Second millionth passenger arrives as CEO gets the sack
On Friday, Zagreb Airport welcomed its second millionth passenger of the year, a day ahead of 2011. The lucky passenger, Dražen Ilinčić, was heading onto a Lufthansa flight bound for Berlin. Apart from vouchers provided by Croatia’s busiest airport, the passenger also received two return tickets to Germany’s capital from Lufthansa. Zagreb Airport has seen passenger numbers rise on international services, however, has recorded a slump in numbers on domestic flights. The airport is set to end the year as the second busiest in the former Yugoslavia, maintaining its position from last year. A busy winter is ahead as SkyWork Airlines launches flights from Bern tomorrow while British Airways will be inaugurating services from Heathrow in December.
Meanwhile, the Croatian government has appointed a new CEO for Zagreb Airport. Miroslav Drljača will replace Tonči Peović at the helm. Peović, who was brought in from Dubrovnik Airport, says, “Minister Siniša Hajdaš Dončić has the right to choose who will run Zagreb Airport, though the rule is not to change a driver during a race if he is achieving good results. It is odd that that just before the start of the concession project at Zagreb Airport, the man who made the concession possible and was brought in to make it happen is replaced”. The terms of the concession were altered on Friday by the management board, though it is unknown what kind of changes were made. Peović hopes that his sacking won’t cause problems with concessionaire Aéroports de Paris, which is expected to build a new terminal at Zagreb next year, though he is sure it will impact relations with other potential partners.
The new CEO, Miroslav Drljača, ran the cargo sector at Zagreb Airport until recently. He is said to be in close relations with the governing Social Democratic Party and voiced his opposition to the concession with Aéroports de Paris.
I would doubt the airport is getting ready for a busy winter with only a few weekly Dornier flights and a daily A319 to London.
ReplyDeleteAlso, does anyone know if the agreement with ADP can be cancelled now or is it a done deal?
It was because of people like you Croatia was so desperate to leave Yugoserbia along with Slovenia, BiH, Macedonia, Kosovo and your buddies too Montenegro!
DeleteAnd it was because of you that Croatia is such a successful country today. In stead of proving me wrong by using valid arguments you are just playing the victim card. Some things will just never change.
DeleteAnd your first comment was so very true and correct. Your so dumb you can't see past the end or your own nose.
DeleteOnce again your arguments are flawless and based on really good arguments. Good job man. You have managed to completely convince me I was illusional. ;)
DeleteErm... I can see past my nose, and all I can see is that this winter we will even see some flight reductions on behalf of OU in Zagreb.
DeleteI am a Croat and I see no problem with the first comment- certainly I am not offended. Of course he did not mean that there will be just those two flights operated to Zagreb, but that it will be only those two new flights to the city.
DeleteIt is no secret, even to us Croats, taht things are not great at ZAG.
Oh...heavens!
DeleteIs there a way of shutting two of you up?
Why dont you go to "Great Nation" (which ever that one is) specific blog?
And...have some balls to put your names up!
Yes because putting a name is so much different than having anonymous.
DeleteI am a serb (have no idea why this is relevant) and I have a problem with the first comment because there are no Dornier flights to Zagreb and more than just one daily flight to London so it is very easy to see that my fellow serb commentator was trying to pick a fight, which I would strongly advise him to avoid doing because we have a real bad record as of late when it comes to fighting.
DeleteAeroflot has started codesharing with Jat on BEG-TIV route.. Interesting..
ReplyDeleteWill the codeshare start with the winter season or? I am surprised it was not easier for them to place their codes on Montenegro's flights. Maybe the problem is that they do not fly daily to Moscow?
DeleteI guess we will be seeing bigger aircraft from Aeroflot in Belgrade.
Doesn’t MGX fly from a completely different airport in Moscow then Aeroflot?
DeleteThey do, but I am sure they could have easily switched. Especially if they could get additional feed from Aeroflot.
DeleteSU officially introduced A321 on SVO-BEG route starting from March,31st.
DeleteYes but does it operate daily to Belgrade or only on certain days?
