Croatia’s commercial airports are expected to see forty new routes launched this coming summer season, however, the country’s busiest, in Zagreb, has only one new scheduled service at this point. According to the “Croatian Aviation” portal, seven out of eight airports in the country will add new operations to their portfolio with Osijek being the only exception. The airport in Zagreb currently has just one new route, a seasonal summer service to Kos, to be introduced by Ryanair. However, the budget carrier will discontinue its flights between the Croatian capital and Dortmund at the end of next month. “Airlines make numerous changes to their schedule and network in order to adapt to passenger demand and certain changes that have occurred as a result of the pandemic. At the same time, route cancellations or changes in the number of frequencies are an internal and commercial decision made by the airline”, Zagreb Airport said.
The slowed network growth at Zagreb Airport coincides with its plan to raise its passenger service charge for airlines on April 1. On the other hand, Zadar Airport is to see the biggest number of new scheduled routes in Croatia, with a total of seven, spearheaded again by Ryanair, although the budget carrier will also discontinue a select number of services. Zadar Airport handled over a million passengers for the first time last year and is expected to both replicate and build on that success this year as well. In contrast, Rijeka Airport will see the introduction of one new route by Ryanair from Bergamo but the delayed resumption of the budget airline’s summer flights to the coastal city is expected to result in the airport handling similar or lower number of passengers to that of last year.
Croatia is expected to see solid growth in traffic over the next decade and a half, according to revised IATA forecasts. During 2022, the country regained 94% of its pre-pandemic 2019 traffic. That year, the country’s traffic share in Southeast Europe stood at 4.2%, with the figure expected to rise to 4.5% by 2040 according to IATA. The trade association expects for the Croatian market to see passenger numbers rise 10.4% up until 2040, although this is lower than that of Romania, with 13% growth, and Cyprus, where passenger numbers are expected to rise 16.6%. Overall, this summer Ryanair will be introducing the largest number of new routes to Croatia.
.gif)
What's going on at ZAG?!?
ReplyDeleteTAV Airports management.
DeleteBut isn't it in their interest for ZAG to grow?
DeleteDepends on what the concession agreement terms and conditions are ;)
Delete@Anonymous 09:07
DeleteNot necessarily. It depends on the terms of the concession agreement AND the financial situation of TAV. They might not want to spend money to invest at this particular time and instead just milk existing traffic.
The whole article has a surprised tone about it.
DeleteGuess what... It is going to get worse. Dating back to the Roman empire these parts were a backwater. What exactly do you expect? Ok the coming decline of the European center, the provincial areas are going to get hit hard.
The issue with ZAG this summer is not just that there is practically no new routes but that many airlines have decreased flights.
ReplyDeleteTrue and unfortunate. I am certain it has to do with the tax increase.
DeleteBravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteA delusion is something people believe in despite a total lack of evidence.
DeleteEveryone wants to visit beautiful Dalmatia.
ReplyDeleteNot that I want to diminish Zadar's schusses but I think it benefits a lot from Split's capacity issues.
ReplyDelete* success
DeleteThat is definitely a factor.
DeleteRyanair is the driving force of Zadar's success in the last few years.
Deletebut at what expences? Do you know what Zadar is paying for that?
DeleteYou think investing in air connectivity is a bad idea? Do you also think it is a bad idea when Serbia invests in JU or North Macedonia in connectivity programme?
DeleteZAD success has nothing to do with SPU capacity. It is purely a result of Ryanair with a handful of other carriers. Good as long as it lasts.
DeleteAnd now Vueling has also decreased number of flights to ZAG this summer.
ReplyDeleteBy how much?
DeleteThey reduced flights from Barcelona by one flight per week. From 3 to 2 per week.
DeleteI see, thanks
DeleteAir France, British Airways, Lufthansa and Vueling have reduced flights. TAP has shut its Lisbon flights.
DeleteGood work by most airport but Zagreb has really disappointed this year.
ReplyDeleteWhat is going on with Ryanair in ZAG? Why is their network growth so slow?
ReplyDeleteOverpromised underdelivered expansion. Not the first and certainly not the last with FR
DeleteSomething went row because they were promising much bigger growth than what they have put up.
DeleteMaybe they are awaiting the outcome of their talks in Ljubljana.
Delete^ Highly doubt that's the issue. Think it is exactly as @9.17 said. They overpromised and underdelivered and it is not the first or last time they do something like that.
DeleteThey seem to be growing really well from ZAD.
DeleteWell, not really, cancelled three routes, intoduced three new. Also, delayed start and reduced frequency on many routes.
DeleteSo, Croatia keeps on winning! 40 new routes, more than any other country in the region I assume :)
ReplyDeleteIssue is most of these are seasonal and low frequnecy. Some operate for 2 months.
DeleteMore precisely, Croatian tourism keeps on winning. Overall pax numbers at Croatian airports are driven by leisure travelers to leisure airports, whose activities out of season is very close to OMO one: ZAD, PUY, RJK. SPU and DBV at the level of INI, however less than TZL.
