Wizz Air has announced the closure of its base in Tuzla from mid-September. The carrier will continue to operate four routes from the city. Starting September 12, the airline will no longer have two aircraft stationed at Tuzla Airport and will discontinue eleven routes with services to Basel, Dortmund, Hahn and Memmingen to continue to operate. In a statement, the airline said, “Wizz Air confirms it plans to modify its network and optimise flights in Bosnia and Herzegovina by reallocating its two based aircraft from Tuzla to other bases within its network. This is due to the changing economic environment, as well as operational challenges caused by weather in the region, and to take advantage of growth opportunities by reallocating capacity to other routes with higher demand. Although several routes will be suspended, Wizz Air will continue with flights from Tuzla to Basel Mulhouse, Dortmund, Frankfurt Hahn and Memmingen”. Routes that will be discontinued include Berlin, Billund, Cologne, Eindhoven, Friedrichshafen, Gothenburg, Baden Baden, Malmo, Nuremberg, Stockholm Skavsta and Vienna.
The development comes less than a year after Wizz Air closed its base in Sarajevo and just a month after Ryanair discontinued all operations from Tuzla. In a message to its Tuzla-based employees, Wizz Air said, “Given the operational and supply chain difficulties the aviation sector keeps facing, as well as extreme fog Tuzla is struggling with every winter, leading to compromises in planned aircraft utilisation and more diversions than normal, despite our aim to successfully run and ramp up our operations, after careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close our Tuzla base on September 12, 2023”. It added, “Wizz Air will continue to operate several inbound routes to Tuzla to serve our Bosnian and international customers. These routes were the strongest performing ones and we are committed to preserving them by flying inbound with a more reliable schedule because we can avoid fog”.
Wizz Air commenced operations from Tuzla in 2013 and opened a base in the city in 2015, becoming the first low cost carrier to do so in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Next month the airline will have a record 416 departing flights out of Tuzla, offering 74.800 seats. Wizz Air accounts for all of Tuzla Airport's scheduled passenger traffic. Affected customers will be notified via e-mail and can opt for either a 120% refund of the original fare in airline credit, a 100% cash refund, or an alternative flight. All Tuzla-based employees will be offered redeployment opportunities at other Wizz Air bases. "Our priority now is to ensure that all affected customers are contacted directly with clear advice on their options, and to look after Tuzla-based colleagues and crew. We are privileged to have a highly professional and dedicated team in Tuzla, and we are making sure that all of them are provided with opportunities in other Wizz Air bases. Wizz Air continues to operate nine routes from Bosnian airports of Sarajevo, Tuzla and Banja Luka”, Roland Tischner, Wizz Air's Managing Director and Operations Officer said.
Wow
ReplyDeleteCijela Tuzla jednu kozu muzla, pa se hvali...
DeleteAnd now that goat is gone.
The taxes were clearly a major problem.
DeleteUnfortunately I expected this.
DeleteSaid Anonymous ...
DeleteThe gote has really gone. What now. It is feasible that TZL will be in near future completely shut down.
DeleteWhat?
ReplyDeleteDear WIZZ Team
ReplyDeleteGiven the operational and supply chain difficulties the aviation sector keeps facing, as well as extreme fog Tuzla is struggling with every winter, leading to compromises in planned aircraft utilization and more diversions than normal, despite our aim to successfully run and ramp up our operations, after careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close our Tuzla base on 12 September 2023.
Wizz Air will continue to operate several inbound routes to Tuzla to serve our Bosnian and international customers. These routes were the strongest performing ones and we are committed to preserving them by flying inbound with a more reliable schedule because we can avoid fog.
We would like to express our gratitude to our Tuzla based crew for their diligent effort and commitment to Wizz Air and will take the time to individually talk to all members of the team about their future relocation preferences.
Aviation in BiH just gone down the drain.
ReplyDeleteAnd unfortunately numbers in Sarajevo are also underperforming.
DeleteSJJ and TZL can not be compared at all.
DeleteIts a epic failure for bosnian aviation to have so few direct flights from Europe. Sad for the diaspora. And also sad for the tourism. Lots of people would probably like to visit but they want direct flight to capital city or to tourist places. This is bad. And how can other Airlines have less problem with fog and weather? Its still a couple flying to Sarajevo..
DeleteNakon 10 godina magla je razlog 😂😂
ReplyDeleteTragic
DeleteActually it does when you compare the size of the base
DeleteWith this one Bih desperately needs a home carrier
ReplyDeleteThis one is a shocker, wow, just wow
What the?!?!
