airBaltic has maintained limited operations to the former Yugoslavia over the past decade, concentrating primarily on the Croatian coast with seasonal flights to Split, Dubrovnik and Rijeka. The airline also operated flights between Riga and Belgrade from 2009 to 2011 but suspended the service along with a number of other destinations due to financial problems and a fleet shortage at the time. The carrier has avoided serving any capital city airport in the former Yugoslavia since. In recent years, Zagreb has proved to be a good opportunity for the airline with a notable number of passengers travelling indirectly between the Croatian capital and airBaltic’s hubs in Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius. Out of all the capital cities in the former Yugoslavia, Zagreb sees the greatest demand to and from the Baltics.
During the pre-pandemic 2019, the three Baltic capital cities were amongst Zagreb’s fifteen top unserved destinations in Europe. That year, based on OAG data, 6.698 passengers flew indirectly between Riga and the Croatian capital, 6.320 between Vilnius and Zagreb, as well as 5.476 travellers between Tallinn and Zagreb. In total, 18.497 passengers flew between the Baltic capital cities and Zagreb in 2019. This figure is prior to any market stimulation which would occur as a result of nonstop flights, as well as potential transfer options from Zagreb to the Croatian coast or from the Baltics to Northern Europe. Although numbers were significantly down in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Baltics and the Croatian capital still saw some passenger flow. In addition, Zagreb could capture a portion of the indirect traffic between Ljubljana and the Baltics. In 2019, 4.886 passengers flew indirectly between Tallinn and the Slovenian capital, 4.573 between Riga and Ljubljana, as well as 4.255 travellers between Vilnius and Ljubljana. In total, 13.714 passengers flew between the Baltic capital cities and Ljubljana in 2019.
Indirect passenger flow between Baltic capitals and Zagreb in 2019
Indirect passenger flow between Baltic capitals and Zagreb in 2020
Speaking to EX-YU Aviation News prior to the pandemic in 2019, the CEO of airBaltic, Martin Gauss, said, "There is good connectivity from Zagreb to other markets with Croatia Airlines. You are set up well in that region and linked with Lufthansa hubs of Munich and Vienna. If there was no connectivity, I'm sure we could do something more on the Croatian market but we are focusing on expanding first where we can see that we can fill aircraft the easiest, as all airlines do". airBaltic and Croatia Airlines are not codeshare partners. LOT has benefited the most from the lack of flights between the Baltic states and Zagreb. In 2019, it carried 2.893 passengers between Vilnius and Zagreb (45.8% of all indirect travellers), 2.704 between Riga and Zagreb (40.4% of all indirect passengers), as well as 2.509 between Tallinn and the Croatian capital (45.8% of all indirect travellers).
Bravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteAnother chance that could have been used by Croatia Airlines
ReplyDeleteCan the Q400 make it from Zagreb to Riga?
DeleteYes, it can. But it would be a long ride.
DeleteI remember when they flew to Belgrade they sent the Q400 and it was flying time of 02 hours and 45 minutes. Their fleet was falling apart back then so most of the time it was switched to the ancient F100.
DeleteCould Ryanair start these flights?
ReplyDeleteFR to ZAG and Air Baltic to the coast.
DeleteThey could. Ryanair has a base in Riga
DeleteAir Baltic maybe to LJU if Ryanair starts to ZAG (but unfortunately this will not happen because Fraport does not give a sh*t about LJU).
DeleteCorrect Anon 09:09.
DeleteFraport took over and invested in LJU because they are haters of Slovenia and wanted to sabotage it!
It has nothing to do with the reality of LJU market demand.
SMFH
4K also "took over and invested" into Adria. Look at where it is now. Same will happen with LJU.
DeleteEveryone wants to visit beautiful Croatia.
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame that the state owned carrier can not satisfy profitably that demand. Others will though and our tourism sector will benefit.
With such geographical position with transfer potential, with immigrants counted in millions, on all continents, and with such natural beauty, history and diversity that make Croatia one of the most desirable tourist destinations worldwide, what OU is doing is not just shame, it's veleizdaja
Delete+1000
DeleteI can't think of any other country in Europe that is so popular with tourists from all over the world and which in 2019 had travelers coming amounting 5 times its population without a serious air carrier!
You can't? I can.
DeleteAnon 09:51 it more a case of nesposobnost than veleizdaja.
Deletefrishki really?
DeleteWhich European country had 20 million travelers arriving and did not manage to have a professional domestic airline serving some of that demand? Portugal? Spain? France? Italy? Greece?
They all have national carriers, just like Croatia. I absolutely don't get into which one you think it is professional or not.
DeleteAlbania and Bulgaria have serious numbers of foreign vistors and don't just count on their coast similar to Croatia. Both countries are really beautiful no matter how negative their image is regarding politics.
Deletefrishki if you think that Croatia airlines is professional why does it capture such a tiny part of its home market?
DeleteDenial wont improve the situation.
If I were BT I would have launched ZAG without giving it a second thought.
DeleteI see FR launching flights to Riga.
ReplyDeleteFR had scheduled Riga to Zadar, but shelved it due to the pandemic.
DeleteIt would be nice for air baltic to launch flights but judging by what they said in the article, they don't seem interested.
ReplyDeleteThey recognised OU's role as a Lufthansa feeder.
DeleteAir Baltic due to the pandemic is in so deep financial trouble that the Latvian government has been pumping hundreds of millions of Euros to it just to keep it from going under.
DeleteIt will eventually resume its expansion but right now we shouldn't expect them to launch new routes. Either to HR or to any other country for that matter.
Anonymous 10:32
Delete+1
Latvian taxpayer has put a million euro per day into the AB last year (nearly 400 million euros). Plus AB got 200 million loan last year and sold most of their planes (with lease back). It depends how long they can afford this. No big cry at the moment, but with GDP smaller than Slovenia or Croatia and many other expenses in Covid times it may become impossible to burn money in AB with such rate.
DeleteTakes longer today to fly from the Balkans to the Baltics then to fly from the Balkans direct to NYC.
ReplyDeleteTrue!
DeleteSince Ryanair is just going down the list of busiest unserved routes from ZAG, I'm sure one of these will start in the next round of expansion.
ReplyDeleteAir baltic is really inactive in this region, except for the Croatian coast a couple of months per year.
ReplyDeleteI believe they have a codeshare with JU.
DeleteI'm surprised they don't fly more to ex-Yu and haven't considered Zagreb or Ljubljana too.
Deleteair baltic should really do something about that acid green livery.
ReplyDeleteI like it.
DeleteBT has been building a serious hub for years now. It's not about p2p as it is about the transfer market.
ReplyDeleteAnyone flown with them? What's their service like?
DeleteHow many times per week were they flying to BEG back in 09-11?
ReplyDelete3 weekly and then they increased it up to 4 weekly flights.
DeleteWas it flown by the Dash or the Boeing plane?
DeleteQ400
DeleteBT should look at ZAG, even if it is well connected to Lufthansa hubs. There is a need for more competition here especially to Northern Europe.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteI don't get it. Are they somehow linked to Lufthansa for their explanation to be that they don't want to fly somewhere because of the city's good LH connectivity?
ReplyDeleteThey do cooperate closely with the Lufthansa Group member airlines.
DeleteNot surprised LOT is benefiting the most here.
ReplyDeleteShowing that their stipulation that they should not fly to ZAG because people can use LH is wrong.
DeleteThis whole region is poorly connected to Baltic states, which are actually all very beautiful and well worth a visit.
ReplyDeleteRyanair will flying Zagreb-Riga no doubt about it.
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed.
Delete