Ryanair (FR, Dublin International) will launch services to Banja Luka International in Republika Srpska, a Serb-dominated entity within Bosnia-Herzegovina, on October 29, 2018, marking the Irish LCC's entrance into the country.

Ryanair will fly to Banja Luka 4x weekly, including 2x weekly from each of Brussels Charleroi and Memmingen.

"This is a big day for our airport, the city of Banja Luka, the Republic of Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It will provide our citizens with the possibility to travel, through Brussels and Memmingen, to over 90 destinations in several European countries," Duško Kovacevic, acting general manager of Banja Luka airport, has said.

For Ryanair, the non-EU Balkan countries remain the most poorly served part of Europe by the continent's largest carrier.

Banja Luka currently sees minimal traffic with 4x weekly services by Air Serbia to Belgrade. In Summer, it is set to receive charter flights operated by Air Serbia's subsidiary Aviolet to Antalya. It has been approaching LCCs for a while, hoping to boost connectivity to the European Union.

Ryanair's rival Wizz Air is well-established at Tuzla International, out of where it serves 36 weekly departures presently while it also operates two times weekly from Sarajevo to Budapest. Both Sarajevo and Mostar are served by another European LCC, Eurowings, although the services to the latter city are summer-only.