Türkiye's AJet carrier, the low-cost subsidiary of Turkish Airlines (THY), launched on Monday direct flights from Istanbul to Bosnia-Herzegovina's international airport in Tuzla in the northeastern part of the country, one of the largest cities in the Balkan country.

The opening of the new route for the carrier, which will operate from Sabiha Gökçen Airport, was marked with a ceremony at Tuzla International Airport, attended by Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, AJet CEO Kerem Sarp and the local authorities.

The flights by AJet to Tuzla are set to serve once a week on Monday (reciprocally) and might increase in case of rising demand, Sarp said.

Speaking at the ceremony, Uraloğlu expressed he believed "the launch of Istanbul-Tuzla flights will improve relations and trade between the two countries."

Türkiye is known to have strong historical and cultural ties with Bosnia-Herzegovina, and many Turkish companies, from construction and health to banking and financing sectors, are operating in the country.

Recently, another Turkish carrier, namely Pegasus Airlines, also launched flights en route from Istanbul to Tuzla, which is one of the most populous cities in Bosnia and also the center of Tuzla Canton.

Uraloğlu, in his speech, recalled the expansion of AJet following the start of its operations under its new name in March this year, noting that since Oct. 1, the carrier introduced seven new routes, adding that Tuzla is the eighth.

The minister also touched upon the recent floods in Bosnia-Herzegovina, wishing God's mercy to all who lost their lives and calling for a speedy recovery of injured while also highlighting efforts of Turkish organizations such as Red Crescent (Kızılay), the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) for their work on the field.

He also underscored Türkiye's extensive flight network, adding that they aim to further increase the number of points the carriers fly to by the end of the year.

"Today, we fly from Türkiye to 347 different points in 131 countries. We will increase this to 349 by the end of the year," he said.

For his part, Sarp said that with this flight, they built "another bridge" between Türkiye and Bosnia-Herzegovina, two friendly and brotherly countries.

He also noted that as an organization, they carry their passengers to 95 different destinations, with a modernized fleet of 85 aircraft. He added that the new route represents their second line in Bosnia-Herzegovina as they operate seven flights weekly to the capital, Sarajevo.