Bosnia and Herzegovina is considering establishing a new national airline, some two years after the demise of its former flag carrier. The country's Prime Minister, Denis Zvizdić, noted, "We have to establish a new national airline again so as to improve connectivity and the range of destinations offered from Sarajevo. Sarajevo Airport has around one million travellers per year, although there are other airports in the country which would benefit from increased passenger and cargo traffic generated from a local airline". He added, "Figures at Sarajevo in particular could be significantly increased and for that we need an airline which would be partnered with a world class carrier, such as Turkish Airlines", Mr Zvidić said.

The Turkish Prime Minister, Binali Yildirim, visited Bosnia and Herzegovina last week where he held talks with Mr Zvizdić. Turkish Airlines, which previously owned a 49% stake in the former national carrier B&H Airlines, said in the past it was open to exploring new models of commercial cooperation with the Bosnian government over the establishment of a new national airline. The Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Fadil Novalić, has suggested that a successor to B&H Airlines would be established, with the government to invest 2.7 million euros into the new carrier, which would initially operate with one leased aircraft. B&H Airlines itself was set up on the foundations of Air Bosna, which launched in 1994 but ceased operations in 2003 due to mounting debt. Two years later, the government revived the carrier and renamed it B&H Airlines. It ceased operations in 2015 and its liquidation process was recently completed.

Turkish Airlines is currently in the process of establishing a new national carrier in Albania with the Albanian government. Last week, the Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, said that the project was in its "final stages". According to Mr Rama, Air Albania will operate flights from Tirana to Skopje, Pristina, Podgorica, Sarajevo, and Zagreb, as well to Western Europe. Meanwhile, the privately-owned FlyBosnia is still awaiting regulatory approval to commence its planned services from Sarajevo, initially to the Middle East. It later plans to expand operations throughout Europe. The only airline in Bosnia and Herzegovina currently in possession of a local Air Operator's Certificate is the Tuzla-based cargo carrier Icar Air.