Low cost carrier Wizz Air, which plans to station an Airbus A320 jet at Sarajevo Airport from May 20 and launch nine new routes, is expected to expand its operations from Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital and have up to three aircraft based in the city. The General Manager of Sarajevo Airport, Alan Bajić, told the “Klix” portal, “The initial plan was for Wizz Air to commence operations with two aircraft. However, due to the current circumstances and the existing entry restrictions present in most countries, Wizz Air has adapted to the evolving changes on the market until the situation improves”. He added, “Once conditions are normalised or once the necessary preconditions are met, Wizz Air will base a second and maybe even a third aircraft”.
According to Mr Bajić, the budget airline’s new Sarajevo base will not impact its operations in Tuzla, where it has two aircraft stationed. “Wizz Air made its decision based on a comprehensive analysis, which shows that Sarajevo Airport has significant potential. The base at Sarajevo Airport will not affect traffic at Tuzla Airport due to the passenger structure and the type of travellers using Tuzla”, Mr Bajić said. Wizz Air’s history in Bosnia and Herzegovina dates back to May 2013 when it operated its first flight from Tuzla to Malmo. The airline has carried almost three million passengers to and from Bosnia and Herzegovina in the past eight years.
Sarajevo Airport handled 13.239 passengers in January, representing a decrease of 77.3%. The number of aircraft movements stood at 429, down 45.3%. In addition to Wizz Air’s upcoming base opening, Sarajevo Airport is working with several airlines over the introduction of new flights. Its General Manager said he hopes to deliver good news for travellers in regard to new destinations in the near future. This month, four airlines are maintaining flights to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital. They include Turkish Airlines, Austrian, Flydubai and Air Serbia. Pegasus Airlines will resume services from Istanbul on February 26, while Croatia Airlines is expected to return on February 28.
Fantastic news for Sarajevo.
ReplyDeleteWhich other routes could they add with second and even third aircraft?
ReplyDeleteBarcelona
DeleteWhy Barcelona?
DeleteIt will follow a similar route development path as Tuzla and Skopje.
DeleteGood point, probably so.
DeleteWhat about LJU? Would it develop similarly?
I think LJU would be different because diaspora is not based in the same countries/cities.
DeleteTrue, probably more leisure destinations
Deletei think that they will add Turku, Oslo, Malmo, Hamburg, Berlin, Baden Baden, Rome is also possible, Barcelona or Larnaca as well.
DeleteLegacy airlines will be toast at SJJ.
ReplyDeleteThey weren't toast in SKP where Wizz has a near monopoly so why would it be any different in SJJ?
DeleteFigures went south for all legacy airlines in SKP (except TK). Even Austrian complained.
DeleteThere's room for both- OS may have complained, which is a part of their job, but before Corona they still had 2x daily flights to VIE (despite w6 4x weekly to BTS)
DeleteI would be very happy if Wizz has simmilar results in SJJ as in SKP.
DeleteWizzAir can not have simmilar results at SJJ as in SKP becouse Skopje is their biggest market in the Balkan, and the fifth aircraft is expected to return next year.
DeleteUmm it took several years for Skopje to get where it is. I didn't mean that it's going to happen overnight in Sarajevo but over several years (like in Skopje), I don't see why not.
DeleteGreat news for SJJ! TZL showed what can be done with a good plan and carefully chosen destination at an airport which had no flight beforehand.
DeleteI don't believe Wizz air.
ReplyDeleteJust buy tickets, later maybe get refund for cancelled flights 😁 same as abu dhabi and many other
DeleteWell done SJJ! Those new routes were urgently needed. W6 have revolutionised travel in the Balkans. They are a legend!
ReplyDeleteBut when? They don't have vaccines in BiH. It's not good
ReplyDeleteThese flights are primarily for the diaspora.
Delete2.500 health officials from Srpska will be vaccinated in Serbia. So inoculation has begun. Srpska should be getting Sputnik vaccine in February. No info for the Federation.
Deletehttps://rs.n1info.com/region/vlada-srbije-obezbedila-5-000-vakcina-za-zdravstvene-radnike-republike-srpske/
This is just Wizz Air PR machine spinning facts. Look at what happened in Tirana, Larnaca, Norway, Italy... they announce something only to quietly give up on those plans.
ReplyDeleteI doubt Sarajevo Airport CEO is part of the Wizz Air PR machine.
DeleteNot knowingly.
DeleteAlso in Belgrade... They just announce something, then cancel it and move on to the next place. They come accross as quite desperate for income.
DeleteDesperate times ...
DeleteIt just proves they are not reliable. No matter where.
DeleteWizz Air won't be flying to the UK this year, that's for sure. One would require 4 Covid tests for a return flight from Luton to Sarajevo. One before departing , one in Sarajevo for the return trip, then 2 in the UK when back, plus at least 5 days quarantine. No-one is going to do that!
ReplyDeleteThings could change. There are another 3 months until those flights start.
