Wizz Air is considering the introduction of flights from its Balkan bases, including Belgrade, Skopje, Podgorica and Tuzla, to Bilbao as the northern Spanish city continues its efforts to establish new air links with the region. The carrier has identified opportunities for further expansion at Bilbao Airport, particularly from destinations in Central and Eastern Europe that currently lack nonstop services to the Basque Country. Speaking to the Spanish newspaper “Deia”, Wizz Air's Director of Routes, Samuel Ferrera, confirmed that the airline was evaluating additional connections, with the Balkans among the markets being considered. The development comes as Bilbao's local authorities seek to improve connectivity with Southeast Europe, having specifically identified Belgrade and Zagreb as potential new destinations.
Mr Ferrera said the airline had several routes under consideration as part of its continued expansion at Bilbao Airport. "We still have bases that are not connected to Bilbao, such as in the Balkans, where there is no point-to-point connectivity with Bilbao, and this is something we are not ruling out", he said. The executive noted that the carrier was examining a number of potential additions to its network. He added that Bilbao and the wider Basque Country were proving increasingly attractive to travellers from Central and Eastern Europe. Wizz Air expects to offer 1.4 million seats on thirteen routes from Bilbao in 2027, compared to around 600.000 this year.
Bilbao has been actively pursuing new air connections with the former Yugoslavia as part of a wider strategy to strengthen its international accessibility and diversify incoming tourism markets. In February, Bilbao City Council identified Belgrade and Zagreb among cities with potential for future nonstop flights. Earlier this month, Bilbao hosted the third edition of its tourism promotion programme, bringing together 42 tour operators from fourteen countries across Central and Eastern Europe. The event, held from October 6 to 10, included representatives from Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. Organised by Bilbao City Council in cooperation with Wizz Air and Spain's national tourism organisation, the initiative aimed to strengthen commercial ties with travel companies and encourage the development of new visitor flows. A total of 567 business meetings were scheduled between participating tour operators and local tourism businesses, alongside familiarisation visits to Bilbao and the wider Basque Country.
Bilbao would be a fantastic addition from Belgrade. Northern Spain is seriously underrated and there are currently very few convenient options to get there.
ReplyDeleteSpain is not under rated in the slightest. Europeans know for decades ite charms and various regions. But yes more direct flights to exyu would help.
DeleteThey didn't say Spain, they said northern Spain.
DeleteI meant northern spain isnt under rated. Its just unknown by many in the Balkans.
DeleteThat's exactly what the OP was saying.
DeleteSure 09:15, nobody ever heard of the Basque country in the Balkans. Don't patronise, it' neither unknown nor underrated it's just not well connected, hence the flights to Bilbao would be fantastic.
DeleteIts not patronising to note the limited tourist links from the Balkans to that region. Hell for many people in the Balkans Tenerife is exotic.
DeleteIs it not actually?
DeleteBasque Country gets more tourists from Spain than abroad and it's probably the best food destination in the country, the architecture is good and there's an upscale market for goods thanks to the strong economy.
DeleteFood is as good as in Andalusia, maybe even better!
DeleteWizz is expanding aggressively in Macedonia and could easily fill two weekly flights during the summer.
ReplyDeleteWizzair have not as of yet announced any expansion for 2027 have they?
DeleteThey have not.
DeleteThey will very soon
DeletePeople keep saying that.
Delete@09:19 you were saying the same thing about this winter, but now its confirmed that they canceled the plans to base the 8th aircraft in SKP base this year. So dont say stuff if u dont know anything about it.
DeleteLet's be realistic, how many people from Tuzla are going to Bilbao? lol
ReplyDeleteGovorili smo tako i za Larnaku,pa je avion iz Tuzle za Larnaku pun.
DeleteWasn't LCA suspended for most of summer and is being suspended from next week again? I think it operated for 4 weeks in total.
Delete2 mjeseca je Wizz Air letio u ljetnom redu letenja TZL- LCA.
DeleteLCA je bila suspendovana zbog rata i ne samo iz TZL nego i iz SKP.
DeleteLCA had a sharp decline in pax this spring. Frequencies have been reduced but if you have only 2 weekly they had to pause it.
DeleteBilbao is not exactly a typical low cost holiday destination. Accommodation is expensive, the weather is unpredictable and most Balkan tourists would probably prefer Malaga, Alicante or Barcelona.
ReplyDeleteYou'd be surprised. I can see Bilbao-Belgrade working well.
DeleteTwo weekly flights from Belgrade between May and October could work quite well. There is enough interest in Spain and Bilbao offers something completely different to the usual Mediterranean destinations.
Delete+1 would be welcome.
DeleteActually, W6 flights from Spain is packed with Spanish tourists coming to Serbia. A lot less vice versa. So yes, Bilbao route 2pw would work well whole year, only if W6 would have the guts to start it
DeleteWeather in North Spain is not like 30 years ago.Rain and colder is less that before .South Spain is hotter than before and they are people that know prefer move to North .
DeleteThis would be an excellent opportunity for Zagreb but unfortunately Wizz doesn't have a base there. Ryanair should seriously look into it.
