Low cost carrier Ryanair has revealed new expansion plans for its Zagreb base with the airline planning to station a further two aircraft, for a total of five, in the Croatian capital during the summer of 2022. Talks are currently underway with the airport's management over the matter. The company’s group CEO, Michael O'Leary, made the announcement at a press conference in the Croatian capital today, adding the airline is fuelling Zagreb’s recovery in the tourism sector. The carrier currently has two Lauda Europe A320 aircraft stationed in the city, with some routes still operated by out-of-base aircraft. From December 1, Ryanair will add a third jet in Zagreb. The low cost airline has moved quickly to expand from the Croatian capital since launching operations to the city in June. It will have 24 routes and 124 weekly movements to and from Zagreb by the end of the year.
The additional jet will result in new routes being added, however, Mr O’Leary did not wish to outline which ones they could be. “We are not focusing on routes covered by Croatia Airlines but those that are not served from Zagreb. The airport should be handling 3.5 million passengers next year, six million in 2023 and over seven million travellers in 2024. We plan on carrying over ten million passengers in cooperation with Zagreb Airport over the next five to six years”, Mr O’Leary said. For the most part, Ryanair has introduced busy unserved routes out of the Croatian capital, as well as airports which serve regions with a high volume of indirect traffic from Zagreb. However, it has not shied away from adding longer rotations, such as Dublin and Malta, or destinations relying primarily on leisure traffic, such as Malaga and Paphos. Ryanair bases that remain unserved from Zagreb but have a high volume of indirect traffic include Porto, Riga (base opening October 31), Vilnius, Bologna, Krakow and Stockholm (base opening October 31), all of which could be potentially added to its network as it targets eventually having up to ten jets stationed in the Croatian capital.
Mr O’Leary criticised Croatia Airlines’ slow development out of Zagreb. While he conceded that the national carrier provides good connections out of the capital, he noted that these were not enough to satisfy existing demand. The airline group’s chief noted, “In the next six months, Ryanair will have added 24 routes out of Zagreb, while Croatia Airlines has introduced three in the past three years and been the beneficiary of twelve million euros in state aid. We, on the other hand, receive no subsidies from the government. Croatia Airlines is a distinguished carrier but it has lost touch with the development of air travel in Croatia, particularly from Zagreb. We do not see them as a competitor because even on the routes we both operate on, we fly to different airports. Ryanair will change travel habits in Zagreb and encourage locals to travel more by air”.
I think all of those routes could work
ReplyDelete" Ryanair bases that remain unserved from Zagreb but have a high volume of indirect traffic include Manchester, Porto, Riga (base opening October 31), Vilnius, Bologna, Krakow and Stockholm (base opening October 31)"
I think out of those we may see Manchester, Porto, Riga, Krakow and Stockholm. Plus Berlin.
DeleteManchester is starting from December, it was already announced in the last expansion!
DeleteSo that's what 4 - 5 planes stationed @Zagreb base ? 5x4x7= 140 flights per week, x 52 = 7280 x ~120 pax = ~870 000/1.75 million pax by Ryan Air alone potentially in 2023. OU at its best year's performance had 1.61 million pax out of Zagreb. By 2025 if things go back to normal, Copvid is dealt with across the globe, Zagreb could potentially hit 5 million pax.
DeleteSo that makes what 4-5 Aicraft stationed in Zagreb base? 5 aicraft = 5x4x7= 140 flights per week, x 120 pax x 52= ~870 000 pax per year x 2 =~1.75 million per year, that would be phenomenal growth if achived in 2023. Covid will still play havoc in 2022 so I can't see things going back to normal till 2023.
DeleteI really wonder what Croatia Airlines will do next summer.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope they survive the winter.
DeleteUnfortunately, in the middle of the pandemic, I'm not sure OU has the strength to compete against Ryanair in any way.
DeletePandemic or no pandemic, they wouldn't have the strength to compete.
