BHANSA Slashes Employee Salaries Following Account Freeze
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Loading... - Cornelis Bakker
- 15 Apr 2025
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The Air Navigation Services Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHANSA) has been forced to slash employee salaries due to a financial crisis triggered by a freeze on its accounts. This situation arose after the Council of Ministers and the Fiscal Council of BiH convened to discuss changes to the Global Policy Framework of BiH and the repayment of a debt owed to Slovenia, primarily by the Republika Srpska (RS).
Prime Minister Nermin Nikšić has publicly opposed the proposal to use funds from the Federation of BiH, which is considered the economically stronger entity, to cover the RS debt. He firmly stated that there would be no redistribution of the Central Bank of BiH’s funds to settle the 40 million euro debt owed to the Slovenian company Viadukt, which continues to accrue interest daily.
The situation has been exacerbated by Eurocontrol's decision, following a Belgian court order, to block financing for BHANSA. This blockade has raised alarms among representative unions operating within the agency, who have expressed deep concern and indignation over the precarious state of BHANSA.
The unions warn that the financial blockade, linked to the arbitration payment, has jeopardized the agency's basic functioning. As a result, employee salaries have been reduced, and if the blockade persists, BHANSA will struggle to cover essential maintenance for critical technical equipment and meet current operating costs. Their message is clear: air traffic safety in Bosnia and Herzegovina is now seriously threatened.
