Austrian Airlines? You can suck out money from passenger as much as you want but not as long as you want!
ReplyDeleteAccording to my sources Sarajevo will be connected with Stockholm-Skavsta 3 times a week and maybe also Eindhoven with 1 or 2 flights a week. Tuzla will be connected with a 1 weekly flights to Dortmund, while Mostar will get flights to Rome and Katowice in Poland due to the catholic sight in Medjugorje.
ReplyDeleteNot bad at all!
WOW, even though I am gutted they will not consider BNX, if this becomes true it will be great!
DeleteAccording to my sources, Wizz did contact BNX !!!
DeleteWill see the result !
We will know in the next few days which new routes that will be launched from Sarajevo, Mostar, Tuzla and maybe Banja Luka.
DeleteIf they launch flights to all 4 cities, then it will be really great for the Bosnian market! First in EX-YU to have more than one airport in EX-YU!
Good WizzAir you could see that there was a great demand for direct flights between these
ReplyDeletetwo locations.