Zagreb Airport has launched a new incentive scheme which will come into effect on June 1, 2023 with the aim of connecting the city to a number of key European capitals. “The Connecting Capital Cities Incentive Model is designed to link Zagreb to unserved capital cities located in the European Common Aviation Area (ECAA) member states, as well as Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine and Moldova, which have signed a Common Aviation Area Agreement with the European Union”, the airport said. Routes that will be eligible for incentives are those from Zagreb to Prague, Tallinn, Berlin, Budapest, Riga, Vilnius, Luxembourg, Stockholm (Arlanda or Skavsta airports), Tirana, Pristina, Reykjavik, Tbilisi, Kiev (upon the reopening of Ukrainian airspace), Chisinau and Yerevan.
Airlines will be eligible for the incentives if the route(s) are continuously maintained at least two times per week within a twelve-month period. If an airline launches between three to four destinations from the list, it will receive a 60% incentive on the passenger service charge from the airport operator. Those serving between five to six destinations will be granted a 70% incentive, between seven to eight an 80% incentive and those operating over nine destinations from the list will be incentivised by the airport with a 90% reduction of the passenger service charge. Airlines may revise their number of destinations during the incentive period, which will run until May 31, 2026
Flights operated under this incentive model cannot benefit from any other incentive schemes, except those for based aircraft incentives and parking discounts for based aircraft. Zagreb Airport has only one new route scheduled to launch this summer, a seasonal service to Kos in Greece which will be operated by Ryanair. Half of the destinations listed in the Connecting Capital Cities Incentive Model have been served from Zagreb in the past. They include Prague, Berlin, Budapest, Stockholm, Tirana, Pristina and Kiev.
Did they forgot about a little event happening rn in Ukraine? Lol
ReplyDeleteIt says in the article upon the reopening of Ukranian airspace. The subsidies are until June 2026. Read.
DeleteAhahahahah 😂
DeleteIt's a tad optimistic to think it's gonna he over by 2025 (as they need to operate it for at least 12 months) isn't it?
DeleteNo, they need to start operating at the latest by the end of June 2026 and fly for a year to get the incentives.
DeleteCould air Baltic do something?
DeletePeople want to give their opinion from the title,read please
DeleteThis one looks like wizz network
ReplyDeleteOr Ryanair
DeleteIf you are a European capital city airport that has to subsidise flights to Berlin and Stockholm to get someone to fly these routes, then you really are in trouble.
ReplyDelete+1
Delete+100
DeletePeople, please get familiar with diferrence between subsidies and incentives. ZAG is not desperate, it's "only" missing strong and serious home carrier
DeleteBosnia has no national airline and still has flights from Banja Luka/Tuzla-Berlin. In summer almost every ex-Yu airport has direct flights to Berlin. Why not Zagreb?
DeleteReykjavik is an interesting choice. Wonder if there will be any takers.
ReplyDeleteHere is Croatia Airlines' opportunity
ReplyDeleteHahahaha
DeleteOU won't be interested in any of them routes!
DeleteKBP 😂.
ReplyDeleteLooks good! But who is going to pay for this incentive the airport itself?
ReplyDeleteGood question. Would be interesting to see annual results for main airports in ex yu
DeleteYes, the airport.
DeleteYes, it is a ZAG incentive program, not a ministry one.
DeleteWhy do people always raise the issue of airport finances in the comments section when the article is about Zagreb? Belgrade gives all sorts of incentives as well.
DeleteBEG gives basic incentives that are given by almost all airports in the world. But it doesn't give incentives for flights to capital cities in Europe or blitz incentives open for 2 weeks for one airline to apply for.
DeleteTrue dat.
DeleteFor comparison, Belgrade will this summer operate flights to most of those: Prague, Berlin, Budapest, Riga, Luxembourg, Stockholm (both Arlanda and Skavsta), Tirana. KBP was operated before the war, KIV was planned but postponed due to war so those two depend on the outcome.
DeleteIf BEG growth continues at current rate it would be reasonable to expect BEG also getting connected to TBS, EVN and KEF by 2026 and PRN if political environment changes. That means BEG would within the same timeframe cover all of ZAG wishlist except Tallinn and Vilnius, plus dozens of other destinations not served or currently planned from ZAG.
Bravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteLOL!!!
