Sarajevo Airport unveils 2017 plans


Sarajevo Airport anticipates seeing a turning point in its operations next year with plans to handle one million passengers, overhaul its runway and expand its terminal building. Talks are underway with several carriers over the introduction of new flights to the city. "We are in contact with several airlines concerning the Scandinavian market, but I do not wish to name them yet. There are also plans for new flights to the Middle East, namely Kuwait, but we are still in the early stages of negotiations. Our analysis, which is undertaken on a regular basis, shows there is certainly room to expand in that area", Sarajevo Airport's General Manager, Armin Kajmaković, says. So far, Wizz Air has announced the launch of two weekly flights from Budapest starting next April, while Qatar Airways is expected to commence services from Doha, which were initially scheduled to launch this year. "Although it is not official yet, we expect for these flights to start in March", Mr Kajmaković adds. Furthermore, TUIFly Belgium will introduce seasonal services from Charleroi to the Bosnian capital, while Swiss International Air Lines and Air Arabia will resume summer flights from Zurich and Sharjah respectively.

During 2017, Sarajevo Airport will begin work on overhauling its runway. "Runway reconstruction is an extremely challenging project valued at 10.2 million euros. It will have to be done, since the runway was last upgraded in 1998. We are currently undertaking some studies which will show us in which way, what part and which zones work has to be carried out and whether total reconstruction is necessary. This decision will be influenced by how long the airport will have to be closed for commercial traffic", the General Manager says. He notes that the airport will trial a system which will help increase visibility during the winter, as Sarajevo continues to struggle with the effects of fog, which often results in flight cancellations and diversions. "The system we are trailing includes expelling gas in certain areas which have been identified as critical. The gas would then reduce fog to an acceptable level. However, following the trial, we will see whether this is applicable in Sarajevo".

Sarajevo Airport also anticipates expanding its terminal building next year based on a project drafted in 2010. Mr Kajmaković notes, "We are now reviewing this project since the passenger structure has changed over the past six years. It is a complex task linked to our projections and estimates. The facility should stretch over 9.000 square metres over four levels". Sarajevo Airport's existing terminal building has the capacity to handle one million passengers. Earlier this month, the airport welcomed its record 800.000th traveller of the year. In 2012, the former management cancelled a planned 32 million euro expansion of the terminal building despite securing a 25 million euro loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to finance the project.

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:03

    Good. Flydubai will be operating up to 4 weekly flights from Dubai to Sarajevo during certain periods next summer. Crazy!

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:08

      wow. There must be significant demand during the summer... but just a few fligh per week during the winter

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:10

      The battle between Fly Dubai and Qatar Airways will certainly be interesting.

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    3. Anonymous09:18

      They could easily send an Emirates B777 and fill it :D

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    4. Anonymous09:36

      Sarajevo has the best chance of being served by Emirates from all ex-Yu cities. It has the most point to point demand plus demand for transfer flights.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:49

      lol

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    6. Anonymous09:56

      what's funny?

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    7. Anonymous10:21

      The issue is they don't have a professional management which could have attracted EK which would be a major boost to Sarajevo Airport.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous11:50

      BEG and ZAG are the only ex-Yu airports that have the remotest chance of being serviced by Emirates.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous11:54

      Yeah espeacially in Zagreb where Fly Dubai could not make it...

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    10. Anonymous12:02

      @11.50. And why exactly? Sarajevo has more flights yo the UAE then Belgrade.

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    11. Anonymous12:20

      Are you sure about that. BEG has 4 weekly Flydubai flights, daily flights to Abu Dhabi by Etihad and daily flights to Abu Dhabi by Air Serbia during the winter.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous12:39

      And Sarajevo has 3 daily to Dubai during the summer and several flights per week to Sharjah ;)

      Delete
    13. Anonymous13:04

      Guys EK has no plans to fly to any ex-Yu country and their representative said Serbia and Slovenia are their best offline markets.

      http://www.exyuaviation.com/2016/10/serbia-and-slovenia-strongest-markets.html

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:05

    Great but how do they expect to reach 1 million passengers if they plan to close the airport for runway reconstruction?

