Russian leisure carrier Azur Air plans to introduce a new one weekly service between Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport and Zagreb this summer, to be operated with a 336-seat Boeing 767-300 aircraft. Based on the filed schedule, flights would depart the Russian capital each Friday at 09.00 in the morning, arriving in Zagreb at 11.00. The return service would depart at 13.00 and touch down in Moscow at 16.50 local time. An exact date for the launch is yet to be set and the airline still reserves the right to cancel the planned service. However, flights are expected to commence by the end of June.
Azur Air would become the third carrier to maintain flights between Moscow and Zagreb, following Aeroflot and Nordwind Airlines, the latter introducing operations just last month. It is not the first time Azur Air has planned to serve Zagreb. In 2019 the airline filed for and was approved a permit to maintain flights to the Croatian capital but ultimately decided against launching the service. Azur Air boasts a fleet of over thirty Boeing aircraft. Its B767-300 jets are in an all-economy class layout. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, just over 60.000 passengers per year flew between Zagreb and Moscow. In 2020, flights between the two capital cities were only operated until early March.
Zagreb - Moscow route performance by year
Commenting on the nature of the Russian market, Dario Guljelmović, from the Uniline travel company, said, "The Russian market is huge, and we really recognise its great potential. It is specific in that it doesn't actually include the middle class, unlike western markets. When it comes to Russia, they're either extremely high paying guests, or the total opposite. The biggest obstacle for strengthening cooperation with Russian partners is the current visa regime. With Croatia’s entry into the European Union, guests from Russia require a visa to enter the country”. He added, “We can see great potential on the Russian market and we're working intensively on this. Russians, just like the Croats, prefer to book late”.
Another missed opportunity for Croatia Airlines
ReplyDeleteExactly. Did OU ever fly to Moscow?
DeleteI think they did way, way back. At that time ex-YU airlines had a decent presence in Moscow: JU, OU, JP and YM.
DeleteToday only one is left. The market is served by foreigners mostly.
1993-1997, 2 weekly, ZAG-SVO. At that time, they flew to destinations they don't operate today - Budapest, Berlin, Stuttgart, Madrid, Istanbul as well. After 1997, all important markets were handed to Mutti to take care of, European and distant
DeleteDo you know what plane and what frequencies they had to BUD and MOW?
DeleteFor SVO, I already wrote frequency, twice weekly, B737. BUD was operated from both ZAG and RJK, twice weekly each, ATR 42
DeleteWhy are all these Russian airlines launching just 1 weekly flight to all markets?
ReplyDeleteIm surprised they are not launching flights to Slovenia. LJU just sleeping, as always.
DeleteLjubljana has 3 weekly flights to Moscow with Aeroflot (3/5/7).
DeleteLJU started with one weekly but loads were good so it went to 3.
DeleteIt was also upgraded from ssj100 to a320
DeleteLJU always performed well for SU. Remember how JP struggled with their CRJ and then when SU came they only kept on adding and adding flights.
DeleteBefore covid there were on average 82 passengers per day flying between ZAG and MOW which also includes transfers SU was carrying. Market isn't that big so let's hope Azur stimulates demand.
ReplyDeleteWhat's interesting is that ZAG numbers fell in 2019 as SU kept on adding more and more flights to LJU.
It decreased by just over a 100 passengers... That's one flight less
DeleteGrowth was stopped when SU started adding LJU flights, that's the point.
DeleteOnly shows how incompetent LJU management is because of the large number of Slovenes who do not fly from their home airport.
Delete336 seats on a B767. Ouch
ReplyDeleteCabin doesn't look bad
Deletehttps://cdn.jetphotos.com/full/5/40973_1528222595.jpg
Cabin isn't bad until you experience the seatpitch.
DeleteI agree it is not very comfortable for long flights but somehow two and a half hours between Moscow and Zagreb is something I wouldn't be so worried about - it is survivable
Delete336 in B767-300 is still way more comfortable than 200 in B737Max that will Ryanair operate.
DeleteActually Ryanair is basing Lauda A320s.
DeleteGreat news. Azur flies a few coastal flights to Croatia too.
ReplyDeleteIn the end someone will launch St Petersburg too so there will be no need for OU too restore that route.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the average return fare between Mosciw and ZAG?
