Canada's Air Transat, which last week launched seasonal one-weekly flights from Toronto to Zagreb, is considering extending its service to the Croatian capital next year and adding extra frequencies. The carrier's Commercial Vice President, Gilles Ringwald, said the airline's operations to the country in 2017 will largely depend on this year's performance. "This is a seasonal service running between June and October because our estimates show there is low demand during the winter. If we achieve satisfactory results this summer, we could extend the season next year", Mr Ringwald said, adding that the leisure airline plans to carry some 5.000 passengers on its seventeen return flights to Zagreb in 2016. "We are always looking for new opportunities and could introduce additional frequencies on the route next year. It will all depend on this summer's results", he noted.
The Commercial Vice President highlighted that, based on current bookings, the passenger structure on the flights is varied, featuring a mix of both diaspora and leisure travellers. "We have seen all categories of passengers. There are those wishing to visit Croatia or just visit family and friends. Our advantage is that we have an extensive European network, allowing our passengers to combine their trip to Zagreb with other cities, such as Venice and Budapest", Mr Ringwald said. Air Transat will today operate its second flight to Zagreb. Unlike last week, it has scheduled the larger Airbus A330-300 on the route (instead of the -200 series).
Commenting on the new service, the General Manager of Zagreb Airport, Jacques Feron, said, "These flights are very important because there is a significant number of Croats living in Canada, but also because of tourism and business exchange. This route will surely attribute to the positive results and passenger growth we have continuously recorded". Zagreb Airport handled its millionth passenger this year on July 5, a week ahead of 2015. Air Transat is the third new airline to launch flights to the Croatian capital this year, following LOT Polish Airlines in January and Czech Airlines in April.
So from what I can conclude there is no chance of them going year round. They are just talking about prolonging the flights later on in the season :/
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this is because there is no demand or they can't provide more capacity during the winter.
DeleteThis is just a leisure flight (and only once a week at that). It's purely there to take advantage of the Summer holidays. No chance of it going year-round. Still a good start nevertheless.
DeleteIs Air Transat flying year round to any destination in Europe?
DeleteOnly in the UK.
DeleteDuring winter it uses its aircraft for flights to the Caribbean.
no, also Paris
DeleteAir Transat will most likely start in early May next year and end in late October, however they'll have two rotations per week increasing number of rotations in 2017 to 40, or around 12000 tourists/travellers in 2017.
DeleteIn 2018 they might even increase this to 60 rotations and around 20 000 travellers.
By 2020 Air Canada should see sense and start year round service to Zagreb.
Great to hear that the loads are healthy. They could easily do a few rotations to Belgrade and Skopje during the summer.
ReplyDeleteSkopje?
DeleteYeah Skopje. The P2P demand is huge. There were even charters in 2008 I think between Toronto and Skopje.
DeleteYou could always operate YYZ-BEG-SKP. I'm sure they would have 5000 passengers like on the Zagreb flights.
What was the exact figure on the first flight. Anyone know?
ReplyDelete338 inbound,and 104 outbound.
Deletewow those are great numbers. Even the inbound sector, considering there were no return passengers from previous flights. Great work.
DeleteTS should connect YYZ and SPU via ZAG, such as many years ago. Can't remember the airline but it went bankrupt.
ReplyDeleteAgree. They could have done one weekly direct to ZAG and one via SPU maybe. Although this would probably drive up their costs with crew or what not.
DeleteI'm still surprised DBV doesn't have any TATL flights yet.
@ easyJet, what aircraft type did those flights operate with?
DeleteI remember it was Skyservice Airline with a B752
DeleteThey flew seasonal once weekly (Wednesday) to Zagreb with a technical stop in Dublin. After 1-2 years they inaugurated Split via Zagreb (only one season) Then they went bankrupt.
I am almost sure they did not fly SPU via ZAG.
DeleteThey flew definitly to Split
DeleteI will check but I think not.
DeleteYou don't have to check that because I know that.
DeleteYes easyJet knows it all, such a badass
DeleteFrom Airlines.net:
DeleteThis summer, Skyservice Airlines will not be operating its usuall summer program to many routes including BEG, ZAG, SPU, DUB, SNN & LGW!! Lack of aircrafts and tour operator changes apparently are a major reason however their will be a few new routes started this summer including 3 new routes to Portugal.
Ok, there were other reasons why they stopped flights to BEG,SPU and ZAG....but later they went bankrupt
Great news for Zagreb, hope for some new carriers/routes to North America in the next few years!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Air Transat will more than get their moneys worth out of these flights.
ReplyDeleteWould have been more pleased if it were Air Canada Rouge starting these flights. They would offer much more connections in Canada through Air Canada itself.
