Korean Air has delayed the resumption of its nonstop service between Seoul and Zagreb by a further three months, until September, as a result of the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic. The airline initially planned to reinstate operations between the two cities in June, however, bookings have now been closed until September 1. Once reinstated, flights are expected to run three times per week, departing the South Korean capital each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which has the capacity to seat 269 passengers. Although the route was turned into a predominately seasonal summer service last year, the carrier previously said it would consider extending flights into the winter months.
South Korea recorded its lowest number of new Covid-19 cases since February over the past weekend. However, Korean Air has been hit hard by the pandemic. The carrier will put 70% of its 19.000 staff members on temporary leave from April 16 until mid-October in response to "deteriorating business circumstances". The company has been taking aggressive measures to cut costs, such as putting 390 foreign pilots on three months of unpaid leave starting April 1. The national carrier has suspended more than 90% of its flights on international routes. In Europe, it currently maintains services only to Paris and London.
Alternatives from Seoul to the Croatian capital will be offered by Korean Air via other points in Europe until September. Earlier this month, Zagreb Airport, which is currently only served by Croatia Airlines and Eurowings, said, “We will see what happens with this entire situation. We sincerely hope that all of this will be over as soon as possible and for us to be able to resume normal operations to some extent in April”. The airport in Zagreb is currently the only one with commercial flights in Croatia and the wider region.
Is there any point starting this season if the flights remain seasonal?
ReplyDeleteWasn't there talk that they might combine Budapest-Zagreb in winter if they manage to negotiate better terms with ZAG over handling costs?
DeleteIt will depend if there is tourist demand in winter.
DeleteShame would have been nice seeing these Dreamliner birds on a regular basis.
ReplyDeleteAs I heard Spaon and Greece will not reopen their borders this summer for foreigners. Only nationals allowed to go to the beaches. So basically this year is done.
ReplyDeleteWhat does that have to do with Korean Air's flights to Zagreb?
DeleteIt has. Flights will not resume this year. And guess why...
DeleteClosed beaches in Spain and Greece really don't have much to do with Croatia. Every country has its own response. I'm not saying the flights will go ahead this year but this certainly has no impact on these flights. And neither do Koreans go and seek out beaches on these trips.
DeleteWell Spain and Greece won't have any beach tourism and neither will Croatia, this summer season will be a disaster for all. Let's see how coastal businesses cope with all this. Restaurants, bars, shops... on the Adriatic coast will be hardest hit by this loss.
Deleteand of course you @hearing about it@ is a very reliable source of information
Deleteyou are really afeter reliable sources? In these times? The above article validity is probably a few days, if at most...
DeleteGreece plans to reopen for tourism late June or early July (The Ekathimerini Daily)!
DeleteI think one route that will have a major bloodbath is CDG-ZAG. Triple daily flights at a time when demand is collapsing will be too much. I think AF smells blood and they are keeping pressure on OU. In summer they might just make it but I think OU might downgrade or downsize CDG.
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DeleteIt will be the same like LHR-ZAG. OU will reduce it to 4 weekly and will operate it lke that. AF has a phenomenal schedule while OU has an odd one
If tourism powerhouses like Spain and Greece will be limiting access, then minor markets in the Balkans, like the towns on Croatia's Adriatic coast, will follow suit. There might even be an EU wide directive governing the tourist season this year, to limit further reigniting of the crisis. Italy, Spain, Greece and France, as the primary tourism markets in EU will most likely push for this to shield themselves from another pandemic wave in autumn, as some of the countries that suffered the most during this pandemic. Smaller markets, like Croatia, will most likely have to adhere to such EU-wide limitations too.
DeleteQue comments of complete gloom and doom, that we should all sit at home for the next ten years and throw the keys away etc. I have never read such pessimistic, negative comments other than here.
ReplyDeleteMost comments here are pessimistic and negative. Virus or no virus. Look at the comments when an airline opens a new route or expands its fleet. It usually goes along the lines how the routes will fail and how the airline will go bankrupt. Did you expect anything different now?
Delete+1 last anon
DeleteI hope Korean Air weathers the storm and we see them back in Zagreb :)
ReplyDeleteWill South Korea provide some financial aid for Korean Air?
ReplyDeleteSo far, no. Korean Air is privately owned. The government has so far suspended airport slot rules and waived or reduced airport charges, landing fees and ATC charges for all Korean registered airlines.
