Zagreb Airport handled a record 795.753 passengers during the first quarter of the year, with most routes seeing growth over the three-month period, both compared to 2023 and the pre-pandemic 2019. Based on statistics for the airport’s twenty busiest routes, provided by the European Union’s statistical office Eurostat, which account for some 71% of the airport’s total traffic during Q1, Frankfurt continued to be the busiest destination, improving its figures by almost 9% on last year, but still down over 13% on 2019. Similarly, other major Lufthansa hubs continue to perform below pre-pandemic levels, including Munch, Vienna, and Zurich on the back of stronger competition.
Zagreb Airport's busiest routes, Q1 2024
The Amsterdam service continues to perform strongly, growing 47.8% and 49.3% in passenger numbers on Q1 2023 and 2019 respectively. The growth is primarily being fuelled by KLM, which positioned itself as one of Zagreb’s leading foreign carriers during the pandemic. Turkish Airlines registered another record result, handling 44.988 passengers on its Istanbul service, an improvement of 12.1% on last year. Air Serbia also saw strong growth on its Belgrade - Zagreb route. Accompanied by an increase in flights, its figures surged 31.8% on Q1 2023, as well as 61.3% on the pre-pandemic 2019. Gulf carriers Qatar Airways and Flydubai both improved on last year, with the latter surpassing its 2019 performance for the first time.
Ryanair continues to be one of the main factors fuelling Zagreb Airport’s strong results, with destinations across its network out of the Croatian capital seeing strong year-on-year growth. Its busiest destination continues to be London Stansted, where it handled more passengers than Croatia Airlines and British Airways combined on their London Heathrow service. Other strong performers for the budget carrier include Dublin and Charleroi, as well as leisure destinations such as Malta and Malaga. All its flights to and from Zagreb are being accompanied by high levels of cabin occupancy.
Why are all the Lufthansa hubs down on 2019? I can't believe Ryanair had such an impact on them
ReplyDeleteKLM also took transfers
DeleteLH’s result is directly influenced by good results of KLM and TK.
DeleteRyanair too. People no longer have the need to fly via Frankfurt to, for example, Malaga and Malta which are in the top 20.
DeleteIt would actually be interesting to see which of the airlines is underperforming to these LH hubs. Croatia Airlines or the LH airlines, or both.
DeleteZagreb noumbers are good for May so far, good increase on last year's performance in the same month. Ryan air and even some Croatian Airlines flights are all sold out, KLM and Turkish is also doing really good so far this month. Terminal will be expanded next year, work on terminal expansion should start in October next year.
DeleteInteresting that Ljubljana had more passengers to Dubai than Zagreb in Q1.
ReplyDeleteHow much did Ljubljana have?
Delete19,830
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2024/05/turkish-remains-ljubljanas-busiest.html
Did they have the same amount of flights?
DeleteLjubljana had 7 weekly to DXB, while Zagreb had 5 weekly most of the winter (6 just last month). Means Zagreb had much better load factor on DXB route than LJU, and it is not suprise that FlyDubai increased ZAG to daily from next winter.
DeleteAverage cabin load factor on the two routes in Q1 was:
DeleteZagreb: 70.2%
Ljubljana: 65.2%
Exactly
DeleteFlyDubai already reduced LJU operations in next winter. March is reduced to 4 weekly instead of daily
DeleteThey always start with 4 and than add.
DeleteLast winter was daily in March, also it was filled to daily until 1 month ago and now reduced to 4.
DeleteCleary LJU-DXB has zero demand. Should just move flights to ZAG.
Deleteinteresting also istanbul has more or less same performance in ljubljana in q1 ...
DeleteTrue. Considering Slovenia is a much smaller market, that's a big achievement.
DeleteIt can't be that Air Serbia had such a big increase, just like in Ljubljana. A certain expert told us no one would fly JU after cancellations in June last summer, let alone the Marathon incident.
ReplyDelete+1
Delete+100
Deletewow Amsterdam route developing really nicely.
ReplyDeleteAmsterdam did really well throughout the pandemic from/to ZAG. I remember that for some time KLM was the busiest foreign airline in ZAG. I'm guessing that growth on the Amsterdam route is mainly down to KLM rather than Croatia Airlines.
DeleteNot only is it constantly full, but the ticket prices are often extortionate for P2P travel. Lots of business travellers. I am wondering why KLM isn't sending bigger birds than the Embraers...
DeleteWhy don't they just use 737s on the routes?
DeleteDoes KLM fly to Split or Dubrovnik year round or is it just Zagreb?
DeleteNice to see some of Ryanair's leisure routes in the top 20
ReplyDeleteAnd that is during the low season in January, February and March!
DeleteIt kind of makes you wonder where was Croatia Airlines? Why didn't it start Malta, Malaga, Marseille, Cyprus, Greek islands....
