Greek carrier Lumiwings has scheduled the opening of its Tuzla base with the launch of six new routes this December, which will grow to ten destinations next summer season. It comes after it won a tender for the introduction of new services from the city in return for subsidies. Starting December 18, the carrier will commence operations to Saarbrucken in Germany, Halmstad and Stockholm Skavsta in Sweden, Esbjerg in Denmark, Maastricht in the Netherlands, and Istanbul in Turkey although the latter is subject to regulatory approval. All routes will be maintained twice per week. Tickets are now available for purchase through Lumiwings’ website.
The Greek airline, which primarily operates within Italy, will station a 149-seat Boeing 737-700 in Tuzla. The new routes, which are primarily catered towards the diaspora, aim to replace part of Wizz Air’s network, after the budget carrier shut its base in the city this September and discontinued the majority of its flights, although it continues to operate three routes out of Tuzla with aircraft from other bases. “We negotiated with around thirty European airports and then selected the ones that offered the greatest discounts, so that ticket prices could remain affordable for our passengers. We are still awaiting official approval to change the designated carrier for the Istanbul route, since initially permits were given to Air Montenegro to maintain this service”, the General Manager of Tuzla Airport, Dževad Halilčević, said.
The Accountable Manager at Lumiwings, Dimitris Kremiotis, said the success of the carrier’s new Tuzla base depends on the diaspora. “In order to enable passengers to buy tickets at affordable prices for the upcoming winter holidays, we are offering fares starting as low as 75 euros for travel from December 18. We would like to inform passengers that tickets with such affordable fares will sell out quicky”. Lumiwings has two aircraft in its fleet, with an Embraer E195 complementing its B737-700. This year the airline operated scheduled seasonal flights between Foggia and Mostar.
