Low cost carrier Ryanair has criticised Zagreb Airport for increasing airline fees, branding the development as “ridiculous”. In a press release, the company’s Director for Marketing, Communications and Digital, Dara Brady, said, “Efficient operations and competitive airport charges provide the foundation from which Ryanair can deliver long-term traffic growth and increased connectivity. After the busiest April on record, Ryanair calls on Zagreb Airport to revoke its recent decision to increase airport charges by a ridiculous 12.4% which came into effect in April 2023. These increases only punish passengers and will have a detrimental impact on Zagreb and Croatia’s connectivity, tourism, traffic, jobs, and overall post-Covid recovery”.
Zagreb Airport increased its passengers service fee for airlines last month, meaning carriers have to fork out additional funds per passenger carried. Fees for departing international passengers have grown from 17.50 euros to 19.67 euros, the charge for departing domestic passengers has increased from 7.50 euros to 8.43 euros, while the fee for transfer passengers has grown by fifty eurocents from four euros to 4.50 euros. The additional charges will be passed onto passengers through increased ticket prices. The airport previously said the 12.4% hike in fees is in line with inflation growth. Ryanair anticipates handling 1.2 million passengers on its Zagreb flights this year.
This summer, Ryanair is operating its busiest schedule out of the Croatian capital since opening its base in the city in 2021. Although the airline has added only seasonal services to Kos this summer, and discontinued flights to Dortmund, it has grown frequencies on existing routes. Furthermore, last summer, the airline was forced to cancel numerous flights due to operational reasons. Ryanair will operate over 168 weekly flights from the Croatian capital this summer, representing a 20% increase on 2022. “This new schedule is underpinned by Ryanair’s commitment to Zagreb, basing three aircraft at Zagreb Airport, a $300 million investment and supporting over 900 jobs including ninety direct jobs as well as carrying over 330.580 passengers to/from Zagreb Airport (between January and April 2023), 33% of all passengers at Zagreb Airport in the same period, further driving the airport’s traffic recovery and record growth post-Covid”, Mr Brady concluded.
Goodbye Ryanair
ReplyDeleteI scold their ridiculous business model
DeleteI wouldn't bet on it
Delete@09.23
DeleteRyanair and Croatia Airlines started operations approximately the same time, about 30 years ago, from approximately the same positions. No one was preventing Croatia Airlines to take LCC model, or do ACMI, or put focus on coast and charters, or focus on main hub and transfers, or do hybrid combination of everything. Meanwhile Ryanair became the biggest and the most profitable carrier in Europe and Croatia Airlines remained irrelevant and became disgrace totally dependent on state aid. And you dare calling Ryanair model ridiculous? No comment.
It is far from goodbye. But it is a little warning.
DeleteI do not think it is only a "little" warning.
Delete@ 9:23
DeleteDon't. Because it enabled us, normal people, to fly, visit family and friends, and go on holiday. Ryanair did more for the average Joe than all these "national carriers" ever did or will.
Where is MBX or LJU? There is a chance now
DeleteLJU's fees are about the same as Zagreb's.
DeleteAnonymous at 09:23 Ryanair is just as expensive if not more once all their extras are added on. I always find OU much cheaper than Ryanair when all extras are added on.
DeleteMost people don't need all the extras, so LCCs enable them to fly cheaper.
DeleteAlso, it's far from being just as expensive even with add-ons.
Bravo Hrvatska
ReplyDeleteLet's be honest here, the increase is perfectly in line with the inflation growth and FR already increased their ticket prices for more than 12%,so they have absolutely no right to complain
DeleteAgree
DeleteBravo Hrvatska for capital airport chasing away the only LCC based there? For having 13 destinations by flag carrier at the same time. For withdrawal of operators or reduction of frequencies? For not restoring formerly existing long-haul? For blocking possibilities to reach passenger numbers needed to build the second phase of the terminal? For deliberately handing over transfer passengers to BEG and JU? For not having an airport hotel? For rent a car companies offices in containers outside the airport buildin? For no rail link to the city center? For 8 euro one way ticket to thy city by Pleso prijevoz? Bravo exactly for what of the above listed?
DeleteYes, for all
DeleteGetting rif of LCC imporves ability of Croatis Airlines to compete. So yes this is good thing. Well done.
DeleteAnd Ryan air maybe cheaper but its terribly bad service, always late/cancelling. its not worth it. it puts people in bad mood to travel with ryan air. think of tourists that will lose money from missed check in dates or they check out but flight is cancelled and stuck in zagreb/dubrovnik.
Just hope croatia airlines take the initiative to grow now.
"imporves ability of Croatis Airlines"
DeleteYes, to ad more FRA/MUC flights.
Ryanair will be leaving very soon then. Good riddance to them!
