March 30, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as Croatia Airlines and Ryanair offer over 2 million seats in the Zagreb Airport summer flight schedule this year.

Croatian Aviation reports the details of this year's summer flight schedule from Zagreb, the exact number of available seats on all routes (ad-hoc charter and scheduled flights) of the two airlines that offer the largest number of seats and generate the most passengers at Zagreb International Airport.

Namely, Croatian Aviation has listed all the operations of Croatia Airlines and Ryanair on the day announced for this year's summer flight schedule (from March 27 to October 29 this year). 

Croatia Airlines operates on a number of international and domestic routes in this year's summer flight schedule, which Croatian Aviation will analyze in detail by month.

In the mentioned period, the Croatian national airline is planning 559 return flights with A320 aircraft, 1866 return flights with A319 aircraft, and 3139 return flights with DashQ400 aircraft. A total of 1,209,068 seats are currently available from or to Zagreb on all Croatia Airlines flights. 

Ryanair is announcing a slightly smaller number of flights. In the same period, 2219 return flights with A320 aircraft, 104 return flights with B737-800 aircraft, and 51 return flights with 737 MAX 200 aircraft are planned. A total of 858,552 seats are currently available from or to Zagreb on all flights Ryanair.

Croatia Airlines is currently the largest airline at Zagreb Airport in terms of the number of seats, offering 350,516 more seats than the other Ryanair during the mentioned period.

According to current announcements, these two airlines have a total of 2,067,620 seats from and to Zagreb Airport, respectively.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reports that Finnair has announced a regular seasonal route between Helsinki and Zagreb which will operate from May to the end of September this year.

After Finnair announced that it would not resume traffic to Ljubljana this summer, due to the negative impact of the war in Ukraine on air traffic in that part of Europe, there were fears that Finnair would cancel the announced route to Zagreb, too. 

However, Croatian Aviation learned that this will not happen. Finnair plans to operate the first flight between Helsinki and Zagreb on May 1 this year, and by the end of September (September 29) to operate a total of 66 return flights between the two cities.

Finnair will operate on this route three times a week, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, and for now, only A319 aircraft with a capacity of 144 passengers have been announced. Earlier, Embraer E190 aircraft were also planned for these flights. 

This summer, Finnair will offer a total of 19,008 seats between Helsinki and Zagreb, and will also operate to Dubrovnik and Split.

Finnair will operate to Dubrovnik from April 1, and to Split from April 20 this year.

For more, check out our travel section.

March 29, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as 50,000 seats on the Zagreb-Barcelona route are on sale this summer thanks to Vueling and Croatia Airlines. 

Spanish low-cost airline Vueling will introduce a regular seasonal route between Zagreb and Barcelona on April 2, 2022. At the end of April, Croatia Airlines will renew the same line, reports Croatian Aviation. 

Namely, as of this Saturday, Vueling is re-introducing its regular seasonal line between Barcelona and Zagreb. The line returns after the winter break, and the last flight Vueling made on this line was on October 16 last year.

Vueling will gradually increase the number of weekly operations in April, and from May it will operate three times a week between Zagreb and Barcelona, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. This should be the case until September 10, when the number of weekly rotations will be reduced to two, until the end of the summer flight schedule on October 29.

Vueling is planning 90 return flights on this route from April to October, offering exactly 32,400 seats per season on its A320 aircraft.

As of Thursday, April 28, the Croatian national airline, Croatia Airlines, is renewing the same route after two summer seasons. Flights are also planned until the end of the season, or the end of October.

Croatia Airlines will use A319 aircraft with a capacity of 144 seats on this route, and three flights a week have also been announced, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.

On 79 return flights planned for this summer season, the Croatian airline offers a total of 22,752 seats between Barcelona and Zagreb. 

In total, Vueling and Croatia Airlines planes will operate six times a week and offer 55,152 seats between the two mentioned cities from April to October this year.

From March 24, Dubrovnik will be connected to Barcelona by a regular Vueling line, which will operate daily from May, and from April 1, this airline will resume traffic to Split. Between Barcelona and Split, 6 flights a week have been announced until mid-June, and then it will run daily. Other Croatian airports (Osijek, Pula, Rijeka, Zadar, and Brač) do not have scheduled flights to the capital of Catalonia in this year's summer flight schedule.

