The national carrier of Bahrain, Gulf Air, is considering introducing flights between its hub in Manama and Sarajevo. According to the "Klix" portal, the development comes following the formation of the Bahrain - Bosnia and Herzegovina Friendship Society earlier this year, headed by influential local businessman Jawad Yousuf Al Hawaj, who has been lobbying the airline to commence services to Sarajevo. Manama in Bahrain and Muscat in Oman have been identified as some of the busiest unserved routes out of the Bosnian capital, as demand from the Gulf for travel to Sarajevo continues to surge. The airport now boasts nonstop services to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
The former CEO of Croatia Airlines, Krešimir Kučko, who now heads Gulf Air has been given a mandate to grow the airline following years of restructuring. In an interview earlier this year, Mr Kučko said Europe will be the main point of expansion in 2019. “We are definitely going to explore this next year. The routes we are thinking of are more towards South Europe. That should be complementary to the present routes, so we are talking Spain, Italy... This is the focus at the moment”, the CEO noted. Gulf Air has unveiled eight new destinations for this year under a major strategic reboot that has coincided with the long-awaited delivery of its next-generation Dreamliners and Airbus A320-family neos.
Arab investors are building homes and hotels around Sarajevo and are heavily promoting the destination to middle class families looking for cheaper alternatives to Western Europe, fuelling point to point travel from the Middle East to Sarajevo, particularly during the summer months. This summer has seen Flydubai operate three daily flights to the Bosnian capital. As a result, Sarajevo has registered strong passengers growth, with the airport handling a record 159.380 passengers in July alone, making it its busiest month in history. The figure represents growth of 13.8%. Aircraft movements improved 11.3% to 1.573. During the January - July period, Sarajevo Airport welcomed 589.522 passengers through its doors, up 12.5%.
| Month | PAX | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| JAN | 54.113 | ▲ 24.8 |
| FEB | 48.986 | ▲ 19.1 |
| MAR | 65.991 | ▲ 15.0 |
| APR | 86.995 | ▲ 9.0 |
| MAY | 81.026 | ▼ 3.7 |
| JUN | 92.997 | ▲ 19.0 |
| JUL | 159.380 | ▲ 13.8 |
wow!
ReplyDeleteEmirates should seriously consider Sarajevo, at least during the summer.
ReplyDeleteWell they operated into ZAG in May when their numbers weren't that great so maybe they would operate into SJJ for the whole summer season, maybe April to end of September.
DeleteI agree they could fly to SJJ in combination with FZ. I mean 3 B737-800s would amount to one B777.
DeleteSarajevo cant handle 777 so thats the reason
DeleteWouldn't it make sense for Gulf Air to launch ZAG flights as well? I mean Kucko should know what the market potential is and how many transfers they could get to the rest of Asia. I guess EK and QR booming there don't mind.
ReplyDeleteSJJ makes sense. I am sure next summer we will see EK for at least three months.
Actually I read how Kucko said recently that their primary focus at the moment is P2P passengers, so Sarajevo would make sense.
DeleteHe said they will try to attract transfers in a couple of years when they develop their network.
Another Gulf carrier in Zagreb would saturate the market in my opinion. Plus Gulf Air does not fly to that many cities.
DeleteLike in SJJ, ZAG has the demand. Qatar is doing really well with two daily flights being packed. I am sure next summer the morning flight (better loads) will be upgraded to Dreamliner while the evening one will stay a mix of A320 and A321.
DeleteI wouldn't say Zagreb is exactly booming. Emirates is about to reduce flights while QR isn't sending anything bigger than A320. Their LF in April/May was around 50%.
DeleteThey are not sending the A321 because many seats had to be blocked. That is why next summer they will send the 788.
DeleteWe have been listening to people write how they will send the Dreamliner to Zagreb for 2 years now.
DeleteZagreb is still a small market but maturing in so many ways. But yes, Anon 09:15 is right, the city initially started with few flights to DXB and then suddenly DOH and then suddenly 2 daily A321 and then suddenly EK with B773 and then pufff..plunge and downgrade to FZ in winter.
DeleteThis happens when the the supply exceeds demand. The MEB3 will be slowly fading away, especially when TK opens its terminal.