ReplyDeleteDoes Ryanair fly to Bilbao?
DeleteNo, they don't. And they certainly wont start to from Zagreb.
DeleteWell Croatia Airlines could launch it.
Delete^ have you seen their Spain network. Madrid is seasonal...
Delete09.06
DeleteJoke of the day! 🙂
I'm surprised Zagreb doesn't already have flights to Bilbao considering Croatia's popularity among Spanish tourists. This seems like an obvious seasonal opportunity.
DeleteWell Bilbao-Split launched this year.
Delete@anon 09:07 Well, Madrid is not seasonal
DeleteWizz cancelling Belgrade-Madrid and they want to fly to Bilbao... No comment!
ReplyDeleteCalm down.
DeleteAS beat Wizz on route to Madrid and not canceling, only make it seasonal. Well only BEG as serious city most connected in the region has sense to Bilbao.
DeleteWell the only place linked atm is Split, a serious tourist city. Wizair
DeleteWould be better for consumers, but any links are better than none.
Wizz is not making BEG-MAD seasonal. They are terminating route. Tickets for summer have been removed.
DeleteSplit is a serious seasonal city.
DeleteIndeed. Makes seriously loads of money too.
DeleteThey’re evaluating, which means we will not see it. Only hope is JU
DeleteThe problem with Belgrade is that Wizz's future there remains uncertain because of the regulatory situation. I doubt they will commit to too many new routes until that is resolved.
DeleteWould be nice. It's not just the city itself but the entire Basque Country, including San Sebastian, which is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.
ReplyDeleteWizz has so many routes under consideration that I wouldn't get too excited
ReplyDeleteBilbao Airport growing from 600,000 to 1.4 million Wizz seats in just one year is quite remarkable.
DeleteWhy doesn't Air Serbia consider Bilbao? They could offer connections from the region through Belgrade and wouldn't be dependent on point to point demand alone.
ReplyDeleteThey likely are. But it would be a thin route i think for them, but definatly it'll be on their radar.
DeleteI think there is not much else for Air Serbia to add in Spain other than Bilbao. I believe they have 8 destinations.
DeleteThe can add more Canaries and expand existing routes. Generally as well as Spain. Collecting destinations is all well and good but frequency is needed too.
DeleteThey have been adding frequencies to Spain.
DeleteGreat. We still want more wizz too.
DeleteJU needs to add Ibiza first before venturing to this corner of Spain.
DeleteIf Wizz introduce it, JU will announce starting 3 weeks before them.
DeleteWhat a joke. W6 will start Bilbao only if JU start it first and prove it viable. Copy JU, paste W6, standard procedure
Delete@10 you are so very boring with thay comment.
DeleteASL's A220s or E-jets are ideal for such a route.
Delete@10:10 It's not a comment, it's a reality. And yes, it's so boring. Without a sign of changing.
Delete^ rather like your observations.
DeleteSarajevo - Bilbao is more realistic than Tuzla - Bilbao (and maybe they can have some subsidies)
ReplyDeleteBiH-Bilbao isnt realistic i think at all.
DeletePa piše da razmatraju,što ne znači da će Wizz uvesti letove iz Tuzle za Bilbao.
DeleteBIH-Girona wasn't realistic either, and yet Ryanair is so satisfied with the load factor that, for 2027, they are increasing the frequency from 2 to 3 flights per week (tickets are already on sale).
DeleteAnd next to Bilbao is San Sebastian - (also known as Donostia) in the Basque Country of northern Spain is widely recognized as the gastronomic capital of Europe with the most Michelin stars per capita.
ReplyDeleteA paradise for food lovers. an unmatched creativity on the plate....
Wizz Air should launch Madrid-Sarajevo, if they want to launch something between BiH and Spain, although it would be much better, if one of the airlines that provide connections through MAD launched it.
ReplyDeleteI know this post is about Bilbao, but do you guys think about AS flying to Seville?
ReplyDeleteThey already do. It launched 2 weeks ago
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2026/09/photos-air-serbia-launches-eighth-spain.html
Sorry, I meant to ask about Seville being successful or not.
DeleteSkopje to Bilbao could be nice
ReplyDeleteEveryone keeps mentioning outbound demand but I think the bigger opportunity is bringing Spanish tourists to the Balkans. Spain is a huge travel market and we are still relatively unknown there.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has visited Bilbao several times, I can only recommend it. Great food, beautiful coastline, excellent public transport and plenty of places to explore nearby. Much more interesting than another beach destination.
ReplyDeleteAir Serbia should open this route.
ReplyDeleteWizzair should open this route to Belgrade.
DeleteWizz air is withdrawing. They failed miserably at MAD, so what are the chances for BIO??
DeleteThey'll outlast JU. Dont you worry about that.
DeleteWhat I find encouraging is that Spanish cities are increasingly taking an interest in this region.
ReplyDeleteBilbao is actively courting airlines while our airports seem to be waiting for someone to come knocking on their door.
ReplyDeleteI think people are overestimating the demand. Bilbao is a relatively small market and there are no significant business or diaspora links with the Balkans.
ReplyDeleteOf course. Its just aiport PR and looking for publicity.
Delete