For more, check out our travel section.

ZAGREB, 24 March 2022 - The national flag carrier Croatia Airlines (CA) and the Zagreb Tourist Board (TZGZ) will collaborate during the summer flight timetable and promote Zagreb's tourist attractions on 15 international flights, a press conference heard on Thursday.

The summer flight timetable starts on 27 March and lasts until the end of October and CA will be connected with Barcelona, Amsterdam, Athens, Vienna, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, London, Munich, Paris, Rome, Sarajevo, Skopje and Zurich.

The director of CA's commercial operations, Slaven Žabo, said that the summer timetable was expected to strongly contribute to developing Zagreb as a destination.

TZGZ director Martina Bienenfeld said that CA is the tourist board's strategic partner, which is logical because more than 50% of visitors to Zagreb arrive by plane while 30% come by car and the rest by other transport means.

The president of CA's management board, Jasmin Bajić, too, was pleased with the cooperation with TZGZ. Bajić expressed his gratitude for the cooperation and hope that the pandemic would be over soon.

"We hope the situation in Ukraine will not disrupt our plans. Over the past two pandemic years, CA continued to fly. We didn't stop. In 2021 we generated 70% of the 2019 turnover. This year that could be even higher because on some days during the summer we have up to 100 flights a day. Nevertheless, going back to the turnover of 2019... is not expected before the end of 2023 and before 2024," said Bajić.

He said that CA will fly with 12 planes during the 2022 summer season, the same as last year but two fewer than in 2019. Croatia will be connected with 21 international destinations with about 16,000 flights and just over 1.76 million seats.

Travel and destinations: For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

March 18, 2022 - The Croatia Airlines 2022 summer flight schedule has been presented with several lines added from Split, Zagreb, and Dubrovnik!

Croatia Airlines presented this year's summer flight schedule from March to the end of October - and it has been significantly strengthened compared to last year, reports Croatian Aviation.

According to a statement, the Croatian national carrier has decided to expand its network of international destinations, renew some international routes that were not flown during the pandemic, and intensify flights on existing routes in international and domestic traffic.

This summer, Croatia Airlines plans to connect Croatia with 21 international destinations, 22 European airports, and fly on 41 international routes. In total, over 16,000 flights and approximately 1,766,000 seats are planned.

Split
Croatia's busiest airport in 2021 has 18 European destinations with Croatian Airlines, which means six new destinations compared to the 2021 summer flight schedule. In addition, five new seasonal lines will be introduced in the first half of June:

Split - Amsterdam (Tuesday)

Split - Bucharest (Wednesdays and Fridays)

Split - Dublin (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays)

Split - Milan (Thursdays and Sundays)

Split - Stockholm (Fridays and Sundays)

In addition to announcing new seasonal routes, Croatia Airlines has also announced a promotional campaign (lasting until March 28) for these flights, offering a 30% discount. You can read more about the promotional campaign at www.croatiaairlines.hr.

With the new five lines, you will be able to fly from Split to the following European destinations:

Athens

Vienna

Berlin

Düsseldorf

Frankfurt

Copenhagen

London (Heathrow and Gatwick)

Lyon

Munich

Paris

Prague

Rome

Zurich

Zagreb

In the 2022 summer flight schedule, regular international flights from Zagreb to 15 European destinations are planned, which is one additional European destination compared to last year. Namely, passengers will be able to fly to:

Amsterdam

Athens

Barcelona - renewed seasonal line (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays)

Vienna

Brussels

Dublin

Frankfurt

Copenhagen

London

Munich

Paris

Rome (via Split)

Sarajevo

Skopje

Zurich

Dubrovnik
Croatia Airlines plans to directly connect Croatia's southernmost airport with direct international flights from six European destinations:

Athens

Frankfurt

Munich

Paris

Rome

Zurich.

This season, the national airline is reintroducing Rijeka - Munich flights, and the novelty is the year-round international flights between Osijek - Munich from May 2 this year.

In addition to flights to European airports, Croatia Airlines also plans flights between 7 Croatian airports (Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Osijek, Zadar, Pula, and Brac). 

