Croatia Airlines unhappy with Zagreb Airport
A feud has erupted between the management of Zagreb Airport and its main customer Croatia Airlines. Angered by the recent news that easyJet will commence services from Paris and London to Zagreb, Croatia Airlines says that it may be forced to reduce frequencies or terminate the routes during the winter months. “This way Zagreb would lose flights to certain European cities, which would lead to its isolation as an airport and would negatively impact on Croatian tourism”, a spokesperson from Croatia Airlines told the “Buisness.hr” portal. Furthermore, the national Croatian carrier says that the arrival of low cost airlines won’t offer passengers anything new from Zagreb and will increase competition on the market, which is still recovering from the economic crisis. The airline says that easyJet’s flights to Paris and London and Norwegian Air Shuttle’s service to Copenhagen will see passenger numbers decline. The airline warns that Zagreb is becoming a low cost airport. “This is against European standards because low cost airlines do not fly to major hubs, instead they use secondary airports”, a spokesperson from the airline said.
“We believe that Croatia Airlines’ announcement regarding the suspension of some services shows the airline’s inability to face up to competition”, a spokesperson from Zagreb Airport said. He continued by stating that low cost airlines do not only operate from secondary airports. During the winter season a total of four low cost airlines will operate flights out of Croatia’s main hub – Germanwings, Wizz Air, easyJet and Norwegian Air Shuttle.
Meanwhile, Split is reporting record traffic. When statistics for July and August are combined, Split Airport handeled more passengers than any other airport in Croatia. A total of 502.100 passengers used Split in the past two months, comapred to 486.400 in Dubrovnik and 465.700 in Zagreb. Split is benifiting from a sucsesfull tourist season in Croatia and an influx of Russian tourists.
How will they lose service to the cities? There will be EasyJet flying there ;) ... what they mean is the loss of service to certain airports.
ReplyDeleteI am sure that if Croatian Airlines drops London there will be someone else there like British Airways or even additional flights on EasyJet.
Announcement of Croatia Airlines must be double-checked.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds so stupid to be placed publicly.
If it is evntually true, it just means that such an airline is heading to its end!
That way, they deserve it!!!
Nothing would surprise me from our airline anymore. It was just reported that CA cabin crew told a women with disability that “retards can’t sit in the exit row seats”.
ReplyDelete@last anonymous
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I should laugh or cry...
I know that we Croats tend to be a bit too 'straighforward' at times but that...it's just too much.
The really sad thing is that cabin crew wasn't even punished.
Oh...I agree...
ReplyDeleteAll those minor airports like CDG, AMS, LGW...served by Easy...
Is it better to make clear any points of Croatia Airlines?
ReplyDeleteThe conflict of interest of the airline's President and C.E.O. Mr. Mišetić, who likely is effected by the Lufthansa policy on international routes and feeders.
It's necessary the privatization of Croatia Airlines.
The international tourism is booming in Croatia and Croatia Airlines gets few benefits only, why?
When I cross the island of Krk by car, during the summertime, and I see the local airport so poorly feeded it makes me sad because I don't understand why it may happen unlike the other adriatic airports and is that fair that politics may act by this bad way?
Easy Jet does not only fly to minor airports in Europe but also in MXP and OPO and others as the above blogger put in evidence.
Ryanair started to fly from Bologna airport almost 2 years ago, and the passengers figures show that average increase of pax of 25% there.
in Bologna fly Ryanair still along with all the major airliners of Europe.
It's likely that by end of 2010 some 5,000,000 passengers fly from/to Bologna.
ridiculous.
ReplyDeletebasically: don't allow competition, because that will make Zagreb airport "not-world-class"
LOL
I live in london and im from croatia. To get to croatia in the winter is the most hardest thing compared to summer. The prices of the flights to get to Croatia are disgusting I really cant belive it. I hope that easyjet come to zagreb asap and i hope that croatia airlines fails they disgust me. They exploit there own people with disgustingly high prices throughout winter. Death to CA
ReplyDeleteSpeechless!
ReplyDeleteThese people have no idea!
Jimmy Wang touched on something very true here. Croatia is a gold field right now. If you mention Croatia just 8 years ago to people here in Australia as a holiday destination they looked at you like you were crazy. Now, tell people you are of Croatia decent, they grab your arm and almost scream that they want to go there or that they can't wait to go back!
Last year, 100 000 Australian visited Croatia! Figure from the Croatian tourist board.
Even though all these people did not travel directly from Australia to Croatia it still demonstrates that Croatia from all the former Yugo republics is currently in the best position to introduce direct flights to Australia the America's and Asia!
