Bosnia and Herzegovina to stay without a fifth airport
For the past two years, local authorities in Trebinje have claimed that they will build Bosnia and Herzegovina’s newest airport. However, the project has been cancelled. Local authorities say that they failed to find a party interested in participating in the construction together with the government of the entity of Republika Srpska, despite initial interest from a Chinese corporation. The Government of Republika Srpska has spent 1.6 million Convertible Bosnian Marks (820.000 Euros) for the Trebinje Airport project documentation. It envisaged for the airport to handle up to 250.000 passengers per year. Within a 120 kilometre radius from Trebinje there are airports in Dubrovnik, Mostar, Tivat and Podgorica.Bosnia and Herzegovina currently has a total of 4 international airports – Sarajevo, Mostar, Tuzla and Banja Luka and most are struggling, both financially and passenger wise, with Sarajevo being the only exception. The 4 airports handled a total of 42.151 passengers in March 2011. While Sarajevo saw 40.803 passengers, it was followed by Mostar with 696 passengers, Banja Luka with 640 and Tuzla at a distant 4th place with a total of 12 passengers handled in March.
What absolutely poor numbers, especially in Sarajevo. No wonder the low cost carriers aren't flocking to the country, there just isn't the population demands.
ReplyDeleteWell, this is no surprise.
ReplyDeleteThe real question has to be what is wrong with OMO, the closest facility in BiH to Trebinje. As an airport facility, it is reasonable, but is unable to attract regular flights, by either full-service airlines or LCCs.
And to think that OMO beat BNX despite having no regular lines serving the airport during the previous month!
@ Peter
40K pax for an airport serving a city of just 300,000 (ok, maybe 1/2m if you include an hours drive around) in the low season isn't bad, and is the best figures have been for that airport in many years!
Does make you wonder if JA had its act together with decent scheduling, advertising and operations (including that 2nd 319 - is that ever going to arrive?) if that number would in fact be double?
@ frequentflyer, I'm sure numbers would be considerably higher if JA got it's act together. From the info I get here, flight scheduling is terrible. I wouldn't be surprised if people choose nearby airports in Croatia and Montenegro for better flight times.
ReplyDeleteJust thinking about the construction of an airport in Trebinje the idea seemed to be ridicolous. Who was the incredibile mastermind of this unfeasible project? What are the figures which justify the mastereplan? It's just a balkan sauce as usually...Please, spend the money for necessities of poor people!
ReplyDeleteThis is a shame. It also came as a suprise to me as the government of RS has been successfull at bringing investment to the entity in recent years. The idea is much better than that of Kraljevo, Trebinje has so much potential.
ReplyDelete@NRS
ReplyDeleteWhy should Trebinje have so much potential? And where is the investment you are tolking about??
Now the 1.6 milion is in some hands, maybe in dodik's mafia corporation.
@Intruder, you are dead on. This project never made sense from day one. Somebody pocketed that money
ReplyDeleteBanja Luka and Sarajevo only have potential in BiH.
ReplyDeleteThis is ridiculous .Trebinje airport ?!!. All 4 of existing b&h airport have problems including Sarajevo.That was just a way to put some state money in wrong pockets. It will be much more effect if that money finish up like (at least like ) subsidiary to ryanair or wizzair to start lines from existing 3 dying b&h airports.
ReplyDelete@admin
ReplyDeleteHow long will you allow certain people to post under offending nicks and to continue to poison atmosphere here?
Funny thing is, FY Macedonia or Maceodnia what ever floats your boat had roughly 640,000 pax last year and Bosnia and Hercegovia had 542,000 pax. I mean I would never have thought a smaller nation that lacks a national carrier and has the exact same amount of year round airlines operating to half the destinations handels nearly 100,000 more pax per year.
ReplyDeleteSo if Bosnia and Hercegovina has potential even though it has 4 airports and a national carrier, then that means Macedonia is a gold mine? Two airports no flag carrier 100,000 more pax a year.
Only if I could stay me own carrier now! haha
1.6 mil KM for nothing...what a waste of money. Instead of investing into building much more necessary infrastructure such as roads, railways, schools and hospitals, some "smart" asshole aka Dodik decides that another village in Bosnia should have its own airport. If that's the best thing Bosnian politicians can come up with that's a really sad picture of it's future.
ReplyDeleteNRS is obviously a poorly veiled acronym. Nationalism has blinded this poor fool to believe that Trebinje is a viable airport when it is obvious to everyone else that this was political propaganda for the election season. What this region needs least of all is more politicians involvement in transportation and more idle airports. OMO has more potential than the other underutilized airports in Bosnia and Herzegovina because of its proximity to Medjugorje. Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to function properly before anyone even speaks of opening new airports. Subsidized flights won't last forever given the budget crunches and Adria won't fly to BNX at significant losses.
ReplyDelete@Sam
ReplyDeleteThe only future Dodik cares about is the future of his own wallet. He controls the media and keeps people blind to his wealth building. The people suffer, the politicians get rich, yet the votes keep coming.