BH Airlines and Tuzla prepare for new flights

Brighter outlook for Tuzla Airport in 2009

Tuzla, located in Northern Bosnia and Herzegovina is the country’s third largest city however its airport, officially opened for civilian use only last year, has struggled to attract any carriers. The airport has only been used for special occasions and there have been no scheduled flights. However, this is about to change as the country’s national carrier B&H Airlines will attempt to include Tuzla Airport in its schedule. From March 29, B&H Airlines will reschedule its flights to Frankfurt from Sarajevo, making a stop in Tuzla. B&H Airlines is also considering introducing the Tuzla stop on flights from Sarajevo to Vienna and Sarajevo to Istanbul. Although some passengers from Sarajevo might find the domestic stop as an inconvenience, B&H Airlines has trailed similar flights this winter season by introducing a stop in Mostar for flights between Sarajevo and Stuttgart. In case there is no interest or low passenger numbers the aircraft will immediately continue to its final destination without making the transit stop in Tuzla.

Tuzla Airport authorities say there is potential for air traffic to commence from Tuzla to Zagreb and Belgrade as well. The government is allocating funds to upgrade current airport facilities so aircraft can land during night time. The current working hours are limited from 6.00 to 20.00 (during the summer) due to insufficient technology which would allow aircraft to land safely during the night.