Ryanair has said it will consider opening a base at Sarajevo Airport with up to two aircraft if the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina repeals a 1.5 euro departure tax per passenger which is set to make a comeback on April 1. Speaking in Sarajevo, the carrier’s Chief Commercial Officer, Jason McGuinness, said, “What is happening right now? You have countries like Sweden, Hungary, and Albania, all abolishing aviation taxes because they want to compete and understand how to attract real passengers. Access costs must be reduced. That’s why I’m a bit concerned about the reintroduction of taxes here in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The development that was discussed for Sarajevo will not be possible if that decision stands. It is essential for establishing a base. That means an aircraft starts and ends its day here. We would employ local pilots, engineers, and crew members. If we had two aircraft in Sarajevo, which is the plan, the number of jobs at the airport would immediately increase by 100. This would also lead to an increased number of aircraft and, very quickly, more destinations and passengers. Abolish the taxes and enable us to have serious discussions about establishing a base”.
The Ministry for Communication and Traffic of Bosnia and Herzegovina has adopted the reintroduction of the passenger departure tax at the country’s commercial airports, which will come into effect on April 1. Imposed by the Bosnia and Herzegovina Directorate of Civil Aviation (BHDCA), the tax, which has only ever been fully enforced for carriers operating out of Sarajevo Airport but is supposed to be applied at all of the country’s commercial airports, has been seen as a deterrent for airlines, especially low cost carriers. The tax was suspended for a year in order to boost the country’s connectivity. However, the BHDCA has said the policy has resulted in a “dramatic drop in income” and poses a threat to the Directorate's operations. The tax amounts to 1.5 euros per each departing passenger, which airlines must pay to the airport, with the funds then directed to the BHDCA. However, the Ministry of Communication and Traffic announced that airports will now receive 30% of the proceeds, up from the previous 3%. "This will allow airports to negotiate differently with airlines, helping us to avoid low cost carriers leaving in protest", the Minister for Communication and Traffic, Edin Forto, previously said.
However, Mr McGuinness noted that politicians and ministers are “isolated from reality”. "When we look at how we allocate resources, we deploy them where our costs are the lowest. I think this airport [Sarajevo] wants to be competitive, but it is at a disadvantage compared to Dubrovnik, Zadar, or other places where there are no taxes. That is the main drawback”, Ryanair’s CCO said. He added, “We are happy with plans to introduce new routes next summer because we want to show our commitment to Sarajevo, but we also want to be clear about the taxes. Taxes are the first condition to establish a base. We cannot even start discussions if the taxes remain. For example, Hungary has abolished aviation taxes. Why would we base an aircraft here if we can base it in Budapest?"
Notning will happend from this , same story like W6 , in the end they will leave by night
ReplyDeleteContinue persistently with the same comment, maybe your wish will come true 🤔 You can't compare WizzAir and Ryanair in Sarajevo, WizzAir came to pick up a subsidy for a year and left, Ryanair wants to buy subsidies constantly and grow, and that's exactly why Ryanair is constantly in the plus with revenues, and WizzAir in the minus.
DeleteW6 carried 70 million passengers last year, a record.
DeleteBut people here tend to think if it is making cuts in SKP, BEG and TZL they must be one step away from bankruptcy. 😂
If you add up all its financial years in its history, Wizz Air has lost more money than it has made. That is a fact.
DeleteWizz Air is not in the minus
Delete@10.13 Wizz Air had just 2% capacity growth last year. That is a disaster for ULCC operating model.
DeleteDidn't Ryanair pack up and leave Tuzla as soon as they were asked to pay the tax?
DeleteYes they did
Delete@10:24
DeleteLOL, no!
W6 last year had double digit growth in passenger numbers! The staff you read here!
The tax must stay and must be paid. This money is for maintaining the infrastructure. If airlines aren't charged it means the government will pay it using money from tax payers instead of paying for hospitals, schools and roads.
DeleteRyanair can lie all they want. Sarajevo should aim to become a large and serious airport with long haul and transfer connections. A real hub. Not a joke seasonal low cost airport for people who are tight with money. That starts with charging a tax to airlines.
