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Tuzla International Airport

Tuzla International Airport (Bosnian: Međunarodni aerodrom Tuzla) (Croatian: Međunarodna zračna luka Tuzla) (Serbian: Међународни аеродром Тузла); (IATA: TZL, ICAO: LQTZ) is an airport located in Živinice near Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Tuzla International Airport is the second largest airport in Bosnia and Herzegovina, after Sarajevo International Airport. The airport is known as a low-cost airline hub of Bosnia and Herzegovina, since it is used by people from Bosnia, the diaspora and travellers from neighbouring countries Croatia and Serbia. The airport is a civilian airport and also was a military airbase.

Tuzla International Airport

Međunarodni aerodrom Tuzla

Međunarodna zračna luka Tuzla

Међународни аеродром Тузла
Summary
Airport typeCivil/Military
OwnerTuzla Canton government
OperatorBosnia and Herzegovina Directorate of Civil Aviation
ServesTuzla Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina
LocationDubrave Gornje, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Elevation AMSL765 ft / 233 m
Coordinates44°27′31″N 18°43′29″E / 44.45861°N 18.72472°E / 44.45861; 18.72472
Websitetuzla-airport.ba
Map
TZL is located in Bosnia and Herzegovina
TZL
TZL
Location of the airport in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
09/27 8,152 2,500 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Passengers582,445 Increase 22,7%
Aircraft Movements4.000 Increase 2,7%
Freight (in tons)9,2 Increase 384,2%
Source: Bosnia and Herzegovina Directorate of Civil Aviation [1]

History

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Early years

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Tuzla International was once the largest military airport in the former Yugoslavia. The 350th Reconnaissance Aviation Squadron was active there for a time.

In the early 1990s, still within Yugoslavia and prior start of the Bosnian War, Yugoslav airliner Air Commerce performed commercial flights from Sarajevo and Tuzla to Austria and Switzerland.[2]

It was placed under the control of the United Nations Protection Force in 1992, and from 1996 onwards, it became the main hub for the Implementation Force (IFOR), which was charged with supervising the implementation of the Dayton Agreement. In 1998, Tuzla Canton turned Tuzla International into a civil airport. Tuzla International opened on 10 October 1998 as a civilian airport and military airfield. After the complete international military withdrawal on 1 December 2006, Tuzla International Airport began the implementation of all technical requirements and standards imposed by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Development since the 2000s

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Finally, on 5 June 2008, Tuzla International Airport obtained a provisional Certificate for Public Airport Use in international air transportation valid for one year.[3] After general audit implemented by authorized institutions of Civil Aviation in BiH, on 5 June 2009, Tuzla International Airport obtained a Certificate for Public Airport Use in international air transportation with unlimited period of validity.[3]

In June 2015, Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air opened an operating base in Tuzla, by basing one Airbus A320 at the airport.[4] After base opening, total Wizz Air destinations from Tuzla jumped to 9, including 22 weekly departures in the summer flight schedule. 2 June 2016, Turkish Airlines Cargo began operating flights from Tuzla to Istanbul–Atatürk. The Turkish government allocated a quota of 15,000 tons of fresh meat and meat products to import from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Total of 90 flights with Airbus A330 freighter aircraft were planned for 2016. This was the only wide-body aircraft flight operating to and from Bosnia and Herzegovina at the time.[5] On 31 August 2016, Wizz Air announced that it would base its second aircraft at Tuzla Airport as of 27 March 2017. From March 2017, the airline started operating five new services from Tuzla to Cologne/Bonn, Friedrichshafen, and Nuremberg in Germany, Bratislava in Slovakia and Växjö in Sweden. Wizz Air also announced its newest route connecting Tuzla with London–Luton in the United Kingdom beginning 30 October, Billund in Denmark beginning 31 October, and Berlin–Schönefeld beginning 17 December. Total number of weekly flights increased to 43 round trip flights, serving 16 destinations in 7 countries.[6] On 2 November 2016, Tuzla International Airport announced the start of terminal expansion and reconstruction. Capacity of the new building was projected to host 700.000 passengers per year.[7] The reconstruction was finished in May 2019.[8] In November 2017, Wizz Air stopped flying to London-Luton, Nuremberg and Bratislava.[9] 2017 was the record year for Tuzla Airport since it opened its doors, passing half a million passengers for the first time ever. In June 2018, Wizz Air started operating flights from Tuzla to Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden in Germany. In May 2021, Ryanair planned to launch two routes from Tuzla to Weeze and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden with potential future routes to Stockholm, London-Stansted, Malta and Memmingen.[10] However, the government did not approve the flights.[11] On 12 August 2021, Wizz Air announced that it would base its third base aircraft in Tuzla and open two new routes to Milan-Malpensa and Nuremberg in December 2021.[12] In 2023, Wizz Air announced that it would close its base and lower its operation in Tuzla.[13]

In 18 December 2023, the Greek carrier Lumiwings launched a base in Tuzla, with flights to Esbjerg, Halmstad, Maastricht, Saarbrucken and Stockholm Skavsta.[14] Istanbul was also scheduled to be launched on 5 March, but Lumiwings later cancelled the launch and discontinued Stockholm Skavsta flights amidst poor loads[15] before fully discontinuing the base on 27 February.[16]

On 11 July 2024, Turkish low cost carrier Pegasus Airlines announced a new once-weekly scheduled service from Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport[17] from 24 August 2024.