DeleteIt's their own fault. They literally had no competition from LCCs in Zagreb for years (Eurowings is their stepmother's child so I don't include them). They have been sleeping this entire time. Offering Rome via Dubrovnik/Split for almost 30 years, very slow in opening new routes and those that have opened are all seasonal. Little to no reaction to Adria going bankrupt. They just do nothing and wait for government support when it becomes tough.
DeleteRyanair has entered other markets with weak national carriers and all have survived. I think the same will be the case here.
DeleteCongratulations to Zagreb. The speed at which FR has been expanding is incredible.
ReplyDeleteTrue, I don't think any airline has added so many routes in such a small time from any other ex-Yu city.
DeleteCongratulations? Hardly. Flights on a poor quality airline to inconvenient secondary airports. What Croatia needs is a strong alliance carrier with worldwide connections. Zagreb hardly benefits from hoards of low class tourists coming into town for drunken weekends.
DeleteReally? Am I low class for flying with Ryanair? If nothing, it adds convenience and affordability to a wider population and being the one who loves to fly without breaking the bank I think that's a great thing we have Ryr! And I don't think they're poor quality, just no perks, which I don't need anyway. I need a reliable carrier who will get me from A to B in time. And so far the punctuality of Ryr in ZAG is pretty good.
DeleteOf course Ryanair is poor quality airline, they don't use butter for maintenance purposes like "strong alliance carriers with worldwide connections", or translated to normal language, insignificant minor servant feeder with outdated fleet and ridiculously tiny network, full of crime, corruption, nepotism, ignorance, incompetence and political influence
DeleteCan't wait to here what O'Leary will announce.
ReplyDeleteNothing. Like they have done nothing since Ryanair came.
DeleteAnd this was exactly what happened. Tresla se brda, rodio se O’Leary.
DeleteI'm most interested to see if they will add another regional route and which one could it be.
ReplyDeleteIf they do, I think it will be Bucharest.
DeleteOr maybe Budapest. It hasn't been served since QR started flying nonstop from Doha.
DeleteIsn't BUD really close for a B737 flight?
DeleteOr A320 if it is Lauda
DeleteWhat equipment did Malev use on the route before it went bankrupt?
DeleteBy the end they operated 2, 3 daily flights using that E120 from some private operator. Before that they sent the F70 and then Q400.
DeleteThanks
DeleteHow are their routes like Podgorica and Sofia performing?
DeleteSofia is operating once per week in November.
DeleteIt's for operational reasons, they're switching from Sofia based aircraft to Zagreb based. It's back to 2 weekly when the third airbus arrives.
Deleteinaugural flight SOF-ZAG in Auguat had only 57%LF (less in other direction) according the guy from simple flying who was on board
Delete09:34 Back in 2003 I flew ZAG - BUD on MA operated by Carpatair E120.
DeleteCarpatair E120? Carpatair never had E120 in fleet. They had Saab 2000 ("Concordino"), ATR, Fokker 70/100 and 737. Also as far as I remember, Carpatair never flew for MA on BUD-ZAG. Very short period of time, in the beginning of the service, E120 was used but BAS (Budapest Air Service) equipment, switched soon after to MA Q400 /CRJ/F70 types
DeletePoor OU.
ReplyDeleteThey have no one else to blame but themselves.
DeleteTrue that, their prices have skyrocketed... a one-way ticket from SKP-ZAG is like $100 usd! Hopefully in the coming years FR can open a base in SKP or OHD...
DeleteOne would think they would do the opposite and reduce fares.
DeleteThey have reduced them on competing routes on competing days.
DeleteI would love to see more of those exotic routes launched :D
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteThe most exotic routes they could add are Amman and Marrakesh.
DeleteCan you do Marrakesh from Zagreb with a B737 non-stop? I think it is too far.
DeleteWithout a problem. It's just a 3 and a half hour flight.
DeleteIs it only 3.5h? I doubt that.
DeleteYes, it's 3,5, maximum 4 hours with very strong head winds
DeleteBtw Transavia operates 737 - 800 nonstop AMS to Sal, Caboverde, about 6 hours. ZAG to Marakesh is almost double shorter
DeleteBeirut maybe?
