Pegasus Airlines is set to end flights between Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport and Tuzla, with the last service scheduled for October 23. The airline had planned to operate the route once per week throughout the 2026/27 winter season, using a 239-seat Airbus A321 aircraft. Ticket sales for next summer have also been suspended. Pegasus’ exit follows AJet’s withdrawal from the same route in June. With Pegasus; departure, Wizz Air will be the only scheduled airline serving Tuzla during the winter months.
The development comes as Tuzla Airport records a strong recovery in passenger traffic, fuelled primarily by Wizz Air. The airport handled 502.744 passengers during the first three quarters of the year, more than double the 251.332 recorded during the same period in 2025. September alone saw 59.431 passengers. The airport had already matched its full-year 2025 total of 338.132 by mid-July.
The recovery has been supported by a subsidy programme run through the Tuzla Canton Tourist Board, which has a contract with Wizz Air. The programme received some 614.000 euros in funding for 2026. Following negotiations with Wizz Air, the canton ordered an audit to assess whether the subsidy contract was delivering its aims of improving air connectivity and supporting tourism. The government accepted the audit report last month and said its findings would inform adjustments to the subsidy model, with the aim of maintaining air services. It has not published the report’s specific conclusions or any revised contract terms.
Can't say I'm surprised
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DeletePegasus should launch OMO, or SkyAlps could maybe launch Istanbul from OMO. The Turkish authorities seem willing to do special agreements like when they had allowed Air Montenegro to fly between Tuzla and Istanbul.
Deleteif they cannot make it in Tuzla how so in Mostar? because of one bridge?
DeleteEven in winter Mostar is full with visitors from Turkey, currently arriving as day tourists from Sarajevo. So yes, "one bridge" can make the difference. The Pegasus service in Tuzla was anyhow directed to carter people from Tuzla and not bringing ppl from Istanbul to Tuzla
DeletePeople who comment here have 0 idea about Bosnia, but still endlessly comment.
Deleteand people of Bosnia think they need an airport in every city ...
Delete@11:26 you do realise BiH is mountainous making internal travel still quite slow. And that those airports were all built during SFRJ.
Deleteregardless
DeleteAnon 10:26
DeleteSky Alps cannot legally fly OMO-Turkey.
@17:47 They can, if they get a permission. Air Montenegro cannot fly from Tuzla to Istanbul either, but they got an exemption back in 2023/24. The authorities in some EU countries didn't want to issue exemptions though, so the whole Tuzla-Air Montenegro project fell through. Then Lumiwings came, sought for a permission for Tuzla-Istanbul flights as well, but while waiting for that permission, something happened between Tuzla and Lumiwings...
Delete@11:33 To be clear, mountains are a challenge but not a destiny. Switzerland has mountains, Norway has mountains, Japan has mountains, Turkey has mountains. When nature gives you mountains, you still find ways to build roads and railways. The more money you throw at subsidizing micro-airports, the less you have left to build roads and railways. I'm not saying that Bosnia needs high-speed rail and a dense network of highways. But if Switzerland can make do with (essentially) two international airports (Basel's airport is in France), then perhaps Bosnia can too?
DeletePegasus should Launch flights from Banja Luka. There are a lot Turkish workers in Banja Luka region and also capacity for Tourism and connecting flights.
Delete@21.38 Amen bro
DeleteWith fuel prices being where they are, the marginal routes are first to go.
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DeleteAnd they were selling tickets for next summer just days ago. Pity
ReplyDeleteWhy travel to Europe through Istanbul when you can fly with Wizz direct?
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure this was for P2P passengers.
DeletePegasus has a very big network out of SAW.
DeleteSo Ajet leaving didn't help
ReplyDeleteTrips to Istanbul are now more expensive than trips in many destinations in Europe.
Delete^
DeleteThat's right.
Mislim da ce se vratiti od aprila u Tuzlu,jer još nisu sredili letove za sledeću sezonu.
ReplyDeleteThey had flights on sale in April just a few days ago and then removed them.
DeletePa ni Sarajevo nema letova u aprilu,pa?
DeleteJust get Austrian, Swiss or Eurowings for connections. The amount of money that is given to Wizz Air in subsidies for P2P traffic is too big. I know it's for the diaspora, but you cannot cover the whole diaspora that way. Many diaspora-rich destinations still aren't covered.
ReplyDelete^ 'Just get Austrian, Swiss or Eurowings for connections', its not so easy. Those airlines have to make money on routes, and subsidies alone are not enough to attract airlines who might be able to send their expensive aircraft to far more lucrative places than Tuzla.
DeleteI opet se oslanjaju na Wizz koji će ih sigurno ošamariti još jednom i povući se možda opet.Jesu li nesposobni ili šta da ne mogu dovesti i druge aviokompanije,ovaj direktor je toliko dosadan stalno ponavlja jedno te isto u krug i priča gluposti.Nek stave na čelo direktora nekog čovjeka koji zna šta da radi.A ne kao ovaj Dževad da ponavlja sve jedno te isto na intervjuima a to je npr:"mi smo stvorili pretpostavke","grade se nova svjetla","otvara se 3.gejt","stalno pregovaramo sa Wizzom i novim partnerima"...
ReplyDeletea na koga da se oslanjuju? Easyjet?
Delete"I am sure the management doesn't even know that Pegasus has withdrawn from TZL."
ReplyDeleteQuite surprising that Tuzla cannot sustain even a weekly flight to Istanbul. You would think there would be sufficient demand considering the size of the catchment area and the popularity of Turkey among Bosnian travellers.
ReplyDeleteI don't think this is a big loss for Tuzla. One weekly flight on a 239-seat aircraft was never going to be particularly useful for either business travellers or people making connections
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Deleteand one weekly on a turbo prop would?
DeleteWizz Air is clearly doing something right in Tuzla. Passenger numbers have doubled and the airport is finally recovering after a few difficult years. Credit where credit is due.
ReplyDeleteExactly. Over 500,000 passengers in nine months is an excellent result. People seem to forget how bad things looked for Tuzla just two years ago. The airport management deserves some recognition..
DeleteIs the airport any improved inside? It was rathe shabby the one time I used it. Admittedly that was 4years ago.
DeleteI am surprised Pegasus didn't arrange a press conference in Tuzla to present a case for keeping the route open and ask for subsidies. Starting a petition for Tuzlaks to express support for Pegasus would not surprise me, given similar developments in the wider region. Passengers demand choice and, with Pegasus leaving, they are left without any choice at TZL airport.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, one may wonder if subsidies of over 600k Euros would be better spent on improving local education and healthcare.
Subsidising airlines makes sense, if that money comes back multiplied via tourism, diaspora visits etc. That money could then be spent on education, healthcare etc. However, even if it brings tourists and diaspora, how many of those people actually spend money in the Tuzla Canton? It's not a very touristed region. The whole idea behind Wizz Air in Tuzla has been to carry diaspora from all over BiH.
DeleteThat's why I think something like Austrian or Swiss would be better (they would primarily carry locals, local diaspora and foreigners actually going to Tuzla), and then just keep Memmingen, Dortmund and Basel/Mulhouse like when Wizz Air didn't have a base.
So the canton has accepted the audit report but hasn't published any of its findings. If public money is being used to subsidise a private airline, taxpayers deserve to know exactly what they're getting in return.
ReplyDeleteWhy are the audit conclusions not public? It would be interesting to see whether the government considers the subsidy programme successful and what changes it intends to introduce
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame to lose the Istanbul link, but the priority should be making sure Wizz Air's existing routes remain viable throughout the winter. Another sudden reduction in capacity would be far more damaging than losing one weekly Pegasus flight.
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