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:31

      Well since they can't be bothered to open the airport over night, loosing potential customers in the process, perhaps they can bother to do construction work during that time. Closing the airport completely would be absolutely ludicrous.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:29

      Airport is closed during the night because of the close proximity of the runway to residential areas. You can best see it in these photos:


      https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Sarajevo-Airport-1.jpg

      https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/107/286647433_f815f5d520_b.jpg

      https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/107/286647433_f815f5d520_b.jpg

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:41

      Nice photos. That is close.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:12

    So no agreement has been made with Wizz Air besides Budapest? Wizz said how it was interested in starting 5/6 routes from Sarajevo a few months ago.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:26

      No. The reason Budapest is starting is because the route is being subsidised by the Hungarian government.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:23

      Of course not. Except for Norwegian Air Shuttle do you see any other LCC flying from Sarajevo? There is a reason for that.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:32

      ^ That's not true. Eurowings, Air Arabia and Pegasus Airlines are all low cost and fly to Sarajevo. Check your facts.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:38

      Transavia wanted to start Sarajevo flights when they announced Ljubljana and Belgrade. Not sure why that didn't happen.

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    5. Anonymous11:49

      CSA also announced flights from Prague this year and they didn't happen. Then they moved it for next year but it isn't happening either.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:20

    So there is room to pursue flights to Kuwait but no room to pursue flights to Paris, Frankfurt, Rome, Brussels, London....

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:39

      + 1000

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:48

      True. This is all nice and I would like to see more and more flights to Sarajevo but I would prefer more if they focused on getting European carriers first because there are so many destinations in Europe which are currently unserved and require attention.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:23

    FDB will operate up to 3 DAILY flights, and ABY 4pw so there will be days with 4 daily flights to Dubai.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:29

      Doesn't Air Arabia fly from Sharjah, not Dubai?

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    2. Anonymous10:44

      The distance between the 2 airports is 20 km., so it's the same :D

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:33

      That means almost 800 seats one way next year. Good work.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:35

    Finally they are doing something about the runway to resolve fog issues. That's the best piece of news in the article.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:47

      Yes let's hope that the tests they are doing give some results. The airport's location is really unfortunate. There is nothing they can do about upgrading the runway's ILS.

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    2. Anonymous10:07

      Why?

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    3. Anonymous10:33

      The terrain around the airport is unsuitable.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:04

      Same problem as in Skopje.

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    5. Anonymous16:53

      Source for that claim? I have never read that anywhere outside of the comment section of this blog.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:43

    The guy didn't mention Croatia Airlines' plans to open a base in Sarajevo next year which is the best indicator that the airline is not serious about it at all and it was all just CEO Kucko's dreams.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:13

      That was obvious from the start.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:30

      Ironically it was the only one of their "base plans" that made sense. They could have done good business in Sarajevo.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:41

      OU could start with Brussels, Paris and Frankfurt. I still hope it happens., especially since Wizz Air won't be starting any new flights except for Budapest.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:40

      OU has to concentrate on ZAG. Full stop.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:56

    The construction of a new terminal should have already started. The current terminal building has 1 million capacity and they are already handling above 800,000.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:14

      Thinking and planning ahead of time has never been a strong point in this region. Just look at Split Airport.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous10:04

    Somehow, this looks too much an "what we could do" list, I just can't see it will be done for an year. However, I wish them to finish everything!

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:26

      Yeah I don't see many of these things happening. A few years ago they announced how they would transform the old terminal for low cost airlines, rapid exit taxiways were planned for this year bu nothing happened.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:31

      Sarajevo Airport is the victim of political mismanagement.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous10:08

    I am really hoping Qatar Airways doesn't opt out in the end. They have been delaying Sarajevo three times already and at one point were actually selling tickets for these flights.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:46

      They won't. They have confirmed it over and over again. Fleet shortage is the only problem.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:57

      I think the market will be oversaturated with so many seats available from the Middle East to SJJ.

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    3. Anonymous12:42

      The market is constantly growing. The issue is winter when there is significantly less demand.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous10:20

    Wow so much negativity. Plans sound good. All the best to Sarajevo.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:23

      I think it's caused by the fact that we have heard so many plans from them and they have changed them so many times. No one takes them seriously anymore. Plus they seem to be involved least in attracting new airlines.

      Delete
  12. Anonymous10:27

    None of the talks Sarajevo Airport is in with other airlines at the moment were initiated by Sarajevo Airport which says a lot. All of the talks were requested by the airlines themselves.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:46

      Do you know which Scandinavian airlines he is talking about? Is it SAS? Norwegian already flies to Sarajevo.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous11:05

    Wow. 2017 could be a very good year for Sarajevo.