DeleteFR doesn't fly there
DeleteIt should be a good day for people in Croatia and close neighbors.
ReplyDeleteSlovenia?
DeleteCould O'Leary announce more than just new routes?
ReplyDeleteLike what?
DeleteEstablishing Air Croatia :D
DeleteWhy would they do that?
DeleteIt is possible that he doesn't announce anything and just promotes the Zagreb base and operations from Zadar.
DeleteThe conference is set in a hotel in the city and not at the airport. I think it's not just about Zagreb and that there will be more announcements about their expansion in Croatia. They are coming back to Rijeka and some new routes to Zadar could be announced.
DeleteI doubt O'Leary himself is coming just to promote existing network.
DeleteWell, we will know soon enough.
DeleteZAG management has obviously turned their back on OU.
ReplyDeleteThey gave them five years to do something.
DeleteAnd before that they had 25 years to do something as well. And all they did was kissing LH ass. Whatever comes now, comes fully deserved
DeleteTav is the best in my opinion...
DeleteI remember when some here were saying that ZAG does not need ultra LCCs and that the general travel public will never fly these airlines from Zagreb.
ReplyDeleteJa Ja and also the villages that Wizz is flying from other exyu airports :)
DeleteWhat I find unfortunate is that several major LCCs used to fly to Zagreb but not anymore. Hope they come back.
DeleteI don't think they'll be needed with Ryanair around.
DeleteTrue. Ryanair beat them to it.
DeleteHave they opened routes on which they directly compete with OU? I know they get incentives for unserved routes and Ryan being Ryan this is what they are after.
ReplyDelete(you can see i root for a SKP connection :D :D but i think its not happening)
The only one they are directly competing on so far is Dublin. And London to some extend but it is a different airport.
DeleteThe incentives are for airports not cities so they can fly to STN and CIA but not to LHR and FCO for example.
DeleteNice to see them coming back to Rijeka.
ReplyDeleteAnd let's hope they at least reintroduce FRA /HHN, STN, and NYO/ARN, which they had before. Although Spain, France, Ukraine and Poland (with 3 weekly LO exception) are missing big time from/to RJK . More UK as well, CIA/FCO too, list could be with at least 10 cities
DeleteI don't see OU surviving until summer 2022.
ReplyDeleteIt will survive thanks to the government. But even the government now seems to be in urgency to offload them. Hence, trying to renew talks with Aegean.
DeleteDo you think that they will launch SKP or OHD flights? Is there demand for O&D traffic?
ReplyDeleteits not a question of demand but more about not getting incentives (in the case of SKP). As long as there are unserved airports left we will have to wait. unfortunately. exyu wrote about 75k pax between ZAG and SKP of which probably half might be transfers but stil huge.
DeleteHow does O'Leary get to Zagreb? Does he take a regular Ryanair flight?
ReplyDeleteRyanair has 1 B737-700 in special configuration that is used by Ryanair management.
DeleteEI-SEV is its registration.
Deleteeven this one is leased :D
DeletePlanespotters dot net don't mention it being leased.
DeleteMOL just announced the Winter 21/22 Schedule for Poland in Warsaw and is now on its Way to Zagreb with one of Ryanair's Learjet (M-ABGV).
ReplyDeleteDid he announce anything new?
DeleteNo. All new Routes mentioned in the Press Release have already been announced in the past weeks/months.
DeleteI don't think they will announce anything new for Croatia today either. Although it's nice to see them coming back to Rijeka.
DeleteAn 12:54, so why is he coming to Zagreb? To get sam strukli?
DeleteSeems like it
DeleteHe announced 4th base aircraft, although we could mostly predict that.
DeleteYeah but now we know they will start the routes that were not operated before so no ARN, BER, and such.
DeleteFrom where did you get that they won't launch ARN and BER in the future?
DeleteHe is not wrong about Croatia Airlines
ReplyDelete5 aircraft... RIP OU.
ReplyDeleteThis will be the nail in the coffin for OU.
ReplyDeletewow so 5 more planes. That means possible 16 new routes!
