Mostar Airport handled just 516 passengers between January and August of this year, making it one of the most affected on the continent by the ongoing coronavirus crisis. The figure is down 40% on the pandemic-stricken 2020, during which it was closed for three months, and 97.6% on 2019. The global health emergency grinded charter flights catering for religious pilgrims to a halt, while Eurowings, the airport’s only no-frills operator, discontinued its services from Stuttgart and Dusseldorf citing low demand. Croatia Airlines, the only other carrier serving the city, also discontinued its scheduled Zagreb flights. However, airport authorities are confident 2022 will see a return to better times with a major low cost airline likely to commence operations. “There are signs that some low cost carriers could finally start flying from Mostar Airport. Talks are ongoing and we hope to soon make these plans for 2022 public”, the airport said.
During 2019, Mostar Airport was in discussions with two low cost carriers over the introduction of flights, one of which is believed to have been Ryanair. The two sides have held talks on several occasions since 2012. Previously, it was proposed for the low cost airline to introduce services from Charleroi, Frankfurt and Oslo to Bosnia and Herzegovina's fifth largest city. However, there is also potential for the carrier to cater for religious tourism on routes from Italy and Poland. Over the past few years, Mostar Airport has also negotiated with Wizz Air. In 2012, the two sides discussed potential services from Dortmund and Malmo, but the airline ultimately opted to operate out of Tuzla instead. The government of the Herzegovina - Neretva Canton in Bosnia and Herzegovina has expressed its willingness to provide financial assistance to airlines serving Mostar. The airport is also hopeful Eurowings will restore its operations, blaming high fares for the carrier’s failure on its Mostar routes.
In a positive development this week, Croatia Airlines commenced the first of five charters to Mostar carrying pilgrims from Ireland. The service from Shannon marked Mostar’s first commercial flight of the year. A total of 140 passengers were handled on the charter this week, operated by an Airbus A319 jet. “Services will run once per week, each Wednesday, during September and October. In addition to Shannon, flights will also operate from Dublin and Cork”, Mostar Airport said. The airport’s busiest year was in 2013 when it welcomed 75.244 travellers through its doors.
It might be one of the most affected but it is also one of the worst managed in Europe.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteI hope they finally achieve a deal
ReplyDeleteHopefully better days are to come for OMO.
ReplyDeleteConsidering Ryanair was chased out of Tuzla, Mostar could be a good alternative.
ReplyDeleteIf Wizz starts flights they will rule the BiH market.
ReplyDeleteI will believe it when I see it.
ReplyDeleteyes they have said so many times that they are in talks with someone but nothing ever materialised.
DeleteEurowings materialized
DeleteThat worked out well.
DeleteWell, I would say that it did worked out well, flights were mostly full. I flew twice with them, and LF was over 95% both times. And their price per mile was no cheaper than on their other flights, so I doubt they were making a loss.
DeleteIf Eurowings didn't make it, flying Q400s, I don't see how others will with B737s or A320s.
ReplyDeleteWizz Air/Ryanair are much better than Eurowings in generating demand.
DeleteWorse than KVO.
ReplyDeleteWho pays these emnployees not to do anything?
The government keeps pumping money.
DeleteAre you seriously comparing the 4th smallest Bosnian airport with the 3rd smallest Serbian one and this with a way much smaller in population country? Some people are sci-fi.
DeleteHahahaha. Of course.
DeleteThere is no traffic in KVO and no traffic in OMO. Zero is always zero no matter from which side you want to see it.
Worse than Maribor
DeleteThey are hired by HDZ party. People who know and who are willing to work can not work because ot these incompetent people.
Deletethey should try to get charter flights, especially pilgrims for Medjugorje from Poland, Italy, Spain, Ireland and some from Muslim countries for Mostar. local demand is low because the population is small
ReplyDeleteThat's what they have been doing. The issue is that even charters have collapsed in the last few years because there are cheaper alternatives to nearby cities.
DeleteOr maybe they collapsed because there was no one to negotiate and organize these charters.
DeleteMostars population is not small at all, I really do not know what are all of you blabbing about when you say "small population".
DeleteFrom the study in 2015 Mostar Airports catchment area had a population of 450 000 people.
