Croatia Airlines sees Bucharest success

NEWS FLASH

Croatia Airlines resumed seasonal services between Zagreb and Bucharest last week, now in their third year of operation. The airline has seen its passenger numbers on the route steadily increase since its launch in 2017, three times per week with the 78-seat Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft. In its first year, the carrier handled 5.925 travellers between the two cities. Last year, the airline carried 8.440 passengers, up over 42% on 2017. "We are seeing a number of transfer passengers on these flights, keeping in mind that Romania is the second largest market in Southeast Europe. All indicators show that the number of Romanian tourists visiting Croatia has grown in the double digits", the company previously said. Bucharest had been identified as an unserved destination with great potential from Zagreb since 2007 when over 8.000 people travelled between the two cities. In 2009, the Romanian national carrier TAROM made plans to launch three weekly flights between the two cities using its ATR72 aircraft, however, the service never materialised. Furthermore, Croatia Airlines intended on introducing operations to Bucharest in 2011, but the onset of its restructuring program put an eastbound expansion on hold. The Bucharest Airports Company, noted, "The slots chosen by Croatia Airlines are very favourable for both Romanian tourists and Croats".