Ryanair launching new Banja Luka service


Low cost carrier Ryanair will introduce flights between Bergamo Airport in Italy and Banja Luka, making it its sixth destination to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s second largest city. The service will launch at the start of the 2020/2021 winter season, on October 26, and operate twice per week, each Monday and Friday. Ryanair announced it would base an additional aircraft in Bergamo following the collapse of the Milan-based Air Italy earlier this week. Flights between Bergamo and Banja Luka will be operated by Malta Air aircraft on behalf of Ryanair. The company is part of the Ryanair Group, which also includes Lauda from Austria and Buzz from Poland.

Europe’s busiest carrier inaugurated services from Hahn to Banja Luka last week, while Lauda will commence flights from Vienna in April, although they will be operated by Ryanair aircraft. The airport’s contract with Ryanair foresees the budget airline introducing two new routes to Banja Luka each year. While it currently maintains services from five European destinations, flights from Stockholm Skavsta will be discontinued in late March due to the closure of Ryanair’s base in the Swedish capital. Therefore, it will be replaced by Bergamo, honouring the agreement between the two sides.

Banja Luka Airport anticipates welcoming over 200.000 passengers this year. “We are optimistic over the launch of several interesting destinations in western and eastern Europe this year. Services to Vienna will operate twice per week, however, there is a possibility for frequencies to be increased. On average we have two flights per day from Banja Luka. Our target is for this to be doubled and for us to have even more charter flights”, the General Manager of Banja Luka Airport, Milan Račić, said. Besides Ryanair, Air Serbia maintains summer charters from Banja Luka to Athens and Antalya, in addition to its scheduled service to Belgrade. In 2019, Banja Luka Airport handled 149.966 passengers and registered year-on-year growth of 314%.

Further flight details for the new Bergamo – Banja Luka service can be found here.




Comments

  1. Anonymous09:12

    Crazy developments! Well done BiH!
    Once FR targets a small airport it agressively continues launching more destinations. FR are taking BiH, HR & ME very seriously as W6 clearly failed. Well, W6 was really not into ex-Yu if it weren't for the Macedonian subsidies.
    I am 100% sure there will be more Bosniak FR routes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:21

      Not Bosniak but Bosnian. If you want to say anything related to the STATE and not to only one ethnic group, than you use BOSNIA/BOSNIAN. Simple as that. Bosniaks are just one ethnic group in Bosnia, same like others.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:15

    So this route starts just as OU ends its seasonal ZAG-MXP. Smart.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:23

      And then we hear here from many experts that BNX and ZAG are not affecting each other

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:29

      The way you say it you make it sound as if they are terminating the route.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:35

      How many pax does BNX get who come from Croatia?
      What percentage of its total users are?
      THAT would tell us whether or not they affect each other.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:43

      Well we don't have those numbers so we have to work with what we have.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:46

      @09:43
      So what do you have exactly?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:49

      We have facts that BNX is growing in numbers and destinations while ZAG has lost many airlines and destinations and their growth happened only thanks to JP and the EU presidency. Why? Because Turks who run ZAG want to earn money at the expense of the local market.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous09:51

      Don't think only about the people from Croatia who came to fly from BNX. There are many people from Republic of Srpska who used ZAG at the time BNX had almost no flights but they do not have to do it anymore.

      Let me say like this:

      BNX added in 2019 115.000 passengers
      ZAG added in 2019 99.000 passengers

      year before, at the time BNX had only JU flights, ZAG added 245.000 passengers

      Math is easy here.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous09:55

      Correlation is not causation!
      If you you are getting fatter and your neighbor is getting thinner it does not mean that he is eating your food.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous09:55

      Exactly, the same applies for Tuzla. In the past many from northern Srpska, especially Banja Luka had to travel to ZAG or TZL but no more.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous10:00

      Yet that analogy does not work in aviation since airports have overlapping spheres of interest.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous10:11

      At the time FR started flying to BNX many people here said it would affect ZAG, but funboys from ZAG claimed it was not true.

      Now, when we see ZAG growth was in absolute numbers smaller than in BNX the same people ignore the real numbers / facts.

      It is really interesting.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous10:21

      I think many underestimated the market in BNX. They can easily reach a million in the next seven, eight years. I think JU can do much better from BEG given how many daily buses there are every day.

      Delete
    13. Anonymous10:29

      Maybe BNX will be increased once JU starts flying to new destinations (GVA for example).

      I was really surprised hearing that many people fly from LJU via BEG to KRR.

      Delete
    14. Anonymous10:36

      Yup some flights have as many as 20 passengers from LJU to KRR. That said every flight has at least some transfers which is indeed great.

      Delete
    15. Anonymous11:28

      The expansion of FR in BNX is really going to hurt the BEG route because JU relies on transfer..maybe they can include BNX in the INI package and transfer flights from BEG to INI.

