Tonči Peović, who became Zagreb Airport’s new director last year, is not on Croatia Airlines’ list of favourite business associates. Relations between the Croatian national carrier and its home base Zagreb deteriorated earlier in the year when Zagreb Airport requested millions in unpaid handling fees from Croatia Airlines. New announcements from the airport’s management have also been less than comforting for the airline.Peović recently told the media that Zagreb Airport depends too much on Croatia Airlines and that such a state is unacceptable. Croatia Airlines holds a 67% share of all arrivals and departures from the airport, giving it a leading position from the country’s main airport. Peović is pressing for more low cost airlines to commence services to Zagreb. Recently, easyJet announced its plans to begin flights from Zagreb. Peović announced that the airport’s management is negotiations with Ryanair, the world’s largest low cost airline, to commence flights to Zagreb. Ryanair has been present in Croatia for several years, operating flights mainly to the Croatian coast.
It is estimated that Zagreb Airport will report a 3% passenger increase by the end of the year, compared to 2009.
PLESE PLESE START RYANAIR FROM ZAGREB PLEEEEEEEESEEEEEEE...... IT SHOULD BE ABOUT TIME. I HOPE CROATIA AIRLINES FALL TO THERE DOOM!!!!
ReplyDeleteI do not agree here with the previous Anonymous. I believe that major airports like ZAG should (although not necessarily by all means) support their national airlines e.g. OU and give them more favorable terms and conditions than to foreign/low cost carriers.
ReplyDeleteRecently, we also had some negative examples of BEG APT towards JU, if I remember well. This is not a good practice especially when both companies are public (state-owned) and not privatized as SKP for example
Croatia Airlines will not fail. The funny thing here is that the likes of Ryan Air and EasyJet will be good for both Zagreb Airport and Croatia Airlines. These two giants are famous for 'developing' routs and instead of taking pax away from OU they will create there own market and in effect grow OU's as well as low cost carriers have done in so many parts of the world.
ReplyDeleteBut...., what I do not understand is why OU does not adapt a half low cost carrier approach. Advertise cheap tickets on the routes where aircraft are half full to:
a, fill empty seats and
b, help encourage people in the region to take the flying option thus grow there market.
I am the first anonymous and the 2nd anonymous does not know what he is talking about. Take it from my point of view.... i live abroad in london. If i want to get to my country after october and before april i have to pay silly amounts of money compared to the tourist season. This is due to the fact that only wizz air flys to croatia during winter to zagreb. Croatia airlines manipulate this and push t here tickets high during the christmas period and ect... is this fair for people like me... the second anonymous is trying to protects millionaires who own croatia airlines.hmmmm what about ordinary workers like us in the diasporia?
ReplyDeleteThe airport and airline need to quickly realise they actually need each other to remain profitable.
ReplyDeleteOU has (through incompotence, lack of leadership and vision, and political wranglings) limped along in recent times, and suddenly the threat of real competition scares them. OU needs to pay its debts, run more flights (especially from the Adriatic coast given Croatia's tourism economy) and at greater profitability - all this can only happen once Misetic is removed, so the sooner the better.
Peović has also taken the wrong approach. Life's not all about LCCs at any airport - how about just trying to increase airlines across the board from using your airport? I'm sure it's feet through the door and full planes taking off which pays the bills...
@ Anonymous (#1/4)
Wake up - *all* airlines worldwide increase their fares over Christmas/holidays etc. Putting the boot into OU because you want to return home and will have a high fare (just like everyone else) is irrelevant.
And i'm pretty sure W6 flies year round to ZAG, check their website. A better move would be trying to entice the airline to open a base at the airport, competing head-to-head against OU.
@ Q400
A consolidation process for unsold seats would work well. CSA has had a successful program for years.