Tuzla Airport: Wizz Air to base third aircraft, launch new routes


Tuzla Airport has said that low cost carrier Wizz Air plans to base a third aircraft in the city and launch a total of five routes, two of which were previously served by the airline but later discontinued. According to Tuzla Airport, Wizz will station its third jet in the city "soon", with services to either Hamburg or Hannover, Paris Beauvais and Milan to be introduced. On the other hand, flights to Sandefjord and London, which were discontinued in 2015 and 2017 respectively, are expected to resume. The airline itself has not confirmed the airport's claims. "We are in constant communication with Wizz Air concerning the introduction of new routes. There are several unserved destinations with high potential which are yet to be covered", Tuzla Airport's Executive Director for Marketing and Development, Enver Jukanović, said, adding that Wizz sees an average cabin load factor on its flight to and from Tuzla of between 95% and 98%.

Wizz Air has launched new flights from Tuzla to Vienna and Baden Baden so far this year. As Tuzla's only scheduled operator, the airline helped kick-start the airport's passenger development five years ago. Mr Jukanović believes that with the arrival of Wizz's third aircraft in the city, Tuzla could handle up to one million passengers per year. During the first half of 2018, Bosnia and Herzegovina's second busiest airport welcomed 275.415 travellers through its doors, up 21.4% on the same period last year. "With the growth witnessed so far and the overhaul of the passenger terminal, as well as the arrival of a third Wizz Air aircraft, I can say with confidence that we will come close to handling one million passengers per year", Mr Jukanović said.

Tuzla Airport is in the midst of a 3.3 million euro expansion project following numerous delays. The airport's terminal is being expanded from its current 2.971 square metres to 4.915 square metres. The added capacity will enable it to handle 800 passengers per hour, up from the current 400. The reconstruction and expansion of the passenger terminal will increase its capacity to 700.000 passengers per year. The future terminal will have the ability to cater for up to two aircraft within the same hour. Furthermore, it will be able to handle 400 passengers on arrival and a further 400 in departures at the same time. Work on the expanded facility is scheduled for completion in September.

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:03

    Wow well done Tuzla. They will overtake Sarajevo soon.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:51

      Most probably not very soon. But they are working very hard.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous14:29

      I don't get the management at Sarajevo. Why aren't they doing more to attract new airlines? No capital city airport in Europe should need a stop to reach London, Brussels or Paris.

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    3. go tuzla go go, very good , soon the airport expansion will be to small they need to make it much bigger if they reach 1 million passengers

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    4. Anonymous08:08

      I think the main issue here is that Wizz Air planes fly more or less the same sector lengths so they always depart at the same time.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:04

    Is this Wizz Air's response to Ryanair starting flights to Banja Luka?

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  3. Anonymous09:05

    Bravo Bosna!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous09:06

    Wizz attacking Ryanair @Banja Luka

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:52

      I hope not. Banja Luka badly needs their own traffic

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  5. Anonymous09:08

    How is the new Vienna route performing?

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:12

      They reduced it from 5 to 3 weekly.

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    2. Anonymous10:32

      I'm surprised there wasn't enough interest.

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    3. Anonymous14:17

      I think they first scheduled 3 flights per week then they increased it to five before the route even started but then went down again.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:09

    I don't understand why they would resume Oslo and London when they were underperforming badly.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:19

      Because they will probably launch it next summer and operate them seasonally. Those flights did ok in summer but very poor in winter.

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    2. Anonymous14:24

      Problem with London are visas. That's why there is not as much travel from Bosnia to there.

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    3. Anonymous14:26

      Interestingly, British Airways started flying from London to Sarajevo in March 2007 but suspended them in October 2008. Official reason was "high fuel prices which make the service unprofitable".

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    4. if wizzaor opens flights to dublin could work also, many croats from Slavonia work thete

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:13

    My guess is this winter they will suspend 3 routes and introduce these 3 new ones. Then in 2019 summer they will bring a new plane and start London and Oslo.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:17

      Why would they suspend three routes?

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    2. Anonymous09:21

      3 of them are no longer on sale for winter.

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    3. Anonymous09:33

      Which ones?

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    4. Vaxjo, Bilund and Baden Baden.

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    5. Anonymous10:16

      I know Baden Baden is no longer on sale.

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    6. Anonymous10:30

      They are still finalising their timetable so let's give them some more time.

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    7. Anonymous14:18

      Agree with Anonymous18 July 2018 at 09:13. This seems most reasonable.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:14

    The terminal is STILL under construction. Jesus it has been a year since they started work.

