August 15, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates for Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik.

Croatian Aviation reports that OneWorld alliance member British Airways will reduce the number of weekly flights to Zagreb in September this year.

British Airways currently operates daily between London (Heathrow Airport) and Zagreb, on A319 and A320 aircraft. Given the occupancy of the passenger cabin and reduced demand, the company decided to reduce the number of weekly flights on the said route in September this year.

From September 1 on the London - Zagreb route, British Airways aircraft will operate six times a week, every day except Wednesday, while from September 7, there will be five flights per week on the route. Namely, the flight will be additionally canceled on Tuesdays.

Changes are certainly still possible, but unfortunately not in the direction of increasing weekly flights, especially with the fact that the number of patients with COVID-19 in the Republic of Croatia is growing significantly.

Other British Airways routes in Croatia (to Dubrovnik, Split and Pula) have no operational changes so far.

Croatia Airlines currently offers three flights a week on the route Zagreb - London Heathrow throughout September (Monday, Wednesday, Friday), but the flight schedule for next month has not yet been finalized.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reports that Aeroflot has completely canceled the Moscow - Split route, to which it planned to return in August, and there are no announced flights to Dubrovnik or Zagreb.

Before the pandemic, Russian Aeroflot operated daily on the Moscow (Sheremetyevo Airport) - Zagreb route, both in summer and winter.

The line was suspended at the time of the pandemic and has not resumed until now. However, according to the announcements from the airline, there will be no direct flights between the two capitals this year. The company plans to make a significant restructuring after the crisis, and according to current announcements, we can expect a direct air connection between Moscow and Zagreb only in April 2021.

Aeroflot even announced the launch of its seasonal route Moscow - Split in August this year, airline tickets were already on sale, but given the regulations at the state borders, it was to be expected that flights would be canceled, which eventually happened.

The third Aeroflot line in Croatia, the one to Dubrovnik, was withdrawn from sale in March, so Croatia will not have a direct connection with the capital of Russia this year.

In the summer flight schedule, the Croatian national carrier operates on the Zagreb - St. Petersburg line, but that line was also canceled for this year.

Aeroflot's last visit to Croatia was on May 2 this year, when a B777 aircraft landed at Zagreb Airport for the first time, transporting medical equipment from China via Moscow to the Croatian capital.

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May 12, 2020 - British Airways announced its flight schedule for June, which includes two destinations in Croatia - Zagreb and Split. 

Croatian Aviation reports that according to the current schedule, the British airline will fly to Zagreb and Split next month in a significantly reduced flight schedule compared to their operations before the outbreak of COVID-19.

Namely, from June 1, British Airways will fly between London (Heathrow) and Zagreb three times a week (Mondays, Fridays, and Sundays) on the A320 aircraft.

The route between London (Heathrow) and Split will operate from the same date. The line will run four times a week in June (Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays).

Seasonal routes to Dubrovnik and Pula on British Airways are not on sale for now. It is expected that the number of weekly flights to Zagreb and Split will increase in July, and then the lines from London to Pula and Dubrovnik could start operating in a reduced form.

Croatian Aviation also touched on how air traffic to Croatia will look after the pandemic. Given that the world is still somewhat on lockdown, it is tough to predict all the details, but if the traffic at Croatian airports is 50% of that in 2019, airports will be satisfied.

Croatia began to attract large international airlines, which, in turn, managed to survive in our market. Some will return this summer, some next, and some will kick Croatia out of their network of destinations.

American Airlines canceled Dubrovnik for this year and removed all B767 aircraft from the fleet, which is the aircraft on this route. If the situation in the world stabilizes soon, this line could return to traffic as early as next summer. Last year, American introduced the route to Dubrovnik along with several other European destinations, and it was the airline's best hit among all other routes, which flew to far larger European cities. The line started operating three times per week, and another trip was added in September. The announcement for this year was great, as American was supposed to fly to Dubrovnik every day! 

