Just days prior to its planned launch of operations between Sarajevo and Riyadh on June 10, the Bosnian start-up FlyBosnia (Sarajevo) has said it will not commence flights before August 2018, the Independent Balkan News Agency (IBNA) has reported.
The Saudi-backed start-up has still not secured an Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) which blocks it from launching own operations. Besides the flights to Riyadh, the carrier also intends to launch services to Jeddah International and later to other destinations. FlyBosnia, the second start-up under the same name after the unrelated and never-launched FlyBosnia (2004), has been founded by Al Shiddi Group, a Saudi investment group which has already been investing heavily in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2006.
Despite the delay in FlyBosnia's launch, the service to Riyadh launched on June 13 operated operated by Nesma Airlines (Saudi Arabia) (NSS, Hail). According to Flightradar24 ADS-B data, the flight NA1000/NA10001 is operated 5x weekly with A320 equipment. Nesma Airlines is poised to operate the route until FlyBosnia manages to obtain the AOC, at which point it will take over the service.
Bosnia and Herzegovina currently has no scheduled airline. Previous firms, such as Air Bosna and B&H Airlines, have all gone bankrupt. According to the ch-aviation airline module, the only active carrier in the country is currently charter specialist Icar Air (RAC, Tuzla International).
