Zagreb Airport expects for its passenger numbers to grow 5% in 2019 in what it describes as being a consolidatory year compared to the previous two. During the first half of 2019, it welcomed 1.534.105 travellers through its doors, up 4.2%. It added an extra 62.477 passengers on 2018. "Since the start of the concession, at the end of 2013, until today, Zagreb Airport has recorded a 45% increase in passenger numbers. Growth is continuing this year as well in line with our plans and expectations", the airport said. It added that July's figures should be flat compared to last year, when the airport saw a significant number of charter flights due to the FIFA World Cup in Russia, where Croatia was runner up.
More robust passenger growth is anticipated during the first half of 2020 as Croatia assumes the six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union in January of next year. "Currently, some thirty airlines maintain scheduled flights to Zagreb, connecting the city to fifty destinations in Croatia, Europe and the world. Zagreb Airport is in constant contact with a number of carriers concerning the launch of new routes. Zagreb Airport can expect to handle five million passengers per year by 2026", the airport said. Zagreb continues to be dominated by full service carriers, which account for over 90% of all seats, whereas low cost airlines have a share of just over 8%.
Several airlines have outlined plans to boost either frequencies or capacity to the Croatian capital this coming winter season, which begins on October 27. Greece's Aegean will add an extra weekly flight on its service from Athens to Zagreb for a total of three. The new rotation will operate on and off throughout the winter. Overall, the route will be maintained until January 15, before it goes on a month-long hiatus, and resumes on February 24. British Airways will add an extra two weekly flights between London Heathrow and the Croatian capital for a total of nine for the majority of the winter. However, during certain periods, frequencies will vary between seven and nine weekly. This includes November, January and February. Spain's Iberia will introduce an extra weekly rotations from Madrid for a total of three per week, while Korean Air will boost capacity for part of the winter season by replacing its Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, which operated last year until December 31, with the slightly larger B787-9 jet. On the other hand, Flydubai will reduce its operations to Zagreb from seven to four per week, with exception to the peak winter travel period between mid-December and mid-January.
So we can expect around 3.5 million passengers this year?
ReplyDeletePlanned 5% increase at 3.34 million passengers in 2018 means additional 167 thousand passengers expected in 2019
DeleteSo could Split add more than 350k passengers in 2019?
DeleteSo far they added some 66.000 passengers so let's see what happens next two months
DeleteI think SPU will add around 170.000 extra passengers this year.
DeleteZAG will handle around 3,5-3,6 million this year.
DeleteAlso, Zagreb is to become a regional center for Amazon, starting this autumn, that should significantly increase cargo!
Delete1. That's still uncomfirmed.
Delete2. they would just use the local post to distribute their goods at extremely low prices, same as US Postal Services.
What rate of growth could we expect because of the EU presidency?
ReplyDeleteDoes EU presidency really impact traffic other than on Brussels line?
DeleteNothing much, the whole EU presidency growth is a scam. The only route that will see extra passengers is BRU-ZAG and LJU-CRL, that's about it.
DeleteOf course not. The same we heard about Croatia joining NATO, entering EU etc. And no big increase has been seen at all yoy.
DeleteIt is not a scam, but to large extent it depends on the Croats themselves.
DeleteDuring the Romanian presidency - which was very well organised - there were quite many events all over Romania.
Only last week of June:
- General Assembly of the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN)
- Education Committee – Meeting of the European Affairs Experts
- Meeting of the URBACT Monitoring Committee
- The 52nd plenary Meeting of the European Judicial Network
- The 8th edition of the EUSDR Annual forum
- ”Week of Innovation regions in Europe” (WIREX 2019 Conference)
- Informal Meeting SMWP – SMWPi
- Plenary meeting of the LXI COSAC – Conference of Community and European Affairs Bodies
- Meeting of the group “Space”- SWP (space atache trip)
- 6th Eastern Partnership Business Forum
And all of that maybe attracts what, maximum 5.000 to 10.000 people?
Delete@9.09
DeleteCroatia entered EU during the financial crisis so it didn't have the same effect on the airport as it did when Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU.
Croatia entered EU 4 years after financial crisis
Delete09:26, that was events only in the last week of june.
DeleteNothing will change during next first 6 months of 2020. ZAG will have more private/state jets and that's it.
DeleteThis was great chance for some airlines to fly year round, for example Brussels Airways, Czech, Swiss but nothing.
DeleteAnon 09.49
DeleteRight, more excuses. Romanian and Bulgarian airports meanwhile experienced growth during that period not because they were already in the EU but because their airports were open for everyone.