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

March 10, 2022 - Croatia Airlines and Osijek Airport have continued cooperation on developing the international Osijek-Munich line and agreed that it would be year-round, ensuring that passengers from Osijek-Baranja County have a direct connection with Europe throughout the year.

It should be reminded that direct Osijek-Munich flights were introduced at the initiative of Osijek-Baranja County, the City of Osijek, Osijek-Baranja County Tourist Board, Osijek Tourist Board, and Osijek Airport, after which Croatia Airlines and Osijek Airport signed an agreement on business cooperation based on which the national carrier, from November 15, 2021, to January 14, 2022, and for the first time in its history, introduced direct international flights between Osijek-Munich and thus connected eastern Croatia with Europe by air, reports Croatian Aviation.

Thanks to the excellent cooperation of all participants in this project, the achieved results, and the quality market demand for flights, space has been opened for further improvement of the route, which will continue to be available to passengers every Monday and Friday from May 2 this year.

The cooperation on the Osijek-Munich line has provided additional conditions for even easier and faster travel for residents and business people in Osijek-Baranja County as well as other travelers, which at the same time creates conditions for improving the Croatian economy and tourism.

"From the exceptional cooperation in the winter with our partners Osijek-Baranja County, the City of Osijek, the Osijek-Baranja County Tourist Board, Osijek Tourist Board, and Osijek Airport, we have reached a new and high-quality year-round line that will ensure direct air connection with the German market throughout the year, i.e., flights to an important European transport hub through which passengers can travel around the world. Furthermore, I am glad that in eastern Croatia, we will contribute to the development of tourist and economic potentials of Osijek-Baranja County and the city of Osijek, and at the same time strengthen the business of Osijek Airport, making it an even more important transport point in Croatia," said Jasmin Bajić, President of the Management Board of Croatia Airlines.

"When the first business cooperation and the first selected Osijek Airport trial line becomes year-round, it is a sign that we are on the right track, and related to repositioning the airport, but also the development of our destination. Therefore, I would like to thank everyone for their cooperation, from Minister Oleg Butković, County Prefect Ivan Anušić, Mayor Ivan Radić, and President of Croatia Airlines Jasmin Bajić, and especially to all media that support us in promoting this important line, which is becoming a traditional link not only with Germany but also the whole of Europe," said Ivan Kos, director of Osijek Airport.

"Continuing cooperation with Croatia Airlines and establishing a year-round airline from Osijek is one of the first steps towards revitalizing our airport and strengthening its capacity. In cooperation with the relevant ministry, a project is being prepared that includes expansion and modernization of infrastructure and all accompanying facilities of the passenger terminal building, and project documentation for the Osijek Airport expansion is being prepared to be ready to accept larger aircraft in the future. In recent years, Osijek-Baranja County has recorded positive economic indicators as well as the development of continental tourism, and this year-round, but also new lines that are planned will certainly contribute to even stronger economic development," said Ivan Anušić, Osijek-Baranja County Prefect.

"This line has connected Osijek with an important European transport hub, and thus with the whole world, and it is a great thing that the line is becoming year-round. This continuity will certainly contribute to the development of the economy, especially in Osijek's Nemetin Industrial Zone. The proximity of the Airport is one of the reasons why Osijek is an attractive city for investors. Osijek is not a seasonal city, Osijek lives all year round, and this line confirms and strengthens that," said Osijek Mayor Ivan Radić.

As the Osijek-Munich year-round line is established, return airline tickets are available to passengers at a promotional price of 129 euros. Tickets are available through  www.croatiaairlines.com. 

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

February 11, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as Croatia Airlines international Zagreb flights could resume by this summer, if all goes to plan. 

Croatia Airlines flights from Zagreb may be restored to a number of international markets this summer after they were discontinued in 2020 due to the pandemic, reports Ex Yu Aviation. Recall, Croatia Airlines stopped operations to Barcelona, Bucharest, Helsinki, Lisbon, Milan, Mostar, Oslo, Prague, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, and Tel Aviv, and never launched flights to Sofia and Podgorica as planned. The Croatian national carrier has announced that it would resume flights to Barcelona in June (originally planned for March) and hopes to restore operations to these other destinations by the 2022 summer season.

