Summer changes for Adria, B&H and Montenegro Airlines

Tomorrow, the 2012 Northern Hemisphere summer season begins. Following on from last week, when changes and additions were published for Croatia Airlines and Jat Airways, this week amendments for Adria Airways, B&H Airlines and Montenegro Airlines can be viewed.

Adria Airways’ summer season sees a big reduction in operations compared to last year. Flights to Paris, Warsaw, Toulon and Banja Luka were all suspended last year. Seasonal flights to Athens, Dublin, Kiev and Stockholm won’t be resuming this summer. The airline will reduce frequencies on regional flights with services to Priština, Tirana and Skopje taking a hit. On the other hand, the Slovenian carrier will launch new flights to London Luton Airport, increase frequencies to Copenhagen and operate numerous charters.

B&H Airlines will operate flights only to Istanbul, Copenhagen and Zurich via Banja Luka. The airline currently has a single ATR72 in operation. However, if its Turkish part owner manages to make amends with the Bosnian government other aircraft could be returned to the B&H fleet which would lead to some destinations being resumed.

Finally, Montenegro Airlines will reduce frequencies to several destinations. The most notable is a reduction of nine weekly flights from Podgorica to Zurich. The airline will also halve the number of flights to Moscow. However, the Montenegrin carrier will introduce a new service from Tivat to London Gatwick and will strengthen frequencies to Paris.

By clicking on the links below, you can view the 2012 summer season changes in more detail.

Adria Airways • B&H Airlines • Croatia Airlines • Jat Airways • Montenegro Airlines

Interest from low cost airlines to fly to Sarajevo Airport

Sarajevo could soon see low cost flights from London, Rome and Dusseldorf as the Bosnian government relaxes its conditions towards no frills airlines. The government currently requires low cost airlines to pay a levy of ten euros per passenger in order to operate flights to the country. Until recently, the levy amounted to fifteen euros but the state government gave up on its share of the takings while the Federation government is expected to follow suit. According to the Al Jazeera Balkans network, interest has been shown for flights to commence from London, Rome, Dusseldorf and a city in Sweden to Sarajevo this summer. Recently, the low cost Austrian airline Niki, owned by Air Berlin, said it was evaluating the Bosnian market.

New airlines would be more than welcomed by airports in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In February, the country’s busiest airport, Sarajevo, suffered a 21% passenger decrease by handling only 26.278 passengers. During the month the airport was affected by bad weather but also B&H Airlines’ route suspensions. However, the full brunt of the carrier’s woes is to be felt at the airport in March. Currently, B&H operates a single daily flight to Istanbul with an ATR72. During February, Banja Luka Airport welcomed 424 passengers and Mostar 318. Tuzla did not manage to attract any passengers last month.

Sarajevo Airport is served by two low cost airlines - Germanwings and Norwegian Air Shuttle. Norwegian operates flights on a seasonal basis and will be resuming services from Oslo and Stockholm to the Bosnian capital this summer. On top of its all year round service from Cologne, Germanwings will resume seasonal flights from Stuttgart to Sarajevo this summer as well.

Scandinavian model for former Yugoslavia suggested

The Secretary General of the Association of European Airlines, Ulrich Schulte Strathaus, has told the Slovenian daily “Dnevnik” that in order for the national carriers of the former Yugoslavia to survive they will need to unite into a single airline. “The once single Yugoslav market is now fragmented and a regional solution is necessary. The region needs an airline that would cover local needs and connect with global hubs”, Strathaus says. He notes that he recently discussed the issue with Adria Airways’ management. “It would be great if Adria Airways, which has extensive knowledge of the Balkan market, were to initiate a regional summit which would be dedicated to this issue, however, due to political quarrels I doubt this could happen”, Strathaus adds.

