Wizz Air (W6, Budapest) has announced the closure of its base at Sarajevo airport on November 1, 2022, with all 17 routes operated by the Hungarian Wizz Air Holdings unit to the Bosnian capital set to be terminated.
"After reviewing current performance, it is important for us to quickly adapt our network to changes in the market and the needs of our customers, in order to remain resilient and competitive in the market. Accordingly, for the time being, we are focusing on increasing the presence of our Bosnia and Herzegovina base in Tuzla International," the low-cost carrier said.
Wizz Air will continue serving Sarajevo through Wizz Air UK (W9, London Luton) with flights from London Luton and through Wizz Air Abu Dhabi (5W, Abu Dhabi International) with flights from Abu Dhabi International. The airline currently has a 19.7% market share by scheduled weekly departure capacity at Sarajevo airport and is the airport's main operator.
In contrast, the LCC's base at Tuzla will be expanded with a new route to Eindhoven (previously operated from Sarajevo), as well as additional frequencies to Memmingen, Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg, CH, and Dortmund. Tuzla is located less than 80 kilometres north of Bosnia's capital. Wizz Air is currently the only operator at the airport, although Ryanair (FR, Dublin International) will enter Tuzla on November 1.
Wizz Air also has plans to launch flights to Mostar, a popular tourist destination in the south-west of the country with no scheduled flights at this time, in summer 2023.
The Bosnian authorities have reportedly approached Ryanair over replacing Wizz Air at Sarajevo airport, Ex-Yu Aviation wrote. The Irish LCC does not currently serve Sarajevo or Tuzla, but operates seven routes out of Banja Luka International.
The nearly landlocked country currently relies on foreign carriers to provide air connectivity, as its flag carrier, FlyBosnia (Sarajevo), remains dormant.