ReplyDeleteGood riddance to them? If FR leaves, ZAG will turn into another LJU, or in the best-case scenario, OU will fill the gap with €300 tickets.
DeleteFR has actually been good for both the airport and the city. I wouldn't want them to leave.
DeleteNeka ode. Onda ce verovatno menadzment aerodroma dobiti bonuse za blistav rad.
ReplyDeleteExcellent news for OU! Ryanair will be gone by November!
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteGood in what sense? Will they introduce new routs? No. So this is ultimately not good for the citizens.
DeleteThere is a Chinese saying
DeleteIf you wait long enough, the river will bring the corpse of your enemy
Perfect strategy for OU. They are, after all, all wait and no action.
DeleteThey are not "gone" they just haven't been scheduled yet. It is the same every year.
ReplyDeleteZAG can't afford to lose FR, especially with the OU being in the state that they are.
ReplyDeletePart of the reason they are in such a state is because of Ryanair.
DeleteAre you serious??? Now it's Ryan's fault???
DeleteThe only reason OU is in such a state is OU.
DeleteAgree with @anon 9.05
DeleteSo let me see if I understood correctly. They pissed off OU by bringing in FR. This forced the OU to expand on the coast and more specifically out of SPU.
ReplyDeleteFR started growing and now they are pissing them off with these fees without having a back up?
So what's their plan if FR starts cutting or stops growing in ZAG? Go begging OU to add a few more routes? Will they try to bring in Wizz Air?
Or will they try to strike a deal with that stillborn EW.
All in all seems like they are walking on thin ice.
No plan is the plan
DeleteNo, you are wrong.
DeleteThey didn't piss off OU.
@Nemjee
DeleteThat is the source of all problems with aviation in Croatia - absolutely ZERO STRATEGY for development of civil aviation, especially through synergy with flag carrier and its main operational base, or potential hub, because it's no hub of any kind with this volume of traffic. Tourism on the coast is rising the numbers on coastal airports, and it is just happening, it was happening during Yugoslavia, immediately after the war in Croatia, today.... But it's not result of strategy of any kind. Politics in Croatia decides on civil aviation and they are interested only in filling their own pockets, through aviation and from aviation, and not developing it. And it's not the case with tourism only, it's about entire economy. With potentials Croatia has for its aviation, or now we may even talk past tense, Croatia had for its aviation, it is very sad but very true.
@pozdrav i understand what you say, and you are correct but also have to consider croatia is different to rest of Yug. yes zagreb should be the main hub, however air travel to croatia is focused for summer tourism and the coast.
Deleteand this will slowly push out Ryan Air, so by the time the A220 fleet is up and running then Ryan air will be much smaller presence and Croatia Airlines can capitalise.
Also i know you're unhappy with the fleet decision but i have been listening to the youtube aviation channels and they say that most airlines are making the same move, such as air France and some airlines from America. they are ordering A220 to replace their A320's, so its not just Croatia Airlines doing it.
Slav Man you are such a certified expert my friend
DeleteWell if Croatia can't find a solution to this market distribution then they can just copy what Aegean has been doing for many years now. They have successfully expanded from holiday destinations without sacrificing their home market at ATH.
DeleteSure seems as tho they're walking on thin ice and there's probably stuff going on we're not privy to. ZAIC's only interest is profit for sure but that excuse about the inflation is BS. They basically took the month with the highest inflation last year, which was around 13%, and increased the fees slightly bellow that.
DeleteThing is, the over all inflation for 2022. in Croatia was 10.8% and the current one in this record year for them, is 8.9% with a further downward trend. The projected annual inflation for 2023. is below 7% and for 2024. likely returning to normal. In Croatia and the eurozone in general.
So the inflation narrative is clearly nonsense.
This is about something else. Might have to do with Ryan hiking its prices and ZAG knowing they're not going anywhere as everything's pointing to a really good period before them. Might also be about backdoor talks with Wizz indeed, while trying to force Ryan to the negotiating table and agreeing to more routes in addition to the increased frequencies. Or maybe even motivating either FR or anyone else to take that deal with subsidized routes to European capitals.
At any rate, ZAG surely must be aware that losing Ryan without an immediate backup (and OU definitely can't do it even if it wanted to), would be a disaster for them.
Basically, they're certainly playing a game, however one would hope it isn't a mere game of chicken with FR but rather something more...rational? Strategic?
I know this might be asking too much.
Didn't they have an increase recently?
ReplyDeleteYes, it says in the third paragraph.
DeleteWhere?