ReplyDeleteAir Canada use to fly Toronto-Zurich-Zagreb once upon a time.
DeleteIt's surprising flights from the US haven't started yet. Canada is a much smaller market for Croatia than the US.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry. According to one of the commentator here, about every single airline in the world is about to launch flights to Zagreb.
Deletelol :D
DeleteWould be interesting to see how LH group would respond if Air Transat was flying more than once per week.
ReplyDeleteYeah they are really shaking in their boots from 17 flights.
DeleteRead what I said. I wrote more than once per week and I didn't say they would be afraid but they would definitely take notice. Ex-YU might not be a top priority for LH but it is for the LH regional office and they will definitely take note and give suggestions as to what to do.
DeleteIf you think that for example Air Serbia's flights to the US have not been taken notice of by LH you are wrong. While it might seem insignificant on the whole, it is for the airline's operations in the region because LH group immediately looses a lot of passengers who use to transfer through their hubs to the US.
I agree with you but I don't see what else they can do besides lower their fares and hope that passengers will opt for comfort and flexibility rather than... flying on Air Transat.
DeleteThere wasn't much they could do in Belgrade as tickets to New York were already very low. I think AF-KL has more to lose from JU's JFK flights than LH Group does.
I agree with you Nemjee, especially about AF-KL. KLM is selling tickets on some days BEG-JFK in August for 380 EUR!
DeleteIndeed, that's basically nothing.
DeleteI don't know when the codeshare deal with AF-KL will be up renegotiation but I am sure Air Serbia will demand a change as the terms signed by Jat in 2009 were more than bad. I was told back then that they had no choice but to accept the terms offered by AF-KL since LH was blackmailing them. It was better to accept something rather than to end up with nothing.
Now that Air Serbia has its own flights to New York (and hopefully a US partner) there will be less of a need for AF and KL.
Now, that said... if they decide to change the agreement then they could end up with both AF and KL launching their own flights to BEG. Let's not forget that AF had great loads to BEG, it's the yields they struggled with.
So in the end, Air Serbia is presented with a choice. Either keep the current agreement and with it the monopoly to both AMS and CDG or risk changing it which increases the chances of AF-KL returning to Belgrade.
Just a small note, the moment JU signed the deal with AF-KL, their loads to AMS improved by 35%. That said, it doesn't mean their yields improved.
DeleteKLM in Belgrade would be awesome but I fear JU would then reduce AMS to daily. :(
DeleteTough situation for ASL without doubt.
DeleteJU's numbers to AMS might decrease a bit this year because there use to be many transfers to the US but will now fly direct instead.
DeleteJFK only since they will still connect to other points in the US.
DeleteAF/KL can always start flights from Paris and Amsterdam to Belgrade with Transavia.
DeleteIt has far lower costs than AF/KL and thus it can offer competitive connections from BEG to their hubs without the need for JU's services.
I am in Air Serbia Prium loundge and I just can say WOOOOOW!!!! MORE THAN FASCINATED!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhy Purger - what's so wooooow about it ?
DeleteI am curious to know as well what's so wow. It's a nice lounge but it's nothing out of the ordinary.
DeleteYeah Purger, you could share some photos with us.
DeleteI will. Now I have flight...
DeleteI was in bigger and better lounges, but inpression of this one is woow comparing to Zagreb and region and concerning it is lounge of very small company. Company that size doesn't have premium lounge or have much modest one.
@anon 12:43
DeleteNothing out of the ordinary? Name ONE other business class lounge of a regional airline in Europe that has a-la-carte dining, showers and is open 24h a day.
As Purger said - wooooooow is that no experienced flyer today expects such lounge from an airline the size of ASL. The lounge is in fact more appealing and luxurious compared to some mid-size fish, let alone the small one such as ASL.
DeleteIt simply adds a lot of value to their product (just as their business class does) - when we consider the league they play in. It's like having a couple of FC Barcelona's first team regular starters in a team that plays in the second division. They surely can't make a Barcelona out of that team but they hell make a big difference in their league - and can help push them above it.
AnonymousJune 21, 2016 at 1:43 PM
DeleteTurkish Airlines and Austrian Airlines.
Maybe, just maybe, there is a reason why airlines the size of JU don't have such facilities?
Delete@Anon 1:43 PM
DeleteName ONE other business class lounge of any type of airline in Europe that has NO windows!
There's actually a whole lot of those.
Delete@anon 2:33
DeleteNeither of those are regional airlines.
@anon 4:39
Plenty of those around, including LH lounges in MUC.