The Association of European Airlines counts 34 members, mostly national carriers. Adria Airways, Croatia Airlines and Jat Airways are all members. Montenegro Airlines also used to be a member of the association but mysteriously left after a few months. Strathaus believes that certain markets in the former Yugoslavia are too small to have their own national carrier. He notes that Serbia can’t find an investor for Jat, Croatia Airlines and Montenegro Airlines are operating with mounting problems and that B&H Airlines will go bankrupt when Turkish Airlines ceases financing it.

Last year, an idea to unite the former Yugoslav aviation market was put on the table during talks between the Serbian government and Turkish Airlines. It was suggested that a regional airline, Balkan Airways, could serve as a national carrier for Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedonia. In September 2011, Croatia Airlines and Adria Airways reached an agreement over a common business plan model. The two airlines agreed to strengthen ties and cooperate on jet leasing as a means of improving efficiency and streamlining fleet utilisation.

B&H resumes operations

B&H Airlines has resumed operations with a single ATR72 and will operate flights to Istanbul. It’s Airbus A319, will soon rejoin Turkish Airlines’ fleet as the carrier abruptly ended its lease of the aircraft to B&H on February 27.

Crisis hit B&H Airlines suspends all flights

B&H Airlines has suspended all operations until further notice but has not ceased the sale of tickets to Zurich, Istanbul and Copenhagen. The airline is currently scheduled to resume operations to Istanbul on March 13, according to the Amadeus global ticketing system. However, the Bosnian carrier has suspended its planned seasonal flights to Gothenburg and Stockholm. It comes a week after it indefinitely suspended services to Amsterdam.

Currently, B&H Airlines does not have an aircraft in Sarajevo. Its two ATR72s are in Monchengladbach in Germany’s west. The ATR registered E7-AAD left weeks ago while the other, E7-AAE, took off for Monchengladbach on March 9. They are officially there for regular maintenance. Meanwhile, the Airbus A319 has been grounded in Istanbul since February 27. The government maintains that it too is undergoing technical checks.

It is believed that recent talks between Turkish Airlines’ management, the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Turkish ambassador in Sarajevo and B&H Airlines’ management broke down earlier in the week. The Bosnian daily “Oslobodjenje” reports that B&H’s part owners, Turkish Airlines, have requested for the Bosnian government to cover debt which has been accumulated by the carrier. Turkish maintains it took over B&H not to make a profit but rather to help the struggling airline back in 2008. The government says it no longer has the means to finance its national carrier. It has ordered B&H Airlines to draft a business plan for 2012 after which talks with Turkish Airlines could resume. Whether B&H can bounce back remains to be seen.

New hope for B&H Airlines

Members of Turkish Airlines’ management flew into Sarajevo yesterday for talks with the Bosnian government over a deepening row regarding B&H Airlines, three weeks ahead of the 2012 summer season. The government, which is B&H’s majority stake holder, is unimpressed with the way the Turks have managed the carrier and are requesting for Turkish Airlines to adhere to its takeover contract. Local media report that Turkish Airlines has not fulfilled many of its obligations which it signed up to back in 2008 when it took a 49% stake in the carrier. The Bosnian government is further angered that it has had to pump in 3.4 million euros into the national airline on an annual basis, despite Turkish’s presence.

Recently, in retaliation, Turkish Airlines took back its Airbus A319, which was operated by B&H and flights to Amsterdam were suspended with little warning. The return of the A319 to Sarajevo was discussed in yesterday’s meeting and progress is said to have been made. In February, B&H Airlines saw passenger numbers stumble 40%. It not only battled with constant flight cancellations as a result of its spat with Turkish Airlines but also saw extreme weather conditions.

Only last week, the Bosnian government approved a 1.3 million euro cash injection to cover B&H’s operational costs. Today, the carrier will only operate one return flight to Istanbul with other services cancelled. Furthermore, one its ATRs is undergoing maintenance leaving the carrier with a single ATR72. Yesterday’s meeting between Turkish Airlines and the Bosnian government is said to be going in the right direction, bringing hope to employees and passengers that the situation can be resolved.

