FlyBosnia set for June 10 launch


The Saudi-backed Sarajevo-based start-up FlyBosnia plans to launch operations between Sarajevo and Riyadh on June 10. Flights are set to to operate on a daily basis with an Airbus A320 aircraft until September, after which services will be maintained three times per week. The Bosnia and Herzegovina Directorate of Civil Aviation has confirmed that the airline has applied for an Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) and that its application is still being evaluated. The carrier is likely to receive permits next month, allowing it to launch operations. Although the airline will initially link Sarajevo with Riyadh and later with Jeddah, it also plans to expand its network in the future to in-demand destinations. It will officially unveil its plans once it is granted an AOC.

FlyBosnia has been set up by Saudi Arabia's Al Shiddi Group, which was founded in 1975 with interests in various fields, including construction, real estate, agriculture and tourism. It has been operating in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2006, where the group consists of four companies - SRE Investment, Shad Invest, Sarajevo City Center (SCC) and Hotel Bristol. Nudžejma Skenderović, the head of SRE Investment, and Sulaiman Abdullah Al Shiddi, the head of the Al Shiddi International Group, have been listed as the founders of FlyBosnia, while Haris Čoloman, who previously worked at the now defunct virtual carrier Bosnian Wand Airlines, has been named as the carrier's CEO.

During the 2017 summer season, the Al Shiddi Group partnered with Egypt's Nesma Airlines to launch five weekly flights between Riyadh and Sarajevo, which were maintained for a three-month period between June and September. This year, the route will be taken up by FlyBosnia itself which plans to lease a single A320 and operate flights with its own crew, which have recently been recruited. The Saudi conglomerate has described FlyBosnia as a "new young and dynamic airline", which will "strive to ensure that passengers enjoy safe flights with high standards of customer service". Previous attempts to set up a commercial airline in Bosnia have failed. The country's two former flag carriers, Air Bosna and B&H Airlines, have gone into bankruptcy, with the last of B&H Airlines' property, such as trolleys, airstairs and cargo containers, put up for sale on February 15. The only airline in Bosnia and Herzegovina in possession of a local AOC is the Tuzla-based cargo carrier Icar Air.

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:11

    I wonder which other routes they could launch besides Saudi Arabia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:14

      Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Jemen and similar

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:17

      Yes, Yemen should be totally successful.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:21

      Linija za DMM bi morala biti a must.

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    4. Anonymous09:28

      Kuwait possibly, Qatar I doubt they would compete with Qatar Airways and there is a civil war in Yemen so...

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:46

      There is already the route to Kuwait (Wataniya airlines),Qatar as well.I hope the carrier will fly to some european cities soon.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous13:14

      Most likely Dammam & Jeddah, maybe Bahrain. But Qatar & Yemen? Seriously?

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:11

    this is a bit worrying. They only now mention flights that target the new Arab diaspora in BiH. The BH Airlines had a network which serves the natives of the land like Zurich, Vienna, Istanbul... Bosnia needs to reinstate its national carrier that will serve its own people, not the new immigration...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:26

      They always said they first plan to fly to Saudi.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:48

      I think that is pretty normal.Tourists from Gulf are the most common in Bosnia.Flights are there where the interest exists.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:27

    Cringe

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous09:54

    Another airline which will be of no use to locals.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:16

      Well if it brings in tourists from the Gulf it will help the local economy and locals will have use of it.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:20

      Itekako pomaze domacim. Potrosnja ovih turista je veca od potrosnje vecine drugih turista.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:55

    I hope this does not end up like Wand Airlines

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:58

      Well the CEO is the same.

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    2. Anonymous12:00

      Really??? Then why is he trying once again?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:07

      It says in the article

      "while Haris Čoloman, who previously worked at the now defunct virtual carrier Bosnian Wand Airlines, has been named as the carrier's CEO."

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:57

    No matter what happens the good thing is it's private airline. No public money spent, unlike with B&H Airlines.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous09:59

    The way things are going Sarajevo Airport will overtake Podgorica this year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:01

      It will be difficult. TGD will have an extremely busy summer.

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    2. Anonymous10:08

      So will Sarajevo.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:12

      Any extra airline flying to Sarajevo is good news.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous10:00

    Will be interesting to see how this plays out.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous10:17

    Good luck Sarajevo!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous10:19

    So

    Riyadh, Jeddah - Nesma Airlines
    Sharjah - Air Arabia
    Dubai - Fly Dubai
    Kuwait - Wataniya
    Doha - Qatar Airways

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:10

      I'm surprised there are no flights from Beirut.

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    2. Anonymous12:32

      Beirut would work only for transfers, but they have Belgrade for that.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous21:43

      Beirout has flights to Mostar

      Delete
  11. The next FlyFail airline :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous11:10

    Good opportunity for young people to get employed.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous11:12

    There website is still under construction. Where can you buy these tickets to Saudi Arabia?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:16

      In Saudi Arabia. These flights are for them.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:29

      What's their website address?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:03

      Thanks

      Delete
  14. Does anyone know if they will offer connecting flights on Star alliance network? Would be great to be able to fly lju-sjj-ruh :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:31

      Doubt it, they are not going to be a member of IATA so I doubt Star Alliance will bother with them.

      Delete
    2. Ok! It makes sense:) thx

      Delete
  15. Anonymous11:15

    Another fiasco

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous11:16

    They could have been a bit more creative with the livery.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:27

      It looks similar to Bosnian Wand.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:02

      Does the word "wand" mean something in Bosnian? It just sounds like something from Harry Potter.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:04

      haha it does sound weird but it came from the name of the Iraqi investor company - Al Wand Group

      Delete
  17. Anonymous12:03

    So many news lately about BiH. Very good.

    Currently, Saudi is undergoing some extremely serious internal changes as an attempt to slowly open to the world. More and more airlines will be connected to the Kingdom and people will fear less. Lets see, what happens with this airline.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:08

      +1 I have noticed a lot of news coming from Bosnia lately in aviation which is great of course.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:41

      What's the status of tourist visas for KSA? There been some talking about introducing them this year.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous15:48

      dovoljno su oni otvoreni svijetu....sebi se moraju otvoriti

      Delete
    4. Anonymous16:59

      Lots of news about Bosnia but not many comments.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous17:20

      On weekends most articles don't have over 60 comments no matter the topic.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous18:00

      because nobody believes in this airline, why should they comment on it

      Delete
    7. Anonymous19:30

      There are less comments on the weekend but topics are also not as interesting.

      Plus it's getting old this with all these Bosnian airlines.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous20:08

      Just because something isn't interesting to you doesen't mean it's not to others which is obvious because if you look on the left this news is already 5th most popular this week and it has only been up a few hours!

      Delete
    9. Anonymous20:38

      Yes but no discussion. Nothing to talk about it.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous08:15

      Weekend.....pa ljudi imaju zivote

      Delete
  18. Anonymous15:45

    Great news

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous17:59

    dok se cela Bosna seli u EU

    ReplyDelete

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