FlyBosnia’s summer network unveiled


FlyBosnia plans to resume scheduled international flights next month with services from Sarajevo to the Gulf region. The carrier is expected to begin operations to Doha in Qatar, followed by Riyadh, Gassim and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Manama in Bahrain, as well as Kuwait City. The airline had previously served points in Saudi, Bahrain and Kuwait. The carrier will also run charter flights to Egypt and Turkey over the summer. It last operated scheduled flights in March 2020, before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. FlyBosnia recently took delivery of a 180-seat all-economy Airbus A320 jet and plans to further grow its fleet with the same aircraft type.

The Middle East is one of Sarajevo Airport’s busiest markets. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, in 2019, 95.990 passengers flew indirectly between the region and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital on a single itinerary. According to global data provider OAG, 23.417 travellers flew indirectly between Kuwait and Sarajevo, 7.092 to/from Riyadh, 6.567 to/from Jeddah, 436 to/from Gassim, 2.755 to/from Doha and 6.652 passengers to and from Manama. During that year, in addition to indirect travel, Sarajevo Airport was linked to Kuwait, Riyadh, Jeddah, Gassim and Doha with nonstop flights. This summer, FlyBosnia will not be alone in maintaining operations between the Gulf and Sarajevo. Services will also be run by Flydubai, Air Arabia and flynas. Qatar Airways, which ran flights to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital prior to the pandemic, has suspended operations on the route until further notice.

FlyBosnia considers the Gulf its core market. Earlier this month, the company said, FlyBosnia will revolutionise air transport in the Balkans by providing value for money, taking into account the safety, health and satisfaction of our customers. FlyBosnia is known for its affordable ticket prices, motivating staff and professionalism. It is the main bridge between the Balkans and the Middle East”. The airline was set up by Saudi Arabia's Al Shiddi Group, which was founded in 1975 with interests in various fields, including construction, real estate, agriculture and tourism. The Saudi conglomerate has been operating in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2006 and is the country’s largest Arab investor.



Comments

  1. Anonymous09:06

    The Gulf, expected.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:09

      What were they supposed to do. Compete against Wizz to Europe?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:11

      The Gulf was their niche from the beginning. And I think they did quite well on those routes.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:17

      Smart idea in my opinion. They would only be losing money on flights to West with 180 seat plane operating to expensive main airports. Stick to what you know. These flights can bring in some nice money.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:55

      They tried flying to Europe in 2019 and it didn't work.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:06

    Do these markets even allow their own citizens to travel?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:14

      I know that Qatar allows it but you have to go into 2 week home quarantine on return.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:08

    This i fantastic news for Sarajevo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:10

      *is

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:12

      Indeed, Sarajevo's recovery will be very strong this year.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:13

      +1

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:49

      Fantastic news for who? Arabs and their summer getaway plans? This never was and never will be a national airline. Just a tourist connection to B&H.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:51

      Arabs bring money to Bosnia and help our tourism sector

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:59

      And what's wrong with that @anon 9.49?

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:01

      Like I said below, locals travel to the Gulf too, it's not that expensive, some just want to do a tourist visit, others have family and friends living/working there.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:09

    When will flights start?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:11

      Next month if all goes to plan.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous23:57

      Middle of May when second plane arrives.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:11

    They still haven't started ticket sales.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous23:58

      That was an issue last time too. They would start ticket sales for new routes (London) just days before they launched. I hope their website is up and running soon.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:13

    These are all good developments for Sarajevo. There will be an extensive Middle East network, Wizz Air is finally linking Sarajevo with main European markets, and there will even be flights to the US.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:15

      Sarajevo's time to shine.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:21

      SJJ's numbers will sky rocket.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:15

    I will believe it when I see it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous09:15

    So the debt to Sarajevo Airport has obviously been settled?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous09:16

    Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous09:16

    I hope it's more successful then the other airlines in B&H.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:16

      Well they've already lasted longer than most.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:19

      It's a private airline, so the good news is that it doesn't really matter if it's successful or not, they are not burning public money like previous airlines

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:47

      Who covered their debt to SJJ the last time around?

