All Bosnian Wand Airlines flights suspended

The Civil Aviation Directorate has suspended all flights of Bosnian Wand Airlines, TV1 reported last night. The reason is simple - BWA is not an airline, and the Greek airline Hermes, through whose license BWA was flying, has not explained how the two companies are connected, reports the BiH news agency Patria.

Bosnia Wand Airlines is not an airline, is not in the process of obtaining an Air Operator Certificate, and it is still unknown how it is connected to the Greek airline Hermes, to which the BiH Civil Aviation Directorate issued a permit to operate flights. Therefore, all approved flights have been suspended.

The BiH Civil Aviation Directorate stated that BWA does not have any approved flights.

- Hermes Airlines has been approved for flights to Athens every Sunday until March 22, 2015. However, since we asked Hermes Airlines to provide us with the contract with BWA by Friday, January 30, 2015, which they did not do, BHDCA has suspended previously approved flights for this airline - it was announced.

Namely, Hermes airline was founded in Greece in 2011. Bosnian Wand Airlines was registered in Gornje Dubrave in Živinice in 2014.

Today, it was registered in Sarajevo as a limited liability company for air transport, tourism, and trade. Therefore, according to the company, no one can prevent them from using the word airline in their name. However, to be called that, BWA must have an Air Operator Certificate issued by the state Civil Aviation Directorate. Wand has not even applied for the certificate. BWA reacted sharply to our earlier reports, claiming they are in the process of obtaining a permit.

The BiH Civil Aviation Directorate states that by February 2, 2015, no official request for an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from Bosnia Wand Airlines had been received.

For the promotional flight that Bosnian Wand Airlines performed on January 25, the Directorate's permit was obtained by Hermes. That company, despite the request, did not submit any contract with Wand to the Directorate. The company's management never contacted the competent Federal Ministry either.

Enver Bijedić, Minister of Transport and Communications of the Federation of BiH, said he knew nothing about the company.

- That company has never, with a single act, contacted this ministry, nor has it contacted this ministry in any way - says Bijedić.

It also remains unclear how a foreign company can use the national symbols of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Especially if the plane it flies is registered in France.

BHDCA did not issue a permit for the use of national symbols on the plane with which Hermes Airlines operated the flight to Athens on Sunday, January 25, 2015, given that this aircraft is registered in the French Civil Aircraft Register and cannot have BiH markings in its registration. How the aircraft is painted is not within the jurisdiction of BHDCA.

The Ministry of Justice of BiH also confirmed to us that the company Bosnian Wind Airlines has not submitted a request, in the procedure prescribed by law, for the issuance of approval for the use of the name Bosnia and Herzegovina. From this, it is clear that the law has been grossly violated in this case, and investigative bodies will likely be involved.

The Directorate notes that they have sent a letter to the aviation authorities of Greece informing them of this case.