Norwegian secures financial subsidies for Sarajevo flights in 2024

Norwegian Air was the sole airline which submitted a timely application in the tender, Sarajevo Airport said in a notice on Friday.

The air carrier plans to connect Sarajevo to Oslo and Stockholm.

An application from Air Arabia arrived late and was therefore not considered for review, the airport operator added.

The canton launched the subsidy call for airlines planning to inaugurate new flights to Sarajevo in 2024 in February, shortly after disclosing the results of a similar call initiated in late November. In the prior tender, the canton designated LOT, Ryanair, Aegean Airlines, and TUI Airways as the successful recipients.

Passenger numbers at Sarajevo International Airport came in at 1.36 million in 2023, slightly down compared with 1.38 million a year earlier. Bosnia and Herzegovina has three other international airports, located in Banja Luka, Tuzla and Mostar.

The Sarajevo Canton is one of ten cantons making up the Federation, one of two autonomous entities that form Bosnia and Herzegovina. The other entity is the Serb Republic.