ReplyDeleteAbsolute disaster
ReplyDeleteWhaaaaaat? Shut the fridge!
ReplyDeleteWell this escalated quickly!
Was not expecting that at all.
Wtffffff! I am in shock
ReplyDeleteSad news for Tuzla. The airport can close its doors now.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the based Cabin Crew in Tuzla?
ReplyDeleteWith eu work visas?
DeleteThey usually offer non-EU bases, with exception of BUD, where they are able to provide the necessary permits.
DeleteMy guess is most will be offered relocation to Abu Dhabi.
DeleteSaw large billboard at Belgrade airport. Wizz is advetising jobs for cabin crew.
DeleteThese guys will most likely ask to move to Belgrade. It's close to home and culturally there is very little difference.
DeleteThere were crew from Tuzla who were based in Sarajevo and didn't go to Belgrade. None. Never. So don't make assumptions based on whatever...
DeleteI heard from a friend working there significant amount of people is going to Belgrade
Delete
DeleteLogical.
Wow
ReplyDeleteIt was a matter of time considering the airport's management for the last 10 years.
ReplyDeleteThis is sad to be honest
ReplyDeleteTuzla's economy will be hit by this too.
ReplyDeleteAt least they keep 4 routes
ReplyDeleteAt least something.
DeleteFor now...
DeleteDid they seriously blame this on fog?!?
ReplyDeleteHave you ever operated TZL flights from October till May?
DeleteThe funny thing is, it does not seem Ryanair is to keen on Bih market either.
ReplyDeleteThere is probably a reason for that.
DeleteGot to find planes for Abu Dhabi and Saudi operations.
ReplyDeleteIt brings them money. That's what a smart business does.
DeleteGreat. Bosnia's European connectivity is now even worse. :(
ReplyDeleteSrpska has good European connectivity
DeleteAnd just in November when they closed the Sarajevo base they said how they would focus on Tuzla...
ReplyDeleteGood riddance
ReplyDeleteAre you for real?
DeleteIt was Tuzla's only airline with scheduled flights. I fail to see how this can be good for them.
DeleteThat's what happens when you depend on a single airline for all of your traffic.
DeleteWaiting for the highly qualified management of TZL to respond.
ReplyDeleteMirza is preparing a highly complex statement I am sire
DeleteKo je taj Mirza ?
DeleteJe li to onaj koji je ponavljao za rasvjetu ...
At least LJU is safe of not being overtaken by Tuzla lol.
ReplyDeleteHahahaha my thoughts
DeleteLjubljana is doing way better than tuzla ;)
DeleteYeah they really showed Tuzla who is the boss.....
DeleteSJJ can now freely breath. 😂
DeleteWas not prepared for this.
ReplyDeleteSo in October Tuzla becomes the new Mostar with no passengers.
ReplyDeleteThey won't have 0 passengers because Wizz will fly 4 routes.
DeleteIt will still have more passengers and flights than Mostar.
DeleteNo because Mostar have flight from italy ans Croatie and wizz eyes flight for 2024
DeleteGood news for Belgrade.
ReplyDeleteHow exactly? Tuzla is not even close to Belgrade.
DeleteIt actually is.
DeleteNeither did anyone from Tuzla travel via BEG or viceversa.
DeleteU kom svetu zivite? Naravno da je ovo dobro i za Beograd ali i za Air Serbia i generalno za W6 u Beogradu. Dobar deo Zapadne Srbije je gravitirao ka TZL. Narocito Sabac, Valjevo, Loznica…
DeleteJos i deo putnika iz Slavonije koji ce sigurno preci na BEG. Naravno ne moraju svi ali i 20-30% od broja TZL je odlicna stvar.
Ceo taj deo RS i Bosne sada ce nedvosmisleno gravitirati ka BEG. Narocito jer Sarajevo ima tako slabu mrezu ka Zapadu Evrope.
Interesting how people who are "interested" in aviation do not know much about it and then they have currage to comment and make statements based on 0 knowledge or experience.
DeleteFamily typically flies to sarajevo from usa via a transfer somewhere in eu. This year, belgrade provided a higher value in terms of cost and time due to increased AS direct flights to USA. Even though beg is about 1 hour farther from our place in BiH, time was saved by not havingto connectsomewhere. Also car rental cost was lower in Beg in 2023 than sarajevo in 2022 for similar vehicle type. Other folks from Bosnia living in Chicago and New York area are probably doing the same thing.