DeleteThis is tailor made for Wizz and KEF, TBS and EVN gives it up... Do they thing FR is going to focus more on LJU? I'm not sure if Ryanair will be happy about wizz having one or two planes stationed there
ReplyDeleteWell it is telling that FR has not launched new routes from ZAG this year (they do start seasonal Kos but end year round Dortmund)
DeleteSo an airline must fly at least 3 of the routes to get discounts. That instantly disqualifies most airlines. This is either for Ryan, Croatia Airlines or Wizz to base a plane
ReplyDeleteEurowings could be included - they have bases in Berlin, Prague, Pristina and Stockholm Arlanda
DeleteIts a shame they've only gone for capital cities instead of incentivising cities which are unserved and have high demand but could be secondary cities with more demand than some of these capitals
ReplyDeleteAt least some among them are not boring western Europe continental destinations.
ReplyDeleteBoring?
DeleteVery surprised not to see any Polish airport and fail to comprehend why Berlin is "struggling" that much. Many Balkan and Eastern European diaspora over there and also many Germans visiting Zagrab. Also what about Spain and Portugal?
ReplyDeleteThe subsidy is aimed at European capitals, the cities on the list are capitals that are not connected to ZAG.
DeleteOUs opportunity to shift from uselessv 1pw seasonal flights to some of these cities to ZAG. Wonder if they will use it
ReplyDeleteVery shortly : NO
Delete
ReplyDeleteHow desperate do you have to be to offer such incentives?
It seems to me like an invitation for Wizz.
If OU doesn't take BER, TIA and PRN, then they are out of their mind. For the others, I think that the baltic routes are invitation for Air Baltic.
ReplyDeleteKroaciji bi bilo bolje da se uključi u trku za ovim subvencijama, jer ako i WIZZ stacionira avione u ZAG, CRO sa svojom smešnom mrežom neće dočekati nove avione.
ReplyDeleteCroatia Airlines zivi u 1950-ima, trziste ih uopce ne zanima, kao ni profitabilnost, a novi avioni ce doci iako su za ono sto lete, najgori i najskuplji izbor
DeleteIs it Budapest or Bucharest - because in the artical is Budapest on the map you show OTP?
ReplyDeleteBoth.
DeleteWould a ZAG-BUD flight even work given the proximity of the two cities
DeleteIt is crafted for Ryanair so they can keep up fleet utilisation with a short rotation. Same way they have Sofia and Podgorica.
Delete@13.40
DeleteWhile still around, Malev used to fly BUD-ZAG up to three times daily. If there would be some type of hub with plenty of transfer possibilities on at least one side of the service, it could work. With OU on one side and Wizz on the other, I doubt. Especially with highway and no border controls between the two
If Croatia Airlines has any sense it will launch all of these. Massive discounts, an opportunity to finally launch new routes, a chance to wrestle with Ryanair, and a way to end seasonality because the routes will receive incentives year round. This is their last chance to stop being a Lufthansa feeder before Ryanair takes Zagreb over completely.
ReplyDeleteApart from KEF, TBS and EVN I can see Ryanair launching every single one of these. Exciting times!!
ReplyDeleteIs Wizzair going to return to Zagreb?
ReplyDeleteWhat are the chances of Wizzair launching any of these routes?
ReplyDeleteSo, new Ryanair rutes?
ReplyDeleteAccording to the incentives model airlines are obliged to pay the full airport fees and only after the 12 month period they will be reimbursed by the airport. In case they don’t operate the routes as required they won’t be eligible.
ReplyDeleteWhat's up with all these Balkan airports offering incentives for new routes? Why can't the market determine which routes are available from the various airports?
ReplyDeleteMaybe because the market was initially destroyed by war, and later by criminals who are looking after their benefits only, resulting in complete devastation of entire ex-yu, air sector being just the reflection?
DeleteAlthough residual effects of the war are still evident, war ended over 25 years ago. Although criminals/mafioso/politicians are very strong in ex-yugo how do they affect the airline sector?
DeletePoliticians / criminals are the biggest obstacle for people, business and service to be developed between Balkan area and rest of the world as they are focused only on their own benefit even if the price that they are causing is huge and of course paid by tax payers. They are not allowing free market competition as their benefit would be affected. In this particular example of ZAG incentives it could be 3-party deal : Airport ZAG itself, politicians (criminals) and airline (Ryanair or Wizzair) where they make a plan in advance which will fit particular airline: chosen airline makes money and bribes politicians and airport managers and everybody happy at least for some time...
DeleteEdinburgh or Glasgow we need these routes to happen. Croatia to Scotland is not well served at all, a direct route to Zagreb would amazing
ReplyDeleteIf there's a Prague route, I will be flying constantly. I hope some airline will make it happen.
ReplyDelete