DeleteThat is the truth.
Tourism in Zagreb is not winning
DeleteQuite opposite.
DeleteHowever, I did not reffer to ZAG as a leisure airport
Can someone explain to Anon 9.14 how much new routes BEG has announced so far?
Delete34 new routes. Croatia has more routes announced, but when frequencies are counted in, Serbia wins.
DeleteTourism in Zagreb has just registered all time January record!
DeleteBut those tourists mostly didn't come by air. That's why Belgrade keeps increasing passenger gap over Zagreb airport. This year many real analysts predict BEG will have double the ZAG passengers. Gap from 350k to 3.5M in just over a decade. Game over.
DeleteMaybe most of the tourists didn't come by air but the results at ZAG were still an all time record, ahead of the pre-pandemic 2019. and January of 2020. Over 250k passengers is solid. Especially given there were no Snow Queen Trophy this year.
DeleteZAG used to surpass 200k monthly passengers in March at the earliest, and 250k in April. This year it happened in January.
Just 10,4% growth until 2040?
ReplyDeleteNo, the share will grow from 4.2% to 4.5%. it means that not only will Croatia match the growth of the Europe as a whole, but it will grow at a faster pace, capturing the larger share of a pie in European traffic.
DeleteWell not surprised about Osijek
ReplyDeleteIt has a completely different passenger structure to other airports in Croatia and a whole lot more competition from airports in neighboring countries.
DeleteAgree Osijek's main passengers are gasterbaiters.
DeleteNothing that Osijek can do, Belgrade is too close. OU has one destination out of Osijek for purely political reasons so that the HDZ Mayor can brag about it.
DeleteLet's not forget that this year ZAG also lost LIS with TAP.
ReplyDeleteSo at this moment they have -1 route in this year's summer schedule.
Fantastic numbers
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Croatia. This is impressive.
ReplyDeleteIs there any estimate what is the expected growth in the number of tourists in Croatia this year?
ReplyDeleteThey still have to sell those seats.
ReplyDeleteUsually you schedule new routes if you you foresee that you will sell seats on those flights.
DeleteOf course they have to sell those seats, and I'm sure the carriers did their research on the routes to and from Croatia.
DeleteEverybody has to sell seats.
DeleteRijeka has been a big disappointment and I don't think it will change much in the years to come.
ReplyDeleteTrue. Has a lot of potential but hasn't done much about it. They should really focus on attracting more airlines.
DeleteCommunists rule in Rijeka and have been for decades now. They talk a lot but do little. Lazy and incompetent.
DeleteAs far as I know, there is no communist Party registered in Croatia. Talking about EX-SKH, its reformed wing, SDP is ruling Party in Rijeka. Its unreformed, bolschevitk, carrieristic, criminal wing, Kradeze, is ruling Party in Croatia. Airports, Rijeka included, are majority state owned, and managed by Kradeze. Rijeka is the city in Croatia with the worst demographics, and the least state aid and support, and punished by Kradeze for not being cooperative in nation wide theft. And one bot here constantly talks about communist Rijeka, in order for hundred times repeated lie to become true, and to draw away attention from the fact that worst kind of communists are those from Kradeze, who are destroying and ruining Croatia for 30 years
DeleteWhich airport on the coast has by far the fewest passengers? Rijeka. Everything else is just blah blah
DeleteWill Croatia Airlines fly Brac-Graz again?
ReplyDeletethat is charter flight for gruber reisen..
DeleteOU used to fly from Brac to 3 airports in Austria at one point.
DeleteWhat were the other two besides Graz?
DeleteOnly 2..
DeleteGraz and Linz
OU used to fly as well to Tivat, Podgorica, Pristina, Mostar, Beograd, Istanbul, Moscow, Budapest, Tirana, Malta, Venice, Nice, Madrid, Lisbon, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Hannover, Oslo, Helsinki, Manchester.... With USED TO being the most important part of the text
DeleteUSED To because it was not profitable! It just didn't work for them. You know?
DeleteHahahaha, and how much profits they make now just feeding MUC and FRA? I bet you know that one
DeleteAnd only because you insisted : Majority of those routes were profitable. They were suspended in order all traffic to be funnelled to Lufthansa, and as a price, Misetic got his chair in Cartel, pardon me, in Star Alliance Board of Directors. And please, stop advocating criminals who destroyed our aviation and impoverished croatian people
DeleteAny other EU airline can fly all these routes. But don't do it. Why? Nema tu kruha
DeleteDear bot,
DeleteI know what I write is painful for you. I know you need to earn your sandwich. But if writing here, you should also know that Air Serbia flies Belgrade, Turkish flies Istanbul, Air Malta charters to Malta, Aeroflot without sanctions flies to Moscow, Ryanair to Podgorica, Oslo and Manchester, Eurowings to Stuttgart, Finnair to Helsinki, Iberia to Madrid, so you just failed with another pathetic attempt to advocate OU, criminal organization led by Kradeze and gazda Ivan
Biggest market in ex-yu.