Lol, good luck with that
DeleteHub to which airline?? Who should tansfer in and transfer out those passengers??? Interesting visions come up here, somewhat delusional a bit
DeleteDelusions of grander is typical of our region.
DeleteWe dream that our airports could become hubs for transfers around Europe, Meddle East, Asia and America!
Meanwhile all our airports combined (22 of them) have the same number of passengers as VIE and ATH have by themselves!!!
It's not a delusion at all. All it takes is good planning. Good work ethic from the workers and management and government and it can be done.
DeleteAll combined ex yug has less than Vienna because of poor management, poor infrastructure and corruption.
It's not that it's not possible. It's simply because no one is working towards it. Look at OU. They should be the most successful airline from ex yug. But they waste the opportunities they have. They could have a fleet of at least 50 aircraft and 8 long haul destinations.
And before people celebrate airports like Vienna. Remember that Vienna and Istanbul only grew so much and what they are today because JAT and Jugoslavija don't exist.
^^^
DeleteSMFH...
You can't be serious Slav.Man
DeleteSlavman does make a point
DeleteOU is lazy, JU did nothing until after Etihad helped them, Adria was sold to thieves, MAK and JA meanwhile collapsed very fast.
Things are fortunately going for the better
I would love to hear what I'm not serious about?
DeleteThe poor work and nepotism at JU. How croatia has 12+ million air travellers every year. More then serbia but has a smaller and financially poor airline compare to JU? How people were bribed in slovenia to give Adria over to criminals to collapse the national airline.
So yes Sarajevo can do better and become much larger not a place to be taken advantage of by the LCC.
Our airports should strive to be financially successful and respected. Not ghetto buildings as LCC hubs.
More like London Heathrow terminal 5 and not London Luton.
More like Warsaw chopin and not like the airports Ryanair spoke about
How is any of this related to Sarajevo becoming a long-haul hub?
DeleteThe blackmail begins
ReplyDeleteGood for Ryanair for standing their ground. Airports and governments need to realize that airlines have options, and they’ll go where it’s most cost-effective."
DeleteIf Ryanair wants to establish a base here, they should adapt to local regulations instead of trying to dictate them.
DeleteThat is the whole point @10:06. Ryanair does NOT want to establish a base there. But it will come if the fees are lower.
DeleteNo, they said they'll consider it. So after they abolish the tax they'll want more subsidies
DeleteExactly
DeleteRyanair wants to establish a base because it sees the potential from Sarajevo. But the yield will be impacted if they're subject to a 1.5€ tax per passenger which is more per an aircraft operation than they pay for ground handling. Obviously in that case Sarajevo is just a droplet in the ocean for them. But the analytics know that it can reach Skopje and Priština fast with a good LCC base, as it's a richer region with more touristic potential.
DeleteWow. EUR 1.50. 283.50 euros for a 189 sardine packed Ryanair flight.
ReplyDeleteIn 2023, Ryanair made EUR 1.920.000.000 profit.
They made it because they skirt fees like this.
DeleteBut, but, but FR is doing badly and they should follow a different business strategy!
DeleteAt least that's what many posters say here. Could the be wrong?
Also this is only for departing passengers, so it's 0.75 EUR per passenger if we count round trip. But if tickets are 50 EUR, it is still 2-3%, it's a huge margin.
DeleteAnd if the tickets are 9 euros, than that is almost 20%.
DeleteThe 1.5 euro tax doesn’t seem like much, but it clearly makes a big difference for airlines like Ryanair that operate on tight margins.
ReplyDeleteIn Germany airports wouldn't lower their taxes for Ryanair, and and so Ryanair left and now they have extra planes they need to deploy elsewhere and are doing the same blackmail with other airports.
ReplyDeleteWhat blackmail? This is their business model, ordering new airframes in hundreds for a third of the price and lowering airport taxes in exchange for connectivity. And it works!
DeleteDon't be blackmailed by Ryanair!