“Traffic will continue to be contingent on external factors, beyond the company’s control, such as restrictions, bans, and other measures, which directly impact on people’s ability to travel both domestically and internationally. Accordingly, we will focus on the flexible planning of our network. Our goal is to achieve optimal load factors with average fares in existing conditions of reduced capacity. Therefore, in 2022 our focus will be on greater rationalization of costs and the implementation of the company’s defined post-Covid strategy," Croatia Airlines’ CEO Jasmin Bajić said about maintaining flexibility for its summer network while basing operations on demand. 

Ex Yu Aviation adds that many international airlines have taken advantage of Croatia Airlines' absence from Zagreb, launching their own flights from many of these destinations. For example, TAP Portugal will run 4-weekly flights between Zagreb and Lisbon from next month and has maintained this seasonal line since last summer. Finnair's Helsinki-Zagreb flights will begin on May 1, with three flights a week until September. Aeroflot and Rossiya Airlines operate on the St Petersburg-Zagreb route, and Ryanair offers services to both Podgorica and Sofia.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

December 28, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as 14 international Croatia Airlines Zagreb routes will run in January, while Ryanair drastically cuts its lines in Zagreb during the same month.

Croatian Aviation reports that in January, the Croatian National Airline will continue to connect Zagreb with a total of 14 international destinations. This is the same number of destinations as in December, and it should be noted that the number of weekly operations has not been drastically reduced, as was the case in January this year.

Croatia Airlines will operate from Zagreb in January 2022 to:

Amsterdam, daily (A319 with 144 seats),

Vienna, 3 times a week (DashQ400 capacity 76 seats),

Brussels, 10 to 12 times a week (DashQ400),

Dublin, 2 times a week (A319),

Frankfurt, 21 to 28 times a week (A319, DashQ400),

Copenhagen, daily (A319, DashQ400),

London, 3 times a week (A319),

Munich, 10 to 12 flights a week (DashQ400),

Paris, daily (A320, A319),

Pristina, 2 times a week (DashQ400), ACMI charter Trade Air,

Rome, daily via Split (DashQ400),

Sarajevo, 6 times a week (DashQ400),

Skopje, 4 times a week (DashQ400),

Zurich, 10 to 14 flights a week (DashQ400).

Unlike last year, when DashQ400 aircraft were used on almost all routes, this January Croatia Airlines will still use the Airbus fleet, mainly to larger European hubs with a significant number of transfer passengers, such as Frankfurt, Paris, and Amsterdam. The Airbus fleet will also travel to Dublin, Copenhagen, and London, and at the very beginning of the new year to Munich.

Until mid-January, Croatia Airlines will continue to connect Osijek and Munich, while daily flights from Split to three international destinations are available - Frankfurt, Munich, and Rome.

Recall, before the holidays, Croatian Aviation was contacted by several passengers who had tickets on Ryanair flights in January but were informed by the airline that their flight had been canceled, without further explanation as the airline was not required to compensate for the cancellation if more than 15 days before the travel date.

Croatian Aviation reported that flights on the following routes had been canceled:

Zagreb - Brussels Charleroi - Zagreb, from 09.01. to 02.02.2022.,

Zagreb - Sofia - Zagreb, from 08.01. to 02.02.2022.,

Zagreb - Dusseldorf Weeze - Zagreb, from 08.01. to 02.02.2022.,

Zagreb - Frankfurt Hahn - Zagreb, from 09.01. to 04.02.2022.,

Zagreb - Karlsruhe - Zagreb, from 08.01. to 01.02.2022.,

Zagreb - Memmingen - Zagreb, from 07.01. to 04.02.2022.,

Zagreb - Naples - Zagreb, from 07.01. to 04.02.2022.,

Zagreb - Podgorica - Zagreb, from 08.01. to 01.02.2022.,

Zagreb - Oslo Torp - Zagreb, from 08.01. to 02.02.2022.,

Zagreb - Malmo - Zagreb, from 08.01. to 01.02.2022.,

Zagreb - Basel - Zagreb, from 07.01. to 04.02.2022.,

Zagreb - Manchester - Zagreb, from 09.01. to 03.02.2022.