DeleteWith the highway to Macva being under construction BEG will become even more accessible from western Serbia and eastern Bosnia. I expect more people to fly from Belgrade especially as JU keeps on adding more flights.
DeleteWrite now it is about 3 hour drive to BEG from Tuzla centar. With new Lozniza - Šabac motoput, it should be 2 hour 15 minutes. So not too far.
DeleteWell BEG is the closest major airport to Tuzla.
DeleteIt truly is and that is why they failed to position themselves. They just couldn't compete with BEG.
DeleteWell its kind of showing the problem if Belgrade is the closest option to Bosnia.. a 3 hour trip becomes 10.. 10 is a flight to Usa from Europe..
DeleteMajor warning for airports dependent on ULCCs for survival. This can happen in places like SKP or BNX. Having a government-owned flag carries has no substitute in EX-YU region.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteThe problem is, there is a certain critical size you must have for the government-owned flag carrier to be viable. In the region, probably Belgrade and Zagreb are the only two airports with the capacity to do this sustainably. But yes, ULCCs are not a route to happiness. Having stable connecting flights with major carriers (e.g., OS to Vienna, LH to Munich) would be the most stable economically "solution" for an airport like TZL. They're probably too geographically close+price sensitive to BEG for a connecting flight to make sense there.
Delete:(((
ReplyDeleteThis is a disaster.
ReplyDeleteDid Wizz have A320s or A321s based in Tuzla?
ReplyDeleteA320
DeleteOf course its related to Belgrade. Tuzla biggest big city is Belgrade, Sarajevo is more with bad roads to arrive and also it's not even a competetion to Tuzla and especially not to Belgrade. Many Serbs from western Sebia was using Tuzla, and huge diaspora in Bosnia and Western Serbia used Tuzla, now they will mostly move to Belgrade, mostly to Belgrade
ReplyDeleteSo Belgrade numbers will scyrock, could be 30% more passengers this year!
Bravo BEG!!! 🇷🇸
DeleteSome will use BNX because there is a highway from Doboj to BNX. Due to border crossing to Serbia and back, I think BNX has advantage to BEG
DeleteWhen you rely on such company to have connectivity.
ReplyDeleteLet me tell you all, this is most likely due to the political climate and instability of the country itself, nothing to do with fog. They just couldn't say it outloud, it would definitely spark controversy. The only way we could travel now is by bus, so book 2 tickets in advance if you wish for a comfortable seat for 24h from Tuzla to Koeln.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't have to be so tragic. You have Air Serbia to Cologne. The tickets are more than affordable and the border crossing is not too congested, so you can reach Belgrade relatively quickly.
DeleteNonsense. Fuel prices are up, labor costs are up, and demand is down due to a slowdown in the global economy. So markets like Tuzla are the first to be up for the chop. Having aircraft based there was always too good to be true.
DeleteRidiculous claim, the country is as stable as it always was and people who want to go to Köln will use the Dortmund route
DeleteAll who wants to travel to northwest Germany for example Düsseldorf, Cologne, Essen, can fly to Dortmund. There will be flight from TZL to Dortmund and also from BNX to Dortmund
DeleteNow that Ryanair has withdrawn from the market, Wizz does not have to fear that it will lose Tuzla to Ryanair anymore. So it can cut all the unprofitable routes and decrease its presence there. But clearly the number of such routes was so great that it made no sense having a base there.
ReplyDeleteWizz Air was selling tickets for Tuzla-Cologne for 15 euros and Cologne-Tuzla flights for 20 euros up until today.
ReplyDeleteTuzla-Berlin also
Tuzla-Memmingen also
It was only a matter of time.
You can also find off season 15 euro 20 euro tickets to Skopje. Mainly October,November and February. For example Eindhoven or Memmingen routes that are already for 10 years here. So for off season it doesn't have to be a bad sign. If this would be the case for example in April than it is a bad sign.
DeleteIn the summer season return tickets with 20 kg bag to SKP are between €400-€600
Tuzla-Berlin yes, but Berlin-Tuzla was note than 100€, to compensate the cheap ticket for the return.
DeleteW6 is going down on the Balkans
ReplyDeleteok this is horrible phrasing lol
DeleteFMM BNX with Ryanair is every day and single ticket in this period is over 150 euro
DeleteTurkish Airlines should support Tuzla !!!! Greetings from Istanbul Türkiye brothers.
ReplyDeleteYes, to fly to gasto villages in Germany and Sweden via Istambul.
DeleteOU might as well consider that Sarajevo base..
ReplyDeleteBosnian aviation had enough disasters, we don't need another one.