DeleteNot only BEG-TIV but BEG-TGD and a very weird thing is their own flight is operated between BEG and TIV not a codeshare, the one at 16:40, check it out, or is it just my imagination?
Delete@last anon
Deletethe flight @1640 is obviously a mistake.
Although this is not confirmed and/or official, I have been in touch with some people from LDZA lately and got an information that Zagreb is very likely to open up 6 new routes for the summer timetable in 2013. Something along the lines of Warsaw, Dubai, Stockholm, Amsterdam (KLM). The other 2 routes I am not familiar with...I can only speculate that it's St. Petersburg and Sofia...
ReplyDeleteWarsaw would be a really good addition for the airport. Does anyone know if there is any demand between the two cities or will they have to rely on the connecting traffic?
DeleteI doubt Dubai will be open as it would have to be operated by Emirates since Zagreb is too far for flydubai- unless Croatia Airlines is the airline in question.
The route to Stockholm will it be operated by SAS or Croatia Airlines?
Best from London.
there'll be demand i am sure of it once recession is over, LOT once flew to Zagreb trice weekly, I am sure they'll come back once recession is over.
DeleteSame goes with few other airlines, SAS, KLM, Iberia, All Italia... But as long recession is still ongoing things won't change dramatically.
I'm glad that Wizz Air no longer flies to Zagreb, worst low cost airline after Ryan Air.
Yes but didn't they fly the route with their E-145 back then? Now they will have to use their E-170, I hope they can manage to fill those extra seats. LOT is one of my favourite airlines in Europe and Warsaw is a really pleasant airport, so I wish them all the best.
DeleteWell, I do not like Wizz Air but I like the fact that they lower the fares at airports from which they operate.
KLM already codeshares on AF flights, and they have never entered Ex-Yu market before.. What will make them change their mind?
DeleteNot 100% sure, but if Amsterdam is a successful point-to-point route (which it is), I don't see why not expanding this option (plus Amsterdam is a good connection hub for US/Canada flights) ?
DeleteAfterall, KLM had been present at Zagreb airport for decades in the 1970s and 80s.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteDefinite decision by government of Croatia:
ReplyDelete- PSO for 3 years 2012-2014
- Government will pay for all debts of Croatia airlines
- No downsizing, not in lines, not in fleet
- Fleet will stay the same 7 A319/320 + 6 Q400
- Jobs cut of some 110 workers, but not between pilots and mechanics
- More flights and lines in summer 2013
For example Bruxelles will go from 6 to 11 flights per week from ZAG
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Will Brussels be operated by the Dash-8? Some friends of mine flew on it and they said that it was a horrible experience.
DeleteSo what kind of jobs will be lost? Cabin crew?
Anonymous 1:11 wrote "jobs cut of some 110 workers, but not... pilots and mechanics" It would be more appropriate "but not workers employed in operational sectors and departmens." And 110 to be cut are those sitting in offices and literally doing nothing, some of them on posts and jobs which don't exist in any of the market economy firms, or don't exist at all, which places and posts are literally invented to employ friends, relatives and HDZ members for huge salaries and no work. Of course it's not 110 of those, my estimation is some 30, but on the other hand, 110 is far to less to cut; it should be some 300 instead, taking into consideration that OU/CTN has more than 700 "non-operations" workers for some 1400 passenger seats. But ok, for the beginning, that's something, too. Let's just hope it'll come true and some similar cuts are to happen in future...
DeleteWhen zagrab.
ReplyDelete...reaches the almighty Belgrade, center of the Balkans, a large and developed hub, the kind that people use in order to escape from Serbia thus boosting up the pax numbers :)
ReplyDeleteSorry to inform you, but zagrab will remain to look as some somalian airport for some time. Until than keep saying, when zagrab when
ReplyDeleteCroatia = 6 mil airport pax, Serbia = 3.4 mil airport pax
ReplyDeletePopulation Croatia = 4.4 mil, Population Serbia = 7.5 mil
Zagreb international tourists = 10%+ over Belgrade.
Zagreb = 2/3 size of Belgrade
Pametnom jasno.
And LDZA will look much better for sure.