TK are now quietly expanding to Denpasar and I am sure they will expand much more as they lacked slots in the current IST airport.
Also, it´s questionable for how long will the EK model last and the EY problems and so on and so on.
Demand to ZAG is there, just look at tourist arrivals from may distant and fancy destinations such as South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. EK loads will be back and there won't be a need for FZ next year. More tourists will compensate for that, there will be room for both EK773 and QR788 to be parked at the most gorgeous airport in Europe!
DeleteNo room for Gulf Air.
DeleteThree weekly A332 in summer could work. They could fly seasonally, maybe even link ZAG and SJJ.
DeleteNaah, ZAG-BAH will definitely not work. 3 daily flights to the Middle East are more than enough. Maybe ZAG-DWC might work with W6 as it did quite well with BUD, OTP and SOF. The routes have been operating since 2013!
DeleteLCC link from ZAG to Dubai? Why when there is EK already. ZAG is one of rare airports in Europe that can boom without cheap airlines.
DeleteAbsolutely NO need for another Gulf airline flying to ZAG.
DeleteYes, after so many upgrade, Zagreb is downgrade some much. Especially with Korean all-year route coming in September. Huge downgrade!
DeleteHuh? What downgrade?
DeleteHe was being sarcastic.
DeleteDowngrade meaning in English: reduce to a lower grade, rank, or level of importance.
DeleteFZ is a lower grade compared to EK. Therefore when you go from up to down, its a downgrade. This is what will happen in December 2018.
Big. Freaking. Deal.
DeleteMost of the travelers don't care who they are flying with, but will buy the cheapest/quickest ticket.
Also, what's with this FZ/EK obsession?
..... and end in March 2019!
DeleteLots of obsessions lately:
DeleteEK ZAG downgrade
BEG Guadaloupe flights
INI massive expansion and SKP surpass (my favourite)
DBV becoming number 2
SKP vs PRN sequel
Bravo Hrvatska!
That's the beauty of this ex-Yu blog!
Well no FZ/EK here as a Croat mentioned potential GF flights to ZAG so mentioning EK, FZ, QR... only makes sense. No?
DeleteGF cannot do anything in ZAG as there is no P2P demand between ZAG and BAH, and GF does not have any remotely relevant and strong network beyond BAH. Case closed re GF in ZAG. SJJ has some P2P so maaaaaybe possible to give a shot.
DeleteAnd downgrade of Emirates service to flydubai for 3 months is so huge that Zagreb is downgrade in general. Dousen't metter that Korean, Iberia and others will open new routes or upgrate it to all year to Zagreb this winter.
DeleteNot sure if sarcastic or not...
DeleteIf Emirates /Flydubai would be flying from BEG the same way they fly from ZAG, same people writing about ZAG downgrade would be writing about BEG upgrade because the flight to DXB becomes DAILY compared to 5 weekly last winter
DeleteDubai je popularna zimska desetinacija za Srbe, O&D tržište je veće nego kod Zagreba ali je tržište putnika koji presedaju manje s tim što je bolje raspoređeno jer je BEG dobro povezan sa Bliskim istokom.
Delete@frishki9 August 2018 at 10:15
DeleteSome trolls jealous of EK flying to Zagreb and doing so well, and now with the arrival of Korean Air, and next year even more far eastern carriers...
Manama is small airport, catering for needs of US armed forces and Bahrain, really not much else going there. Gulf air in Zagreb is as welcomed as hyperinflation.
We have Qatar and Turkish, both twice daily, and Emirates with their B777ERs, I think ME is covered, Gulf air can go to Belgrade if they want to expand beyond Sarajevo.
Zagreb needs carriers from South East Asia, China, Japan and India. If we normalize relationship with Iran, EU-Iran; yes would be nice to have direct flights to Tehran perhaps twice per week seasonally.
Would like to see Egypt Air, or Tunis Air introduce regular service seasonally, instead of charters only.
Jealous about Iran?