Actually, parts of LH lounges don't have windows, all of them have them in specific areas.
DeleteWell, why don't you start by defining what you mean by region then. ;)
Following on from JU then, will OU have its own dedicated lounge in the brand new ZAG terminal ?
DeleteWith a new terminal like that, OU's lounge should be even more WOOOOOOW than JU's !
Anon at 4.39pm .... you obviously haven't been in the lounge because if you had, you would know that the entire left hand side of the lounge (as you walk in), has windows.
DeleteYou must be confused with another of the many lounges you obviously have been inside of.
Which left side? You mean the one bordering the walkway in the terminal?
DeleteOMG! What a stupid conversation!
DeleteIt is amazing to see how people try to connect any topic one way or another to Air Serbia lol
Delete2016-06-21
ReplyDeleteAB9726 Dusseldorf (DUS) - Belgrade (BEG) D-ABCJ / Airbus A321-211
Sta radi ovaj ovde?
Azilanti
DeleteHvala!
DeleteWhenever you see a charter of a German based carrier you can without doubt say its carrying "azilante". Also Czech airline Travel Service was in BEG and SJJ just a few days ago. Less than two weeks ago there was a flight from a German city to SJJ then to TIR then to SKP and then to BEG.
DeleteGermans have to make space now, no more room ;)
While ZAG will get some new flights FOR SURE, that guy is just a bit delusional.
DeleteA330 business class is very very good experance.
ReplyDeleteUtorak 21.6.
ReplyDeleteZagreb - Beograd Air Serbia ATR72
34/66 = 51,5%
Beograd-Banja Luka Air Serbia A330
88 pax od cega 1 u business
Banja Luka-Beograd Air Serbia A330
42 pax od cega 1 u businesss
On Banja Luka flights at least 8 pax were tranzit to Tivat.
DeletePurger, if you don't mind me asking - pretpostavljam da je Vaš današnji let za BNX, i to posebno zato što je u biznis klasi, "nadoknada" za to što je današnji ZAG zamenjen za ATR sa A330.
DeleteDa li ste morali da se posebno pomučite da biste dobili taj let i upgrade, ili su Vas prosto obavestili o tome?
Prosto ga je Kondić obavestio o tome ;)
DeleteNisam se morao pomućiti. Air Serbija je bila ekspeditivna i vrlo brzo rješila problem. O tome ću više pisati ovih dana. Dok sam ja letio ZAG-BEG, oni su rješili problem i dobio sam nove karte i boarding passove na samom Aerodromu Beograd. Svaka čast i koordinatoru na Tranzit desku Air Serbije i službi prodaje.
DeleteHvala Purger, cenim odgovor!
DeleteAll ASL flights to JFK in economy fully booked until 27 of jun.
ReplyDeleteNot trying to be a party breaker, but June 27 is less than a week from now. That's 4 flights max not including the inaugural one.
Deletenot bad!
Deleteand eastbound?
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteSeats are packed on JFK to BEG sector no empty seats until 27 june and after that ticket is around 2000 dollars so you can guess that there is not many seats left.
DeleteAjmo Hrvatska !!!! Good chances to see extra flights to France when Croatia advances to Semifinal or more.....
ReplyDeletethey can face Spain, Germany, France, Italy and England in Final only
Today 3 flights from ZAG to Tel Aviv by Boeing 757 of Spanish company Privilege stile for El Al
DeleteThere was also 4 charters from Bordeaux to Zagreb (2x OU, 1x ZI and 1x AP).
And there was a flight to Beirut, via Mostar by OU.
Delete@Danijel - what flight to Beirut, I have not recorded it anywhere...no info on ZAG web, nor at Flightradar... thanks
Deletehttps://www.flightradar24.com/reg/9a-ctk
DeleteIt was via Mostar. Or maybe it was Beirut-Mostar? I dont know.
oh, ok - thanks. I hope it was not one of those free freight legs, just to get the airplane to the desired spot and back... Afterall, these routes I have read from ZAG airport's internal route plan, but they never showed on the official on-line timetable at ZAG airport's web - yet the flights by Wings of Lebanon did, however they too are out of the time table now... :(
DeleteI dont know why they didnt on timetable. But they do those flights often. And last year they was flying too. Some days with two A320.
DeleteGood news. There's also great potential, if not need for direct US flights. If only ASL were flying to NYC via Zagreb, like old JAT used to in simpler times.
ReplyDeleteThose times are gone. In today's aviation climate there is no room for milk run flights which have multiple stops. Also Air Serbia's flights have a very tight schedule with turnarounds and it is impossible to fly 5 weekly and have stops anywhere.
Delete