B&H plans 2012 expansion

B&H looks to add new destinations

B&H Airlines is planning to stretch its wings in 2012. The airline’s CEO, Altan Buyukyilmaz, confirmed several weeks ago that the Bosnian carrier is looking at new markets. Recently, B&H Airlines polled passengers whether they would like to see flights to Vienna and Frankfurt resume. The airline made a surprise suspension of the flights earlier in the year. Passengers are strongly in favour of them making a comeback in the B&H network. The airline’s management has been pleased with the way B&H’s summer charters from Mostar to Pescara in Italy have performed and the airline is considering launching scheduled flights to the Italian capital Rome next summer.

B&H Airlines has a big enough fleet to operate additional new destinations. With three aircraft the airline currently flies to only five destinations, with flights to Amsterdam to resume next week. During the year the airline bid farewell to Belgrade, Frankfurt, Gothenburg, Vienna and Stockholm and temporarily suspended flights to Copenhagen and Amsterdam. After a strong start to the year, with B&H recording a significant passenger surge, numbers have considerably declined in the third quarter with the airline handling only 38.691 passengers from July through to September , a decrease of 30% compared to the same period last year. Still, the airline should just surpass 2010’s end of year result when it welcomed 138.241, although recent flight cancelations caused by foggy weather in Sarajevo might make this goal more difficult to reach.