Flydubai has pushed back the resumption of its seasonal winter service to Zagreb from December 27, 2020 to February 3, 2021, while it plans to increase operations to the two markets it currently serves in the former Yugoslavia. Flydubai had previously noted when scheduling its Zagreb service for late December that it would make a final decision on its resumption closer to the launch date. Once restored, flights will run three times per week, although further changes remain likely. The hybrid carrier is expected to replace Emirates on the Zagreb service over the summer, however, tickets are yet to be put on sale.
| Year | PAX |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 98.301 |
| 2018 | 147.157 |
| 2019 | 130.937 |
Flydubai currently maintains operations to Belgrade and Sarajevo. It plans to increase services to the Serbian capital from four to five weekly starting December 22. On the other hand, operations to Sarajevo have been increased to four weekly and will be maintained throughout the winter season. The majority of passengers currently traveling with Flydubai are those going point-to-point, rather than transferring via Dubai. “Most of our passengers are travelling point-to-point, whether they are residents returning to Dubai or those travelling for their holidays. Dubai is welcoming tourists again. We are working closely with our travel partners across the industry to help re-establish opportunities for travel and tourism”, the company said. Entry into Dubai is permitted with a negative coronavirus test taken up to 96 hours prior to departure. Under current regulations, Croatian nationals must take another (free of charge) covid test upon landing at Dubai Airport.
Flydubai is also expected to put back into service the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which had previously served Belgrade and Zagreb, while it was to be deployed to Sarajevo in the summer of 2019. The United Arab Emirates has established a Return to Service Committee that will coordinate with the US Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency. Flydubai is one of the biggest customers of the MAX aircraft, having ordered 250 of the new narrowbody jets since 2013. It operated thirteen MAX 8s and MAX 9s prior to the aircraft’s grounding. Flydubai’s MAX aircraft feature lie-flat seats in business class, upgraded economy class interiors, as well as an improved entertainment system.
 |
| Flydubai MAX jet cabins |
I doubt ZAG will launch in February either.
ReplyDeleteIf they don't resume ZAG then QR will take over the market.
DeleteQR is really struggling too. One flight per week in November, two in December.
DeleteI wrote the other day that they will not launch it in December and I was proven right. Don't expect FZ before summer and I don't mean March, I mean June-July.
Deletei really hope they don't suspend ZAG.
DeleteTwo in December... for now.
Delete@9.08
Deleteit's on ice in my oppinion.
*opinion
DeleteIt's crazy how in a really short period ZAG lost EK and now FZ is uncertain either.
DeleteIt's a shame unfortunately :( hope flydubai at least comes back.
DeleteI don't understand how FZ can make it work from Belgrade and Sarajevo but not from Zagreb?? Is local demand that low? From 5pw B777 ZAG to no flights at all. It doesn't make sense to me.
DeleteThey can make it work in Sarajevo because a lot of Arabs have purchased land and property in Bosnia in recent years and there is also a lot of business travel between Sarajevo and Arab countries.
DeleteBecause both Serbia and Bosnia not only have a lot of people living in Dubai but the city itself is a popular tourist destination. Tour agencies around Belgrade are filled with ads for Dubai. A hotel that cost €200 a night before covid is easily €100 right now.
DeleteAlso, don't forget that Serbs travel a lot. That also helps.
I am surprised Wizz didn't launch AUH-BEG!
DeleteAUH is closed for travel. That is why Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has been delayed by yet another month.
DeleteMeanwhile Air Arabia is in full expansion mode, they just announced Oman flights from AUH. By the time Varadi pulls his act together there will be nothing left. He should stick to linking BVA and LTN with tertiary Romanian and Polish cities. lol
DeleteWizz has lost their compass, look at their silent collapse in LCA or TIA.
Delete@10.15
DeleteThat's because Air Arabia flies inter-Middle East routes and obviously there is going to be more movement between these. For example Oman allows people from the UAE to enter but not anyone outside of GCC.But Wizz plans to fly to Abu Dhabi from places like Yerevan and entry is only permitted with 2 week quarantine so what would be the point.
Wizz has the AOC so they can launch any flights they wish. Also they announced Alexandria which they delayed but Air Arabia went ahead and launched them anyway. Shows who is serious and who isn't.
DeleteHopefully the MAX will be back early next year. I flown with it once on FZ and the product was top notch.
ReplyDelete+1 huge difference compared to the current B737-800.
DeleteLets hope it was certified correctly this time around, the last thing we need is it falling from the skies killing hundreds.
DeleteApprox. 500 pax from Indonesia and Ethiopia do not share your opinion anon 09.02.
DeleteUnfortunately, they are not around anymore to voice their opinion about tha max.
Anon 9:20 and MAX was the only plane that has ever crashed?