That is the same as catchemnt area of Wadowice in Poland or Eindhoven in Netherlands..... And they are doing way better..... So small population is really not a problem at all as far as I'm seeing it.... The only one to blame here is horrible management, period.
Compared to the catchment area of Sarajevo, Tuzla, Banja Luka, Herzegovina is sparsely populated, inhabitants per square meter. besides, the population numbers are not real because of the high rate of emigration. but yes you are right, it is enough to have Wizz Air or Ryanair
DeleteOnly reason incompetent management hired by HDZ party.
DeleteAnon 10:53:
DeleteKTW serves the region of 4.5 milion people with triple density of population of that in Mostar. Twelve cities are more than hundred thousend citizens.
OU had barely 10 passengers per flight. I'm not surprised they have terminated these flights.
ReplyDeleteTo make clear I'm talking about their ZAG-OMO flights, not the charters they do from OMO.
DeleteI believe it was something like 20-25 per flight. Not that it makes it much better, but still…
DeleteThey should maket themselves as Dubrovnik 2 airport...
ReplyDeleteDubrovnik North Airport
DeleteThe problem of Mostar Airport is the administration, whose people are members of the HDZ party, which is destroying everything in front of it. If management changes, and the right people come, the airport could flourish with the arrival of Ryanair and connecting Mostar with Poland, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Russia, Hungary and the Middle East.
ReplyDeleteItaly, Germany and the Netherlands could be the first markets.
ReplyDeleteToo many airports in short proximity. They will cannibalize each other.
ReplyDeleteBosnia needs a modern railway and highway network, not an airport in every town.
ReplyDeleteMostar Airport has been there for decades: it is not a new airport. What should they do then, close it down, erase it from the planet?!
DeleteIs there any demand between OMO and OHD regarding religious tourism?
ReplyDeleteNope. Mostar is for Roman Catholics, Ohrid for the Orthodox.
DeleteAs somebody mentioned earlier, Mostar Airport and its potential customers have been paying the price of two-decade long game the HDZ party has been playing in cooperation with the HDZ across the border. Thousands and thousands of Međugorje visitors are landing every year in Split and Dubrovnik leaving Mostar and Bosnia and Herzegovina with empty hands. And then these people claim they are there to protect the Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina from these scary Bosniaks and Serbs?! I will not go further, but just wanted to highlight the key issue here.
ReplyDeleteAre people still paying good money to go look at some rocks in Medjugorje?
DeleteWell, I guess if the sheep wanna go, some airline should milk them.
It's not our business to judge why people go destinations they go nor should be yours. That is not how economy works so leave you judgements for yourself.
DeleteMeđugorje could bring significant money for Mostar Airport. On the other hand, there are many super attractive locations across Herzegovina for tourists so there is a significant potential for Mostar Airport + some diaspora flights.
Hey man no judgement here. You wanna go look at rocks, thats cool. Doesn't mean I can't be flabbergasted because of that. Plenty to see in Herzegovina, beautiful countryside, vineyards, towns, all good.
DeleteAs a matter of fact Anon 16:07, BiH was the 3rd most visited country in ex-Yu after Croatia and Slovenia in 2019. And no, I do not think it offers only rocks but rather a huge diversity of places. Not to mention that the country is home to 4 international airports placing it second in ex-YU after Croatia. You're welcome.
DeleteWizzair would be perfect. Ryanair is not flexible like Wizz. Croatian airlines should fly at least twice a week to Mostar. Can someone explain, I read it somewhere, Mostar airport itself has certain approach difficulties and pilots don't like it
ReplyDeleteLook here: it's quite difficult. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csdj7I_l_BI&ab_channel=GuidoBiagetti
DeleteThis is something like landing at London City airport.
DeleteRyanair doesn't come anywhere for free, especially small airports.
ReplyDeleteLocal government said they are prepared to give subsidies.
DeleteFingers crossed
ReplyDeleteI hope one of the airlines is easyJet :D Time for them to enter BiH market.
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked for JAT I programmed a flight using a 727 from LHR on a Friday via LJU ( i had to reduce passengers by 30pax for weight reasons) and it was full, also on a Monday via LHR/ZAG and domestic flight to OMO. So the market i am sure if priced correctly is there.
ReplyDelete