Turkish Airlines is implementing significant network reductions for the 2026/27 winter season, removing 578 weekly flights from its timetable between October 25, 2026 and March 27, 2027. The cuts affect several destinations across the former Yugoslavia, including Tivat, Sarajevo, Podgorica and Zagreb, with additional adjustments still possible.
The most severe reduction concerns Tivat, where Turkish Airlines will suspend all winter operations. The carrier had initially planned to continue three weekly flights between Istanbul and the Montenegrin coastal city, matching last winter’s schedule. However, the route faced disruption during the previous season after Montenegro temporarily introduced visas for Turkish nationals, prompting the airline to halt services in January for the remainder of the winter. This time, no flights are scheduled for the entire season.
In Sarajevo, Turkish Airlines will scale back from the originally planned fourteen weekly flights to twelve. The reduction follows recent discussions between airline representatives and Sarajevo International Airport management regarding broader pressures facing the aviation industry.
Airport officials said the talks focused on ongoing challenges including jet fuel shortages and wider market instability affecting global carriers. Sarajevo Airport noted that despite reduced summer and winter frequencies, Turkish Airlines reaffirmed the strategic importance of the Bosnia and Herzegovina market and Sarajevo specifically. Both parties agreed closer cooperation would be necessary to preserve operational stability during a volatile period for the aviation sector.
Turkish Airlines will also reduce flights between Istanbul and Podgorica from the planned twenty-one weekly services to eighteen per week. Despite the cut, frequencies will still remain above last winter’s level, when the airline operated fourteen weekly rotations.
Meanwhile, operations to Zagreb will also be trimmed. The airline previously maintained between sixteen and seventeen weekly rotations during parts of last winter but will now operate fourteen weekly flights throughout the upcoming season.
The reductions come as airlines across Europe continue adjusting capacity in response to fluctuating demand, operational costs and aircraft availability constraints ahead of the 2026/27 winter scheduling period.