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:18

    Hopefully they will have more support from local authorities this time around. They will bring in key tourists for BiH that spend a lot of money.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:34

      Why should the government help out a privately owned airline? I don't get it.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:36

      Well my guess their logic is they bring the passengers/tourists to Bosnia.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:39

      I highly doubt they do. It will probably be Wizz Air that brings the most.

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:21

    I'm trying to be optimistic and I do wish them all the best BUT I think it will be very difficult for them. This isn't an easy business especially with all the changing travel restrictions and entry bans.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:16

      Bahrain has reopened. You can go there with negative PCR test.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous09:22

    Do any locals from BiH use these flights?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:23

      Yes. Everyone wants to spend a beautiful summer city escape in Riyadh and enjoy 50 degree weather.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:43

      Their GCC routes did well because they were sold as part of tour packages

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:59

      Locals travel to the Gulf too, it's not that expensive, some just want to do a tourist visit, others have family and friends living/working there. Stop seeing it as a one-way thing.

      Delete
  14. Anonymous09:24

    Sretno i uspješno poslovanje

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:51

      To su ipak dobre vijesti! Ne treba zaboraviti da je u pitanju privatna kompanija.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous09:25

    given that there will be SJJ-DOH, we can forget about QR returning on SJJ tarmac anytime soon:

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:29

      I think the majority of QR's passengers were transfers. Even so I also think they won't be coming back, but not because of Fly Bosnia.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous09:27

    Good luck but Sarajevo needs more flights to western capitals.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:32

      There is Wizz for that.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:40

      They fly from secondary European airports.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:47

      Since when is Copenhagen a secondary airport?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:54

      CPH is the only main airport they are flying to in their Sarajevo network. I am also skeptical that they will really start flights as announced.

      Delete
    5. They tried with Rome and London before virus and it didn't work. Why should they force some routes if there is no demand. That would be stupid from business point of logic. Right?

      Delete
  17. Anonymous09:30

    They must have more than one plane if they are going to fly thee routes plus charters to Turkey and Egypt.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:32

      " FlyBosnia recently took delivery of a 180-seat all-economy Airbus A320 jet and plans to further grow its fleet with the same aircraft type."

      Delete
  18. Anonymous09:33

    The secret is in the charters and where the real money is made. This is what the majority of the other carriers must do - utilise the aircraft 100%.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:42

      But what about low season (7+ months)?

      Delete
  19. Anonymous09:40

    Well, makes sense.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous09:44

    Why not try Mostar?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:46

      No one wants to fly from Mostar.

      Delete
  21. Anonymous09:48

    It's good to see that they are serious and plan to expand.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous09:48

    I love their new livery, good luck FlyBosnia! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:28

      Me too. So much better than the previous one. I like the billboard titles and colours. Fit the plane well.

      Delete
  23. Anonymous09:53

    Bravo Fly Bosnia! Maybe they can offer connecting flights via Sarajevo to some European cities? This airline has a lot of potential if the Bosnian authorities offer incentives.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17:05

      They already tried offering European connections. They flew to London and Rome but the routes didn't work even before covid.

      Delete
  24. Anonymous09:54

    They also plan to connect Italy with Međugorje. That was behind the idea to have one aircraft at Mostar airport. Maybe they will re-activate this idea depending on Covid situation in Italy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17:04

      First Italy would need to open up. I wouldn't count on it for this summer.

      Delete
  25. Anonymous10:04

    Are Flynas and FlyBosnia owned by the same company?

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous10:12

    How many people in B&H even heard for Gassim?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:57

      Sarajevo-Gassim postoji od 2017, i vrlo je profitabilna

      Delete
  27. Anonymous10:13

    If they could get a small regional plane 50 seater to link regional cities with Sarajevo and then offer connections to the Gulf they could really become a Balkan specialist for the Gulf.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:28

      This is a good idea actually.

      Delete
    2. that could work very well all year round... as low season is difficult for small airlines for sure

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:49

      SJJ isn't suitable to be a hub, due to its weather-related limitations.