      Delete
    16. Anonymous12:13

      Sure. It can be seen already on JU / BEG numbers.

      Oh, wait...

      Delete
    17. Im took fligt at friday to hahn, officer told me that every second document is from cro

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:19

    BNX will have a total of 12 weekly FR flights. This is really really not bad for a small airport.
    I think next one will be CIA and BVA or EIN.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:21

      I don't there are any free slots at EIN.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:27

      You think so? Nah! EIN is still small - barely 5 million pax. How do you know about slot issues?
      LIS yes but EIN??
      o_O

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:43

      Because the NL government blocks the growth and expansion of their airports due to environmental reasons.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:31

    Fantastic news

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous09:31

    Which two routes could we see next year?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:41

      A route to Greece would be fantastic.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:43

      There are seasonal charters.
      Maybe the airport could attract Aegean offering 2-3 weekly flights on their Q400s to ATH.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:49

      I think Thessaloniki would work much better in this case then Athens.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:50

      I think Barcelona could work especially in summer.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:54

      @9.49 why?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:56

      Maybe JU introduces BNX-TIV like they wanted to some years ago.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:01

      SKG might be a better fit because ATH is more expensive, longer and is already served by charters.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous10:21

      I could see Switzerland, ATH, possibly STN.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous10:22

      Check which bus routes are most popular from Banja Luka and there you will see the potential air routes from BNX.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous10:25

      ^ good point.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous11:10

      Swiss should consider Zurich!

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:32

    For how long has the contract between BNX and Ryanair been signed for?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous23:11

      i think five years...

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:32

    Is there really demand from Italy to Banja Luka?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:44

      If there is from INI why not from BNX?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:39

      There is a lot of diaspora in this region. Otherwise, Bergamo is good option in winter to see some ski opportunities or even go with some connections (in my case Manchester).

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:57

      Bergamo would be nice even for BEG lot of connections there, nema veze ako provedete dan blejeci u Milanu, Monzi cekajuci na drugi avion.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:32

    By October when I expect Fly Bosnia will already be history, this will be B&H's only route to Italy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:07

      Disastrous especially when you look at the amount of Italians in Medjugorje.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:33

    Way to go Banja Luka.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous09:33

    Hope it will work.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous09:37

    good news for Banja Luka

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous09:38

    Looking forward to more flights from Banja Luka, they will be as sucessful as Tuzla :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous09:44

    Great news for Bosnia :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous09:50

    I'm happy about Banja Luka beca. Ryanair's arrival has really been a new beginning for them

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous09:54

    I'm surprised Wizz has not responded to FR with more routes from Tuzla.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:59

      Wizz is in no position to do so. They are actually cutting flights in the region:

      BEG-LYS
      OTP-FMM
      OTP-HAJ
      CLJ-ATH
      CLJ-CGN
      CLJ-MLA

      CLJ-DWC is suspended for three months.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:59

      Me too. Bit odd.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:22

      Good thing is they never overexpanded in our region so there aren't that many cuts around.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous09:59

    The Air Serbia charters from BNX have also been a great success. I hope they consider offering more holiday destinations from Banja Luka next summer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:02

      BNX HRG almost happened but tour operators did not manage to organise everything in time.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:27

      Shame. It would be their first intercontinental flight :D

      Delete
    3. Anonymous17:49

      They had flights to Antalya last summer and will have this summer too. That is intercontinental flight.

      Delete
  17. Banja Luka area has quite big new, after war diaspora in northern Italy.
    Otherwise from Bergamo you cant catch other LCC connections to Denmark, Sweden very important Malta!



    Shame on you OMO!
    That's ridiculous that Mostar can't attract any LCC... Useless management!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:23

      With INI MLA being a success I see them adding BNX next year.

      Delete
  18. Anonymous10:20

    Stockholm was their best performing route. Unfortunate they have to cut it. But great about Bergamo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:24

      Stockholm is a problem for many airlines, Wizz is reducing BEG NYO while RO is completely suspending it.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:27

      Is it really possible that all the problems with aviation in Scandinavia happened because of eco talibans?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:37

      That and the weakening of the Swedish economy, their currency lost a lot of value recently.

      Delete
  19. Anonymous10:23

    Great news. BNX has the potential from its catchment area to grow a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous10:24

    This could actually hurt Air Serbia. I'm sure they had transfers from Milan to Banja Luka, especially around the holidays. FR launching Vienna will also hurt them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:26

      Not even close as it hurts ZAG

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:26

      Considering they used to have daily flight to Banja Luka a few years ago and now they have 4 per week in winter, I doubt transfer demand was that great.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:28

      I doubt Zagreb was a major transfer point for people from Banja Luka to Italy considering there are no winter flights to Milan and no non stop service to Rome at all.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:30

      Well they haven't scheduled any increase to Banja Luka this summer.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:48

      Look it will hurt most ZAG. Take MXP. Most passengers flying to ZAG on the Dash transfer to the coast. Out of the 74 seats on the dash 15 flew to ZAG because that is their final destination.

