In an economic climate that is, to say the least harmful to air carriersIt is a company that continues to focus on expansion: Wizz Air. The Hungarian-born carrier falls into the category of ultra-low-cost carriers like Ryanair. But it is exploiting a niche positioning by essentially linking Central European cities. This strategy is certainly contributing to the company's insolent growth in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic.
Wizz Air has announced the opening of two new bases this spring : Palermo and Sarajevo. It will have 42 bases throughout Europe, including 28 in Central and Eastern Europe. Wizz Air dominates the market in Romania with seven bases. It also has a strong presence in Hungary and in Poland.
The carrier has big ambitions for Sarajevo. Wizz Air has already been present in the Bosnian capital for four years with flights to Budapest. These have been temporarily suspended due to the closure of the Hungarian borders. Negotiations had been underway since 2015 between Wizz Air and the airport authorities. But the level of taxes at the hub was a major obstacle to setting up operations.
Sarajevo opens up to Europe
But Wizz Air is now looking for new markets. And Sarajevo represents a real opportunity. With a Airbus A320 based at Sarajevo airport, Wizz Air will inaugurate nine new routes to seven countries. From May, Wizz Air will be offering new routes to Brussels South-Charleroi, Copenhagen, Dortmund, Eindhoven, Göteborg, London-Luton, Memmingen (Germany), theEuroairport Basel-Mulhouse and finally Paris-Beauvais.
At a press conference, Andras Rado, Communications Director, Wizz Airexpressed his confidence in the new Sarajevo base. " We see the potential and demand for low-cost flights. I am convinced that Wizz Air will have a positive impact on the economic development of Bosnia-Herzegovina and on the growth of its tourism industry. "
On French-speaking Europe, Wizz Air to offer most weekly flights to Basel-Mulhouse (Monday, Wednesday and Friday). However, only two weekly flights will link Sarajevo to Brussels-Charleroi (Monday and Friday) and Paris-Beauvais (Tuesday and Saturday).
Sarajevo airport welcomed 1.15 million passengers in 2019 and a dozen airlines. Last year, the hub recorded just under 250,000 passengers.
