Ryanair to expand Croatia operations

Ryanair has announced plans to launch flights from Frankfurt's main airport to three cities in Croatia from March 26, 2018, providing competition to flag carriers Croatia Airlines and Lufthansa. The low cost airline will introduce two weekly seasonal services to Rijeka, Pula and Zadar, while also continuing to maintain operations from Hahn Airport near Frankfurt to the latter two. In Pula, Ryanair will compete directly against Croatia Airlines' and Lufthansa's two weekly service to Frankfurt, while in Zadar it will also face off against the Croatian carrier. The German city will mark Ryanair's sixteenth destination from its seasonal base in Zadar, fourth from Pula and second from Rijeka, as the airline will terminate flights from London Stansted to the coastal city later this month. Ryanair becomes the first low cost carrier to operate from Frankfurt, making it its ninth base in Germany. 

Despite adding new routes to Croatia, the airline still has no flights to the country's two biggest tourist hotspots - Dubrovnik and Split. Speaking to EX-YU Aviation News, Dubrovnik Airport's Deputy Director General, Frano Luetić, said, "We have been in talks with Ryanair for over a decade, however, our stance remains unchanged. Ryanair is more than welcome in Dubrovnik but under the same conditions as the other sixty airlines operating here. We are strong and united in this regard, hence, we would not want to destroy the excellent relations we have with other carriers in order to post big numbers". Last year, Ryanair requested for Dubrovnik Airport to reduce its fees and sign a multi-year agreement prior to it starting operations. The airline's Route Development Manager, Luis Fernandez-Mellado, said at the time that the budget carrier would maintain year-round flights from Dubrovnik, describing it as an extremely interesting destination.

Similarly, Split Airport has said it cannot reduce its fees to accommodate Ryanair. General Manager, Lukša Novak, noted, "In Croatia, they [Ryanair] still operate exclusively from airports which provide support for their flights. We have held meetings with them and established contacts, however, for now, they will not come to Split as we have not changed our policy. Neither Split, nor Dubrovnik, need to stimulate carriers during the season as traffic continues to grow. That would only create a mess on the market. We are always open for talks, but we do not intend on changing our business policy". Ryanair is Croatia's fifth biggest carrier based on the number of weekly departing seats. It operates flights to the country exclusively during the summer and maintained services from Croatia to twenty destinations this season. Earlier this year the airline pulled out of Osijek due to disagreements with local authorities over airport fees.