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 problem with 'seasonal' flights only is the lack of tourism development in Bosnia and Herzegovina where flights could operate all year for non-diaspora tourists! The country had a LOT of potential...it was just listed as one of the most best countries for adventure tourism by National Geographic a couple of days ago! Then look at the religious tourism at Medjugorje and Ajvatovica, cultural, religious and historical monuments, wine roads in Herzegovina, the rich, hearty cuisine, ethno-tourism in Lukomir and Umoljani, Neum's beaches and so much more. Good luck!
ReplyDeletePozdrav svim Bosnjacima, Hrvatima i Slovencima! ;)
@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteSo why should B&H Airlines as an independent company subsidize somebody's tourist trip. If the route is unprofitable it shouldn't exist.
It is not like B&H Airlines' cash is magically appearing from somewhere - it is (mostly) tax payers money and it should not be used for subsidizing certain groups travel habits.
On another note good move by new CEO to cut routes. However what worries me is that B&H Airlines is still not offering any of the basic services like selling stuff onboard (alcohol and cigarette sales could potentially be very profitable), transfer flights, lack of code-shares (out of CPH for rest of Scandinavia with SK, to NA with KLM), selling off one of their atr72, routes are still launched without proper marketing and so on.
@ Zrak
ReplyDeleteWhat the point was though was that Bosnia and Herzegovina should further develop it's tourist industry so that flights do not always have to rely on the diaspora travelling back to the homeland!
...and yes, especially the alcohol and cigarettes would be profitable, knowing Bosnians and Herzegovinians, they love those two...as well as the daily newspaper!
It is indeed very said to see that growth at SJJ is only 6.5 percent compared to BEG and SKP which saw double digit growths after visa aboilition.With 3.8 mil. citizens and only 650.000 pax it is a very dissapointing outcome.,Moreover not a single new carrier or destination.
ReplyDelete599.996 pax last year, damn.. if we here did get free from work for a wedding of a friend in sarajevo, we could helped them to there 600.000 number :d
ReplyDeleteOT:
ReplyDeleteDoes Admin know is Ryanair coming back to OSI this summer?
As for SJJ and other Bosnian airports, it could have been definitely better, but any improvement is better than none!
I am impressed with OMO, no scheduled flights but still nice number. As well as admin said, BNX didn't do that bad considering all those disastrous news over the year.
Pozdrav svima
AlexLondon
Excuse for offtopic,
ReplyDeleteDear admin could you provide us
with statistics about loadfactor
of flights Easyjet to Zagreb and Ljubljana and Flydubai to Belgrade?
Thanks in advance.
yep, supporting the last anonymous
ReplyDeletelol
ReplyDeletep.
OT:
ReplyDeleteBelgrade has shown a nice growth in 2011, hopefully it will make it into Europe's top 100 airports in a couple of years...
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_busiest_airports_in_Europe
OSI will not have Ryan next summer! City did not pay for "subventions" last year (State did).
ReplyDeleteSo typical for JA: no advertising, last minute announcement, and likely cancelled before starting because of low booking numbers. What do they expect???
ReplyDeleteThis is an airline with enormous potential except for poor management and inept scheduling making it a joke. A fleet of 3 which is hardly used profitably or providing services which will attract passengers, IST is not the only reason for existence!!
Building up long-term support from passengers & building on business routes (how this airline couldn't make money from ZAG or BEG is beyond me) should be the priority. Does owner TK really care what happens, or is it all about feeding everyone via IST?
A rough proposal of what could work profitably using current fleet, 3 waves per day.
319
AM: SJJ-IST-SJJ
PM 1: SJJ-AMS/GOT/ARN-SJJ (3/2/2)
PM 2: SJJ-CPH-SJJ
AT7 #1
AM: SJJ-ZRH-SJJ
PM 1: SJJ-BEG-SJJ
PM 2: SJJ-FRA-SJJ *resume ASAP!*
AT7 #2
AM: SJJ-ZAG-SJJ
PM 1: SJJ-FCO-SJJ *new service*
PM 2: SJJ-IST-SJJ
How could the above not work?? Possibility of inserting BNX/OMO stops as required if potential...
SJJ-ZAG-SJJ to compete Star Alliance member CTN which has 2 flights per day and lot of connections?
ReplyDeleteOnce tried and there was 5-6 pax. per flight.
SJJ-BEG-SJJ to compete Jat? No way. Also tried, no success.
SJJ-IST-SJJ with AT7? Why if they have 2x 319 full of fax?
SJJ-FRA-SJJ with turboprop? You did not ask yourself that there are almost non turboprops in FRA, and there is reason for this.
@ Purger
ReplyDeleteSome interesting points made. But a good tradesman never blames his tools - JA can only fly and promote the fleet they own! What would you do with the AT7s then, leave them to sit on the tarmac like they are now? As they are paid off, best to earn money from them!
SJJ-ZAG line: for an O&D route (we all know connections play no role where JA is concerned), the flight times for pax were APPALLING, little wonder they were a flop. The time to operate these flights is when OU *doesn't* - late morning/noon. It's not like there is a flood of capacity on the route, and it can sustain 3 daily 70-seaters.
SJJ-FRA: irrespective of what other airlines fly into an airport, you can only fly your own fleet. JA operated the route for years with the AT7, it was never a problem.
All I have tried to do is provide alternatives to what *could* be done with a fleet which is severely mismanaged and underutilised at present.