ReplyDeleteWell that makes forty as they have announced in the first place.
DeleteI hope ZAG will reopen the old terminal as the LCC terminal in the future.
ReplyDeleteI doubt it since they let RYR use the new terminal. Plus the old terminal is in pretty bad shape inside now. They would have to invest a lot of money. And if there is something we have learned from ZAG management since the new terminal was completed is that they do not wish to invest much in facilities.
DeleteMaybe OU could move there...
DeleteOld terminal was generally refurbished one year before new one was opened. I doubt it's in such a bad shape. It probably needs some cosmetics, but it suits perfectly to FR ops. And maybe it will not be used yet, with 4 or 5 planes, but if FR really grows to 10 units in ZAG, and if covid scam drama ever allows us to get back to normal and incresse the legacies volume on the new terminal, I still believe old one will be used by FR in couple of years
Delete"covid scam drama" Always through in some of your political views. Tell that to the millions dead.
DeleteYes, millions dead. Otherwise people normally don't die, they live forever. Guy gets hit by bus, killed by bus, in the mortuary they test him positive for covid and announce died of covid. Or last year, last winter season, ZERO flu cases in Croatia, official data, and thousands of "covid". Give me a break, please, I am vaccinated because I have to travel for work, I am not denying virus exists, but everything around it is scam and is drama. It is no politics, it is using your head for making conclusions instead using your ears only for listening to New World Order PR. Sorry if it bothers you but it is my opinion and I have every right to go with it publicly
DeleteBut not on an a aviation forum, no one cares.
DeleteWell, if someone takes out of the post where I comment aviation, 3 words spoken by the way, then he or she obviously cares.
DeleteYou have mentioned it many times in passing. you know it is inappropriate and yet you persist.
DeleteWe plan on carrying over ten million passengers in cooperation with Zagreb Airport over the next five to six years”, Mr O’Leary said
ReplyDeleteThey will need a lot more than just 5 planes for that. Ryan will have to run domestic routes, add many new routes and compete with Croatia Airlines on busy existing routes to get to 10M. It also means end of OU in 5-6 years or less.
Ryan will become the new national airline of Croatia.
DeleteThey always use such words about their plans. Quite few of them actually happen.
DeleteNow that I am informed by statistic on Ryanair plans failure rate, I can rest assured OU will have a bright future. Order A220, kick back and relax. Ryanair might fail to get to 10 million. If they get to just 7 million that would count as Ryanair failure, right?
Delete10 million pax.... How many planes would they need to cover that?
DeleteHe means 10 million total in 5-6 years. Not 10 million per year.
DeleteIs LJU still unfazed by Ryanair's expansion in ZAG? :)
ReplyDeleteIf OU gets their hands on the a220s they really need to focus on newer routes and cost, I'm sure they will survive winter no problem
ReplyDeleteA different plane type won't change the chronic problems at OU, starting with their management.
DeleteAnd paying a ton of money in leases every month won't help either.
DeleteGame Over OU! Next AirSebia…
DeleteIt would be nice if wizzair launches a base in LJU to compete with ryanair
ReplyDeleteAnd continue to ignore London to Osijek, despite every plane being completely full when they used to run that route. Full of HR, SRB & H passengers.
ReplyDeleteRYR “math”: “We’re investing 500 mil EUR in our operation in ZAG” means that they’re gonna base 5 aircraft worth 100 mil EUR each. You all know 1. Each airplane costs far less than 100 mil; 2. In reality they are investing ZERO EUR. The truth is that Lauda pilots working on sub-par contracts are driving this operation because they’re the cheapest of all 5 AOCs within the RYR group.
ReplyDeleteRYR “math”: “We’re investing 500 mil EUR in our operation in ZAG” means that they’re gonna base 5 aircraft worth 100 mil EUR each. You all know 1. Each airplane costs far less than 100 mil; 2. In reality they are investing ZERO EUR. The truth is that Lauda pilots working on sub-par contracts are driving this operation because they’re the cheapest of all 5 AOCs within the RYR group.
ReplyDelete