Bosnia and Herzegovina will have new direct scheduled links with the UK by the end of June as the country attempts to regain an important share of the tourist market. As part of Yugoslavia, the Bosnian capital Sarajevo was popular with international visitors during the 1980s and early 1990s. However, following the republic's independence, visitor numbers declined after a succession of new airlines failed, the latest being the former national carrier Air Bosna. With both Croatia and Slovenia welcoming more foreign visitors, a group of British investors have joined forces with top-level ministers in Bosnia, including High Commissioner Paddy Ashdown and Foreign Minister Mladen Ivanic, to establish a new airline to provide essential international links. New operator Fly Bosnia is in the final stages of its launch preparations and plans to begin flights from Sarajevo to London/Gatwick from late June, offering the first scheduled direct flights between Bosnia and the UK since hostilities in the former Yugoslavia ended. It is also looking to serve Manchester as an additional leg of the service and may also launch services to the historic Bosnian city of Mostar, though no formal decision has yet been taken. The new route will be served by a 148-seat, all-economy configured, Boeing 737-300 or -700 on an aircraft, maintenance, crew and insurance (ACMI) lease. Talks to source the aircraft continue with a number of airlines.
http://www.flybosnia.com