DeleteShame :(
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I don't see Korean, Air Canada Rouge or Air Transat resuming flights this year to ZAG.
ReplyDeleteSame
Deleteobviously, I don’t see any airline resuming normally. Easy to ground Airlines, very very difficult to get them flying back to normal, let alone expand, it will take years to recover from this unprecedented crisis.
DeleteThe best thing ZAG should do in the short term is forget about these long-haul flights and focus on the EU market. Those non-European pax who want to visit Croatia will be arriving from EU anyhow.
DeleteDamn girl! Yous right.
DeleteZAG should stop behaving like an airport, and forget about a portion of it's flights.
Well the portion of the flights it keeps on insisting keeps on failing so maybe it's time to learn a lesson or two from that, no?
DeleteYou may be right. What they could do is have an automated email response where they say, any airline interested in long haul flights to ZAG should contact; LJU, VIE, BUD, BEG, or DBV. as we at ZAG are no interested. Even if they insist on flying to ZAG in the future they should be redirected to OSI. Bazinga!
DeleteWill other European routes be resumed before September?
ReplyDeleteOne would assume so. They have quite a few European routes.
DeleteAt the moment, until June only CDG and LHR will operate with rediced frequnecy.
DeleteThis route almost exclusively depends on tourists so its just question of whether there will demand for leisure travel this year.
ReplyDeleteI doubt it. What they have done in many Asian countries is that they have treated the work stoppage as holiday leave so that when things restart people will be working constantly until next year.
DeleteMacron in his speech on french television said that Schengen may stay closed until Sept. I know HR is not Schengen but its stil EU
ReplyDeleteGood news is S. Korea's infections are below 30 for two consecutive days
ReplyDeleteIt is good. But it has no impact on Korean Air.
DeleteMy prediction is that IF, IF there won't be cases in Croatia, Slovenia, Austria or any other country, the borders will open for those people only. And not before July. But ONLY if there will be zero cases in Croatia and in the countries where the tourists come from. You can't risk to open borders for nationals of countries where the virus is still active among population. No tourist would accept quarantine before starting holidays.
ReplyDeleteOf course this is the virus summer break situation we are hoping will materialize. Autumn is another big question.
Too hard to control that. What if a national from a still infected country is already in say SLO, can she enter CRO? Even though she has been in SLO for 2-3 months?
DeleteWe gotta wait it out, at least another 2-3 months for things to cool down.
Not going to happen in 2020.
ReplyDeleteSo sad :(
ReplyDeleteWell at least the good news is that they don't plan to cut it completely.
ReplyDeleteIf it doesn't start this year, it will be back next.
DeleteGod, this is just bad. Disastrous even, seems like airlines just keep on postponing and postponing their return to ZAG.
ReplyDeleteThis entire year you a write off. I'm not even going to have my birthday and turn what age I was going to turn to, leaving that to next year.
ReplyDeleteOT but looks like Virgin Australia days are numbered. Shares have stopped trading (pending an announcement) which could be good news but unlikely. They want they Australian government to bail them out to the tune of 1.5 Aus billion. No chance since they are mostly foreign owned.
Also, Etihad sent a Dreamliner to Zagreb the other day.
The Dreamliner was to send medical supplies
DeleteDoes anyone know what does the Zagreb concession agreement outline what happens in these sorts of situations. I know they have some clause on what happens if OU goes bankrupt.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the concession agreement foresaw a global pandemic.
DeleteObviously but I meant circumstances out of their control.
DeleteYou’d be surprised how detailed and complex big money contracts can get :)
DeleteIt's a shame. This route was developing nicely.
ReplyDeleteNo disrespect intended, but was it really? It went from all year round to seasonal.
DeleteWell capacity was to increase in summer from A330 to B787.
DeleteIf they could Korean would be sending 737 half-a-year.
DeleteMany people predicated this would happen.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the route returns next summer.
ReplyDeleteThe whole year has gone down the drain.
ReplyDeleteWhat a year for the aviation industry and its only April :(
ReplyDeleteWhat a year for every single industry in general.
DeleteExcept toilet paper producers.
DeleteThe extent of the crisis will only be felt in the coming months. Airlines are mostly grounded now but once they start flying their expenses will boom without the adequate financial backing due to low ticket sales. That's when most of them will struggle and that is why governments are rushing to protect their own. Airlines like Wizz Air and Ryanair and easyJet will be especially affected. Norwegian not so much as they have Oslo's support going forward.
ReplyDelete