Tuzla Airport will commence talks with low cost carrier Wizz Air over a new four-year agreement which would see the airline serve Bosnia and Herzegovina's third largest city until at least 2023. The existing four-year deal will expire in November of next year. "We will start talks this year over the stationing of a third aircraft in Tuzla. As a result, I believe that we will have some new routes next year, in addition to the four that are being discontinued (Baden Baden, Stockholm Skavsta, Billund and Vaxjo), which will be resumed", Tuzla Airport's General Manager, Rifet Karasalihović, said. Previously, Hamburg, Paris Beauvais and Milan were identified as having potential to being served from Tuzla.
Wizz Air has launched new flights from Tuzla to Vienna and Baden Baden this year, with the latter to be discontinued over the winter. As Tuzla's only scheduled operator, the airline helped kick-start the airport's passenger development five years ago. During the first three quarters of 2018, Bosnia and Herzegovina's second busiest airport welcomed 464.240 travellers through its doors, up 14.9% on the same period last year. In September alone, Tuzla handled 56.060 travellers, up 6.1%. The airport estimates it will register 570.000 passengers by year's end. Meanwhile, the Canton government of Tuzla is considering a bid by Turkey's Kozuva Cay Evihas to take over Tuzla Airport as part of a concession agreement. The conglomerate, with interests in construction and infrastructure, runs the international airport in Mogadishu in Somalia. "If the offer is good, there is a big probability that it will be accepted, if not, we will continue pushing on with our plans", Mr Karasalihović noted.
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| Tuzla Airport terminal expansion |
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.
Anyone know how VIE is performing? I think it was reduced adtrtit was launched.
ReplyDeleteYes from 5 to 3 weekly.
DeleteI hope they bring it back to five, Tuzla has a lot of potential.
DeleteInterestingly they fly this route with A320 while Ohrid and Nis will be with the A321.
DeleteLast night I checked Vienna - Austrian with OS for 19/24 January. It was 300+ EUR. Insane. Go Tuzla!
DeleteOS from which city?
DeleteOs is worth the money. If you add all the extras on wizz, it will amount to the same price for a worse service!
DeleteThey fly A320 on the route as it is operated with TZL based aircraft
DeleteSo what did they do with the two weekly frequencies they got from VIE?
Delete@anon 10.15
DeleteVienna - Sarajevo return flight. Classic tariff. It was 300+
I assume subsidies are being negotisted?
ReplyDeleteThey certainly get them but it would be interesting to see if they get exemption from handling and landing or they actually get money.
DeleteWizz Air doesn't pay anything to the airport - all costs are covered by Tuzla Canton.
Deleteand yet they cancel routes. imagine if they have to pay full taxes
DeleteBerlin's new airport will open before Tuzla finishes its terminal expansion at this rate.
ReplyDeleteI agree its been taking way to long but the new building actually looks very good. It will be worth the wait.
DeleteI really do not understand how they expect to keep traffic?
DeleteThey are doing fine now but honestly that is the 4th airport of the country. Sarajevo, Banjaluka and Mostar are three centers. As soon as they negotiate flights with LCCs what going to be left to Tuzla?
Istocna Bosna Zapadna Srbija i Istocna Hrvatska. malo li je?
DeleteYup. Too little.
DeleteThe numbers are very good. Excellent results.
ReplyDeleteGrowth slowing unfortunately. It will probably go negative from November.
DeleteParis would make sense, especially since there are no nonstop flights from Bosnia to France. I'm surprised they haven't launched it sooner.
ReplyDelete+100
DeleteI think BNX might get them first.
DeleteBravo Bosna!
ReplyDeleteWell done Tuzla and Bosnia, what a transformation in just a couple of years on the Bosnian market :)
ReplyDeleteAgree. It is nice to see this small airport with no traffic a few years ago develop in such a way.
DeleteAny plans to bring another airline to Tuzla? It is not good to be do dependent on one.
ReplyDeleteThey say every year how they plan to but they never do.
DeleteThey need a second airline, something like Nis has done. Relying on one airline is never a good idea.
DeleteThat 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.
Deletesmart? I would say they were lucky because Wizz defended their position in SKP and chased FR away
DeleteHuh? By that logic Wizz would not be flying from neighbouring airports like INI or PRN.
DeleteWhat is there left to launch? Wizz Air has everything covered.