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  9. Anonymous09:18

    It will work out if they can find pilots to fly the aircraft...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:21

      Do they have a pilot shortage?

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    2. Anonymous09:50

      They can always offer better pay conditions and attract pilots from Ryanair and OU.

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    3. Anonymous09:55

      They will park couple of aircraft over the winter and cancel quite a lot of flights.

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    4. Anonymous11:22

      9:50 Ryanair flies 737, Wizz 320. Type rating is not cheap. Do your homework before posting

      Delete
    5. Anonymous16:11

      Type rating is much, much cheaper than parking expensive new aircraft or offering full apprenticeships for pilots!
      Learn a few things first about the current market demand for qualified pilots not only in Europe but the whole world.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:22

    Well done Tuzla and Bosnia, what a transformation in just a couple of years on the Bosnian market :)

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:32

      few gastarbajter routes (few per week) and lots of arabian, nothing special, not a big progress in long term way

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:38

      Bravo Tuzla! I zbog svih onih zavidnih koji zele umanjiti uspjeh! :-)

      Delete
    3. Svaka cast Tuzla ! Rijeka bi mogla podosta nauciti od vas. Pozdrav svima u Tuzli, jedva cekam da opet dodjem!

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:22

    I wish INI would also work more closely with wizz to make them increase flights... oh, wait....

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:58

      Only JU and BEG haters would wish for INI to develop and increase flights! ;D

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:32

    It is interesting that they are quite active in boosting Skopje and now Tuzla but very little activity in Belgrade.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:44

      they even cancelled two german routes

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    2. Anonymous09:44

      I believe they will base a third aircraft in Belgrade in 2019 summer. Lots of new airlines coming to BEG next year. Competition will become bigger and bigger, for Wizz Air inclded.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:52

      9.44 which ones did they cancel?

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    4. Anonymous10:06

      Nürnberg und Friedrichshafen (but I dont know how they used the free frequencies)

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:45

      They increased flights to Malta and Basel to 3pw, and Gothenburg and Paris to 4pw.

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    6. Anonymous16:27

      Basel goes down to two this winter. easyJet will murder them with better times and a superior product.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous09:43

    Good work Tuzla.

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  14. Anonymous09:44

    3rd in TZL, 5th in SKP : sounds legit

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:50

      With new subsidies, you may be right about Skopje.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous09:50

    Fantastic for Tuzla. So happy to see this small airport with no traffic a few years ago develop in such a way.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:23

      We can thank Wizz for developing these smaller airports like TZL, INI, OSI

      Delete
    2. Anonymous19:02

      well, INI not so much. sure, they broke the ice, but they are on par with FR there

      Delete
  16. Anonymous10:04

    am I the only one that took the local bus to Dubrava and then walked to TZL airport :D :D :D

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:07

      lol, probably :P

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    2. Anonymous17:48

      its not far

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    3. haha really ok good for your condition

      Delete
  17. Anonymous10:21

    Great news Tuzla! Cant wait to see the new terminal soon! :)

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  18. Anonymous10:26

    More gasterbaiter routes coming.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:28

      What else do you expect? Wizz just replaces bus routes - almost everywhere in ex-Yu.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:19

      Whats the difference in "more gastarbeiter coming" and in "more tourists coming"? Theyre not local population in either of the two scenarios, so there is no difference.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous17:33

      From ex-Yu Wizz caters almost exclussively for gasterbaiters. So any future expansion will be in that direction.

      Delete
  19. Anonymous10:29

    Congrats Tuzla.

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  20. Anonymous11:16

    Any plans to bring another airline to Tuzla? It is not good to be do dependent on one.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:55

      They say every year how they plan to but they never do.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:18

      They need a second airline, something like Nis has done. Relying on one airline is never a good idea.

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    3. Anonymous12:23

      That is always an issue with small regional airports. Nis was very smart to bring both Ryan and Wizz straight away. The situation is a bit more difficult with Tuzla with so many routes already served.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous14:27

      It would be ideal if they attracted a legacy airline. Like Swiss for example so people could have transfer connections.

      Delete
  21. Anonymous11:54

    Well done Tuzla! This airport does not get enough credit for the results it has achieved over the past few years.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:17

      I agree that Tuzla's growth has been impressive but the management should not take any credit for it. In fact the management is extremely unprofessional and has done little of what it has promised. First of all plans to put into use approach light at the airport has not been completed, the expansion of the terminal was scheduled to be finished by April but it hasn't even started and there were numerous promises that a second airline would start flying to Tuzla and nothing has happened.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous14:06

      Completely agree but it is a much better situation then a few years ago when there were no flights.