DeleteGreat idea, Gulf Air would be perfect addition for Belgrade. BEG already has fantastic ME coverage: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, a bit to the north three airlines with regular widebody service to Iran. In the rest of MENA, BEG has year round service to Lebanon, TLV, Egypt and Tunisia. Morocco and Saudi Arabia are also expected to be launched soon. Airline from Syria applied for service but was turned down. When you add BEG charter/seasonal service to many Greek islands, Cyprus, Malta, Sicily, Sardinia and Palma (Mallorca), BEG enjoys domineering position in connectivity from the region to MENA and Mediterranean.
DeleteGulf Air won't work in ZAG, they don't have the Asian network. Much of the EK and QR traffic are passengers from East Asia, Australia, NZ and increasingly SE Asia. ZAG needs more Asian carriers, not Gulf carriers.
DeleteSo we will have
ReplyDeleteRiyadh - Nesma Airlines
Sharjah - Air Arabia
Dubai - Fly Dubai
Kuwait - Wataniya
Doha - Qatar Airways
Manama - Bahrain
Impressive.
DeleteSarajevo has become the ex-Yu hub for Middle East flights.
DeleteNow THIS is a TRUE legacy carrier. I especially love their new livery, puts so many other airlines to shame such as the LH new "cargo carrier logo".
ReplyDelete2019 will be the year of BiH! Браво!
+1
DeleteAgree both their new livery on the B787 and the James Hogan livery look stunning.
DeleteHave they applied the new livery to their short haul fleet?
DeleteNo, just the B787. But they are getting a load of A320neos soon which will have the new livery for sure.
DeleteYou got a hand it to James. He might not know much about handling airlines but he does know how to do beautiful liveries. Look at the Etihad one.
DeleteLOL so true
DeleteNice legacy carrier for Sarajevo Airport.
ReplyDeleteDo Bahraini citizens need visas to Bosnia?
ReplyDeleteNo
DeleteNo they don't. They don't need visa to only 3 countries in Europe - Bosnia, Serbia and Belarus.
DeleteLooks like Bosnia and Serbia are free land for everyone in the world.
DeleteInteresting that Saudis for example need visas to Bosnia and Kuwaitis. Bahrainis don't.
Delete@ 9:36 Well if no one else wants to come....
DeleteLast Anon, I can't speak for Bosnia but Serbia is becoming quite popular. Foreign tourist arrivals are up by 15% in the first six months of this year and they reached 555.000.
DeleteThe same is in Bosnia - first six months 639.558 tourists (up 13% compared to last year), the numbers came out today.
DeleteWhoever thought we would hear the name Kresimir Kucko on here again :D
ReplyDeleteKucko going back to his roots :D
DeleteLOL so so true! ;) ;) ;) ;)
DeleteI think he is paying a tribute to his Balkan heritage.
What a noble and loyal man he is.
Well if Flydubai can make it 3 times per day, then I don't see why Gulf Air couldn't.
ReplyDeleteGreat result for Sarajevo so far this year. I expect a million passengers to be reached in November.
ReplyDeleteI think it do so much more and it should have been handling a million 2-3 years ago.
DeleteNiti je Manama neka destinacija za potencijalne BiH turiste, niti je generalna populacija Bahreina potencijalna klijentela BiH destinacija
ReplyDeleteTrebao je tebe Kucko da uzme za savetnika.
DeleteДа је Кучко знао боље одабрати своје саветнике не би било потребе да побегне из ОУ.
DeleteDa, Gulf Air mu je bas downgrade sa Croatia Airlines.
DeletePa nije baš ni neki upgrade. 32 aviona (i ne baš toliko veće od Croatie) i u prosjeku 200 milijuna USD gubitka u posljendjih 5 gdina. I nije neka mudrost voditi firmu sa 32 aviona i 200 miljuna minusa.
DeleteVerujem da mu je plata upgrade, a Gulf Air ima 46 narucenih aviona.
Delete"i ne baš toliko veće od Croatie"
Delete32 vs 12....
Rekao bih da jeste
Rekao bih da je gubitak 10 puta veći od realnog gubitka Croatie (bez ovih knjigovodstvenih čarobiranja koji stvaraju imaginaran profit). Flota nije 10 puta veća, nego 2 i pol puta.
DeleteAgain with Middle East...
ReplyDeleteLike it says in the article, the demand is simply there.