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  14. Anonymous11:22

    Only flights to middle east, why not connecting SJJ with the western hubs, like London and Amsterdam?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous11:22

    I thought the TUI flights are going yo be year round?

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:18

      No, they end of 23 October which is before the end of the winter season. Maybe they extend it if they have good loads.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:42

      Oh ok. Thanks :)

      Delete
  16. Anonymous11:32

    If they reach 1 million passengers next year we could actually have all top 10 airports in the former Yugoslavia with 1 million. Podgorica and Tivat should also handle 1 mill+ next year.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous12:18

    Good for Sarajevo airport. I hope some new European carriers will follow Wizz Air's lead.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous13:04

    Nice work Sarajevo :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous13:29

    Purger, nisi odgovorio koju to vijest imaš u rukavu? Tako je barem ATCO jučer napisao.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:33

      Nikakvu on nijema, sta se lozis

      Delete
  20. What poor numbers of passengers in ex-Yu! Only reasonable small-middle size is Beograd.
    I live in Italy and my closest airport is Bologna with nearly 8.000.000 pax :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:36

      Jel Italija bila 50 god u socijalizmu i jel prošla kroz ratna stradanja? Nije, prema tome ne prosipaj se.

      Delete
    2. Kako se samo prosu lik tacno da ne poverujes.

      Delete
  21. Anonymous14:02

    I'm not so sure Air Arabia will come back even though they are selling tickets.

    ReplyDelete
  22. 2017 - Year of runway reconstructions.

    I think JU would be a better player out of SJJ than OU. Maybe a new daily flight couldn't be bad.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:43

      Since JU is not an EU carrier they can't base a plane in Sarajevo although having 1 Aviolet B737 would be cool.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:34

      There is no point in a second flight because the current one covers P2P and a few transfer flights. They would need an early departure from Sarajevo to cover the bulk of transfer flights and that's impossible since Sarajevo Airport is closed over night.

      Delete
    3. You could always open a daughter company like Air Srpska was, or like easyJet has easyJet Switzerland.

      Delete
  23. Anonymous15:24

    OT Very interesting article

    http://www.danas.rs/ekonomija.4.html?news_id=335403&title=Direktor+Etihada+D%C5%BEejms+Hogan+dobija+otkaz%3f

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous21:45

      Da, interesantan kome? Sledbenicima Miše Brkića? Jel treba da vas podsetim na sve njegove bisere u ppslednje tri godine?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous02:00

      Ima i odgovor:
      http://tangosix.rs/2016/27/12/reakcija-na-laz-mise-brkica-o-tango-sixu-da-li-arapi-zaista-beze-iz-er-srbije/

      Delete
  24. Anonymous15:36

    A well managed, small national airline based in Sarajevo would be fantastic in 2017. I know it's impossible because of politics but one can dream.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:26

      Malim avio kompanijama je odzvonilo odavno.

      Delete
  25. http://www.aviatica.rs/alitalia-ukida-bukurest/
    We all know AZ is in bad shape, but I was not expecting this. The two daily flights by AZ to Bucharest are being cut in February. This is still not official as it was reported by a Romanian aviation site only, but it may turn to be true.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:25

      not ex yu, but I am sure many of you are interested

      Delete
    2. Nemjee20:25

      Great news for JU and ASL as they can offer convenient and fast connections. Hopefully it also helps fill the morning arrival from OTP on some days.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous21:34

      W6 flies double daily and FR daily OTP-CIA plus RO and Blue Air fly to FCO.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous21:36

      preuzima BMS - rumunski LCC, nema tu ASL cemu da se raduje

      ATCO

      Delete
    5. Nemjee21:44

      BMS sigurno ne preuzima putnike koji su leteli sa AZ. Oni se presaltavaju na RO I JU.
      JU vec vozi solidan broj putnika iz FCO za OTP.

      Delete
    6. Nemjee21:46

      Samo bih dodao da je BMS apsolutni horor od kompanije.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous21:47

      pa da bolje je presedati u BEG za 250 eur nego leteti direktno za 120 !

      Delete
    8. Nemjee21:55

      Kao sto sam gore napisao, JU vec vozi veliki broj putnika iz Italije za Rumuniju.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous22:14

      omg people!! airlines offer connections even if there are direct flights between cities!! i was on a lh flight some days ago and there was a chick flying to paris.

      Delete
  26. Anonymous23:03

    any opportunity for flights to Athens from Sarajevo?

    ReplyDelete

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