DeleteThings did not change last summer, then last autumn, then last winter, then... Time alreay shown that the tactic of laying low for a while was the right one. No wonder that it was done practically by each and every airlines except Wizz Air. That's why the expansion of Wizz announced with a fanfare every week never meterialized (just to the contrary).
DeleteKeep in mind the desperate times we live in now.
DeleteVaccines are a thing in the UK though, by the time those flights start over 50% of UK citizens will have received the jab which might lead to open flights and no PCR requirements if it follows a similar path like Israel and UAE where deaths almost completely reduced
DeleteWill Wizz be allowed to fly SJJ-SAW?
ReplyDeleteNo
DeleteNo, only SJJ to EU, UAE and UK Airports
DeleteThey could have flight to Beirut cuz lot of Lebanese are coming to Međugorje.
ReplyDeleteFlights to Larnaca, some polish destinations maybe Sankt Petersburg cuz Russians don't need visas for Bosnia
They can't fly from Bosnia to Lebanon.
DeleteNor can they fly to Russia from Bosnia. Wizz Air is an EU airline and can only fly to, from and within the EU. Through their UK AOC, they can also fly to, from and within the UK.
DeletePossible, future routes:
ReplyDeleteBCN, LIS, BGY, BER, NYO, OSL, BRI, PRG
I hope Baden Baden (FKB)
DeleteLong overdue and welcome news for B&H. Bosnia will really benefit from a long term stable airline presence, which is key to economic growth.
ReplyDeleteAll the best of luck to SJJ. Definitely an underrated destination. Balkan cities need more and more connections linking them to the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteI think Berlin and Bratislava/Vienna are real possibilities.
ReplyDeleteI mean as next new routes.
DeleteHope to see them in Mostar soon as well!
ReplyDeleteBoth of their latest expansions are on Balkan soil. First it's SJJ and then it was BOJ in the Black Sea coast (even though it's seasonal). Maybe we see more bases. Maybe LJU or INI?
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if they based 2 or 3 a320 at LJU
DeleteHello ZAG! How are you? Doing fine? Good for you!
ReplyDeleteGood on ZAG not playing with this airline, more unreliable than FR.
DeleteZAG is like a old school airport, no room for the likes of Wizz or any other low coster.
DeleteProtectionism for OU above all. But one day OU will go bye bye, then what happens?
I guess the argument of W6 allegedly being unreliable is a better one to excuse the absence of LCCs in ZAG than the other one we were reading a while ago which was that ZAG does not need LCCs as it is apparently an elite airport and therefore does not need the likes of W6 and FR.
DeleteCroatian Airlines are not so expensive, what are you talking about? Opposite you get some snacks in flight, coffee and no one will rub you for you bag being 1cm wider :) or you are from "no i save 10 euros, and spend later 25 for bag and coffee"
Delete@Slk
DeleteAs an aviation professional, I have dual feelings about LCC'S :As part of industry, I hate them, as they greatly contributed to prostitution of civil aviation. But as a passenger, I "ll give you just one example of your save 10 and spend 25 euros attitude :Few years ago I had to go to Israel. The cheapest return fare on OU was 360 euros. I took FR from BUD for 54 return. With costs of travel to and from BUD, with 3 star overnight stay in Budapest, and with coffee and sandwich on board, I saved over 200 euros. And yes, I agree with you, if one does not know how to travel LCC, is not willing to accept the terms of the travel, or buy the ticket last minute, it can be the same price, or even more expensive than legacy. But on the other hand, if there was no demand for LCC from ZAG, people from ZAG wouldn't be driving to take LCC flights from RJK, PUY, ZAD, SPU, BUD, BEG, TRS, VCE, even BGY. And they cannot do it from ZAG not because of the price, unreliability or whatever else, but just because of protectionism of our beloved OU
Tuzla had 4.000 passengers in 2011. People used to say: there is no market in TZL. In 2019 Tuzla had over half a million of LCC passengers. Market is there. Zagreb would have over a million of LCC passengers in 7-8 years. Imagine benefits for city tourism and airport with 1M additional passengers.