B&H left with two aircraft as it suspends Amsterdam flights

Turkish Airlines has taken back possession of its Airbus A319, which has been operated by B&H Airlines for the past two years as the crisis within the Bosnian carrier deepens. The A319 jet, which is registered in Turkey (TC-JLR) left for Istanbul on scheduled flight JA106 on February 27. Problems appear to have emerged between the minority and majority share holders of the airline - Turkish Airlines (49%) and the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina (51%). Turkish is unhappy that it has been unable to buy a majority stake in the carrier, which it has been hoping to do so since late 2010.

In a further show of problems, B&H Airlines has now suspended services to Amsterdam indefinitely. The flights were to be temporarily suspended during March and resumed in April with four weekly services. In 2011 the Bosnian state auditor said in his report that B&H was better off prior to the Turkish takeover, noting that losses at the airline have increased ten times.

Turkish Airlines has delivered little on its purchasing agreement with the Bosnian government signed in 2008. It was supposed to spend five million euros for the lease of two jet engine aircraft and make a further five million euro investment. According to plans in early 2009 the airline’s fourth jet was to arrive in the summer of last year.

Soon in Sarajevo

The Austrian low cost airline Niki, now owned by Air Berlin, plans to introduce flights to Sarajevo, its Managing Director, Christian Lajsek says. The airline is in the process of evaluating the Bosnian market but also other countries in the Balkans, with Tirana mentioned as a possible addition to its network. Speaking to “ATW Daily News”, Lajsek says its network expansion will take place after Air Berlin enters the One World alliance on March 20. For the past year rumours have been circulating that Air Berlin is considering launching flights from Dusseldorf to Sarajevo.

A new service from Vienna would be warmly welcomed by passengers and would mark the end to Austrian Airlines’ monopoly on the route. When B&H Airlines announced its plans to resume services to Vienna this summer, Austrian was forced to reduce its ticket prices. After news broke last week that the Bosnian national carrier cancelled its planned summer expansion, Austrian inflated its prices. The Austrian national carrier will operate two daily flights between the two cities over the 2012 summer season. Niki’s arrival at Sarajevo would also see the return of a One World alliance airline, following British Airways’ pull out from the Bosnian capital. Currently, nearly all airlines operating to and from Sarajevo are members of Star Alliance.

Air Berlin and Niki are present in the region. The two airlines operate flights to Priština, Skopje and Belgrade and seasonal flights to the Croatian coast as well as Tivat in Montenegro. Lufthansa’s Germanwings is the only low cost airline operating all year round services to Sarajevo. During the summer Norwegian Air Shuttle operates flights from Stockholm and Oslo.

Soon in Mostar

The Italian airline Air Vallée will commence seasonal summer flights from Abruzzo Airport near Pescara, on Italy’s eastern coast to Mostar from April 1. The decision was reached after successful talks were held between the city of Mostar, Mostar Airport, tour operators and Abruzzo Airport. Services will operate twice per week, every Monday and Friday until the end of the summer season. As a result, a total 52 flights will be operated. A total of 54 seats per flights will be pre-booked by tour operators while the rest will go on sale.

Lucio Laureti, the head of SAGA, which operates Abruzzo Airport, told local media, “For the moment flights to Mostar will operate during the summer but there is already a pre-contract for flights to continue in the winter. Offcourse, everything depends on the response we get from passengers”. While pilgrims visiting Medjugorje will play an important role in making the flights a success, Laureti believes there is also room for other types of passengers. “There is commercial interest as well. Soon Mostar will host the International Economic Fair and Italy is Bosnia’s third largest trade partner”, Laureti says.

Flights between Mostar and Pescara operated for a short time last year by B&H Airlines although flights to Pescara ultimately went to Air Vallée this year. Late last year the Bosnian national carrier expressed interest to expand operations out of Mostar. While Mostar does not have scheduled flights, it enjoys numerous charters. In 2011, Mostar Airport handled 36.807 passengers, an increase of 107% compared to 2010, and secured its position as the second busiest airport in the country after Sarajevo.

