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.
Crazy developments! Well done BiH!
ReplyDeleteOnce 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.
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+1000
DeleteSo this route starts just as OU ends its seasonal ZAG-MXP. Smart.
ReplyDeleteAnd then we hear here from many experts that BNX and ZAG are not affecting each other
DeleteThe way you say it you make it sound as if they are terminating the route.
DeleteHow many pax does BNX get who come from Croatia?
DeleteWhat percentage of its total users are?
THAT would tell us whether or not they affect each other.
Well we don't have those numbers so we have to work with what we have.
Delete@09:43
DeleteSo what do you have exactly?
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.
DeleteDon'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.
DeleteLet 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.
Correlation is not causation!
DeleteIf you you are getting fatter and your neighbor is getting thinner it does not mean that he is eating your food.
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.
DeleteYet that analogy does not work in aviation since airports have overlapping spheres of interest.
DeleteAt the time FR started flying to BNX many people here said it would affect ZAG, but funboys from ZAG claimed it was not true.
DeleteNow, 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.
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.
DeleteMaybe BNX will be increased once JU starts flying to new destinations (GVA for example).
DeleteI was really surprised hearing that many people fly from LJU via BEG to KRR.
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.
DeleteThe 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.
DeleteSure. It can be seen already on JU / BEG numbers.
DeleteOh, wait...
Im took fligt at friday to hahn, officer told me that every second document is from cro
DeleteBNX will have a total of 12 weekly FR flights. This is really really not bad for a small airport.
ReplyDeleteI think next one will be CIA and BVA or EIN.
I don't there are any free slots at EIN.
DeleteYou think so? Nah! EIN is still small - barely 5 million pax. How do you know about slot issues?
DeleteLIS yes but EIN??
o_O
Because the NL government blocks the growth and expansion of their airports due to environmental reasons.
DeleteFantastic news
ReplyDeleteWhich two routes could we see next year?
ReplyDeleteA route to Greece would be fantastic.
DeleteThere are seasonal charters.
DeleteMaybe the airport could attract Aegean offering 2-3 weekly flights on their Q400s to ATH.
I think Thessaloniki would work much better in this case then Athens.
DeleteI think Barcelona could work especially in summer.
Delete@9.49 why?
DeleteMaybe JU introduces BNX-TIV like they wanted to some years ago.
DeleteSKG might be a better fit because ATH is more expensive, longer and is already served by charters.
DeleteI could see Switzerland, ATH, possibly STN.
DeleteCheck which bus routes are most popular from Banja Luka and there you will see the potential air routes from BNX.
Delete^ good point.
DeleteSwiss should consider Zurich!
DeleteFor how long has the contract between BNX and Ryanair been signed for?
ReplyDeletei think five years...
DeleteIs there really demand from Italy to Banja Luka?
ReplyDeleteIf there is from INI why not from BNX?
DeleteThere 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).
DeleteBergamo would be nice even for BEG lot of connections there, nema veze ako provedete dan blejeci u Milanu, Monzi cekajuci na drugi avion.
DeleteBy October when I expect Fly Bosnia will already be history, this will be B&H's only route to Italy.
ReplyDeleteDisastrous especially when you look at the amount of Italians in Medjugorje.
DeleteWay to go Banja Luka.
ReplyDeleteHope it will work.
ReplyDeletegood news for Banja Luka
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to more flights from Banja Luka, they will be as sucessful as Tuzla :)
ReplyDeleteGreat news for Bosnia :)
ReplyDeleteI'm happy about Banja Luka beca. Ryanair's arrival has really been a new beginning for them
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised Wizz has not responded to FR with more routes from Tuzla.
ReplyDeleteWizz is in no position to do so. They are actually cutting flights in the region:
DeleteBEG-LYS
OTP-FMM
OTP-HAJ
CLJ-ATH
CLJ-CGN
CLJ-MLA
CLJ-DWC is suspended for three months.
Me too. Bit odd.
DeleteGood thing is they never overexpanded in our region so there aren't that many cuts around.
DeleteThe Air Serbia charters from BNX have also been a great success. I hope they consider offering more holiday destinations from Banja Luka next summer.