Air Canada Rouge has canceled the Toronto - Zagreb route for this year and will remove all 25 B767 aircraft from its fleet. The question arises as to how the long-haul Air Canada Rouge network will function in the future given that this was the only long-haul type of aircraft in the carrier’s fleet. Air Canada has announced several times so far that it does not plan to launch a route to Zagreb, but that the Rouge branch will operate it, so there are no great prospects for the arrival of this carrier. Given that demand will be lower and that the Air Canada mainline has cut a large number of routes, Rouge could use Air Canada aircraft in next summer's flight schedule, which would definitely be a plus for the travel experience.

Air Transat has delayed the Toronto-Zagreb route for July, but we can expect the complete cancellation of this line. Will this carrier return to Zagreb? Most likely. Air Transat is a leisure company, and if Air Canada Rouge does not return, Air Transat will have no competition on this route and will certainly profit.

Korean Air has also canceled the line between Seoul and Zagreb for this year. Given the financial situation of this company, if Korea does not react through state aid, the company will have to go through a major restructuring, and in that case, the line to Zagreb will not return as it has been operating since September 2018. However, the company can do what it did before 2018 - introduce regular charter flights on this line. 

Qatar Airways has reduced the number of departures to Zagreb, and there is no fear that this carrier will not return to Croatia given that this line is maintained by tourists but also Croatian and Slovenian citizens, especially because Qatar Airways does not fly to Ljubljana and the choice for passengers departing from Ljubljana was slim even before the pandemic. Qatar, therefore, canceled the planned line to Dubrovnik. Given that this airline has been in negotiations with Dubrovnik Airport for years on establishing a line between Doha and Dubrovnik, its introduction is expected, if the situation stabilizes soon, next year.

Emirates has reduced Zagreb and plans to fly again on the route from Dubai in July. This carrier, which has only large capacity aircraft in its fleet (B777, A380) is currently in trouble. The small flexibility of the fleet, especially in capacity, makes it impossible to adjust market demand and it is now obvious that this airline had to have long-haul aircraft of smaller capacity in its fleet as well. Over 300 seats on the departure from Zagreb were often too many (except for the peak season). The line may be canceled entirely this year, and it would be logical for partner FlyDubai to operate on it with a significantly smaller capacity, the B737.

Thai Air Asia X has planned several rotations in the summer flight schedule between Bangkok and Zagreb. These were intended regular charter flights that will certainly not happen this year.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

British Airways will help kick off the start of summer on Friday, June 21, with the launch of its brand new service between London City Airport and Split. Recall, the new service to Split will operate three times a week from June 21 to September 30 and use the Embraer E190 jet which boasts 98 seats, reports Ex Yu Aviation on June 20, 2019.

This is also the first time British Airways has operated flights from London City Airport to Croatia. The new service will enhance the already established service from London Heathrow Airport, which has boosted operations this year to run seven flights per week instead of last year's five. The connection from Heathrow runs through October. 

The Mirror published on Thursday that you can find return fares on the British Airways website from London City at £201 if you opt for the hand baggage only ticket option.

“Croatia is a new destination for us and one which our customers have told us they want from London City. It is one of the fastest growing holiday destinations and we are delighted to offer new direct flights for the summer,” said Luke Hayhoe, British Airways’ Commercial General Manager at London City Airport. 

"The new seasonal service to Split in Croatia epitomises how our home carrier, British Airways, is broadening our offer of leisure routes from London City Airport. It’s the latest in a stellar selection of holiday getaway options that our passengers will love, as we prepare for our busiest summer yet. Using the city’s most central airport, sun-seeking Londoners can reach the idyllic Dalmatian coast conveniently and quickly, to discover its culture, food, stunning beaches, or as the gateway to Croatia’s islands,” London City Airport's Aviation Director, Peter Downes, added. 

Aviation 24.be and Breaking Travel News report that the new service corresponds with the start Yacht Week, which is held in Croatia for 13 weeks over the summer. 

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

Of the other airlines flying into Croatia, Ryanair and Norwegian both received a lower than four star rating.

Another day, another flight announcement as we gear up for the busiest summer season yet.

London Heathrow is the busiest European and world's most crowded airport, which serves about 75 million passengers annually. Croatia Airlines has decided to no longer fly into London Heathrow.