The first Eurowings plane landed at Sarajevo International Airport this morning on the Berlin-Sarajevo route, officially establishing a direct flight between the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the German capital.
Direct Sarajevo-Berlin connection restored
Eurowings previously had an established airline on this route, which was operational until January 2020, when flights were suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Upon landing, a symbolic water salute was held, while passengers and crew were presented with special gifts as a sign of welcome to Sarajevo.
Director of Sarajevo International Airport Dino Selimović said that the re-establishment of a direct connection with Berlin represents an important moment for Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“It is an extremely great honor and pleasure for us that after months, I would say years, we, as the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Sarajevo International Airport, have once again established a direct flight via Eurowings, as part of the Lufthansa Group, with the capital of Germany. Berlin and Sarajevo share many common interests, and the new airline will further strengthen tourist, cultural, sports, political and institutional ties, especially if we look at it in the context of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European path. The German capital and Germany as a country are certainly a point where Bosnia and Herzegovina’s path towards full membership in the European Union can be negotiated and accelerated,” said Selimović, Federalna writes.
The importance of the line for citizens and tourism
He added that the new line will represent a significant relief for citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina who live and work in Germany, but also for all tourists planning to visit Sarajevo and other destinations in BiH.
“We are extremely happy and proud that from today you can fly from Sarajevo to Berlin on a direct flight,” he said.
Selimović stated that the goal is for the airline to remain active throughout the year.
“This will primarily depend on the occupancy of flights, but we expect the number of flights to be even higher during the summer season. We believe that there will be interest throughout the year for passengers to come and fly between Berlin and Sarajevo,” he added.
The first flight from Berlin to Sarajevo was taken by the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Germany, Damir Arnaut, who recalled that the initiative to establish this line was launched back in 2022 at the tourism fair in Berlin, through the cooperation of the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Berlin, Sarajevo Airport and the Tourist Board of the Sarajevo Canton with the company Eurowings.
“This means a lot both for the political and for the tourist connection of the two capitals and our Bosnia and Herzegovina with our biggest ally in the European Union, which is undoubtedly Germany. This line will also attract a large number of additional German tourists to Sarajevo, but also the rest of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Arnaut.
He added that the establishment of this airline shows that Bosnia and Herzegovina is “connecting with the right destinations and going in the right direction”.
Germany and BiH strengthen cooperation
Head of the Department for Economic Affairs and Development Cooperation of the German Embassy in BiH, Arend Muller, said that relations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Germany go far beyond political and economic cooperation.
“First of all, these relations are shaped by people, especially the numerous citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina who live and work in Germany and represent a strong and important bridge between our societies. I am really happy that our friendship is finally being maintained again through an air connection between our capitals, Berlin and Sarajevo. We hope that this airline, in addition to existing connections such as the one between Sarajevo and Frankfurt, will contribute to further intensifying the good exchange between our countries,” said Muller.
He also emphasized the expectations that the new line will provide additional impetus to economic cooperation, tourism and cultural dialogue, but also deepen mutual understanding between the citizens of the two countries.
Mayor of Sarajevo Samir Avdić said that the re-establishment of a direct connection between Sarajevo and Berlin is of great importance for the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina who live in Germany, but also for the development of economic cooperation.
“A special dimension is also given by the opportunity for businessmen from Germany to connect with businessmen from Sarajevo and all of Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to improve economic cooperation,” said Avdić.
Flights available throughout the year
He pointed out that an additional flight on this route will be introduced during the summer season, especially during the period of increased diaspora arrivals and the Sarajevo Film Festival, and added that Sarajevo is now connected to 41 European destinations by direct flights.
Flights on the Berlin – Sarajevo route will be operated on Saturdays starting from May 9, while they will be available on Thursdays from July to mid-September. This is a regular airline that will further improve the connection of Sarajevo with Germany, both for tourist and business trips.
Airline tickets are available at the ticket sales counters of Sarajevo International Airport, via the official website of the Eurowings airline, while more information is available at http://www.sia.ba.