ReplyDelete*moscow
DeleteSU is around €250 on average.
DeleteThat's not bad
DeleteWhat about Nordwind. Are their fares lower?
DeleteLet's hope it launches.
ReplyDeleteWell done ZAG
ReplyDeleteCroatia its becoming a popular choice for Russians because it is one of the few European markets they can enter.
ReplyDeleteSame with Serbia.
DeleteI think SRB was popular before too based on tourism arrivals.
DeleteNo visas for Russians to enter Serba, so it's quite normal. Very few if any countries in Europe have visa-free regime with Russia.....
DeleteGood for Serbia!
DeleteHow do the Moscow airports compare? Which one is closest to the city?
ReplyDeleteI think Sheremetyevo is the closest to the city.
DeleteVnukovo.
DeleteSVO is plagued by huge traffic jams.
VKO is 28km from the city
DeleteSVO 29km from the city
So pretty much the same.
I do not understand this type of comments from Tourist organization "there are only two types of Russians - filthy rich and damn poor".
ReplyDeleteThat is so not correct, especially for Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Those two towns have HUGE middle class (you know those type - driving Benz, drinking Starbucks, going to pilates, going vegan). They are key performers for any proper tourist place. Just look at BEG! Most of their arrivals are middle class from Russia. They so not care so much if they can buy Dolce or stay at Waldorf, they are just "well done" :)
It was a comment from the tour operator, not the tourist organisation.
DeleteBecause Russia, similar to Brazil has either the quite rich in the capital and the pretty poor in its province. Especially now, with the tumble of the rouble, there are more poor people. Russia is not Russia of the rich as the elite already emigrated to Germany or USA. The country relies on migrants from Belarus and ex-USSR republics. Plus, the country is basically Moscow and Petersburg.
DeleteFinally, Croatia is a prestigious and expensive destination for them especially its coast, where traditionally we see more Americans and richer tourists.
Oh no, there is no prestige in all-economy class 767! Zagreb wants be a prestigious airport with prestigious airlines.
DeleteHe-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was also going crazy about a certain prestigious airline - we know how that ended.
DeleteAnother missed opportunity for OU. They should have launched two weekly DME on the Q400 and then slowly to increase it to daily A319. From those numbers in the text we can see that ZAG-MOW is one of the biggest markets to Moscow from ex-YU. In stead OU would rather fly half empty Q400s to FRA to feed LH.
ReplyDeleteZAG-MOW one of the biggest markets? Are you sure?
DeleteIn 2019
TIV - MOW (all airports) - 631,561
BEG - MOW (only Sheremetyevo) - 329,543
LJU - MOW - 75,941
Interesting numbers, I expected there to be more passengers between BEG and SVO.
DeleteIt's the single busiest route from SVO to ex-Yu.
DeleteYou expected more than 330,000 passengers after claiming Zagreb is one of the biggest markets from Moscow in ex-Yu when in fact it is the smallest. Ok...
DeleteWhy do they plan to fly to Zagrab and not Dubrovnik?
ReplyDeleteStupid.
Why some people think Croatia has only sea to offer to tourists? Or think flying tourists to Ljubljana or Belgrade or Skopje is OK, it's not stupid, but flying them to Zagreb is stupid. And what about castles, spas and prehistory museum in Zagorje, fishing and hunting in Lika and Gorski Kotar, food and wine in Slavonija, World famous Plitvice national park, city of Zagreb itself, Opatija with its climate, parks and history which is only 2 hours drive as well. This entire aerea has a lot to offer and it is definitely not stupid to fly there instead to DBV, which is in peak season and normal circumstances so and so congested and overpriced
DeleteI'm sure the average Russian tourists know something about those Croatian 'jewels'.
DeleteThey can also fly as well to Split.
Maybe fuel is cheaper to fly to ZAG.
Let's see if these happen in the end.
ReplyDeleteHope they start bit not holding my breath. They announce they would fly in 2019 but nothing happened.
ReplyDeleteThey still haven't started selling tickets.
DeleteAnyone ever flown with them?
ReplyDeleteThey are a Russian charter airline. I don't think many people other than Russians or those living in Russia have had a chance to fly with them.
Delete