      Now those passengers will all fly BNX and continue their journeys by bus to the coast. Since those will be taking their whole family FR will easily be able to fill 180 seats for 4,99€.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:59

      That's FR's modus operandi in pretty much all markets.

      Delete
    7. Nonsense, since LCC flly to coastal airports in Cro , PUY, ZAD, RIJ why wld anybody fly to BNX to take a bus to the coast.

      Delete
    8. I doubt that they will sell 180 tickets for 5 euro. 5t of jet a minimum u will not buy for 900e, not counting other stuff. 5 tickets for 5 other 175 for 80 😂

      Delete
  21. Rodney Marinkovic10:32

    Banja Luka polako se krece za samoodrzivost. Rayanair jeste lider u Evropi, medju nisko budzetnim kompanijama. Kao sto je i Banja Lucki aerodrom u velikom usponu regionalnom saobracaju. Bravo.
    ✈🌐✈☺✈

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous11:02

    Potrebno je vise linija za Skandinaviju. Geteborg, Malme.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:25

      Agree big diaspora in Sweden.

      Delete
  23. Anonymous11:10

    What a transformation for the airport after it changed its management. Well done!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:14

      This is a big turnaround. I'm very happy for Banja Luka.

      Delete
  24. Anonymous11:13

    Do we know how much Ryanair is getting for these flights?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:22

      Nothing, they are just not paying any airport charges.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:25

      ^Are you sure?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous15:34

      Yup, no subsidies only heavy, total discounts at the airport. That is why FR is expanding at a slower, more stable rate.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous20:20

      Purger was saying that BNX subsidized flights

      Delete
  25. Anonymous11:14

    If they keep growing traffic they will have to expand that tiny terminal soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:16

      They are expanding it
      https://www.exyuaviation.com/2020/02/banja-luka-targets-35-growth-and-three.html

      Delete
    2. @ Ano 11:16 The project is valued at 360.000 euros...This is not expand even if they called it so :)

      Delete
    3. Anonymous15:24

      Oh I see. How pointless.

      Delete
  26. Anonymous11:18

    Maybe BNX - DUB could be next

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:22

      I don't think there is any sort of diaspora in Dublin from Bosnia.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:25

      But there is a Croatian one.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:27

      Not sizable enough to entice such a large number of people to fly to Banja Luka and then drive.

      Delete
  27. Anonymous11:26

    I can't believe that there is no Serbo-Croat-Bosniak language version on their official website!!!
    Totally unacceptable from a decent airline like Ryanair!
    Also no Russian, why?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:23

      I don't think they even fly to Russia.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous20:33

      They fly from Malta to Moscow and St Petersburg.

      Delete
  28. Anonymous11:34

    And once upon a time, the airport was on the verge of closure during the good, old sweet Adrija days and also B&H Airlines - they will be missed dearly.

    https://www.exyuaviation.com/2011/07/banja-luka-airport-to-close.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:24

      Wasn't there also some recent talk about its closure. Apparently they have to meet some certain requests from the directoratem

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:24

      *directorate

      Delete
    3. Anonymous15:32

      They do have to fix certain shortcomings but they are not going to get closed as some media falsley claimed.

      https://srpskainfo.com/racic-ne-postoji-nijedan-razlog-za-zatvaranje-aerodroma-banjaluka/

      But a few years ago they really were on the brink.

      Delete
  29. Anonymous15:22

    What are the fares like?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:34

      It really depends on the date you pick. As far as I can see basic return fare from Banja Luka is around 80 euros.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:35

      Beautiful.

      Delete
  30. Anonymous15:26

    This is all great but I think Banja Luka like Tuzla should diversify its offer. Not to get tied to just one airline.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:29

      Who knows what these LCCs put in their contracts. It could be for the airport not to actively encourage other LCC competitors to introduce flights.

      Delete
  31. Anonymous16:54

    Well done, four operating international airports at strategic locations is impressive for such a small country.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous17:00

    Свака част, само полако, темељно и све ће бити супер. Имају везу са Београдом где имају преседања, имају Рајанер за гастербајтере и да их повеже са највећим центрима а на крају имају и летње чартере. Морам признати да је лепа понуда, свеобухватна.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Anonymous20:28

    Do you know something about new routes from Kraków to ex-Yu e.g. Banja Luka or Medjugorie?

    ReplyDelete
  34. Anonymous21:25

    Also it will be great to see line Banja Luka - Gothenburg / Gothenburg - Banja Luka.

    ReplyDelete

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