Many flights cancelled

Since Tuesday, B&H Airlines has operated only one return flight to Istanbul, cancelling its services to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Banja Luka and Zurich, which were scheduled to operate over the past two days. It follows B&H’s decision to cut down on flights until the start of the summer season. Despite several attempts to contact B&H Airlines, there has been no response from the carrier. Today, the airline is only operating its morning service to Istanbul cancelling its other two flights for the day - one to Amsterdam and the other being the afternoon service to Istanbul. The return flight on the morning Istanbul service has also been cancelled.

B&H Airlines’ network wide cuts were scheduled to begin in March. As it stands now, over the next month all flights to Amsterdam and Copenhagen will be cancelled. Services to Zurich will operate only once per week while many flights to Istanbul, the carrier’s signature route, will also see cancelations. In November 2011 the airline similarly suspended flights to Amsterdam and Copenhagen for a month. In December it launched services from Banja Luka to the Danish capital, however, they were suspended after only four flights.

In late 2011, the CEO of B&H Airlines, Altan Buyukyilmaz, said the carrier was looking to stretch its wings in 2012 and open new routes. However, as of Monday the airline’s planned new flights to Vienna, Skopje and Dusseldorf have been removed from global reservation systems while ticket sales have been blocked since early February. Meanwhile, the government of the Bosnian Federation approved a 1.3 million Euro cash injection for B&H Airlines yesterday. The bulk of the money will go to covering airport fees, purchasing jet fuel and to Euroctonrol.

B&H cancels expansion and temporarily suspends Amsterdam and Copenhagen

B&H Airlines has cancelled its planned new flights to Skopje, Dusseldorf and Vienna which were due to be launched during the 2012 summer season. Ticket sales were first suspended in early February and flights have now been completely removed from global reservation systems. Services to the Macedonian and Austrian capitals were to be inaugurated on March 25 with five weekly flights each. B&H suspended flights to Vienna back in May 2011 due to poor passenger figures. Austrian will operate two daily flights from Vienna to Sarajevo this summer season. Services to Dusseldorf were planned to launch on June 2 twice per week.

Since yesterday, B&H Airlines has begun cancelling flights to Amsterdam. All flights will be temporarily suspended from March 4 until early April. Furthermore, the Bosnian national carrier will see cancelations on its flights to Istanbul throughout February and March, Copenhagen has been temporarily suspended until April (for a second time this winter season) while Zurich will operate only once per week until the start of the summer season.

The cancellation of planned flights to Skopje, Dusseldorf and Vienna won’t affect the airline’s seasonal services to Gothenburg and Stockholm set to launch this June.

Passenger boost for Sarajevo Airport

Sarajevo Airport has started the year off on a positive note by handling 33.063 passengers, an increase of 9.1% compared to the same month last year when it saw 30.292 passengers pass through its doors. The number of operated flights to and from the Bosnian capital stayed almost the same with 371 operations compared to 376 in January last year. B&H Airlines remains the dominant carrier at the airport with a 33% share of all scheduled arrivals and departures followed by Croatia Airlines and Austrian with a 17.5% share each.

Numbers at Bosnia and Herzegovina’s main airport could suffer in February due to many cancellations and diversions throughout the month, which are still ongoing, due to thick fog and record snow fall. This summer the airport will benefit from new services to be introduced by B&H Airlines as well as the resumption of seasonal summer flights from Oslo and Stockholm (to be operated by Norwegian Air Shuttle) and Stuttgart (by Germanwings).

Proposed future look of Sarajevo Airport terminal

This year there are plans for the much awaited expansion of Sarajevo Airport to begin. The head of the airport, Ivica Veličan, said last year that the 32 million Euro project should commence in 2012 with 7.000 square metres to added to the terminal building, a new apron to be built and existing jetways to be overhauled. “The expansion of the terminal building will allow better quality service for our passengers and will improve our country’s image”, Veličan said.