DeleteOU is well regarded in Bosnia.
DeleteThe problem is 3 small airports scattered around the country instead of one big
ReplyDeleteThat's true. If it was a richer country then that could work. But as things are there are just too many airports.
DeleteThey are building another two
Deletethat's an odd thing to say. nobody from banjaluka would go to sjj if it was the only airport. zag or beg are closer/more comfortable ride. if there were no tzl airport, people would disperse btw sjj and beg (sjj is only 30 minutes closer). it's not a bad thing to have small airports, it's an issue with taxes and wooing airlines.
Deleteno actually you confirmed it. Its the geography thats the issue here
Delete4 airports in BiH are quite good situated. All they are needed
DeleteWizz was trying to get airport work on the approach lights and make the minimums lower, the airport even signed an agreement couple of years ago, but nothing was done about it. This could be one of the reasons for their withdrawal.
ReplyDelete+100
DeleteOperated for many years but now they can't?
DeleteIt's not a matter of can or can't. Many factors play in, but given that closing (and thus, relocating) a base comes at a cost, some utility threshold must've been crossed. While it's definitely not weather alone, there's no doubt that it also introduces overhead for an airline.
DeleteI think in BiH there is capacity for only two airports, Banja Luka and Sarajevo.
DeleteThey will probably deploy these aircrafts in tia or italy. The weather conditions were really a problem for them as during the winter many times the flights were diverted to BEG or SJJ. Now Tuzla will almost be left with no flights.
ReplyDeleteLots of options. Loads of bases are more profitable.
Deleteoh good old Wizz Air what's new ...
ReplyDeleteTragic for people depending on it. There were not so few....
ReplyDeleteIm afraid it's politics again, they know something we don't.
Same in Moldova
DeleteDoing business in a dysfunctional country like Bosnia is always troublesome. I don't blame Wizz for bailing out. Locals won't pay normal prices for OS or LH so the airport might as well close down.
ReplyDeleteWow down to just 9 routes from B&H. They had over 30 this time last year.
ReplyDeletePity
DeleteInfact only 7
DeleteI fell sorry for all of Wizz Air's staff in Tuzla. Such a disappointment.
ReplyDeleteWell it was great to fly with WizzAir to Tuzla when it worked without delays, cancelled flights, overbooked plains etc. and finally the Tuzla airport who introduced a tax for entering airport, robbing people legaly because they can.. its never heard of, not even in Zimbabwe probobly. Economically well, flighing outside the season whit low ticket prices and low passanger number is probobly not so cost efficient in the long run just to move airplanes in position for other rutes. Wizz Air could if there is a possibility to agree with eith Tuzla airport and other airports just to fly in the high seasons, like June, July and August if they can rescedual the planes that is.. just putting the thoughts out there.. For resedense in Denmark and south Sweden, the Copenhagen - Zagreb/Wienna/Munchen - Sarajevo is a great option or just to Zagreb for people living in northern part of Bosnia. Prices are bit more spicey but what to do..
ReplyDeleteC'est la vie.
DeletePassengers can use Banja Luka because Ryanair have flights from Stockholm Arlanda and Geteborg to Banja Luka year around
DeleteTuzla has had extremely poor management since it was opened for commercial flights. A decade of waiting for approach lights, new road to the airport, new "atrium" etc. No wonder Wizz has left and no one else wants to fly there.
ReplyDeleteSums up BIH, everyone seems corrupt. Managed to scare off FR and now look what happens. #karma
Deleteim following the german numbers and when I look int0 the affected ones they are mediocre indeed:
ReplyDeleteall numbers for outbound direction
NUE: March 2022 72,5% LF (combined FR and W6), April 151,1pax per flight (combined) , May 144,4 pax (combined)
FDH: March 69.3% (TZL), April 157,5 pax per flight, May 144,4 pax per flight
However, LF is not always the most important parameter, FMM has also so so numbers but yields are obviously better
FMM is also their shortest route from TZL to Germany so costs also play a role. I also assume that since its a Bavarian airport, people who use these flights are slightly richer than in the rest of the country.
Deletebut NUE and FDH are really round the corner from FMM
DeleteNürnberg is not close to FMM
DeleteDoes somebody know if Wizzair got subisidies from the Bosnian government to have a base in Tuzla? Why did Wizzair actually choose for a base in Tuzla and not Sarajevo.(I know they had both but when they chose to stop in SJJ). I think they stopped in SJJ because the demand was a bit too low for 2 wizzair bases in Bosnia. Even though airport taxes are lower in Tuzla, Sarajevo would have been a better choice in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteNow Wizzair comes with a really simple excuse about weather conditions. Which is laughable, after 10 years flying to Tuzla. Another thing I am curious about is the pax at Tuzla and the average prices of the tickets.
