Banja Luka International Airport plans to increase the number of passengers by 10 pct this year and to close the year with more than half a million passengers, the airport management said, announcing new flights from the northern Bosnian city.

In 2023, Banja Luka airport recorded a total of 460,731 passengers, the local media reported.

According to Natalija Trivic, the airport general manager, Banja Luka will as of this year be connected with Barcelona, as well as Greek islands of Crete and Rhodos.

All charter flights arranged last year will operate throughout 2024 except for the Tivat – Banja Luka flight, which were discontinued.

The works on the new parking lot have also been finalised, significantly increasing the number of parking spots, which posed a serious problem in the previous years.

The airport management also plans opening a duty-free shop by the summer season, which is expected to increase revenues.

Banja Luka is the second-largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is the administrative centre of Republika Srpska entity.