ReplyDelete+100
DeleteIt’s a shame that Sarajevo might miss out on this opportunity.
ReplyDeleteRyanair is gonna do what they always do. Ask for special discounts to chase out competition, then further blackmail the airport when there's no competition left and jack up the prices
DeleteNo one is forcing SJJ or Bosnia to deal with Ryanair. And yet they do. Why do you think that is?
DeleteReal passengers fly proper Airlines, not Ryanair!
ReplyDeleteSMFH!
DeleteUpravo tako👍
DeleteLOL
Delete"attract real passengers" lol, because their competitor's customers are fake passengers
ReplyDeleteSJJ is seeing absolutely incredible growth. No reason to fold now when growth is projected to continue in 2025
Exactly!
DeleteTIA had almost 11 million "fake" pax last year who flew LCCs.
Probably the money that those visitors spent in the local economy are fake too.
SJJ is growing because the tax was abolished.
DeleteSJJ growing has more to do with subsidies helping the airlines in profit regardless of LF, most of the growth came from legacy airlines that don't care about 1.5€
DeleteExactly. The significance of this tax is being blown way out of proportion.
DeleteThis back-and-forth on the tax is just frustrating. It was suspended to boost connectivity, and it worked. Why bring it back now when the benefits of removing it are so clear?
ReplyDeleteBecause BHDCA will go bankrupt without it apparently.
DeleteThe BHDCA will go bankrupt because of its incompetent and corrupt management, which spent almost half a million just on a party. Additionally, the director is currently accused of corruption for issuing checks for trips he never took, not because of a €1.50 tax.
DeleteRyanair’s argument makes sense. Sarajevo Airport is competing with other regional airports, and taxes like this only push airlines to choose more affordable options.
ReplyDeleteWhich airport is it competing with? Tuzla?
DeleteRead the article. Zadar, Dubrovnik, Tirana, Budapest in the context of Ryanair.
DeleteIt’s not just about Ryanair. Other airlines will also think twice before adding routes if taxes like this are in place. Sarajevo needs to act fast.
ReplyDeleteDidn't the airport grow like 40% despite the reintroduction of the tax?
Delete^ the tax is being introduced this April. It grew 40% in 2024 when the tax was abolished.
DeleteRyanair always seems to threaten governments to get what they wan
ReplyDeleteRyanair is known for demanding the lowest costs everywhere they operate. Nothing new.
DeleteNo one is forcing SJJ or Bosnia to deal with Ryanair. And yet they do. Why do you think that is?
DeleteBecause it's a quick fix. Instead of investing in advertising Sarajevo, finding ways to attract people and therefore generate natural demand which would bring airlines, they are paying for every new route and being talked to by Ryanair like morons.
DeleteActually the tourism community did a lot with the whole Visit Sarajevo programme, countless seminars and naming Sarajevo as the top destination of 2025 in National Geographic are only several examples of huge efforts by them. Sarajevo is also on par with Zagreb and Belgrade when it comes to tourist arrivals, has way more tourism capacity in terms of beds and hotels than Zagreb and only slightly less than Belgrade. If they can get rid of the grey economy with Booking and AirBnB not being reported the real numbers would be even higher.
DeleteOther airlines seem to manage just fine with this tax.
ReplyDeleteOther airlines don't have such a low expense passenger flown like Ryanair.
Delete*per passenger flown
DeleteThe tax is only 1.5 euros per passenger, yet Ryanair makes it sound like it’s an enormous burden
ReplyDeleteyes it does. take it or leave it.
DeleteFor them it is
DeleteIt would be fantastic if they would open a base in Sarajevo!
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteThey only said they would consider it tax is revoked.
DeleteThis will eventually end in tears.
ReplyDeleteHave the same feeling. Hope not for the sake of consumers though.
DeleteYeah sure...
DeleteThey have already
ReplyDelete1) told the government not to even think about putting SJJ up for concession
2) they are now blackmailing over the tax
No one is forcing SJJ or Bosnia to deal with Ryanair.
DeleteRyanair has been flying to SJJ for 2 seconds and they are already dictating everything.
