Sarajevo Airport is engaged in active, targeted negotiations with airlines to introduce new routes. The airport is participating in industry route development events, recently taking part in the Connect forum, to negotiate both the launch of new destinations and the expansion of existing services, with a focus on improving connectivity to underserved parts of Europe. Discussions are primarily aimed at strengthening links with Western and Northern Europe, where demand is driven by diaspora traffic, tourism and business ties. In addition, efforts are underway to enhance connections with major hub airports to support onward global travel. “We have recently expanded into new markets such as the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and France, as well as growing opportunities in the Middle East. Our goal is to attract more tourists from these regions by presenting Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina as attractive travel destinations”, Vedrana Vikić Musić, Airport Services Manager at Sarajevo Airport, said.
Negotiations are closely tied to public incentive programmes, which are used as a lever to secure new air services. The Sarajevo Canton government announced this week that over 1.5 million euros has been allocated to support the launch of new routes in 2025/26 which were selected in previous tenders, while work is under way on a new incentive programme aimed at supporting additional services between 2027 and 2029. “In the coming period, the focus will remain on subsidising strategically important routes that generate the highest traffic, which is particularly significant ahead of the start of the peak travel season. Our goal is to ensure that, through systematic support, Sarajevo becomes an even more accessible and competitive destination”, Canton Premier, Nihad Uk, said.
This week, Transavia France introduced flights between Paris Orly and Sarajevo, which will be followed by new seasonal services from Ankara and Bodrum by AJet, as well as new summer flights from Berlin by Eurowings. “In addition to data-driven planning and traffic analytics, we maintain continuous dialogue with airlines to understand mutual needs, challenges, and growth plans, which, in my opinion, is crucial for building a successful partnership”, Ms Vikić Musić said. She added, “We cooperate on route promotion, tourism campaigns, and passenger experience improvements to ensure mutual value. Carefully designed incentives, tailored to the real needs of airlines, marketing support, reduced air transportation fees, and operational facilitation, help airlines reduce risk and optimize performance. By providing these incentives, we clearly demonstrate that we stand firmly by our partners, sharing both the risk and the opportunity for sustainable, long-term growth”.
We need a Ryanair base
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteHave there been any new FR routes since last March?
DeleteLast new Sarajevo route for Ryanair was Weeze on 1 April 2025. So no new Sarajevo routes in over a year.
DeleteThat is why April 2026 will have minimal passenger growth compared to previous months.
DeleteThe airport is clearly moving in the right direction, but without based aircraft from an airline, growth will likely remain gradual
DeleteCongratulations SJJ.
ReplyDeleteAny info how many passengers on the inaugural Transavia flight?
ReplyDelete€1.5 million won’t go very far if they want multiple airlines and year-round commitments.
ReplyDeleteSarajevo has always lacked strong hub connectivity. If they manage to secure more links to major hubs that would be great.
ReplyDeleteThe big challenge remains seasonality
ReplyDeletePositive momentum overall especially compared to a few years ago. The airport is clearly becoming more proactive in route development.
ReplyDeleteWould be interesting to know which specific Western and Northern European cities are being targeted next.
ReplyDeleteIt was published here a couple of times that they were talking about Prague and Dublin.
DeleteBoth would be good.
DeletePrague yes but is there really demand for Dublin-Sarajevo?
DeleteIreland opened its embassy in Sarajevo not long ago and they highlighted this as one of their priorities as well.
DeleteTo me Mostar makes more sense for Dublin connection, Irish embassy is for entire BIH, not only for Sarajevo, but you never know...
DeleteSarajevo - Mostar is 2 hours by train... Come on! If Mostar would work, Sarajevo would too!
DeleteI am 11.00. And don't get me wrong - I am happy about each and every new service and new company all around ex-yu. I just think passenger-wise, Mostar is more interesting for irish tourists, mostly pilgrims, and proximity to the coast, which may be combined, along with Sarajevo visit trip. However, the problem remains for OMO with additional training for pilots. So, let's just wait and see which one "wins", and if the service will be realized at all
DeleteHopefully Amsterdam or Madrid
ReplyDeleteStep in the right direction
ReplyDeleteTourism potential in Bosnia and Herzegovina is still underdeveloped. More direct flights could really help change that.
ReplyDelete