ZAGREB, December 4, 2019 - On Friday Bosnia and Herzegovina will take full control of its air space and will start controlling all air traffic above its territory on its own, something it has been doing with the help of air control services in Zagreb and Belgrade since 1996, the Bosnia and Herzegovina Air Navigation Services Agency (BHANSA) confirmed on Wednesday.
Bosnia and Herzegovina air traffic controllers will take over full control of the country's air space from their colleagues in Croatia and Serbia in the night between December 4 and 5, and as of that moment they will also be navigating planes flying over Bosnia and Herzegovina's territory at altitudes of more than 10,000 metres.
Bosnia and Herzegovina currently has 60 trained air controllers.
Since 1996, when regular air traffic was established in Bosnia and Herzegovina and international flight corridors above the country were opened, the job of controlling air traffic has been done by controllers from Zagreb and Belgrade because Bosnia and Herzegovina lacked the necessary capacity and equipment as well as trained personnel.
It was only in 2014 that the country took over control of air traffic at lower altitudes, namely those below 10,000 metres, and now it will perform control of all air traffic above its territory.
It is estimated that around 1,600 planes fly along corridors at altitudes of more than 10,000 metres above Bosnia and Herzegovina every day, while only some 200 fly at lower altitudes.
The fees that are collected from this amount to around 15 million euro annually and the largest portion of that money has so far gone to the air flight control services in Zagreb and Belgrade.
"This is a big day for Bosnia and Herzegovina because in a relatively short period of time, as the youngest European air control agency, we have managed to create technical, personnel and all other conditions to control air traffic above Bosnia and Herzegovina's territory on our own," said BHANSA director Davorin Primorac.
More news about relations between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina can be found in the Politics section.