Facilities

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Terminal

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The passengers' terminal building opened in 1998, provides a capacity of 350 passengers per peak hour. The terminal is equipped with one gate for arrival and departure, two check-in counters for registration of passengers, services for handicapped passengers, ticketing service as well as further passenger amenities and a border guard (SBS) control (24 hours) equipped with x-ray machines and customs control. The Government of The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has decided to allocate 2 million KM (approximately 1 million €) in the year 2016 for initial plans and works for a new terminal building, while the Government of Tuzla Canton secured 500.000 KM for installation of new and improved approach lighting system.[18] Many car rental agencies have offices at the airport and the airport also provides long term parking for road vehicles.

Aprons

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Tuzla Airport has three aprons, currently two in use:[19] passenger aircraft apron with size 116 x 106 meters and cargo apron with approximately same size. Aprons are designed to service all classes of aircraft. Two medium size aircraft Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 family aircraft can be handled at the same time at passengers apron next to the terminal building. On cargo apron two Ilyushin Il-76 or Airbus A330 freighter can be handled at the same time in two parking positions, or an Antonov An-124 or Boeing 747 cargo in one parking position. Tuzla International Airport had a signed agreement with Turkish Airlines to service 130 cargo flights in 2016 from Istanbul with the Airbus A330F. The airport has mixed civil and military use and the airport is home to the 3rd Helicopter Squadron of the Air Force of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Next to taxiway F, parallel to the runway, there are 31 parking positions for helicopters Bell UH-1 and others of similar size.

Airport operating hours are from 03:30 to 24:00 LT for commercial air carriers and 06:00 to 17:00 LT for general/corporate aviation with a possible extension.[19] Tuzla International Airport is ICAO-classified as ILS CAT I.

Airlines and destinations

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The following airlines operate regular flights to and from Tuzla:[20]

AirlinesDestinations
AJet Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen[21]
Freebird Airlines Seasonal charter: Antalya[22]
Pegasus Airlines Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen[23]
Tailwind Airlines Seasonal charter: Antalya[24]
Wizz Air[25] Basel/Mulhouse, Dortmund, Memmingen

Statistics

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Passenger development

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Annual passenger traffic at TZL airport. See Wikidata query.
Year/Month [1] January February March April May June July August September October November December Year total Change
2024 19,171 17,162 14,737 13,158 13,023 13,691 18,317 22,538 20,436 19,192 171,425  71.3%
2023 58,304 48,326 53,076 67,152 68,442 64,795 72,079 70,088 28,118 18,825 15,341 17,899 582,445  22.8%
2022 23,368 14,630 22,194 40,361 41,322 40,207 50,027 51,426 42,688 44,713 50,651 52,151 474,336  58.6%
2021 12,394 8,427 11,650 13,969 19,880 23,006 45,983 48,630 32,970 35,027 21,600 25,473 298,999  26.6%
2020 35,188 36,588 17,665 0 100 19,456 32,008 28,813 19,509 17,120 9,505 12,473 228,425  61.4%
2019 36,341 30,658 35,679 56,276 52,425 59,581 67,794 66,732 56,412 54,018 35,484 41,617 593,083  1.5%
2018 40,563 35,976 43,112 52,638 49,371 53,709 67,438 65,364 56,062 50,122 30,763 39,471 584,589  9.0%
2017 26,554 23,105 29,116 50,763 47,701 49,662 63,173 63,788 52,816 51,556 37,432 40,178 535,834  72.1%
2016 19,234 19,939 23,598 25,261 27,324 26,673 32,229 31,046 27,793 27,621 23,619 27,061 311,398  20.2%
2015 12,960 12,005 14,474 17,311 18,082 21,563 33,666 33.007 28,900 27,167 22,462 17,427 259,074  71.2%
2014 8,276 6,455 7,289 9,495 9,343 12,195 19,887 19,253 16,.967 16,299 12,363 13,531 151,353  146.0%
2013 1 0 0 0 455 6,251 11,868 11,000 9,071 8,673 7,359 6,835 61,513  1367.7%
2012 8 0 51 13 2 854 1,762 1,243 195 59 4 0 4,191  7.4%
2011 0 0 12 54 8 1,143 1,506 965 10 426 403 0 4,527 N/A