DeleteThey were waiting for state handouts. The management couldn't care less. That's why I laughed when some people were shouting Bravo for them introducing seasonal flights to Stockholm and Berlin this summer.
DeleteCroatia Airlines had 30 years to launch leisure routes. Didn't cross their mind.
DeleteCroatia Airlines did fly many leisure route in the late 90s and early 2000s. Then the management decided to turn the airline's primary mission into becoming an LH feeder. And here we are today. But as we can see from the passenger numbers that is not going to work anymore. They are going to have to find something else.
DeleteSo as we see, the airport's decision to bring Ryanair made a lot of sense.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteRight decision by management to bring them in. Now it would be great if they could also bring another LCC not to rely fully on FR.
DeleteConsidering issues with Wizz, easyjet might be the way to go.
Deletewow thanks for the numbers!
ReplyDeleteHow many destinations does Ryanair have now from Zagreb?
ReplyDelete30 this summer
DeleteDanke
DeleteSo the busiest Ryanair route is Stansted. Makes sense considering the frequencies.
ReplyDeleteYes, it was busiest from the start.
DeleteExcellent job and statistics! :)
ReplyDeleteI think Croatian people are definitely traveling more with Ryanair around. Good job. Although these numbers show what a poor job Croatia Airlines has been doing.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteBravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteWould be interesting to see the load factors too.
ReplyDeleteDid OU ever fly to Malta?
ReplyDeleteI believe they did in the late 90s/early 2000s.
DeleteThanks, wasn't aware that they flew there.
DeleteAnd London is number 2 destination after Frankfurt if two airports are combined.
ReplyDeleteSeems Pegasus' arrival had no impact on TK or its Istnabul numbers.
ReplyDeleteDifferent type of passengers. And TK starting third daily flight on select days in Q2 so their numbers will just keep growing.
DeleteInteresting. I wonder if the US transfers have shifted from Lufthansa.
ReplyDeleteI think people have shifted a lot to KLM.
DeleteTbh on it is a better airline than LH.
DeleteGood job by Ryanair!
ReplyDeletePraise them all you want, but their business model is so unfair. Buying equipment for next to nothing, borrowing money without interest rate, and exorting small airports for subsidies. Kind of flying Lidl. Definicija nelojalne konkurencije.
DeleteYeah! OU is the best and very fair business model!
DeleteHahaha
Delete1710, missing the point, not surprised.
DeleteNo major surprises among the busiest routes.
ReplyDeleteYou foresaw Malaga and Malta among the busiest?
DeleteI meant the top 10
DeleteSo probably, Dubrovnik is Croatia Airlines busiest route?
ReplyDeleteYes
DeleteDon't forget that there is no more STN-LJU
ReplyDeleteAnd that route had around 120-130.000 passengers per year.
ReplyDeletewow Munich not even near pre Covid numbers.
ReplyDeleteRyanair launched Memmingen. Took away quite a few passengers.
DeleteNo wonder with the ridiculous prices this route have.
DeleteGreat Qatar performance, LF above 80%. Time to upgrade the equipment
ReplyDeleteWould it not make more sense for flight to be double daily like it was before the pandemic?
DeleteDD In w24, wide boda on 1 flight as of summer 25
DeleteLet's wait and see. So far they have not scheduled it.
DeleteThey don't schedule extra frequencies to far in advance. Double daily could happen this winter.
DeleteWhy is the Paris rpute declining from both ZAG and LJU compared to last year?
ReplyDeleteWas wondering the same.
Deletedoes swiss fly to zagreb
ReplyDeleteAsk google
DeleteLF - 58.57% during the first quarter
DeleteFor who
Delete^ Croatia Airlines on Zurich route.
DeleteAnon 18:50
DeleteAirSERBIA
crazy how JU had to grow 61% in 4 years and barely makes the top 20. they been working hard to grow that route.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteWell it is ATR operated so even when you add flights it's not too much extra capacity
DeleteDo we know how Athens is performing? Aegean operating 3 weekly flights with the A320/A320N and maintains 3 weekly flights during winter too while OU sending the A319.
ReplyDeleteMust be performing well
DeleteNot bad at all. Most routes growing, only a a few see decrease on last year. Good job overall.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteAnyone want to have a guess how many passengers at Zagreb airport in May 2024???
ReplyDeleteI think Zagreb airport will handle around 385 000 passengers.
395-400k
DeleteI'm surprised not to see Warsaw at all on the list. I though LOT was prioritizing Zagreb...
ReplyDeletePrioritizing in what sense?
DeleteWill be interesting to see CPH numbers in Q4 this year once the SK-OU codeshare is terminated.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the codeshare will be automatically terminated just because they are leaving Star Alliance
DeleteOr maybe SAS will consider launching ZAG.
DeleteOU should think of either Split or Dubrovnik to Malta in summer schedule
ReplyDeleteCould work
Deletea lcc will launch that route before them
DeleteGreat!
ReplyDelete