The Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Transport of the Tuzla Canton has unveiled plans to launch a public call offering subsidies to airlines for the introduction of new routes from Tuzla Airport. A total of 615.000 euros will be allocated to subsidise flights to destinations including Eindhoven, Hahn, Vienna, Berlin, Malmo, and Gothenburg. The government is slated to approve this proposal next week, after which the call for applications will be issued. Airlines will have fifteen days to apply. “Establishing flights between Tuzla Canton and cities within the European Union significantly boosts tourist arrivals in our canton and positively impacts the economy. This approach is similarly adopted by other countries in the region and the EU, where financial incentives are offered to airlines to initiate flights to designated destinations”, Tuzla Canton Minister for Trade, Tourism and Transport, Almir Žilić, said.
The upcoming tender is believed to be targeted at Wizz Air, which closed its base at Tuzla Airport in 2023. The carrier recently announced the launch of a new service between Vienna and Tuzla, starting mid-June, with flights from the Austrian capital eligible for the subsidies. Furthermore, Tuzla Airport recently said it was in discussions with Wizz Air over the introduction of flights to Malmo and Gothenburg. Wizz Air has maintained a presence in Tuzla since the closure of its base, however, the number of flights and its network size have been significantly reduced causing a sharp decline in passenger numbers at the airport.
Since Wizz Air closed its base, Tuzla Airport has conducted several public calls to attract airlines, most of which have been unsuccessful. In November 2023, the local authorities provided 1.27 million euros to encourage a carrier to establish a base in Tuzla. Greece’s Lumiwings was the sole applicant, stationing a Boeing 737-700 at the airport and launching flights to Skavsta, Halmstad, Maastricht, Saarbrucken and Esbjerg. However, disputes over subsidy payments and low demand led Lumiwings to cease its operations in Tuzla within just a month. A later call for applications failed to attract any bidders.