Delete"This summer, Ryanair is operating its busiest schedule out of the Croatian capital since opening its base in the city in 2021. Although the airline has added only seasonal services to Kos this summer, and discontinued flights to Dortmund, it has grown frequencies on existing routes. Furthermore, last summer, the airline was forced to cancel numerous flights due to operational reasons. Ryanair will operate over 168 weekly flights from the Croatian capital this summer, representing a 20% increase on 2022. "
DeleteI meant didn’t ZAG have fee increase recently
Delete^ Have you actually read the article? The entire second paragraph is dedicated to the fee increase and the entire article is actually about it.
DeleteThe guy asked if there had already been one fee hike recently (like last year), it's very clear that there is one now.
DeleteOk, I didn't understand. No, there wasn't a fee hike last year. This is the first one since Covid.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThose planes are not that old... and they are pretty well maintaned for low cost airlines
DeleteRyanair had some outrageous comments in that press conference, namely the 300 million € "investment" in the Zagreb base. They are pitching the general public that each 25+ year-old Lauda plane is costing them 100 million. Thus, they invested hundreds of millions in ZAG base = they demand preferential treatment.
ReplyDeleteThe 12% hike should be ok, as they have hiked their starting prices upwards of 200%.
I don't see them having a base in Zagreb for long, especially with the subsidiary system offered by ZAG, where routes are perfect for Wizz, therefore ZAG won't lose much when Ryanair gets out, and Wizz comes in, although the London pax number will suffer.
My bad, their A320s are 15 years old on average - which is still 3x more than 737s
DeleteLauda planes are younger than Croatia Airlines' planes.
DeleteWhich terminal in Zagreb are they operating in? Why don't they just give them the old terminal with lower taxes and end of the saga :)
ReplyDeleteThe old terminal is not operational. And I'm guessing if it was, then most airlines would move to it to get lower taxes.
DeleteOld terminal had been completely refurbished only year or two before new one was opened. It is in good shape and it could be functional again within one week time. It is ideal for LCC, for passengers can walk to and from the plane, no buses needed. Current costs could be covered by fees from additional shops and services opened there. New terminal will always have interested legacy carriers which want to use air bridges and for their transfer passengers. The only obstacle for the new terminal is Croatia Airlines, which should be triple bigger in ZAG and make it proper hub, but that's another, sad and tragic story
DeleteYes but opening a second terminal brings a lot of additional costs to the airport operator.
DeleteNot lot, not even few, but old terminal could be run with no additional costs. Existing number of employees with existing traffic volume is enough and is irrelevant whether they work at old or new terminal, which are 5 minutes away. Electricity, water and similar costs, as I already wrote, could be covered from the fees from additional shops and services (re) opened at the old terminal. With expected traffic growth, income is supposed to grow as well, and finance additional work force or other current costs. So, no, there would be no addition costs, especially not lot of them
DeleteZAG should work on getting another major LCC - Wizz or easy. Just for balance and to reduce Ryanair's blackmailing power.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteDoesn't Ryanair get fee discounts on almost all the routes they operate out of ZAG?
ReplyDeleteI thought so too.
DeleteThey do get discounts on things like handling, landing, gate usage, parking etc. But they don't get discounts on the passenger tax.
DeleteAh ok thanks
DeleteThose are still significant discounts other airlines are not getting.
DeleteWarning number 1.
ReplyDeleteThis fee increase had had a negative impact on many airlines flying to Zagreb. Air France has decreased flights, British Airways and Ryanair's growth is very conservative.
ReplyDeleteYes, it has and this is down to the airport management. It is disappointing that there is not more significant growth from ZAG in the year Croatia entered Schengen.
DeleteThe passenger growth at ZAG this year is very good.
DeleteThings changed a lot at ZAG when management of airport was completely taken over by TAV from AdP.
Delete^ +1
DeleteWhat happened with Ryanair? They were promising more routes, 7 aircraft in Zagreb etc. They have been flying for 2 years from Zagreb and nothing much has changed since December 2021.
ReplyDeleteO'Leary's fairytales.
DeleteThese are bad news for Zagreb.
ReplyDeleteI was hoping Ryanair would announce 4th aircraft in ZAG and around 5 new routes this summer.
ReplyDeleteI was also expecting more from Ryanair especially after all the hype when they came..
DeleteKad ono…
DeleteIt seems people were too much trusting to certain air blogs where so called expert made an interview with MoL believing each of his words.
DeleteNow we see it was nothing but a marketing.
30%+of all passengers flying on LCCs from/to ZAG is significant.
ReplyDeleteEspecially considering that 4 years ago it was barely 5%.
DeleteRyanair is one of the most “cost aware” (stingy) companies in the world. They are capable of filling absolute crapy flight plans in order to save 2 € per flight.
ReplyDeleteWell, how else am I gonna fly for 20 bucks?
DeleteTheir model works. It made them the largest and most profitable airline in Europe. The market has spoken and it prefers the LCC model for short haul flights at least.
