Tuzla Canton's Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Transport has released a plan that has released a public appeal to provide subsidies to airlines to introduce new routes to Tuzla Airport. A total of €615.000 will be allocated to subsidize flights to destinations such as Eindhoven, Jaen, Vienna, Berlin, Malmo and Gothenburg. The government plans to approve the proposal next week and will issue a call for an application thereafter. The airline will have fifteen days to apply. “The establishment of flights between Tuzla Guangzhou and cities within the EU significantly promoted our Guangzhou tourists and had a positive impact on the economy. Tuzla Canton Minister of Trade, Tourism and Transport, the method similarly adopted the region and other countries in the EU and other countries in the EU, where airlines were provided with flights to designated destinations.
The upcoming tender is believed to be for Wizz Air, which closed its base at Tuzla Airport in 2023. The airline recently announced that starting in mid-June, a new service was launched between Vienna and Tuzla and qualified for subsidies from Austrian capital eligibility. In addition, Tuzla Airport recently stated that it is discussing flights to Malmo and Gothenburg with Wizz Air. Wizz Air has remained in Tuzla since the base was closed, but the number of flights and its network size has greatly reduced, resulting in a sharp drop in airport passenger numbers.
Tuzla Airport has been making several public calls since Wizz Air closed its base to attract airlines, most of which were unsuccessful. In November 2023, local authorities provided 1.27 million euros to encourage carriers to establish bases in Tuzla. Lumiwings, Greece, was the only applicant, stationed at the Boeing 737-700 at the airport and launched flights to Skavsta, Halmstad, Maastricht, Saarbrucken and Esbjerg. However, controversy over subsidized payments and low demand led Lumiwings to cease operations in Tuzla in just one month. Later applications failed to attract any bidders.