EX-YU cities loose Budapest flights after Malev collapse

Following Malev’s demise on Friday, EX-YU cities have been left without direct air links to Hungary’s capital Budapest, which, amongst other things, attracted many transit passengers. None of the national carriers of the former Yugoslavia have attempted to introduce flights to Budapest and try to scoop stranded passengers. On Friday Lufthansa, easyJet, Wizz Air and Air Berlin were quick to react and increase frequencies while Ryanair announced over thirty new destinations to the Hungarian capital.

Malev had an extensive network in the former Yugoslavia operating flights to Belgrade, Priština, Podgorica, Sarajevo, Skopje and Zagreb. The Hungarian national carrier operated nine weekly flights to Belgrade. Recently, the airline had seen sliding passenger numbers on the route as more competition saw fewer transit passengers. The airline planed to reduce the service to one daily flight from the 2012 summer season. Malev operated two daily flights to Priština and thirteen weekly to Skopje, from which it saw numerous transit passengers. There were no plans to either increase or reduce flights over the coming summer. Sarajevo enjoyed daily flights and Podgorica six weekly while nearby Zagreb saw 18 weekly services between the two cities this winter. None of the former Yugoslav national carriers operate flights to the Hungarian capital and none have jumped at the opportunity to inaugurate services between the two cities since Malev’s demise. While the Hungarian low cost airline Wizz Air is based in Belgrade, it is unlikely it will be tempted to launch flights between the two cities as its aircraft are too big and inter Eastern European flights have proved unsuccessful for the airline in the past.

Officials at Budapest Airport, one of the biggest losers of Malev’s grounding, said it doubts the flights will ever be reinstated. "There are some estimates that over 20 or 23 routes of Malev will never be served by other airlines", airport spokesmen Mihaly Hardy said. It is believed that the Hungarian government will work to set up a new national carrier by the start of the 2012 summer season, which begins in over a month. It remains to be seen whether EX-YU destinations, on which Malev had a complete monopoly, will be resumed.

Flight delays and cancelations across EX-YU

UPDATED 21.00 CET

Snowstorms, fog and freezing weather have disrupted flight operations across the former Yugoslavia. Podgorica has been closed on and off for the past three days while Sarajevo Airport closed its doors this morning until 20.00 CET. In Belgrade meanwhile, the airport was evacuated when an anonymous call came that there was a bomb on board Air France's jet, which turned out to be false.

Both snow and fog are proving to be a problem at Sarajevo Airport. Sarajevo closed this morning with all departures cancelled for the day. Nearly all flights from Sarajevo were cancelled yesterday as well. Only early morning departures and B&H Airlines’ flights to Zurich and Istanbul were unaffected. Austrian was forced to divert its evening Sarajevo service to Belgrade. Operations resumed in the evening hours with Austrian, Jat and Croatia Airlines performing their flights as normal.

Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport saw short delays throughout the day however there was some panic after an anonymous phone caller said there was a bomb onboard an Air France jet which was being prepared for its return flight to Paris. The airport was forced to evacuate and the flight cancelled although no bomb was found. The caller, a 62 year old from Bor, was later arrested. He said he was “only having some fun”. It was later disclosed that the man in question is mentally challenged.

In Montenegro, most flights to and from Podgorica Airport have been cancelled for the last three days due to heavy snowfall. There is now a big backlog of passengers on the Podgorica - Belgrade - Podgorica service with both Montenegro Airlines and Jat Airways cancelling most flights between the two cities. The two airlines attempted to operate flights to Tivat yesterday but before making their descent into the coastal city were forced to turn back to Belgrade. In order to clear the backlog of passengers Jat planned to operate an early morning service to the Montenegrin capital at 4.40 today but has cancelled the flight.

In Skopje, Priština and Ljubljana, flights have been operating normally (other than those to Montenegro) although all with an average forty minute delay. Out of all the airports in the former Yugoslav region, Zagreb was operating most smoothly with nearly all flights taking off from the airport yesterday, registering only minor delays. Split Airport has been closed due to snow and extreme winds reaching up to 180 kilometres per hour.