Who is ZAG closed for?
DeleteLCC airlines such as FR, W6, U2...even DY scaled back its presence.
Delete@ Anonymous 9:09
DeleteCroatia actually had boom growth,... compare all Croatian airport numbers before and after EU join. It is short period of just 6 years.
Coast grew because parasitic OU was kicked out and professional airlines took over. This has not happen in Zagreb.
DeleteZAG needs to do more to attract LCCs.
ReplyDeleteLCCs in ZAG would kill OU. That's why the airport isn't doing more to attract them.
DeleteYes but OU isn't doing enough/anything... so what's the point of protecting them?
DeleteThat's their problem. They had years to become competitive and offer decent prices.
DeleteActually, on most routes OU have competitive prices, on domestic you can easy find flights for around 500-600HRK return ZAG-SPU/DBV. The bigger problem is that they dont fly on lot of routes and network is small.
DeleteGood work ZAG.
ReplyDeleteAnd then in 2021 they will complain that bad result came as the consequence of EU presidency in 2020 like they complain now about July results because of world cup.
ReplyDeleteKLM is also reducing ZAG to six weekly this winter. Last year they did it in February while now it's from the start of the winter season.
ReplyDeleteIt is not true, KLM was not daily last winter in ZAG, I dont know why you write the same lie every few days?
DeleteBecause I keep on correcting you each time you come back with your lies. The 7th weekly was cut in January 2019, now it's cut from the start of the winter season.
DeleteKLM was not daily thru all winter last year, that is the fact
DeleteExactly, this year they reduced it much earlier, some three months.
DeleteBravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteSo if growth in July will be 0% then I have a hard time believing they will pull off more than 5% in winter. OU isn't growing and extra frequencies are simply not enough, they can't bring the needed numbers.
ReplyDeleteGrowth towards the end of the year and in 2020 will probably be quite large because of EU presidency.
DeleteExtra frequencies are very tiny
DeleteBased on what? Only BRU route will see extra growth. Some here were making same predictions from EU membership, NATO membership, Advent celebrations... and in the end growth was normal. Same thing will happen here.
DeleteSeems that ZAG is on the right track.
ReplyDeleteOf what? Crawling forward?
DeleteWell of achieving 3,5 million pax in a country of 4 million population and 8 other international airports in close vicinity is rather remarkable. It basically serves a population of 2 million with DBV and SPU being airports with 3 million in the same small country, ZAD and PUY close to one etc... so quite good work for ZAG.
DeleteLol you gotta be kidding me? You do realise that ZAG is the only European capital without LCC link to London!
DeleteAny surprises/new airlines we might still see this year?
ReplyDeleteToo late for any new announcements for 2019.
DeleteFrequencies:
ReplyDelete-3 on FZ
-1 on KL
Additions
BA +2
A3 +1
IB +1
So in the end there is no real change compared to last year especially since OA sends its small regional turboprop.
OU is also adding a flight to Brussels and KL is not reducing ZAG.
DeleteThere is also the major expansion by OU with +1 to BRU lol
DeleteProbably on the Q400
Also OU keeps flying to Dublin in winter +2
Deletewww.klm.com seems to disagree with you, there is no flight on Saturdays this winter. Last year it was cut in mid-January now it's from the start.
Delete@9.17 yes but Dublin is till January, the same as Lisbon last winter but this winter Lisbon won't operate so they cancel each other out. So overall OU is adding one frequnecy this winter to Brussels.
DeleteMaybe foreign carriers could add some frequencies. EU presidency is a big deal.
DeleteCroatia Airlines needs to grow in the Balkans.
ReplyDeleteZAG has so much potential. OU should really try and promote ZAG as a transfer point and use its position to shuttle passengers from the region to western Europe.
DeleteAny other airport can do it.
DeleteBEG for example as nr. 1 in ex-YU
Anon 09.24
DeleteThat ship has long sailed. ZAG is now sandwiched between hubs such as BEG, VIE, MUC and FCO. Too much competition which would require massive investments, money OU doesn't have.
"hubs such as BEG, VIE, MUC and FCO"
DeleteLOL dude!
What?
DeleteI didn't write that comment but putting Belgrade in the same category as Vienna, Munich and Rome is really unrealistic. And I say that as someone from Belgrade.
DeleteOU doesn't have the cash to expand into new markets. Their moment has come and gone.
