AEGEAN Strengthens Presence in Balkans with New Direct Skopje-Sarajevo Route
Greek flag carrier AEGEAN will launch a new route from Skopje International Airport to Sarajevo International Airport as of October 2, according to an announcement by TAV Airports.
A member of Star Alliance, AEGEAN will operate flights with an ATR72-600 aircraft with three weekly frequencies – every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
TAV Macedonia General Manager Nejat Kurt applauded the new Skopje-Sarajevo route that will provide seamless regional connectivity from Athens on the south, through Skopje, to Sarajevo on the north of the Balkans.
Until the end of the 2023 summer flight schedule, or by the end of October, the departure time from Skopje Airport will be at 7pm and arrival time at Sarajevo Airport at 8:10pm. The return flight will depart Sarajevo at 8:50pm and arrive in Skopje at 9:50pm. A similar schedule will be offered also during winter 2023-2024.
AEGEAN Chief Commercial Officer Roland Jaggi highlighted that the new route will enhance AEGEAN’s operations between Athens and Skopje through increased capacity and frequencies.
“It reflects our commitment to expand our presence in the Balkan area and strengthen our footprint by providing increased connectivity and high quality services,” Jaggi said.
AEGEAN’s CCO added that the route marks also the company’s return to Bosnia after the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic
“…We couldn’t be more excited to reconnect with our valued passengers in this region. As of October, passengers from Skopje will have increased connecting opportunities via Athens hub to the AEGEAN network with almost a daily flight extending our reach to destinations across Greece, Europe, and the Middle East,” Jaggi said.
Sarajevo International Airport Director Alan Bajic underlined that the new route will reconnect Sarajevo with the capital of North Macedonia, Skopje, after 13 years.
He added that the new route is “an excellent form of improving communication and strengthening cooperation in the field of economy and tourism between North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina”.
TAV Airports officials say that the addition of this new route to the route network map and portfolio of Skopje International Airport would be “yet another input to the already strong positive recovery trend in air traffic figures”, especially for the first half of 2023.
AEGEAN and its subsidiary Olympic Air this year will offer a total of 18 million seats. The route schedule for the year 2023 covers a network of 165 destinations (30 domestic and 135 international) in 46 countries from the company’s 10 bases in Greece and abroad, with a fleet of 76 aircrafts including the brand-new Airbus A320 and A321 neo.