DeleteMAX will now be the most tested aircraft in the history of aviation
DeleteI don't see a problem flying on it once it's back.
DeleteI would feel uneasy on it because all new models made by Boeing had issues, look at the B788 or the B777X. MAX is a death trap and I don't want to be a guinea pig for Boeing shareholders who are obsessed with maximizing profits. They are even moving production to South Carolina because their workers there are not unionized.
DeleteIn such short notice due to faulty certification, yes.
DeleteI don't even imagine if this was a Russian plane.
DeleteWhat do Russian planes got to do with Boeing's failures? The last time I checked the SSJ didn't crash because of faulty operating systems and it didn't have major engine issues like the B787 and it didn't have its doors blown away during testing like the B777X had.
DeleteIf it's MAX Boeing, I ain't going.
DeleteWhat we're saying is that while users are apolegetic about Boeing, they would be far harsher if this was a Russian plane.
DeleteOf course, there is a small group on here that bashes anything that is anti-eastern and non-western so nothing surprises me anymore.
Delete"I would feel uneasy on it because all new models made by Boeing had issues, look at the B788 or the B777X."
DeleteEnlighten us what is problem with B777X. The door test? It hasn't even finished testing yet, let alone certification or made its first commercial flight.
"[SSJ] didn't have major engine issues like the B787"
SSJ has had a lot of issues with engines, they are just not as public as the 787. Not to mention there's been more than five times more 787s produced than SSJs and they are in widespread operation outside of Russia/CIS.
Of course here we go with conspiracy theories about the SSJ and how unreliable they are when airlines like LO had to lease ancient A340s just to make up for the unreliable hangar-queen. Long are gone the days of reliable state of the art aircraft like the B777 or B737.
DeleteConspiracy theories... SaM 146 combustion chamber cracking issues are well documented and combined with fairly low output of the Safran factory (less than 100 engines/year), it was one of the reasons why a fair share of SSJs with multiple operators were not flying, waiting for spare parts.
DeleteI'm not saying SSJ is a bad aircraft, it's just that nobody seems to be publicly happy about it, outside of Russia/CIS. There must be a reason behind this, not just fake news mainstream media and conspiracy theories. Especially as Sukhoi was pretty much willing to give aircraft away for nearly free (remember JP story?).
We already had thousands of discussions about the SSJ on here so let's not have yet another one. Point is that Boeing no longer makes reliable aircraft like Airbus does for example.
DeleteSafran was a French factory. Just for the note.
DeleteExactly and let's not forget all the crashes and incidents AF had!
DeleteSo which planes are safest to fly with Fly Duba? I don't wanna be on MAX either if that's the case
DeleteAre they coming back to Skopje?
ReplyDeleteIt was reported on here that SKP underpeformed in the past both for them and QR. I don't think we will see them back before Australia opens up, that was the main market for both carriers.
DeleteNot until the summer season.
DeleteI think Wizz Air Abu Dhabi could have success in Skopje.
DeleteWizz Abu Dhabi has now been delayed until the middle of January.
DeleteSKP numbers were really weak. If air travel doesn't start recovering, I don't see them coming back next summer either.
DeleteUnfortunate there are no flights to the Middle East from Macedonia anymore but the majority of people flying QR and FZ were diaspora from Australia. Since they can't leave the country, there is little point for these flights.
DeleteThere is also TK which dominates MKD market and they offer two stop options from SKP to anywhere in Australia via Singapore.
Deleteso many experts here
DeleteWell Anon 10.03 do you have any argument or are you just writing pointless comments? Can you please enlighten us to as why FZ and QR are not rushing to restore SKP flights?
DeleteAnon 10.03 we are still waiting, what do you have to say?
DeleteSKP was neva a Gulf magnet destination. There was low demand even from the very beginning of FZ and QR. FZ should replace SKP with INI.
DeleteWas it QR or FZ that reduced SKP frequencies some years ago?
DeleteFZ reduced flights. QR has not increased them and has kept the same frequencies for the last 3 years.
Delete@17.32
DeleteAre you for real. Dubai-Nis. Lol
Yeah, why not.
DeleteI can't wait for this pandemic to be over so we can all get back to conversations that really matter like comparisons between INI and SKP
DeleteOne of the few carriers that has returned to SJJ.
ReplyDeleteEspecially with that many frequencies.
DeleteWhat's the return ticket price now from the region to Dubai?
ReplyDeletePrices fluctuate. Check their site.
DeleteNo LJU? I cannot believe it. lol
ReplyDeleteThey willl probably start in 2022 when they will get more MAX aircrafts
DeleteLJU management is preparing for a second decade of negotiations.
DeleteIronically service on Flydubai is now better than it was before the virus. You get a free hot meal in economy now instead of having to pay for it.