DeleteWhich aircraft could they use on this route?
ReplyDeleteA320.
DeleteThis would be a nice addition.
ReplyDeleteHope it materialises.
ReplyDeleteDoes Gulf Air fly any routes seasonally?
ReplyDeleteAs far as I can see, they don't.
DeleteThat could be a problem because demand between Gulf and Bosnia is extremely seasonal.
DeleteWhat does "extremely seasonal" mean? It's like saying very normal or super standard, etc.
DeleteIt means that in summer Flydubai has 3 daily flights to Sarajevo every single day, while in winter they can barely fill 3 weekly flights. I remember I read an interview published here with some guy from FZ who also said that seasonality on the Sarajevo route is very strong.
DeleteSo what if they don't have seasonal routes. They could have them next year. Emirates didn't have a seasonal route until last month when they announced Zagreb as seasonal.
DeleteAll of the Gulf carriers but FZ fly seasonally to Sarajevo.
DeleteKucko has a new toy to bankrupt like he has damaged OU!
ReplyDeleteStop it, please. People are given a second opportunity. I think Hogan can try and apply for OU and manage it, he might be luckier this time.....
DeleteThat would be third time lucky for him after Gulf Air and Etihad.
DeleteExcellent news for Sarajevo
ReplyDeleteWhich news, that someone is thinking of this route? Most of companies are thinking of lot of routes...
DeleteI hope this consideration becomes a reality.
ReplyDeleteThere will be some good spotting at SJJ.
ReplyDeleteGood spotting of Middle East and Turkish airliners.
DeleteI will be celebrating when I read the titles
ReplyDeleteBritish Airways considering Sarajevo service
SAS considering Sarajevo service
Air France considering Sarajevo service
Alitalia considering Sarajevo service
Until then these flight are of no benefit to the local population.
How can you say that local population does not benefit? The airport benefits from taxes, the city benefits from tourists.
DeleteSAS is already flying to Sarajevo :)
DeleteGF is a great airlines! Once I flew with them on the route RUH - MAN - RUH, C class. Crew is EXTREMELY nice, food is very good, accessories given on board are much much much better of the ones you get on TK C Class, LH C class etc. I would fly GF again.
ReplyDeleteHey Sloavio, we missed you mate :)
DeleteOh yeah, GF is a true 5 star airline, not those lousy Skytrax ones. The product is fine, the airplanes are elegant.
Was the cutlery metal or plastic?
Btw, I just remembered JU when I mentioned metal cutlery...ah, the good, old days are over...
^ What's your problem?
DeleteGood news for Sarajevo.
ReplyDeleteDa li ima nade da Sarajevo jednog dana bude povezano sa Parizom, Londonom, Rimom, Moskvom, Atinom??
ReplyDeleteAegean might come next year. They said they were interested in Sarajevo.
DeleteIf Emirates /Flydubai were flying to BEG the way they are flying to ZAG, same people writing about ZAG downgrade would be writing about BEG upgrade because the flight to DXB becomes DAILY, compared to 5 weekly last winter.
DeleteZa sada ne :(
DeleteAnon 15:09 - technically speaking both BEG and ZAG will be treated equally. Same capacity, same airline. But yes, for BEG it's an upgrade, while for ZAG it's a downgrade mainly from a legacy carrier to a hybrid, low-cost and of course less seats.
DeleteAn. 15.41
DeleteThanks for being honest and confirming my comment of double criteria BEG vs. ZAG. And just btw. If less seats are offered, with higher frequency and better LF, it may result in even more pax carried. And Flydubai is hardly low cost, as their economy price match EK 's and their premium product is not bad at all. But of course, "less seats and hybrid" go in a "package" with the "downgrade", which in hypothetical BEG case would be an upgrade, as you said yourself. And thanks again for honesty.
If GF ever launch SJJ, this will be a true success for SJJ. The reputation of the airport will increase and will be the 3rd airport in the Balkans, after ATH and IST to be connected. Not even PRG or WAW have those flights.
ReplyDeleteThe more the merrier.
ReplyDeleteConsidering they only fly to 4 cities in Europe, it's a show of confidence in Sarajevo and Bosnia as a market.
ReplyDelete