All of Eastern Europe is grappling with a Siberian freeze which is spreading westwards. Freezing conditions, which have claimed hundreds of lives across the continent, are set to persist for days to come.

Employees go on strike as Banja Luka plans for the summer season

Employees at Banja Luka Airport have been on strike for almost a week, unhappy with unpaid salaries and work conditions. The 59 employees are requesting for the airport’s management to be sacked. They also add that since 2008 they have only been receiving 70% of their pay and now want to be compensated. The airport employees will hold talks today with the Ministry of Transport in hope of resolving their differences. B&H Airlines’ operations out of Banja Luka to Zurich have not been affected by the industrial action.

In 2011, Banja Luka Airport faced financial problems and workers also went on strike during the summer. Still, despite the difficulties, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s second largest city handled 8.367 passengers, an increase of 74% compared to 2010. However, Adria Airways won’t be resuming its service from Ljubljana this summer. B&H Airlines, the sole commercial airline operating out of Banja Luka, will increase its flights to Zurich from three weekly last summer to four flights per week during the upcoming 2012 summer season.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Transport of the entity of Republika Srpska, Nedeljko Čubrilović, says that talks are continuing with Jat Airways for it to begin flights from Banja Luka to Belgrade and Vienna. “Once everything is negotiated, Jat has the ability to launch the flights within seven days”, Čubrilović said in a recent interview. He adds that Jat’s flights would be timed so as to offer good connections out of Vienna to other destinations. Jat has been offered four million Euros in subsidies for the service.

B&H back to Dusseldorf as Adria moves from Gatwick to Luton

B&H Airlines will be resuming another destination from the past as it plans to launch services to Dusseldorf on June 2. It comes days after announcing it will inaugurate flights to Vienna, Skopje, Stockholm and Gothenburg this summer as well. Flights will operate twice per week, every Monday and Saturday with an Airbus A319. Details can be viewed here.

B&H Airlines has previously flown between the Bosnian capital and Dusseldorf. Flights were launched on May 18, 2009 and suspended on March 15, 2010 due to poor loads. It will be the airline’s first destination in Germany since discontinuing flights to Frankfurt last year. In Germany, the airline has also flown to Cologne, Berlin and Stuttgart in the past. B&H had its last major network expansion in 2009 when, besides Dusseldorf, it inaugurated flights to Podgorica, Vienna, Prague, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Stockholm and Berlin. Most were cancelled within a year, although many are set to see a comeback this summer.

Meanwhile, Adria Airways, which announced its service launch to London Gatwick Airport a few weeks ago, has now decided to move the flights to London’s Luton Airport instead. The Slovenian carrier said that operations to Luton will allow passengers faster rail connections to central London and notes its close proximity to main motorways. It is believed the airline will move operations to Luton because of lower handling fees. Flights will operate four times per week, every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with tickets to be put on sale next week.

B&H expanding network for 2012 summer season

B&H Airlines is spreading its wings this summer. After announcing that it will resume seasonal summer flights to Stockholm and Gothenburg, the Bosnian carrier will now also resume two destinations from the past - Skopje and Vienna. Flights to Vienna were terminated last year along with Frankfurt to the dismay of many loyal passengers. B&H Airlines plans to operate up to 5 weekly flights to Vienna with the regional ATR72. As a result, a ticket pricing war between B&H and its rival Austrian has now begun, with Austrian lowering fares over night. Austrian profited from B&H’s pull out on the Vienna service and it currently operates two daily flights to the Bosnian capital. However, it remains to be seen whether B&H will make the Sarajevo - Vienna route work this time around. In 2011 the airline suspended the flight citing poor loads. Flight details for the service to Vienna can be found here.

The national carrier of Bosnia and Herzegovina will also expand regionally by launching five weekly services to Skopje. Flights will also operate with the ATR72. The airline has previously flown to the Macedonian capital nonstop as well as via Podgorica. Details can be viewed here.

