The Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Transport of the Tuzla Canton has unveiled plans to launch a public call offering subsidies to airlines for the introduction of new routes from Tuzla Airport. A total of 615.000 euros will be allocated to subsidise flights to destinations including Eindhoven, Hahn, Vienna, Berlin, Malmo, and Gothenburg. The government is slated to approve this proposal next week, after which the call for applications will be issued. Airlines will have fifteen days to apply. “Establishing flights between Tuzla Canton and cities within the European Union significantly boosts tourist arrivals in our canton and positively impacts the economy. This approach is similarly adopted by other countries in the region and the EU, where financial incentives are offered to airlines to initiate flights to designated destinations”, Tuzla Canton Minister for Trade, Tourism and Transport, Almir Žilić, said.
The upcoming tender is believed to be targeted at Wizz Air, which closed its base at Tuzla Airport in 2023. The carrier recently announced the launch of a new service between Vienna and Tuzla, starting mid-June, with flights from the Austrian capital eligible for the subsidies. Furthermore, Tuzla Airport recently said it was in discussions with Wizz Air over the introduction of flights to Malmo and Gothenburg. Wizz Air has maintained a presence in Tuzla since the closure of its base, however, the number of flights and its network size have been significantly reduced causing a sharp decline in passenger numbers at the airport.
Since Wizz Air closed its base, Tuzla Airport has conducted several public calls to attract airlines, most of which have been unsuccessful. In November 2023, the local authorities provided 1.27 million euros to encourage a carrier to establish a base in Tuzla. Greece’s Lumiwings was the sole applicant, stationing a Boeing 737-700 at the airport and launching flights to Skavsta, Halmstad, Maastricht, Saarbrucken and Esbjerg. However, disputes over subsidy payments and low demand led Lumiwings to cease its operations in Tuzla within just a month. A later call for applications failed to attract any bidders.
Here we go again! More subsidies thrown at Wizz Air just so they can reduce services a year later.
ReplyDeleteTuzla was once Wizz Air’s goldmine, but they got greedy and pulled out. Now the government is paying them to come back. Smart move or just desperation?
DeleteMore flights mean more tourists, more business, and more exposure for Tuzla. Let’s focus on the positives for once.
DeleteTZL was a goldmine for Wizz?
DeleteTourist in Tuzla when no more koza?
DeleteTuzla Canton government is desperate to revive air traffic. The subsides are not good enough. I suppose no one will answer to the public call
DeleteIf Tuzla Airport really wants to grow, they need to attract multiple airlines.. Relying on one carrier is what got them into trouble in the first place!
ReplyDeleteTbf Ryanair, easyjet and Transavia also have bases in some of those airports. FR in Hahn, Eindhoven, Berlin and Gothenburg while Easyjet has one in Berlin and Transavia in Eindhoven
DeleteIf Tuzla gets Vienna, Berlin, and Malmo, that’s already a big win.
Deleteif easyJet and Transavia won't come to Sarajevo that has way more to offer, why would they come to Tuzla?
Delete615,000 euros seems like a small amount. How many flights can they realistically sustain with that?
ReplyDeleteIf Wizz comes back in full force, it could mean real growth for Tuzla. But if it’s just a few seasonal flights, it’s a waste of money.
DeleteI hope they learned from the Lumiwings disaster.
ReplyDeleteLumiwings was a joke, and no serious airline will base aircraft here unless they’re guaranteed steady traffic.
DeleteTuzla has potential, but the government needs a proper strategy.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteMalmo and Gothenburg are great choices. So many Bosnians in Sweden will appreciate these flights!
DeleteTo be honest, Tuzla has no potential for more. What was in the past was just lack of LCC flights in Banja Luka and Sarajevo and also Belgrade. What they currently have is maximum
DeleteWhat kind of potential? They have almost no flights without subsidises. Region with no tourism, one of the poorest countries in the Europe, relying only on price sensitive gasto travellers... yea, so big potential.
DeleteTuzla can grow their tourism for sure and if you flew with any of those flights you would've seen all the young foreigners
DeleteHopefully Ryanair comes back.
ReplyDeleteNo chance. They have chosen Sarajevo now.
DeleteTender with destinations like Hahn is obviously being fixed for someone.
ReplyDeleteIt's Wizz
DeleteWizz Air will take the money, operate for a while, and then pull out again when it’s no longer profitable. Seen it happen too many times.
DeleteThan there should be a tender every now and than. It is amazing how few people understand what market economy means. Hate flashes towards airlines and wish that someone shows up flying to favorite diaspora destinations for peanuts...Airlines operate on profi,t and usually thin margins of it, Bosina does not have national airline, Tuzla is not Zagreb or Belgrade so as Kraljevo or Osijek. Live with it...
DeleteSham tender for Wizz. They are already launching Vienna which is by coincidence also on the airport's list.
ReplyDeleteSo Wizz is expanding from Tuzla again but this time they will be paid for it. Great success.
ReplyDeleteSubsidies only make sense if they lead to long-term success. If these airlines leave the moment the money stops, we’re back to square one.
DeleteThey should focus on bringing reliable airlines, not just the ones that will take the subsidies and leave. Lumiwings déjà vu.
DeleteWizz Air is playing the long game. They knew Tuzla needed them, so now they’re getting paid to come back. Smart business move.
DeleteThey should negotiate a deal with a network carrier for real connections, not just budget carriers.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteTuzla should stop chasing low-cost airlines and invest in long-term sustainable routes with serious carriers.
TZL is a low budget airport. What do you expect.
DeleteWhy not use that money to develop cargo flights? That could bring steady income.
ReplyDeleteTrue
DeleteI still don’t understand why they thought Lumiwings would work. That was doomed from day one. Let’s hope they’ve learned from it.
ReplyDeleteBecause the airport has no professional management. That's why. They are political appointees which have never set foot on a plane before.
DeleteWhere’s Ryanair in all of this? They love subsidies. If Tuzla really wants to grow, they should get Ryanair or Easy Jet on board.
ReplyDeleteOnce you chase Ryanair away from an airport, they don't forgive and forget.
DeleteSeems every new route in Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to be subsidized.
ReplyDeleteTrue
DeleteThe funny thing is, Wizz Air came to Tuzla and opened a base without any subsidies.
DeleteTuzla is basically bribing Wizz Air to bring back flights they should have never cut in the first place.
DeleteEvery country in the region does this. Subsidies are part of the game. It’s just a question of whether it’s worth it.
Delete^ not to this extent.
DeleteAbsolutely yes, the subsidies in N. Macedonia and Albania are only slightly bigger than Tuzla's with way better results. Sarajevo doesn't even spend a million yearly, if they spent money like Skopje they'd have 5M passengers in 2 years
DeleteIf a route needs a subsidy it's a route not worth being in existence.
ReplyDeleteHope this works out
ReplyDeleteIf they can secure a few solid routes, this might actually help Tuzla Airport recover. Fingers crossed.
DeleteTuzla Airport was booming a few years ago. If they manage this well, they could be back on the map.
ReplyDeleteIt will be much more difficult because Tuzla was booming when Sarajevo Airport was a no go for LCCs. Now it's a different story.
DeleteIf they’re serious about growth, they need a bigger budget for those subsidies.
ReplyDelete+1
Delete