ReplyDeleteThat was the case with BEG for years now. It was their first destination to feature free onboard meals. I think there was even article on here some 5-6 years ago.
DeleteIt wasn't the case with BEG and I'm telling you as someone who flew with them a few times for the last 5-6 years. What you are confusing are the free meals you would get if you had a connecting flight with Emirates. But otherwise you would have to pay for it unless your ticket fare included a meal (some did some didn't). Now you get a free meal on all their flights where there is a meal service regardless of the fare you paid. So they reduce contact between crew and passengers.
DeleteThey initially had free meals, 6-7 years ago and then they changed to giving you if you had a connection onto EK. That was changed once they signed the partnership.
DeleteDidn't know that. Interesting
DeleteThose max cabins look fantastic. Would be great for 5 hour flight from the region to DXB.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteWill they come back to Dubrovnik and Tivat next summer?
ReplyDeleteAt the moment it's planned.
DeleteSurprised Flydubai isn't coming back to Zagreb until next year.
ReplyDeleteCroatia needs to do more to stimulate local travel. The suspension of these long haul routes have shown more or less that all these flights are heavily dependent on tourism only.
DeleteI don't see how they can stimulate local demand. It's not like people don't know about the outside world. Thing is that when summer comes most Croats hit the road and go to the coast where most have some property or family. When winter comes most go to visit relatives in gasto-heavy destinations like Austria, Germany or Switzerland.
DeleteThere is a reason why most new routes in and out of ZAG rely on foreign tourists.
What happened last year when numbers were already decreasing?
ReplyDeleteLast year EK decreased frequencies to ZAG.
DeleteThey decreased for a few months while the runway in Dubai was being overhauled. But FZ decreased frequencies in winter.
DeleteThey also reduced winter flights from 7 to 5 from what I remember.
DeleteI think FZ should have used QR's service reduction in Zagreb. FZ can rely on tourists and point to point travel unlike QR.
ReplyDeleteObviously there is not enough point to point demand from Zagreb to make the route work.
DeleteThis is bad news, especially since Dubai is open and it's an accessible destination to travel to.
DeleteEmirates said they are looking at narrowbodies so we might see them fly to certain cities in ex-Yu in the future.
ReplyDeleteThat's a looong way off.
DeleteCould work. Something Singapore Airlines has done as a result of this pandemic.
DeleteNot as a result of this pandemic
DeleteWhat would be the point of Flydubai then?
DeleteBecause it has a completely different operating model. It isn't just about aircraft size.
DeleteThis is fantastic news for Belgrade and it shows that the market is still strong for several players. Don't forget that Belavia also boosted BEG while OS and LH still maintain quite a decent presence compared to the region. Not to mention TK with its 11 weekly flights.
ReplyDeleteWith the new terminal opening up, Wizz Air boosting its presence and JU in expansion mode I expect more things to come. Personally I would love to see FZ have 10 weekly flights with three evening departures which are needed to boost connectivity.
Having an evening departure would also be welcome for P2P passengers too. At the moment, you arrive late in the evening in Dubai so you have to pay an extra night for a hotel and a lost day, while on the day you depart its 9AM so again you've lost a day.
DeleteThat's why TK was king, they had the evening flight from BEG and then the middle of the night flight to Dubai. Like that you arrive in the morning and have the whole day. This flight used to be operated by a B777 before China virus hit us all. Now becuse of political reasons there are no flights from IST which also helps airlines like FZ, less competition.
DeleteIt's one of the reasons there are Turks on the FZ flights from Belgrade!
DeleteI suggest Emirates tries Dubrovnik seasonal in the future
ReplyDeleteNot gonna work, even TK struggled most of the time. DBV's main market is the UK and Germany, tour operators get really good and cheap deals so it has become a mass tourism destination.
DeleteYou obviously dont live in Croatia when you are telling such a nonsence.
DeleteI am speaking based on facts my friend.
DeleteTK did very well in DBV. And Flydubai operates seasonally to Dubrovnik.
DeleteSeeing any airline add flights at this time is good.
ReplyDeleteI think there is going to be a lot of demand around New Year. I noticed KonTiki sells package tours for as little as €500! I think this will be an extremely popular choice for many. Hopefully FZ behaves responsibly and adds enough flights!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.kontiki.rs/sr/hotel/rotator/letovanje-dubai
I think many agencies already buy seats because until 25.12 one way ticket is €198 and after 25.12 it goes up to €249.
DeleteWow nice business class on those MAXs.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing benefiting FZ at the moment in BEG is EY absence. The decision of the Abu Dhabi government not to drop 2 week quarantine is obviously having a terrible affect on Etihad as well, to the point that for the first time ever today I saw Etihad advertising DUBAI (not Abu Dhabi) and how you can travel with Etihad to AUH and then they will drive you to Dubai.
ReplyDelete