ReplyDeleteBNX HRG almost happened but tour operators did not manage to organise everything in time.
DeleteShame. It would be their first intercontinental flight :D
DeleteThey had flights to Antalya last summer and will have this summer too. That is intercontinental flight.
DeleteBanja Luka area has quite big new, after war diaspora in northern Italy.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise 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!
With INI MLA being a success I see them adding BNX next year.
DeleteStockholm was their best performing route. Unfortunate they have to cut it. But great about Bergamo.
ReplyDeleteStockholm is a problem for many airlines, Wizz is reducing BEG NYO while RO is completely suspending it.
DeleteIs it really possible that all the problems with aviation in Scandinavia happened because of eco talibans?
DeleteThat and the weakening of the Swedish economy, their currency lost a lot of value recently.
DeleteGreat news. BNX has the potential from its catchment area to grow a lot.
ReplyDeleteThis 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.
ReplyDeleteNot even close as it hurts ZAG
DeleteConsidering 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.
DeleteI 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.
DeleteWell they haven't scheduled any increase to Banja Luka this summer.
DeleteLook 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.
DeleteNow 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€.
That's FR's modus operandi in pretty much all markets.
DeleteNonsense, since LCC flly to coastal airports in Cro , PUY, ZAD, RIJ why wld anybody fly to BNX to take a bus to the coast.
DeleteI 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 😂
DeleteBanja 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✈🌐✈☺✈
Potrebno je vise linija za Skandinaviju. Geteborg, Malme.
ReplyDeleteAgree big diaspora in Sweden.
DeleteWhat a transformation for the airport after it changed its management. Well done!
ReplyDeleteThis is a big turnaround. I'm very happy for Banja Luka.
DeleteDo we know how much Ryanair is getting for these flights?
ReplyDeleteNothing, they are just not paying any airport charges.
Delete^Are you sure?
DeleteYup, no subsidies only heavy, total discounts at the airport. That is why FR is expanding at a slower, more stable rate.
DeletePurger was saying that BNX subsidized flights
DeleteIf they keep growing traffic they will have to expand that tiny terminal soon.
ReplyDeleteThey are expanding it
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2020/02/banja-luka-targets-35-growth-and-three.html
@ Ano 11:16 The project is valued at 360.000 euros...This is not expand even if they called it so :)
DeleteOh I see. How pointless.
DeleteMaybe BNX - DUB could be next
ReplyDeleteI don't think there is any sort of diaspora in Dublin from Bosnia.
DeleteBut there is a Croatian one.
DeleteNot sizable enough to entice such a large number of people to fly to Banja Luka and then drive.
DeleteI can't believe that there is no Serbo-Croat-Bosniak language version on their official website!!!
ReplyDeleteTotally unacceptable from a decent airline like Ryanair!
Also no Russian, why?
I don't think they even fly to Russia.
DeleteThey fly from Malta to Moscow and St Petersburg.
DeleteAnd 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.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2011/07/banja-luka-airport-to-close.html
Wasn't there also some recent talk about its closure. Apparently they have to meet some certain requests from the directoratem
Delete*directorate
DeleteThey do have to fix certain shortcomings but they are not going to get closed as some media falsley claimed.
Deletehttps://srpskainfo.com/racic-ne-postoji-nijedan-razlog-za-zatvaranje-aerodroma-banjaluka/
But a few years ago they really were on the brink.
What are the fares like?
ReplyDeleteIt really depends on the date you pick. As far as I can see basic return fare from Banja Luka is around 80 euros.
DeleteBeautiful.
DeleteThis is all great but I think Banja Luka like Tuzla should diversify its offer. Not to get tied to just one airline.
ReplyDeleteWho knows what these LCCs put in their contracts. It could be for the airport not to actively encourage other LCC competitors to introduce flights.
DeleteWell done, four operating international airports at strategic locations is impressive for such a small country.
ReplyDeleteСвака 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+100
DeleteDo you know something about new routes from Kraków to ex-Yu e.g. Banja Luka or Medjugorie?
ReplyDeleteAlso it will be great to see line Banja Luka - Gothenburg / Gothenburg - Banja Luka.
ReplyDelete