ReplyDeleteBiggest tourist destination, but far from the biggest market.
DeleteCroatian airports combined have more than double the number of PAX of Serbian airports. So, yes, it is the biggest market!
DeleteIn the airline world markets are airports and catchment areas, not countries.
DeleteI'm talking airports, can't you read?
DeleteBiggest airport market is not in Croatia.
DeleteWhere is it then?
DeleteBelgrade is the single largest airport in the EXYU, by far.
DeleteCroatia "is not the biggest airport market in ex yu" despite the numbers saying otherwise very clearly. What a cope.
DeleteRelying on leisure traffic too much
ReplyDeleteCroatia needs to reduce seasonality
ReplyDeleteI agree. I hope Croatia Airlines at least extends some of its seasonal flights at Split to all year round.
Delete^ no chance
DeleteSeasonality can't be reduced in most places in Croatia apart from Zagreb and Dubrovnik. Most of the regions simply aren't year round destinations.
DeleteIt would be nice to see a Croatian LCC use some of the country's tourism potential.
ReplyDeleteI always held hope that Trade Air would eventually start scheduled flights with a low cost model. Doesn't look like it though.
DeleteDalmatian.hr was Croatian LCC, officially registered, with bank account and initial funds, which spent several years on preparations, had signed contract for lease of first two A320's from Bulgaria, had signed contract for lease of office space for HQ's on Radnicka cesta, had ongoing ticket sale for first 8 destinations, Hamburg to Larnaca, had job vacancies open for 20 positions and had AOC application submitted. Literally overnight everything had to be stopped when CEO was "warned" to quit everything at once, if he wants "to keep his head on his shoulders". Everything was stopped, all passengers were fully refunded within a week, and he left Croatia forever. Bravo Hrvatska!
DeleteGood for CRO!
ReplyDeleteWhat about Pula?
ReplyDeleteWhat about Losinj? They did have plans to extend the runway so that all sorts of turboprops can land there. What happened? Any work done? Any details?
ReplyDeleteThey could sustain ATR, Dash, Saab ops to places such as ZAG, BEG, ZRH, VIE, MUC, BRN.
ZAG needs to wake up. This summer won't be good for them.
ReplyDelete+1 they didn't secure that many new flights which would boost their numbers this summer
DeleteThe growth and the majority of passengers are generated on the coast. The only two inland airports are Zagreb and Osijek.
ReplyDeleteCroatian coast is growing and growing each year with impressive digits.
DeleteNice to hear Croatia is growing!
DeleteIf Mostar wakes up and offers cheap flights, it could hurt Split.
ReplyDeletelol yeah I'm sure its really going to hurt them.
DeleteI think he meant that people going to Medjugorje would not go via Split anymore, they would go direct to Mostar.
DeleteYes but that's a couple of thousand passengers. It would barely impact SPU's numbers.
DeleteSplit and Dubrovnik are the reason why Mostar is at a standstill!
Deletedoes anyone know if Trade Air will continue to fly the domestic PSO flights after 23 March? nothing showing on their website...and its pretty close.. need to book stuff for work?
ReplyDeleteOdd. Didn't realize they haven't put tickets on sale yet. What could be the reason? They definitely have the contract to operate these PSO routes.
DeleteTrade Air are quite busy in PRN. Guess they are making good money.
DeleteCould be that the aircraft contract is not there yet
DeleteFor a relatively small country it is impressive that 7 airports have new routes.
ReplyDelete6 of which are coastal. No surprise really.
DeleteThey are actually not 7 but 9.
DeleteSooner or later Ryanair will become Croatia's number one airline. Their growth has been the biggest over the past few years.
ReplyDeleteWell they already have two bases in the country.
DeleteGreat!
ReplyDeleteHonestly I am surprised that Dubrovnik is behind Split. Dubrovnik being such a beautiful city I would expect them to have more tourists then Split and they also have more winter traffic then SPU.
ReplyDeleteDubrovnik is a much smaller city and it's catchment area is smaller.
DeleteDBV could attract some passengers from Bosnia and parts of Montenegro if they bothered to do some marketing beyond the tourist markets.
DeleteZAG will end up behind SPU this year or next year.
ReplyDeleteOr the year after that. Or...
DeleteOr never? There is nothing ZAG can do to stop SPU from taking over.
DeleteThere is. To make Croatia Airlines behave, function and operate as the airline with hub in ZAG, not as Kradeze ATM and Uhljeb sanctuary
DeleteThe future of Croatia lies on the coast, that's where the money is to be found. Ryanair, easyjet, etc. know that too... forget zagreb
DeleteNobody needs a HUB in Zagreb or Ljubljana or Sarajevo. But many direct point-to-point connections. Zato je Ryainair budućnost Zagreba a ne Croatia
Delete