Deletebeggars can't be choosers
DeleteIs there any route in BiH being established without subsidies?
ReplyDeleteFor the past year no
DeleteActually several new routes were launched from Sarajevo without subsidies.
DeleteSuch as?
DeleteWhat is the difference between subsidizing a route and paying a national carrier to grow your own airport, as Serbia and Croatia are doing? For example, Zagreb Airport had 4 million passengers, and half of them flew with Croatia Airlines. I assume it’s the same for Belgrade. If those airlines need government support, what is the difference?
DeleteFingers crossed the base happens
ReplyDeleteThat or they bring another major LCC with several routes like for example easyJet. That way you don't have to rely on single airline.
DeleteAnd also their blackmail potential is significantly reduced.
DeleteTrue
DeleteThey wouldn't be happy about it.
DeleteThis is all BS by Ryanair. The major problem is that they want the owners of the airport to subsidize their business model, but they forget that they do not leave any contribution to the airport, who has to invest in infrastructure which Ryanair demands to be in place for safety reasons. However, if the airport doesn't have any income, there is no money to invest in said infrastructure. "We want to use your airport and all the infrastructure, but we don't want to pay for it" is a pretty unreasonable stance to take. The owner, who is struggling to finance everything from schools, etc... (you get the point), now all of a sudden has to finance an airport. Sure, they can increase the income taxes for all, and we know how popular that is....so I don't think it's more than fair that the people using the airport i.e passengers, contribute to their own travels by, in this case, paying 1.50EUR. Basically, Ryan Air's business model to let the taxpayers pay for their business model of being a low cost airline.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteWell, we don't have a national carrier, so I don't see a problem with subsidies. After all, how much is Serbia investing in Air Serbia? How much is Croatia investing in Croatia Airlines? We from Bosnia and Herzegovina need visas for the United Kingdom, which cost 200 euros and last for 6 months. Thanks to subsidies, we have a flight to London every day, sometimes two a day. Of course, the vast majority of passengers are tourists from the United Kingdom.
ReplyDeleteExactly. For example, Zagreb Airport had 4 million passengers, and half of them flew with Croatia Airlines. I assume it’s the same for Belgrade. If those airlines need government support, there is no difference.
DeleteWhy can’t there be a middle ground? Maybe reduce the tax instead of scrapping it entirely? That way, the Directorate and the airlines both win.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a compromise worth exploring.
DeleteI don't really see the need for a base. Relying too much on airlines like Ryanair and Wizz Air is never good for an airport, and Ryanair already has bases in most of the airports that are relevant for eventual SJJ routes, and can fly to SJJ from there.
ReplyDeleteSarajevo is far from relying on RyanAir, even if they quadrupled their operations Ryanair would only be 40% of the airport
DeleteWhat other routes could be launched from SJJ by Ryanair if they opened a base?
ReplyDeleteThere are many. Airport still lacks flights to many key European cities.
DeleteThey are just driving a hard bargain. Nothing more.
ReplyDeleteThis would be quiet unique as they don't have bases outside EU except for Morocco and UK.
ReplyDeletePretty sure they will establish a bad in UKR as soon as the airspace opens.
DeleteSurprising they haven't opened a base in TIA.
DeleteApparantly pilots didn't want to relocate to Tirana.
Delete^but they employ local staff ;)
Delete20:06 Source: Trust me bro
DeleteWould love to see 2 if their planes based on SJJ 😍
ReplyDeleteWonder if it would be B737 or A320.
DeleteI guess A320 like in ZAG and ZAD.
DeleteIn DBV they have 737 MAXs
DeleteThis would be amazing for Sarajevo and for tourism.
ReplyDeleteHaha, that's a good one: we'll employ local pilots, engineers,...
ReplyDeleteFR doesn't give a shi* where it's pilots/engineers live. They assign you a base and that's more or less it. When they close it, they expect you to move elsewhere. Like a gypsy.
Well local (or ex yu) pilots and staff are more likely to be open to work from Sarajevo than an Irish pilot
Delete