      Delete
  28. Jack12:18

    Who is the tour ops chartering the plane to Egypt and Turkey ? Any idea ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:36

      CentroTours for Turkey, not sure for Egypt. Last year they were flying for Fibula.

      Delete
  29. Anonymous16:46

    I really like their livery. It may look like Ryan because of the colours, but not really.
    SJJ will be booming this summer! Lets hope LJU also gets something and not only 1 weekly flight to BWK.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous16:55

    Riyadh will be daily, Gassim, Jeddah, Doha and Kuwait 2x weekly and Manama 1x weekly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:56

      Riyadh, Manama and Kuwait will be departing Sarajevo in the morning and the rest in the evening.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:56

      Also, should start 17th of May but I'm skeptical about that launch date.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:58

      Those frequencies seem rather reasonable.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous16:59

      If that scheduling is correct it means they will have to have another plane in the fleet.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous19:15

      They said they will have more than one plane.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous19:15

      Even this seems too ambitious with current travel restrictions.

      Delete
  31. Anonymous16:59

    I don't understand what they are doing with the plane. They got it last week and they are still not using it??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17:03

      The same thing happened when they first launched flights in 2019. The plane came more than a month before flights started.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous23:59

      They are waiting to be put in Bosnian registry. It will happen in next few days.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous02:47

      Couldn't they have done it before the plane arrived?

      Delete
  32. Anonymous19:16

    Why not Dubai?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:18

      Its covered by Flydubai which will have 2 daily flights in peak season.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous02:46

      True. Makes no sense to compete.

      Delete
  33. Anonymous19:19

    wow Sarajevo's coverage of mid East routes this summer will be fantastic Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Doha, Kuwait, Riyadh, Jeddah, Gassim, Bahrain. Nice

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:59

      Those destinations are showing the way for the future of Bosnia.

      On the other hand not enough interest for prime airports in Paris, Rome, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Madrid, Brussels or EU in general. Based on this observation one has to wonder if Bosnia's long term future is in EU or where the demand really comes from.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous22:35

      So, just to get this straight, because Arab tourists are obsessed with Bosnia as a tourist destination, that for you means that Bosnia´s long term future is not in the EU? Lol, ok. Does that also mean because half of Belgrade and Air Serbia is owned by the Arabs, their future is also not in the EU? I mean, it would be fair to apply the same logic, no?

      Delete
    3. If there is demand for gulf countries why should they force west Europe which didn't work?

      It's unbelievable that we are not free from blindness and stupidity of nationalism/racism even on this kind of web portals.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous23:56

      Impressive

      Delete
    5. Anonymous01:19

      @Anon 22:35

      82% of Air Serbia is owned by the Government of Serbia. Majority of infrastructure and real estate projects in Belgrade are funded by EU and private investors from Serbia and Israel.

      Sometimes it's better to keep mouth closed and appear smart than to open a mouth and prove you are a fool.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous08:52

      @Anon 01:19: Air Serbia until recently was owned half by the Arabs, it´s just recently that the government took over, tako da ne pricaj bajke. Yes, Israeli´s are investing here and there, in some shopping centers, GTC center on Novi Beograd and such, but come on half of Belgrade was taken over by Arabs, Beograd na Vodu npr. Serbia is getting infrastructure investments from the EU in the same ratio as Bosnia is, through the IPA projects for future members. On top of that China is investing a lot in Serbia, does that mean Serbia´s future is in China? It´s funny that you´re telling me that I´m a fool for mentioning that for Serbia and Arabs, but Bosnia not having a future in the EU because of Arab tourist is completely logical? Nece da moze ;)

      Delete
  34. Anonymous19:42

    Somehow claiming that you are professional does not seem to be professional. Being professional is about actions, not words.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anonymous23:57

    For those asking how they will carry out these flights, FlyBosnia's second A320 is currently being worked on at Istanbul Airport in the hangar. It will probably be done in a week or two.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous00:12

      Well done

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:43

      Do you know the MSN of the Aircraft or the registration?

      Delete

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