I am not Bosnian but from the balkan diaspora. It seems that going by car to the motherland is very common for Bosnians. While Serbians, Macedonians and Albanians usually go by plane. Which could also affect demand.
There is no Bosnian government. There is only cantonal, federation of BiH government and council of ministers of BiH and Srpska Government
DeleteInformacija iz uprave aerodroma:
ReplyDeleteKažu optimiziraju letove, ove bazne avione prebacuju u Tiranu i dole ih baziraju, oni su u gubitku ovu godinu startali cca 700 miliona €, ali nama su cijelo vrijeme pričali da će u Tuzli povećati broj baznih aviona, tražili GATE 3 gdje su radovi u toku, osvjetljenje centralne linije za koje smo obezbjedili sredstva i pored svih naših iskoraka odluka njihove kompanije je ova da gase bazu u Tuzli.
E sad, ovo je prilika da neko drugi pokupi ovaj potencijal putnika iz Tuzle i to će sigurno biti ako Bog da.
Sve što je Wizz trazio mi smo pokrenuli i radimo… od Centralne linije, GATE III, produžavanja radnog vremena itd. Ocito je nesto drugo i očito je to Wizzova odluka za Bosnu, ali mi ćemo nastojati u što skorije vrijeme dovesti nove aviokompanije.
Aerodorm Tuzla je potentan i ima svoj putnički kapacitet koji će siguran sam vrlo rado neko drugi preuzeti.
Jako bitna činjenica da je Aerodorm Tuzla infrastrukturno i kadrovski unaprijeđen i da može prihvatiti i opslužiti bilo koju aviokompaniju.
Svaka nevolja je nova prilika.
Da baš... evo kompanije sve stoje u redu da lete iz Tuzle
DeleteJasno je da vas Wizz cekao predugo vreme da uradite to sto trebate, i ljudi ocigledno izgubili nadu i nemaju vreme za cekanje to je to.
DeleteWizz is a horrible airline. Perhaps there will be room for Ryannair in Tuzla some time in the future.
ReplyDeleteAnd this is why unless you have a flag carrier, you are at the mercy of other airlines just like this that will pickup and leave out of nowhere, very strange they we’re almost neck and neck with Sarajevo and Wizz was basically the only airline out of Tuzla
ReplyDeletelol BH air was famous for prioritising Tuzla
DeleteClosing Tuzla, expanding in Iraq:
ReplyDeletehttps://simpleflying.com/wizz-air-airbus-a320-family-erbil-iraq/
TZL overall performance was poorer and poorer becaus of Wizz expanding in BEG and flights from BNX. TZL has grown up in the past due to luck of LCC in BEG and fast no flights from BNX.
ReplyDeleteSituation has been changed that has really affected TZL. Wizz base in BEG and a lot of flights to EU including leisure flights from BNX. It was a question of time when will Wizz close its base at TZL.
Delete2016 vs 2023 after Covid
DeleteTZL is the new BNX.
BNX is the new TZL.
So, the numbers were high on flights from TZL. Why OU or JU don't try to took this market? They are trying to grow or to be competitive. This is a chance.
ReplyDeleteOU will add 14th weekly flight to SJJ.
DeleteWill connect this country! OU will start 14th weekly flight! Good job OU! 👏
ReplyDeleteAegean will add SKP with ATR72.
Wizz will continue to operate Basel, Memmingen, Dortmund.
Wizz Air will launch new route from London to Sarajevo for british tourists. TUI Airways also will continue to fly to LGW till March( last flights are in the end of the month ).
Jordan Aviation will continue operations to beautiful Sarajevo and in coming winter season to offer holidays packeages to bosnian cities as Sarajevo. To offer city break holidays, winter holidays to bosnian winter resorts near Sarajevo and the other parts of the country.
TUI Airways is one of the new companies that offers holidays for western tourists.
Beautiful country as Bosnia and Herzegovina is needed for more conections to Western Europe, if i have control of the aviation industry in the country i will start new routes with the german low cost airline a fully owned subsidiary of Lufthansa flights to german cities with bosnian diaspora as Dusseldorf, Hamburg Berlin.
Also with Norwegian to Gothenburg and Copenhagen.
London is a very nice addition to the network and the small dispora in UK of bosnians.
Will continue to grow operations in this country.