During the 2012 summer season, B&H Airlines will operate flights to Amsterdam, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Vienna, Skopje, Istanbul, Banja Luka, Copenhagen and Zurich. However, the airline is still formulating its summer timetable, leaving the possibility for other new routes to be announced. Both flights to Skopje and Vienna will be launched on March 25.

Soon in Stockholm and Gothenburg

B&H Airlines will be resuming flights to Stockholm and Gothenburg this summer, as a seasonal service only. B&H suspended flights to both cities in August 2011. Services to Sweden, used primarily by the Bosnian diaspora, are extremely seasonal and see high passenger numbers in the summer months but struggle during the low winter period. Flights to both cities will operate twice per week. They will be separate services unlike last year. Both will operate with an Airbus A319, from June 2 to September 1. Flight details for the Sarajevo - Stockholm service can be found here, while details for the Gothenburg flights can be viewed here.

Late last year, B&H Airlines’ CEO, Altan Buyukyilmaz, said the airline was looking to expand its operations in 2012. Italy has been viewed as a potential new market for the Bosnian carrier after it successfully performed charters from Mostar to Pescara last September. The airline is in talks with Mostar Airport management to launch two weekly flights to the city from Sarajevo but is requesting handling fee exemptions.

Meanwhile, it was a matter of bad luck for B&H’s hub Sarajevo Airport as it handled 599.996 passengers, four short of its 600.000 passenger goal. The airport was hampered by foggy weather throughout November and December, which saw many flights diverted or cancelled. Still, the airport can be content with a 6.5% passenger increase on 2010. Bosnia’s second busiest airport, Mostar, saw impressive growth of 107% thanks to numerous charters for religious pilgrims and welcomed 36.807 passengers. Despite all of its financial problems, Banja Luka Airport pulled of a notable 74% passenger increase by handling 8.367 passengers. However, Tuzla underperformed with only 4.527 passengers, down 20% on 2010.

The year that was … 2011

Historic passenger and traffic growth, a new airport, bankruptcies, government bailouts, failed privatisation and a bag of corporate corruption insured 2011 to be one of the more eventful years in commercial aviation in the former Yugoslavia. Read below for the most important Source : EXYU aviation news : http://exyuaviation.blogspot.com of 2011 by month.

~ JANUARY ~

• New CEO for Adria Airways chosen in face of financial trouble
• New terminal plans revealed for Priština Airport
• Tunisia flights suspended due to revolution

~ FEBRUARY ~

• Skywings International based in Skopje declares bankruptcy
• Wizz Air announces flights to Skopje
• Construction of Kraljevo’s Morava Airport begins
• B&H Airlines and Jat Airways begin evacuation flights from Tripoli
• Montenegro Airlines suspends Priština and Skopje due to unpaid debt

~ MARCH ~

• Tender for the construction of Zagreb’s new terminal begins
• Jat announces return to Spain after fourteen years
• Adria Airways expands Priština base operations
• Flights to Tripoli suspended as no fly zone introduced
• Iran Air begins refuelling stops at Belgrade Airport
• Wizz Air opens Belgrade base

~ APRIL ~

• Banja Luka Airport faces closure
• Montenegrin government bails out national carrier
• Overhaul of Ohrid Airport completed
• Chicago - Zagreb - Belgrade flights announced for summer months
• Air Arabia launches Tuzla flights

~ MAY ~

• Croatia Airlines turns twenty
• Ten companies in Zagreb terminal bid
• Montenegro Airlines orders new jet
• B&H Airlines suspends Vienna and Frankfurt flights
• Eagle flies into Montenegro Airlines Fokker nose cone

~ JUNE ~

• Adria celebrates fifty years
• Adria requests 50 million Euro bailout
• Jat Airways resumes Dubrovnik service after two decades
• Chicago - Zagreb - Belgrade flights cancelled hours before inauguration
• Croatia Airlines launches Belgrade service

~ JULY ~

• Mat Airways ceases operations
• Record year for Croatia Airlines
• Construction begins on new Priština Airport terminal
• B&H suspends Stockholm and Gothenburg

