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| Wizz Air mulling Tuzla Airport base plans |
Wizz Air is considering launching up to seven new routes from Tuzla Airport as it contemplates opening up a base in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s third largest city. The additional flights could bring a further 100.000 passengers to Tuzla Airport on an annual basis. Wizz Air currently operates services from Malmo, Basel, Dortmund, Gothenburg, and Eindhoven to the Bosnian city. It inaugurated flights to Tuzla only last year. Last week officials from the airline met with the Federation Minister for Transport and Communication Enver Bijedić and representatives from both the Tuzla canton government and the airport to discuss the possibility of Wizz Air opening up a base in the city as well as payment options.
However, Wizz Air’s plans could be derailed by backroom politics. The head of Tuzla Airport, Esed Mujačić, was dismissed by the local government last week with a new CEO, Rifet Karasalihović, taking up the position. Mr. Karasalihović, a former part owner of cargo airline ICAR Air, has been accused of violating a United Nations arms embargo imposed on the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2007, ICAR Air leased an Ilyushin Il-76 from Serbian cargo airline Air Tomisko, and smuggled arms into the Congo despite a United Nations ban on the export of arms and weapons to the country. For his part, the former CEO, Mr. Mujačić, said, “Interests of certain groups of people, who do not wish to see Tuzla Airport develop, such as the land transport lobby, are now being put in charge”.
Local media suggest that wrangling over the airport’s CEO could put off Wizz Air from plans to develop its network out of Tuzla. Furthermore, the possibility of increasing taxes at the airport fivefold could negatively impact on the budget carrier’s plans. Wizz Air is the only airline operating scheduled flights out of Tuzla and has brought the airport, which has struggled to attract any customers for years, back to life. In the first half of the year, Tuzla Airport handled 53.053 passengers, up 691% on the same period last year.
Wonder which destinations they could be and which could work from Tuzla
ReplyDeletewhen is Malmo- Banja Luka gonna be introduced??? / Philswe
ReplyDeleteProbably never...
DeleteSame time they introduce Banja Luka - New York
DeleteHahaha about the arms smuggling. Typical Balkan behavior. Nice to see Bosnia & Serbia cooperating :D
ReplyDeletevery good news for Tuzla. An example for other small airports in the region. Nis take note
ReplyDeleteIf they open a base in Tuzla I have a feeling flights from Belgrade will be reduced even more
ReplyDeleteArticles on this topic in Bosnia are full of journalist's speculations. I can see maybe total of 7 routes not 7 additional. No such a big market around Tuzla. Other things..change of managent...taxes etc. are still to be confirmed by Tuzla canton gov't.
ReplyDeletethey changed the ceo. The government confirmed it. Taxes could be increased like the article said. But I think that 7 routes is also too much. That would make 11 in total.
DeleteCan someone explain to me how an airport like Tuzla can get Wizz Air but airports like Nis and Mraibor can't?
ReplyDeleteI guess Tuzla has a numerous community of ex-refugees living abroad. Maribor and Niš does not have that.
DeleteRifet has no ownership in ICAR AIR since 2010 at least.
ReplyDeleteyeah but they exported weapons in 2007 when he did
DeleteCan someone explain to us what is the cause of those apocalyptic delays at Belgrade airport last night, with all flights culminating with around 12h delays in total, most of the being between 2-3 hours late... That's really horrible. Thanks.6
ReplyDeleteMassive storm
Deletehttp://www.blic.rs/Vesti/Drustvo/483555/Zasto-munje-cepaju-nebo-nad-Srbijom
There was strong rain, lightning, flash flooding across the city last night. Light show with the lightning started at around 20.30 and didn't end till 3am
DeleteYes and that's why they couldn't refuel the aircraft.
DeleteIt almost looked like an usual day at Air Serbia. At least they've got a good excuse this time around.
DeleteJel Tuzla ima ILS :-) . Hvala unapred:-)
ReplyDeleteINN
ima. glavnina problema ekspanzije u tuzli nije load factor ( i slicne gluposti omiljene kod pojedinaca ) nego ATC. Slicanje bio svojevremeno prblem kod BL sa Ryanair-om. Trazilisu da bude deklarisan minimum 550m za sletanje, sto naravno nikad niej odobreno. iza toga se pukne debilne price o load faktorima, vizama,subvencijama, sta sve vec ne, a u stvari se pravi razlozi sakriju od sramote.
Deletebalkan. tamo gde je najjednostavnije namerno se iskomplikuje. Lakse se posle sa stokom manipulise.
Aleksandre jeste vi Pilot :-)
DeleteINN
OT: danas je (konačno) YU-AOV vraćen bugarima:) AOU ostaje :(
ReplyDeleteDobro je što su vratili tu kantu od aviona. Nikad nisam putovao Ryanairom, ali tom kantom jesam, pa mislim da znam kako je ljudima koji lete Ryanairom
Delete@ Admin
ReplyDeleteI believe it is a typo, but you forgot GSE
"Wizz Air currently operates services from Malmo, Basel, Dortmund and Eindhoven to the Bosnian city."
Fixed
DeleteOT: I just check some pics of OU Airbus fleet cabin. How many Airbus's has Recaro seats? Thx
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know, 4 of them have Recaro seats!
DeleteThx. I think on all A319 fleet.
DeleteOT: It seems that there is a presentation of mid-year results for Air Serbia in Belgrade today and tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI was sitting near a guy on a JU flight to Belgrade, and he had a presentation on his tray table, including numbers.
You have some really bad manners
Deletechange of management at TZL is more less, the real problem could lay behind the price increase. we will see if this gov,t in technical.mandate will ruin this positive story in TZL until elections in Bosnia. Whoever gets another four years on elections should negotiate with wizz air.
ReplyDeleteOT: Milijunti putnik Croatia Airlines
ReplyDeletehttp://vijesti.hrt.hr/u-splitskoj-zracnoj-luci-docekan-milijunti-putnik-ca
OT: YU-AOV left JU fleet today.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Ex-Yu, after Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Mostar, Tuzla is BiH´s fourth largest city.
ReplyDeletethat's not true at all! Tuzla is third and has bigger population than Mostar both city and cantotn. Mostar is not even fourth its Zenica. Mostar is fifth largest
DeleteAccording to preliminary data from the 2013 census in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tuzla is the third largest city after Sarajevo and Banja Luka.
Delete