Wizz Air to discontinue five Tuzla routes this winter

Wizz Air is set to discontinue five routes from its Tuzla base during the 2026/27 winter season, with the affected services also absent from the airline's schedule for next summer. The carrier will end flights to Gothenburg on October 21, followed by Maastricht and Berlin on January 8, Bratislava on January 9 and Cologne on January 10. The changes represent a further reduction in the low cost airline's network from Tuzla, less than a year after it reopened its base at the airport. All five routes were introduced or reinstated following the carrier's return to the city in December 2025, with several having operated for less than a year.

In addition to the route cancellations, Wizz Air is reducing frequencies on its Malmo service from four to two weekly flights, although operations will continue throughout the winter season. From mid-January until the end of March, the airline will maintain services from Tuzla to Basel, Dortmund, Hamburg, Malmo, Memmingen and Hahn. As previously reported, Wizz Air has also announced the introduction of flights between Tuzla and Baden Baden from March 24, 2027, marking the route's return following a three-and-a-half-year hiatus. The service will operate twice per week. The latest network adjustments follow earlier reductions at Tuzla, including the discontinuation of flights to Beauvais in August and the seasonal suspension of services to Larnaca.

The changes come as Tuzla Airport prepares to lose its only other scheduled carrier for the winter season. As previously reported, Pegasus Airlines will discontinue flights between Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport and Tuzla on October 23, despite originally planning to maintain a weekly service during the winter months. The Turkish carrier is scheduled to resume operations on April 2, 2027, with one weekly flight. Its withdrawal follows AJet's exit from the same route in June, leaving Wizz Air as Tuzla's sole scheduled airline for most of the upcoming winter. Chair Airlines has scheduled four flights from Zurich during the holiday period, on December 18 and 24, as well as January 1 and 4, before restoring its seasonal flights from March 25.

The network reductions also come amid renewed scrutiny of the financial incentives provided to Wizz Air by the Tuzla Canton authorities. The Tuzla Canton Tourist Board has a subsidy agreement with the airline, with approximately 614.000 euros allocated to the programme for 2026. Following discussions with Wizz Air, the cantonal government ordered an audit to determine whether the agreement was achieving its objectives of improving connectivity and encouraging tourism. The government accepted the audit report last month, indicating that its findings would serve as the basis for potential adjustments to the subsidy model. However, neither the specific conclusions of the audit nor any revised contractual arrangements have been made public.

Wizz Air has a long and occasionally turbulent history at Tuzla Airport. The carrier launched flights to the city in 2013 and established its first base there in 2015, becoming the first low cost airline to do so in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It subsequently expanded its presence before shutting the base in September 2023, withdrawing its two stationed aircraft and discontinuing most of its routes. At the time, the airline cited operational difficulties, including persistent winter fog and aircraft utilisation challenges, as well as changing market conditions. The base was reopened in December 2025, with two aircraft stationed at the airport by March this year and a series of new routes introduced.