DeleteHere is a thing. It is absolutely amazing to see a country which God gave pristine golden coast, close to all EU centers and yet OU has struggled for 30 years. Yes, Pozdrav I know, HDZ/Uhljebs you are correct, I agree. They will keep OU as it is for as long as it takes. Huge pride and it represents in a way HDZ/Tudjman legacy, I get it. But look at JU, backward eastern neighbors where only 10 years ago JU was a joke, look at it now. Difference is clear and stark and it will only get wider if JU continues this course and OU stays in the 'uhljeb' mode. One was always looking down upon the other (very true late 90s early 00s), yet how the tables have turned. On a side note, I visited BEG after 12 years and am shocked at the development, especially BW and other developments at New Belgrade, highways/roads, way more robust than ZG.
ReplyDeleteBut you explained it yourself - Croatia is physically close to the EU and Serbia is not so much. Croatia is a highly regionalised economy with trade taking place almost exclusively with the neighbouring countries only, and even the diaspora living in nearby countries only (with the exception of Ireland). The demand for travel is simply not as high as it is in Serbia. That's just a fact. It is not a positive fact and it is not a negative fact.
DeleteFrom Zagreb you can drive to the sea coast in three hours and to the ski resorts in four hours. The roads are superb and the connectivity with Western Europe is excellent without the need to take flights.
"the connectivity with Western Europe is excellent without the need to take flights."
DeleteWhat a ridiculous statement, one would think that Croatia has the geographical location of Switzerland. First of all, not everyone has a car (and car ownership is on a downward trend anyway), and secondly, driving from ZAG to literally any Western European hotspot (Paris, London, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome) takes 9+ hours and hundreds of €€€ in petrol & tolls, so the suggestion that quality roads somehow replace the need for air travel is hilarious.
Plus absolutely not true croatian diaspora living in nearby countries only - numbers on the most distant places, Americas, Australia, are expressed in hundreds of thousands. Croatia 's position is not its disadvantage, it could be its advantage, and ZAG could and should have been hub for SE Europe, if there were no Kradeze crooks, criminals and Uhljebs in Croatia Airlines, which @11.47 very much correctly explained
DeleteThis morning I flew from Mostar to Frankfurt via Zagreb. Section Mostar - Zagreb was operated by A319, 96 passengers on flight.
ReplyDeleteAmazing! No doubt this route would be beyond successful and most importantly provide essential air connection for Mostar.
DeleteSounds great! Especially as the flight would probably break even by itself, so if you add the extra money from subsidies, the flights will be a cash cow for OU soon!
DeleteIf true, just showing once again all potential of Balkan markets OU has been not taking advantage of for 30 years. It could have been like that on at least ten more airports eastern from ZAG, feeding their own network in ZAG, long haul included. But no, LH must be fed, that's the first priority....
Delete“…. LH must be fed, that's the first priority....”
DeleteOf course, Croatia has to payback Germany its independence from Yugoslavia. Nothing is for free.
Stop with the fake news. Only two destinations have been removed. Not "5-10". What the hell?
ReplyDeleteIt's called running a business. Unlike our local politician-run taxpayer cash burning machines
ReplyDeleteRyanair in Zagreb will soon have a monopoly on most routes .
ReplyDeleteJust because of this they will not leave .
They just like to complain because its the mentality of its owner that O Leary guy who basically is an a++eh++e .
Will we see Ryanair base a 4th plane anytime soon? These "warnings" are not making me optimistic about it.
ReplyDeleteFollowing this statement I really doubt they are in a rush to base a 4th plane.
DeleteRyanair and their usual blackmail tactics.
ReplyDeleteYeah right, Ryanair and their blackmail tactics. And what about the Cartel? Croatia is not blackmailed by Lufthansa to be their feeder for peanuts, on expense of tax payers, right?
Delete2 wrongs don't make a right Pozdrav. Come on
DeleteI'm not saying 2 wrongs make a right. I am saying out of 2 bads, one should choose less bad or least bad. With Cartel blackmail, more money is spent on OU losses and market handed over, in return you get less flights with astronomic prices. With FR blackmail less money is spent on incentives, in return you get more flights to more destinations, with affordable prices. Very simple
DeleteThe least bad FR will pack their bags and leave whenever it suits them. They're nothing but leeches. On the other hand OU will always be here for us. It's true they're definifely not living their best days, but times and people change quickly and OU will reach success sooner or later whether you like it or not!
DeleteLOL!!!
DeleteAnd I agree, OU will always be there for you : uhljebs, crimos, and brainwashed
DeleteWhich destinations have been removed?
ReplyDeleteAnother tactic of rich people only them can afford to buy tickets on Croatia airlines, Ryanair give opportunity to many people to travel and visit others country not only rich people have the right to travel ,now they want to take that opportunity from the normal people shame on them
ReplyDelete