Skopje, 3 October 2023 (MIA) - Greek flag carrier airline Aegean launched a new Skopje-Sarajevo route that will fly every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The inaugural flight took off from the Skopje International Airport to the Sarajevo International Airport on Monday night, while the staff welcomed passengers with symbolic gifts wishing them a safe flight, said TAV Airports in a press release.

By the end of October, the departure time from Skopje Airport will be at 7 pm, with an 8:10 pm arrival time at Sarajevo Airport, whereas the departure time from Sarajevo Airport will be at 8:50 pm, with a 9:50 pm arrival time at Skopje Airport. A similar schedule will be offered during the 2023/24 winter.

"We believe that this new air route will serve travelers’ need to quickly and comfortably reach Sarajevo from Skopje in just a bit over one hour, rather than using other forms of transportation that take long hours and result in exhausting trips between the two capitals. Now, people from Sarajevo take the AEGEAN flight and arrive at Skopje in nearly one hour, discover its popular sightseeing spots and cultural heritage during their travels or visit other places the country,” said the General Manager of TAV Macedonia, Nejat Kurt.

Chief Commercial Officer of Aegean, Roland Jaggi said that with the new route they want to increase connectivity and expand their presence in the Balkan area.

"With our high-quality services, we wish to promote interstate mobility, tourism and strengthen trade relationships, not only between the two countries, but also with Greece. The launch of this new route is also the result of the cooperation between AEGEAN and Skopje International Airport and I would like to thank our colleagues from TAV airports for the great partnership we are having," Jaggi said. 

Director of Sarajevo International Airport, Alan Bajic, noted that the launch of this route is a result of the joint and very successful cooperation between TAV Macedonia Skopje, Sarajevo International Airport and Greek airline AEGEAN.

"We are excited that AEGEAN recognized the importance and potential of establishing this route as an excellent improvement of the communication and strengthening cooperation in the field of economy and tourism between Northern Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. I am convinced that the cooperation between AEGEAN and Sarajevo International Airport will be long and successful,” Bajic said.

TAV Macedonia, a subsidiary of TAV Airports, a member of Groupe ADP, finished the period between January–August 2023 with a total of 2.049.157 passengers at both Macedonian airports – Skopje International Airport and Ohrid St. Paul the Apostle Airport. This is a 32% increase compared to the same period in 2022, while compared to 2019, which is considered a referent year in aviation, the air traffic figures note 15% more passengers. In terms of the number of flights, there were 15.344 flights for the 8 months of 2023, or 20% more flights than in 2022, i.e., 4% more compared to 2019. ssh/nn/ 

Photo: TAV Airports