DeleteBelgrade is a neighboring airport that has a hub system in place similar to those airports that are mentioned there. It might not be the size of MUC but the number of transfer passengers is growing and OU would have to compete with JU something it no longer can do. So nothing strange or odd about that comment. No need to belittle BEG and JU every chance you get.
DeleteWould be interesting to know which airlines they are negotiating with.
ReplyDeleteWith OU in such state, they can only expect modest growth!
ReplyDelete90% legacy? That's really huge!
ReplyDeleteYes. ZAG has considerably small LCC presence comparing the other European capitals. Hope this gets sorted out.
DeleteThey don't plan 5 million passengers until 2026??
ReplyDeleteWith growth flat in July what do you expect.
DeleteThey do not have an interest to reach 5 million fast, as then they would have to invest a huge amount of money for the expansion, which would limit their profits. So they are putting it on the long bench and rest with the profits they are making now..
DeleteEven without an LCC based in ZAG I don't think it will take them 8 years to add 1.6 million passengers.
DeleteWell if they keep on adding 160.000 per year...
DeleteIt's good that the presidency will come during first half of the year because it encompasses the slower months.
ReplyDeleteAnd Slovenia has the second half of the year?
DeleteIt will bring the same number of yearly passengers overall.
Delete@anon 9.47 no, Slovenia gets the presidency in July-December 2021.
DeleteHopefully LJU finishes its new terminal by then :D
DeleteIt will be interesting to see how the airport will develop now that TAV is effectively running it.
ReplyDeleteNice to see QR sending A321 again
ReplyDeleteWC charters accounted to maybe 30k passengers in June and July this year, so every kind of growth is good.
ReplyDeleteDidn't SKP, LJU and BEG record growth a year after major sports events in their cities or in the case of LJU when they had all those charters to IST.
DeleteThat's true.
DeleteI hope the City of Zagreb will finally invest in the rail link to the airport.
ReplyDeleteDon't get all the drama by some. 5% growth is absolutely fine. For some here if it is not magalomanic, it is not good.
ReplyDelete+2
DeleteI don't think anyone is making major drama about 5% growth. It's less then it was in previous years though.
DeleteWhat I'm concerned about is that for a year there have been no new route announcements.
DeleteI still don't understand why there is no LCC in ZAG! Someone will say they can't pay, or they are competing with Croatia Airlines, but neither is true. LCC have their own market.
ReplyDeleteBecause the airport is expensive. LCCs said it themselves multiple times.
DeleteWhat's happening with the US/China/Japan flights?
ReplyDeleteNothing as usual
DeleteI really don't get it why OU doesn't depart from Athens in afternoon hours. We Greek people for a good price we can take this flight to connect via Zagreb let's say to Zurich, Vienna, Brussels, Frankfurt or Munich. Anyway hello and have a good holiday to all!
ReplyDeleteBut the flight goes via Dubrovnik. It's more convenient to use Aegean.
DeletePlus it's ATH we are talking about, you can fly directly or via IST, BEG, VIE, FCO, MUC... to those destinations. Athens has a lot of competition.
DeleteI think there are a few more European airlines that could start flights to Zagreb
ReplyDeleteHow about a year round connection with Stockholm!
DeleteIf there is no demand for year round route to Stockholm why would the be one?
Delete*there
DeleteDont understand the doom and gloom.
ReplyDeleteFive percent growth is not bad at all.
Also Zagreb gets Emirates and other widebodies to Korea and Canada, other Airports in that Region only can dream of.
+1
DeleteI agree, LJU, RJK, PUY... do dream of those widebodies but let's not forget that ZAG no longer has widebodies on a year round basis.
DeleteLast Anon, I am pretty sure KE won't fly their new A220s to ZAG during the winter ;-)
DeleteLet's see how it does, you were as confident for EK and here we are.
DeleteIs this a joke? Airport management is boasting about 45% growth since they took over in late 2013. That looks like a sensible number until you look at regional growth during those same 5 years for example in SPU: 97%, BEG: 60% (both without concession during that time) and SKP: 119% (under concession). ZAG management should be ashamed, 45% is horrible performance!
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't get is why isn't Trade Air expanding in ZAG? What I find even more strange is that they are flying TLV-BEG three times per week under their own code. So strange, I thought they would concentrate on ZAG more since there is less competition.
ReplyDeleteThese Tel Aviv flights they do for Israir .
DeleteBut under Trade air code ?
As far as i know these flights are not even listed under any codes on flightradar24...
They operate under their own code on beg.aero and the same is listed on TLV. they took over from them completely since June.
Delete