Qatar Airways leads Gulf battle against Flydubai in Zagreb

The two Gulf carriers operating flights to Zagreb - Qatar Airways and Flydubai - handled a combined total of 95.703 passengers to and from the Croatian capital during the first half of the year, according to data provided by the statistical office of the European Union. This represents an increase of 57.5% on last year but is still down 22.3% on the same period during the pre-pandemic 2019 with Emirates’ absence still being felt following its replacement by Flydubai. Qatar Airways, which offers the most flights and capacity between the two, carried 58.423 passengers, while Flydubai handled 37.280 travellers.

Zagreb route performance by Gulf carriers, H1 2024

Qatar Airways is operating ten weekly flights to Zagreb this year up from the three to five weekly rotations maintained during the first quarter of last year, and the daily service operated during the second quarter of 2023. However, frequencies are still down on 2019 levels, when the route was operated double daily throughout the year. During the first half of 2024, Qatar Airways registered an average cabin load factor of 85.1% on the Zagreb route. All flights were operated by the 132-seat Airbus A320 aircraft across the six-month period.

Flydubai is maintaining up to seven weekly flights to Zagreb this year, with services during the first quarter varying between five and six weekly. During the same period last year, the airline operated five to six weekly rotations on the route. Prior to the pandemic, flights between Dubai and Zagreb were operated by Emirates and its wide-body aircraft over the summers, while Flydubai took over during the quieter winter months. During the first half of 2024, Flydubai registered an average cabin load factor of 67.4% on the Zagreb route. All flights were operated by the 166-seat Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, with exception to one service run by a wet-leased Smartwings B737-800 with the capacity to seat 189 passengers.