Croatia Airlines’ busiest domestic route

PREMIUM

Croatia Airlines handles over half a million passengers each year on domestic flights, or around 25% of its total annual travellers. Domestic traffic is primarily generated during the summer from transfers arriving on international flights to Zagreb and heading to the coast. All of Croatia Airlines’ domestic routes are from Zagreb and Osijek to the country’s coastal areas. Despite Split being the larger city, with a bigger catchment area, it is flights between Zagreb and Dubrovnik that have proven to be Croatia Airlines’ busiest within its domestic network. 

Last year, Croatia Airlines handled 256.147 travellers between Zagreb and Dubrovnik, some 12.000 passengers shy of its 2017 record. The airline operated 2.811 flights between the two (return service included) and had an average annual cabin load factor of 72.3%. It utilised all aircraft types in its fleet on the route. On the other hand, the carrier handled 198.433 passengers on its Zagreb - Split service last year on 2.645 flights, with an average annual cabin load factor of 69.7%. 

Zagreb - Dubrovnik - Zagreb passengers by year

Zagreb - Split - Zagreb passengers by year

All of Croatia Airlines’ domestic flights are operated as Public Service Obligation (PSO). PSOs make European funds available for unprofitable, primarily domestic routes which are vital for the economic development of the region they serve. The existing four-year PSO contracts in Croatia, which expired on March 28, 2020, are currently held by Croatia Airlines and Trade Air, which won a European tender to maintain ten routes inside the country. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Croatian government has not started tender procedures for a new four-year contract and has simply extended the existing deal currently in place. However, the government has adopted twelve PSO routes which will be part of the new contract. They include Dubrovnik - Zagreb - Dubrovnik, Split - Zagreb - Split, Zagreb - Zadar - Pula - Zadar - Zagreb, Zagreb - Brač - Zagreb, Osijek - Dubrovnik - Osijek, Osijek - Split - Osijek, Osijek - Zagreb - Osijek, Rijeka - Split - Dubrovnik - Split - Rijeka, Osijek - Pula - Split - Pula - Osijek, Rijeka - Zadar - Rijeka and Osijek - Zadar - Osijek. Compared to the previous four-year period, new additions include flights from Osijek and Rijeka to Zadar. However, funding for services between Osijek and Rijeka have been dropped. 

Zagreb Dubrovnik - Zagreb aircraft type by frequency in 2019

Under the existing PSO contract the Zagreb - Dubrovnik service is subsidised with 12.59 euros per passenger flown. As a result, Croatia Airlines pocketed 3.2 million euros for the upkeep of the service in 2019. Croatia Airlines’ domestic Zagreb - Dubrovnik service has seen its passenger numbers steadily increase since 2013 when, due to its restructuring process, the carrier discontinued a handful of international routes out of the coastal city, and downsized on frequencies, which have not been restored since.