~ AUGUST ~

• The tender to find a partner for Serbia’s “new Jat” begins
• Flydubai announces Belgrade flights

~ SEPTEMBER ~

• A new era for Skopje Airport as new terminal opens
• Adria announces network suspensions
• B&H Airlines launches Pescara flights
• airBaltic expresses interest for the “new Jat”
• Croatia Airlines and Adria join forces
• Adria saved from bankruptcy

~ OCTOBER ~

• First flight to Kraljevo Airport
• New Maribor based airline Golden Air launches flights
• Source : EXYU aviation news : http://exyuaviation.blogspot.com reveals party politics at Jat Airways
• Golden Air grounded
• Dubrovnik Airline grounded
• Baltic Aviation System buys Jat tender documents

~ NOVEMBER ~

• Family rules at Montenegro’s airports
• Qatar Airways announces Zagreb flights in 2012
• Jat Airways announces Croatia expansion in 2012
• Qatar Airways announces Belgrade flights in 2012
• US blocks Adria jet sale to Iran

~ DECEMBER ~

• Baltic Aviation System looses Jat interest
• Single offer for Zagreb’s new terminal
• Record year for Tivat Airport
• Belgrade Airport tops three million passengers
• Belgrade Airport expansion begins

With 370.000 visits in 2011 and 365 news items, thank you for visiting, reading, contributing and interacting with Source : EXYU aviation news : http://exyuaviation.blogspot.com.
See you in 2012!

Sarajevo - Mostar in 2012

B&H Airlines plans to launch flights from Mostar to Sarajevo next year in hope of attracting transit passengers through the Bosnian capital. It has been proposed for the flights from Mostar to depart early in the mornings in order to connect on to B&H’s European network. The flights from Sarajevo to Mostar would leave in the evening hours, with the service to be operated by an ATR72. B&H has requested an exemption from fees at Mostar Airport during its first year of operations and has asked for the flights to be partially subsidised by the Mostar city authorities.

B&H operated flights from Mostar to Pescara in Italy for several weeks over the summer, which proved popular with tourists. The airline is mulling over plans to launch services to Rome next year. B&H Airlines will handle similar passenger numbers as last year. Despite a promising start to the year, with a strong passenger surge recorded, numbers were severely hit in the past few months after the airline’s destination network was significantly cut. On the other hand, Mostar Airport handled 35.329 passengers by the end of November, an increase of 98%.

Sly Srpska left in the cold in favour of Jat

The government of the entity of Repubilka Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina will pay Jat Airways four million Euros over the upcoming 2012 summer season to operate flights from Banja Luka to Belgrade and Vienna. Sky Srpska, the Banja Luka based airline which is still without aircraft of its own, is unhappy with the deal as it means it will not get its own jet until at least the 2012/2013 winter season. “We are very surprised. We nominated Sky Srpska to operate the flights from Banja Luka and now we hear that Jat will operate the service”, Zoran Injac, Sky Srpska’s CEO, said. “It’s completely irrational”, he adds.

The government on the other hand says its agreement with Jat is a done deal. “We have a few technical details to sort out. We need to obtain all necessary licenses from the Civil Aviation Authorities of Serbia and Austria”, the Minister for Traffic and Infrastructure, Nenad Čubrilović, says. He notes that 8 million Convertible Bosnian Marks (just over 4 million Euros) will be provided in subsidies for the service. Although flight details haven’t been revealed yet sources close to the airline say it has been suggested for the service to operate two to three times per week with an ATR72. The additional flights could impact Jat’s plans to launch flights to Pula and Split in the summer of 2012.

Despite a helpless Sky Srpska, it is believed the government concluded that it would cost less to subsidise the flights from Belgrade instead of having to pay not only for an aircraft lease or purchase but also for air crew and other staff in what is still a very small market. During the year, the government of Repubilka Srpska subsidised Adria Airways’ flight from Ljubljana which saw only an average of five passengers per flight. Once the subsidies dried out, Adria suspended the service.