DeleteThere are several unserved routes. For example Paris. There are no flights between BiH and France and I think it could work. That said I don't see another major LCC starting flights to TZL. But maybe they could go for a legacy airline like Nis with Swiss.
DeleteSwiss flies only seasonally to Sarajevo so it would be difficult to bring them year round to Tuzla.
Delete:)
DeleteAirDolomiti (LH) to Munich?
if they add a fly from Lyon it will be a good idea, because there are a lot of diaspora here more than 10 thousands plus our french friends, who will be happy to fly minimum 2-3 time per year minimum.
ReplyDeleteso what did they do for us? Basel or Paris are 500km from Lyon
lol
Deletelol what? with arguments it's better try once you'll see :)
Deletenow Lyon will be a good opportunity for wizz or ryanair with banja luka
if some one can tell me if it's a bad idea and why lyon will be a mistake i'm listening
10-20k potential passengers are sufficient to sustain flights during school/public holidays.
DeleteUnfortunately there is nothing special to atrack people accept diaspora+friends.
i'm sure that most of people will accept to pay more than 300€ and have a direct fly to Bosnia from Lyon or airport around,and if they add a summer fly it will be a success because with car it take a lot of time and money to go to Bosnia,going to Mulhouse airport cost around 50 to 100€ and take 4-5 hours so a thousand people is frustrated because they don't have a choice if they want to fly from france to Bosnia, Mulhouse is the only opportunity for now!
Deletepay 300€ or more and take 2 hours to land ine Bosnia
or pay 500€(gasoil+tolling highway) and take 15 hours
my choice is fast even if the fly will be 500€
How many times a year would you take this 300 -500 flight? 1 or maybe 2 times? And how many of you?
Deletei will probably take as much as i can 3-4 time per year i think because lot of ex yu people who live 150km around Lyon will probably pay this price instead to go with the car because it will be cheaper even at 500€ but i want a price as cheaper as possible but i think there is an opportunity and wizz should introduce a direct line even for sommer time
Deleteif you compare the price to go in Bosnia with a car or plane you'll see even if i take a plane at Mulhouse it cost less if i go with my car from Lyon to Bosnia!
and we are a thousands of us who every year 2-3 time come back home for hollidays and 90% use the car because we don't have a choice and the majority will take a plane if we had to chose
i don't know where do you live but if you're Bosnian sure you'll be happy if you have a choice to be at home in 2 hours instead 15 or more !? the price is not the principale thing because people want to go home and see their family and spend as much time as possible with them
Anyone know what their busiest route out of TZL is?
ReplyDeleteLast year it was
Delete1. Malmo - 56.461
2. Gothenburg - 50,930
3. Dortmund - 49,781
4. Basel - 49,503
5. Frankfurt - 38,058
Thanks for the stats!
DeleteOdd Vaxjo didn't work out seeing as Sweden is the top market
DeleteVaxjo is a very small town. Did they suspend it from Skopje as well?
Deleteyou 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.
ReplyDeleteWhat? Wizz Air which preaches about free and fair competition is negotiating a new subsidy deal with the airport? How come? I thought they were all about free and fair competition. Bet you one of the clauses is no other airline can fly to Tuzla.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure airlines are piling up and Wizz Air is not letting them fly. Bottom line is Wizz Air should be praised for what it has done for Tuzla. The airport had no traffic whatsoever beforehand.
DeleteCompetition is fair provided that all get the same treatment.
DeleteIf the Turks take Tuzla it could do wonders for the airport with some new customers.
ReplyDeleteIn that case we would probably see Turkish start flights.
DeletePegasus would be better suited.
DeleteAtlasglobal would also be a good option.
DeleteAll three at least double daily xD
DeleteAfter that Qatar and FlyDubai to break the ground for Emirates :)
they could lift TZL to the level they reached in Mogadishu!
DeleteThat would be a bright future for Tuzla...
When will they open the terminal extension?
ReplyDeleteNo one knows. Last reported date was supposed to be Septenber 2018.
Delete* September
DeleteGood work Tuzla.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what their development would have looked like if they had chosen Ryanair like BNX.
ReplyDeleteWizz Air is definitely a more reliable partner.
DeleteI remember a few years ago just before Wizz opened its base in Tuzla that the airport said they will increase their fees. Wizz responded that they would suspend all flights if they do. So I wouldn't exactly say Wizz is much different from Ryan.
Delete