NEW PRICE LIST FOR BANJA LUKA AIRPORT

Airports of the Republic of Srpska have introduced an incentive system to increase the number of routes, making this project a priority for the company, reports Zamaaero.

"According to the new price list, the airport charges 9 EUR for landing aircraft up to 25 tons MTOW and 10 EUR for those above that weight, 3 EUR for parking up to 24 hours per ton MTOW, 15 EUR per departing passenger, and handling fees range from 75 to 425 EUR for aircraft up to 21 tons MTOW, with prices increasing by weight. An A320, for instance, costs 1,040 EUR, and heavier aircraft can cost up to 4,400 EUR," states analyst Alen Šćuric from the portal.

Additionally, Airports of the Republic of Srpska charges for various supplementary services including stairs, cabin cleaning, tractors and trailers, and minibuses. "After-hours operations cost 300 to 600 EUR per hour depending on the aircraft's weight. The VIP lounge is charged at 100 EUR per hour," highlights Šćuric, as reported by Akta.

The new incentives aim to motivate flights to all airports in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Serbia, Montenegro, Italy, Russia, China, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and destinations like Istanbul, Thessaloniki, and Athens.

"It is surprising that the airport has not encouraged flights to Spain, particularly Barcelona and Madrid, the UK, especially London, Poland, particularly Warsaw, Finland, Qatar, other parts of Turkey (Antalya, Ankara, Izmir), and Cyprus," notes Šćuric. Flights to London have not been initiated due to visa issues faced by BiH citizens.

Šćuric adds that the Airports of the Republic of Srpska have introduced incentives for companies with at least two routes operating at least twice weekly throughout the year, based on the number of passengers.

"Companies will pay 4.50 EUR if they have up to 24,999 passengers annually, 3.50 EUR for 25,000 to 74,999 passengers, 2.50 EUR for 75,000 to 99,999 passengers, 1.50 EUR for 100,000 to 199,999 passengers, and only 1.00 EUR for over 200,000 passengers annually," says Šćuric, adding that the airport is keen to start flights to Istanbul and revive flights to Tivat.

"Banja Luka has begun its measures and intensive activities early this year. All these measures aim to launch several new routes by next summer. The project has been in preparation since last year and started implementation in May. More than on time… The airport sought and received assistance from zamaaero for this task," states Šćuric.