Passenger route statistics

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Tuzla Airport passenger numbers by destination (2019)[26]
Rank Airport Passengers handled % change
2018/2019
1     Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg 66.762   4,21
2   Dortmund 65.606   8,22
3   Malmö 55.489   5,26
4   Gothenburg 52.095   2,64
5   Berlin–Schönefeld -  
6   Hahn 41.872   5,17
7   Memmingen 40.605   4,57
8   Cologne/Bonn -  
9   Friedrichshafen 33.134   0,10
10   Stockholm–Skavsta -  
Tuzla Airport passenger numbers by destination (2018)[27]
Rank Airport Passengers handled % change
2017/2018
1     Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg 64.060   29,40
2   Dortmund 60.621   21,77
3   Malmö 58.570   3,73
4   Gothenburg 50.751   0,35
5   Berlin–Schönefeld 41.184   30,16
6   Hahn 39.812   4,60
7   Memmingen 38.830   17,60
8   Cologne/Bonn 36.930   20,69
9   Friedrichshafen 33.168   25,13
10   Stockholm–Skavsta 25.322   0,73
Tuzla Airport passenger numbers by destination (2017)[28]
Rank Airport Passengers handled % change
2016/2017
1   Malmö 56.461   26,72
2   Gothenburg 50.930   18,46
3   Dortmund 49.781   0,93
4     Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg 49.503   28,95
5   Hahn 38.058   22,76
6   Memmingen 33.016   4,30
7   Friedrichshafen 26.506   0.0
8   Stockholm–Skavsta 25.510   13,16
9   London–Luton 20.708   0,0
10   Växjö 20.269   0,0

Freight statistics

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Year Loaded (in t) Unloaded (in t) Total cargo(in t)
2017 249.6 -  249.6
2016[29] 6.065,92 3.83  6.062,09
2015 219.557 16.689  236.246
2014 55.559 53.793 109.392

Ground transport

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Tuzla Airport is situated at a secondary road that leads to Kalesija to the east and to Živinice to the west. The main road to Sarajevo, Tuzla, and other cities across the country connects from there.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "BHDCA".
  2. ^ Airways: A Global Review of Commercial Flight, Volume 8 by Airways International, Incorporated, 2001, page 4
  3. ^ a b "Tuzla International Airport". Tuzla International Airport. Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  4. ^ "Wizz Air opens Tuzla base". Exyuaviation. 28 June 2015.
  5. ^ Bosnian, Flying (3 June 2016). "Bosnia and Herzegovina aviation news: ✈ Turkish Airlines Airbus 330 cargo flights from Tuzla Int. Airport".
  6. ^ "Welcome to the world of opportunity! - Wizz Air". wizzair.com.
  7. ^ Bosnian, Flying (2 November 2016). "Bosnia and Herzegovina aviation news: ✈ Tuzla airport: photos of proposed terminal building".
  8. ^ "Tuzla Airport to open new look terminal next month". 7 April 2019.
  9. ^ "Wizz Air ukida letove za tri destinacije s tuzlanskog aerodroma". www.klix.ba.
  10. ^ "Tuzla government blocks Ryanair flights". www.exyuaviation.com. 18 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Ryanair blocked at Tuzla Airport over Wizz Air". www.exyuaviation.com. 30 July 2021.
  12. ^ "Wizz Air povećava poslovanje u Tuzli: Planirane dvije nove linije, a stiže i treći bazni avion". www.klix.ba.
  13. ^ Kurt, Senka (11 September 2023). "STRAH OD (NE)LETENJA Wizz Air se povlači, nema više letova iz Tuzle". Interview.ba. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  14. ^ "Lumiwings schedules Tuzla base launch". 2 December 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Lumiwings will not operate Istanbul from Tuzla International Airport". Sarajevo Times. 23 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  16. ^ "Lumiwings discontinues Tuzla operations". Ex-Yu Aviation News. 27 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  17. ^ link, Get; Facebook; Twitter; Pinterest; Email; Apps, Other (11 July 2024). "Tuzla secures year-round Pegasus Airlines service". Retrieved 12 July 2024. {{cite web}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
  18. ^ "2 miliona KM za izgradnju zgrade terminala na Tuzlanskom aerodromu" [2 million KM for the construction of the terminal building at Tuzla Airport]. biznis.ba. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  19. ^ a b "Tuzla international airport". Archived from the original on 25 December 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  20. ^ "Informacije o letovima".
  21. ^ "Ajet od oktobra leti za Tuzlu".
  22. ^ "NAJAVE: Freebird povećava Tuzlu – zamaaero".
  23. ^ "Tuzla secures year-round Pegasus Airlines service".
  24. ^ "PRVI OBJAVLJUJEMO – NAJAVE: Tailwind kreće sa Tuzla-Antalya".
  25. ^ "WIZZ – Dream more. Live more. Be more".
  26. ^ "Bosnia and Herzegovina Aviation News : ✈Bosnia and Herzegovina-Germany air traffic report for 2019". 8 December 2020.
  27. ^ Bosnian, Flying (6 March 2019). "Bosnia and Herzegovina aviation news: ✈Bosnia and Herzegovina-Germany air traffic report".
  28. ^ Bosnian, Flying (15 September 2018). "Bosnia and Herzegovina aviation news: ✈Tuzla Airport air traffic data for 2017".
  29. ^ "Statistics" (PDF). www.bhdca.gov.ba. 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
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