Delete@pozdrav now calculate all the costs, hotel accomodation 2x probably? 2x30 some cheap one with compressed bed in the middle, meals/snacks add another 35 for two nights, bus transfer 5e and then bag extra fee 2x10 and maybe remote airport from which again u need to buy extra tickets, rather than from major one. So comes out quite doubful economy, which will include fatique for that layout. I also involved in airtrans and was in quite many airlines already, including zzz with standard ibis hotel to employees :)) please dont remind me that ibis
DeleteI needed to stay overnight only one direction. Hotel cost was 35 euros, Budapest center, single room, one person/alone in the room, heating, , bathroom, perfectly clean, even breakfast included. Bus Zagreb-Budapest-Zagreb 40 euro return, city transport Budapest, metro and bus combined, 3-4 e both ways, coffe and sandwich onboard 7-8 e, I didn't have the bag. I had to go to Eilat, so I actually saved even more because I didn't have to take bus from Tel Aviv to Eilat. So I don't need to calculate anything again, I saved over 200 euros, just as I said. For Ibis, not my first choice, but stayed in Manaus, Seoul, Abidjan and Denpasar. Generally, outside of Europe, Ibis could be only or one of the few choices to stay having budget fare and decent product following same standard, and real value is usually at least one star more than declared two or three. I stayed in Ibis in Europe as well, in Malaga, Duisburg, Kayseri and Vienna, and I really don't understand what is that so disastrous about Ibis to wish not to be reminded - It's the same everywhere, you know exactly what to expect, it's always clean, with big bed, modern, you even have toilet separated from shower, which I admit is a bit small, accomodation itself is simple, but people working there always professional and friendly, location almost always central and good, safety standards followed, and in my hotel experience, which is enormous, I had some better stays in Ibis than in Kempinski or Hilton. But if you are the one who is so valuable that you don't stay in Ibis, I can understand you don't use LCC as well. But that says nothing about Ryanair or Ibis, it says much more about you.
DeleteGreat news!
ReplyDeleteGood for SJJ
ReplyDeleteTime to break up the Star Alliance cartel at Sarajevo Airport.
ReplyDeleteThat was a quick reply.
DeleteWon't flights from Sarajevo impact on their Tuzla flights?
ReplyDeleteNo. Tuzla would be most affected if Wizz Air launched BNX or OSI flights.
DeleteThis is no surprise. Wizz will keep on growing and growing
ReplyDeleteOnly a fool would give Wizz any money. The number of routes they have announced recently and failed to launch is very evident. They are worse than Ryanair, who ZAD have again got into bed with as Croatia lacks a creditable well managed national airline to develop tourism.
DeleteSJJ will really boom with Wizz.
ReplyDeleteGotta love these last bot comments.
ReplyDeleteI knew that the London route will have demand. The current prices from/to Luton and Sarajevo are crazy! 1256 quid only basic price with no luggage!!
ReplyDelete18 Jun 2021 - 25 Jun 2021
1 Passenger
Flights
£126.11
Jun 18 London Luton – Sarajevo 08:30 – 12:10 (W9 4622)
Basic 1 × Flight ticket £75.49 1 × Administration fee £7.50
Jun 25 Sarajevo – London Luton 06:10 – 08:00 (W9 4621)
Basic 1 × Original flight price £47.49 25% discount -£11.87 1 × Administration fee £7.50
The same goes for Paris....€136 basic price!
26 Jun 2021 - 3 Jul 2021
1 Passenger
Flights
€136.98
Jun 26 Paris Beauvais – Sarajevo 20:20 – 22:40 (W6 4636)
Basic 1 × Flight ticket €81.99 1 × Administration fee €8.00
Jul 3 Sarajevo – Paris Beauvais 17:20 – 19:50 (W6 4635)
Basic 1 × Original flight price €51.99 25% discount -€13.00 1 × Administration fee €8.00
This explains why W6 are more likely to base an additional aircraft because demand is high and Bosniaks are tired of transfer flights and have the right to non-stop and comfortable flights.
That's a pretty standard price
DeleteFor an ULCC? I don't think so. Those segments were launched a couple of days ago and the cheapest prices have been quickly snapped. I personally predict that London will be one of the busiest destinations from/to SJJ.
DeleteYou can't judge demand based on some random dates in July. In fact those are pretty standard prices for LTN, you can even compare with nearby destinations in the same dates, some are much more expensive. I don't mean to say there will be no demand from Sarajevo to London, just that it is not a good example.
DeleteWhat would be a good example then?
DeleteUhhh nothing because these routes were announced literally less than 2 weeks ago?
DeletePosto je ovo ex-yu stranica, ja cu na srpskohrvatskom da pisem. Ne znam ko vodi politiku Wizz Air za BiH ali tuzla je profitirala jer je prvijenac low costa u BiH tako da su cijenom privukli i putnike iz regije do 100 kilometara od tuzle. Sarajevo je nesto drugo i neminovno je da ce razrijediti putnike u tuzli. Da bi tri (pa cak i dva) aviona isla iz Sarajeva dnevno, sarajevo mora sufinancirati svaku liniju a bojim se i dotacije za gorivo. Takodje, otvorenost aerodroma je upitna jer se radi ostvarenja maksimalne iskoristenosti aviona mora produziti radno vrijeme aerodroma sarajevo. Ali, ako se i tu uzmu pare od aerodroma onda ne mora. Usljed velikih dotacija neminovno je i da se ostale kompanije pocnu buniti zbog toga jer se zna kako wizz air ide bez obraza u zahtjevima a nasi ce im sve dati. Sto se tice linija koje su predvidjene jednom sedmicno ne vjerujem osim Skandinavije.
ReplyDelete