Croatia has been given a golden opportunity to become a regional leader and Zagreb a major hub with good business plan and sound investment!
Looks like Zagreb airport is heading in the right direction but Croatia Airlines needs reform and reform fast. Most airlines in the world which may be considered a success and turn good profits have continuously demonstrated there ability to change there business practices when needed to suit the economic environment which they find them selves in. Qantas is very good at this. Same can not be said about Ansett!
We need people running Croatia Airlines who are prepared to take this opportunity they have with both hands and not foolishly think that they are somehow entitled to a set number of passengers travelling to Croatia.
Also, if this Croatia Airlines spokesperson really said that pax numbers will decrease at Zagreb due to intro of low cost carriers and actually believes it, then all I can say is that I am very worried about the future of OU!
Wow - well done Croatia Airlines. Possibly one of the stupidist comments of the year:
ReplyDeleteeasyJet's business model involves flying to main airports ONLY. The only one in Europe they don't serve is London Heathrow.
As for LCC's coming in and resulting in a *FALL* in passengers?! HAHAHAHA! Right. That's like saying the sun rises in the west. Couldn't be further form the truth...
Let's analyze what people are saying here. First, Croatia is NOT a booming tourist destination. Majority of people that visit Croatia are dissatisfied and claim that it was good to visit once and never again. Croatia is losing tourists from big countries like USA, Canada, France, UK, etc. There are more Russians, Serbs, Hungarians, Czechs, and even Romanians, but Croatian nationalism is driving a lot of these tourists away. I repeat, it is NOT so bad, but nevertheless, reports of incidents are surging.
ReplyDeleteSecond, Croatia Airlines is not operating smartly. With Belgrade obviously becoming the largest and most important hub in the Balkans, which has the potential (and might even begin in the future) intercontinental flights, CA should start flights to regional hubs such as Belgrade. But I must say one thing, majority of ex-Yugoslav airline companies have no business sense. So far, B&H is the only airline that has begun to successfully privatize itself.
Again I did not mean to offend anyone, Iam just speaking the facts.
I m working in the airline biz. 3 weeks ago I sent an applicaton to OU for reduced staff travel to Zagreb. I never heard from them.
ReplyDeletethe other airline I booked now the trip was confirming all data incl approval for reduced staff travel within 24 hours...
It rounds up my picture I have from OU....
In few years there won't be any distinction between so called full-service and low-cost airlines. Legroom in Lufthansa's planes is starting to look like that of Ryanair, hot meals have become cold snacks, etc. As in any other business, all that matters is value for money. EasyJet, Ryanair and Wizzair deliver value for money,which is reflected in their financials, while the likes of Croatia Airlines, JAT, and others DON'T.
ReplyDeleteTo my fellow Balkan friends, I share your feeling. It used to be the same situation in Hong Kong, where the authorities were keen on retaining an all-legacies line up for foreign airlines. And now? We are all benefitted by by the likes of Tiger, AirAsia and Mandala.
ReplyDeleteIt smells like pre-1985 in Ireland and Britain in Zagreb *evil laugh
except there are two fundamental differences between hong kong and zagreb. first, asia and europe cannot be compared. two, hong kong is a vibrant city with one of the largest populations, and is an economic hub for china. zagreb is barely an economic hub for croatia let alone the region, and it has few people living in it.
ReplyDelete'First, Croatia is NOT a booming tourist destination'
ReplyDeleteWow know we have two of the dumbest comments ever made on this forum!
Please tell me I have read these absurd comments correctly.
ReplyDeleteOU continues to be the most mishandled, incompetent airline in the exYU, kept afloat by government intervention and the country's growing tourism market. It should be possible for them to maintain a fleet of 20 aircraft and absolutely command market share in the country, and region.
Instead, all we see is corruption, idiocy and lack of foresight which will costs not only the country, but the livelihood of thousands who are directly and indirectly affected. Their destination list is severely lacking, and their recent cutting of flights from coastal cities was the single-most appalling move in recent times. Then we also have issues like the BEG saga, removing planes and frequencies...
Misetic and his cronies *MUST* go. A non-political appointee to the top job is needed ASAP, and then a subsequent clearing of useless staff. Then, with a more lean, focused operation turning around the airline's fortunes can commence.
LCCs are a fact of life now in every part of the world, and their contribution cannot be underestimated. ANONYMOUS and Q400 have summed up the situation perfectly: OU needs to lift its game to compete rather than hide behind protectionist absurdities!