      Delete
    3. could this be an election stunt??

      Delete
  22. Anonymous14:05

    BRAVOOOO TUZLA otvorite nove linije to bi billo odlicno

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  23. Anonymous14:06

    Is Tuzla canton still subsidizing Wizz flights?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:07

      I don't think so.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous14:11

      Oh yes it is. Wizz Air doesn't pay anything to the airport - all costs are covered by Tuzla Canton.

      Delete
  24. Anonymous14:07

    Smart of them to start Beauvais flights. There are no flights between BiH and France.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:12

      I just don't understand that there is no demand from SJJ.

      Delete
  25. Anonymous14:22

    Tuzla Airport could have 1 million passengers next year. Embarrassing for Sarajevo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:25

      It is possible.

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    2. Anonymous14:28

      Sarajevo is sleeping and only opening lines to the Gulf.

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    3. Anonymous17:49

      Sarajevo is dreaming its Gulf dream while the population flocks to the EU. strange indeed

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    4. people want to fly from/to europe not arab countries

      Delete
  26. Anonymous14:23

    Tuzla really has to improve its terminal. No offence to anyone but it is like a box shed. I hope the expansion is completed as soon as possible.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous14:25

    Excellent news for Tuzla and aviation in Bosnia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:30

      It has been a good year so far in Bosnian aviation with so many new routes opened to Mostar, Tuzla and soon Banja Luka. It is also good to see Sarajevo with good passenger numbers.

      Delete
  28. Anonymous17:05

    Anyone know what their busiest route out of TZL is?

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous17:10

      Most probably Dortmund and Basel.

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    2. Anonymous17:17

      That's my guess too. German gastos market. I think it is strongest from BEG too.

      Delete
  29. Anonymous17:09

    With so many aircraft on order Wizz will have to keep expanding, ex-Yu market included, My guess is Pristina will probably be next city they will focus on.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous17:14

      The only market in the region that is missing from their route map is ZAG

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    2. Anonymous17:14

      More like ZAG. There is nothing MZLZ can do to stop them.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous17:18

      Except charge extremely high prices for handling and landing. That's why they don't fly there.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous17:21

      Hopefully we will see base in Nis sometime soon.

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    5. Anonymous17:32

      They still have a whole lot of room to expand in ex-Yu. Tivat, Pristina, more cities on the Croatian coast and even Maribor.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous17:32

      @17:21 doubt it now that the government is in charge

      Delete
    7. Anonymous17:34

      They will not expand in Pristina because it would jeoppardize their Skopje operations

      Delete
    8. Anonymous17:54

      Rijeka maybe? and Ohrid if they go for the tender. PRN could get something like BSL because it will not hurt SKP so much as enough demand exist in both.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous19:23

      MZLZ can't charge prices higher than list. If Wizz starts FRA, VIE, FMM, BSL, BVA, LTN, SPU and DBV they can quickly take over from OU and have power to negotitate discounts from the airport.

      Delete
  30. Anonymous17:15

    Congratulations Wizz Air. They have done wonders for Tuzla. Just a couple of years ago there was no traffic there and no prospects for the future.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17:19

      While I agree with you that it's great for the general public and tourism as well, you have to wonder how great it is for the airport and whether they make any money out of it. They need to attract another airlines and hopefully not under the same terms as Wizz.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous17:31

      Agree with 17.15. It is still surreal that there are flights from INI and TZL.

      Delete
  31. Anonymous17:22

    Have no idea why is everyone so excited about Wizz's new routes. They are a terrible airline.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17:37

      Not true, they are really OK

      Delete
    2. Anonymous23:21

      Why are they so terrible? What makes them worse than Ryanair, Easyjet, or Norwegian?

      Delete
    3. bs, same as other lcc

      Delete
  32. Anonymous20:13

    There incredible aviation story of a small, Balkan state called BiH.
    I was breathtaken to learn this VERY good news. This is good news for Bosnia's economy, turizam and of course the gastos that can afford to come back home.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Davor02:27

    As much as I am proud that my city's airport is increasing its number of flights and that it has a strong passenger growth, TZL is by far the worst airport I have ever been to. The conditions don't resemble an airport, it is more like a small town bus station.I was waiting a few times in the rain for passport control (because you wait outside), I had to park in somebody's yard because there is not enough parking space, my suitcase got kicked around because there is no baggage claim track etc. I hope after the management is done with money laundering, they will finish the reconstruction and get some facilities so TZL becomes an actual modern airport. They are the only thing that is holding back this airport, to be honest.

    ReplyDelete

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