In addition, the number of weekly operations has decreased on certain lines:

Zagreb - Gothenburg - Zagreb, from 3 to 2 flights a week,

Zagreb - Milan Bergamo - Zagreb, from 4 to 2 flights a week,

Zagreb - Paphos - Zagreb, from 2 to 1 flight per week,

Zagreb - London Stansted - Zagreb, from 7 to 4 flights a week.

Croatian Aviation adds that it is very likely that the suspended lines will not return to traffic in early February, but only with the summer flight schedule, which is expected given the low demand and new travel complications caused by the pandemic.

Ryanair failed to attract enough passengers to its routes during the pandemic, and a bigger problem for the airline itself is very poor yield, which is confirmed by 10 euro tickets one way even a day or two before the flight.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

December 22, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as Croatia Airlines Barcelona-Zagreb flights return next summer, and Pristina-Zagreb flights are reduced in January and February. 

The Croatian national airline, Croatia Airlines, will reintroduce a scheduled flight between Zagreb and Barcelona in the 2022 summer flight schedule, reports Croatian Aviation.

The flight between the two cities was introduced for the first time in the summer of 1999, and then again in the summer of 2009. The line operated regularly until the summer season of 2020 when it has not been in operation due to the pandemic.

The Croatian national airline expects a recovery in demand on this route in the next summer season, so tickets for direct flights between the two cities are already on sale.

The first flight was announced at the very beginning of the summer flight schedule, on March 27, and by mid-April, there will be two flights a week, every Thursday and Sunday. As of April 19, the third weekly flight is on sale, every Tuesday, and Croatia Airlines plans to keep three-weekly flights until the end of the summer season, i.e., October 29, 2022.

A319 aircraft have been announced on all flights between Barcelona and Zagreb, which have a capacity of 144 seats on Croatia Airlines. In the first 7 months of next year, Croatia Airlines will offer more than 26,000 seats on this route.

Along with Croatia Airlines, Spanish airline Vueling should operate between Barcelona and Zagreb next summer, twice a week, every Tuesday and Saturday, and in August and Thursday, so there should be as many as six weekly flights on this route at the peak of the summer season.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reports that the number of weekly operations on the new line between Zagreb and Pristina, which started on December 15 this year, will be reduced.

From the beginning of January to the end of February next year, the Kosovo tour operator will operate between Zagreb and Pristina two instead of three times a week.

Croatia Airlines and Trade Air will soon reduce the number of weekly operations on Kosovo's MyWings. During this period, flights are canceled on Mondays, so Zagreb and Pristina will be directly connected on Wednesdays and Saturdays. This is an expected move by the tour operator given that the line was introduced recently and that demand is generally low in January and February, especially now with the pandemic.

From the beginning of March, MyWings will again operate between Pristina and Zagreb three times a week (and on Mondays), and from the end of March, there will be a significant increase in capacity on the line - instead of the 76-seat DashQ400 aircraft, the 144-seat A319 aircraft will operate.

By March next year, there will be an increase in demand on the line, and the tour operator will carry out certain marketing activities to attract as many potential passengers as possible.

The prices of return tickets have now been reduced and can be purchased for as little as 150 euros.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

December the 11th, 2021 - Croatia Airlines' main man Jasmin Bajic has stated that the national carrier is more than ready for Croatian economic recovery as hopes to finally put the horrendous coronavirus pandemic behind us grow.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Jasmin Bajic writes, the global health crisis is having an extremely devastating effect on the world's air transport industry, which is among the most affected economic activities, and the coronavirus pandemic will continue to be the biggest immediate threat to the airline and travel business next year.

Forecasts of the most relevant international aviation associations and organisations say that this is the longest and worst crisis and it is predicted that the recovery of air traffic will take longer than it did during previous crises, and it is believed that a full return to pre-crisis levels can be expected only in 2024.

In particular, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), airlines globally made a historically record loss in 2020 of $137.7 billion, with an average loss per passenger of $76.2 billion.

For the year 2021, IATA estimates total airline losses to stand at $51.8 billion, and in 2022, the projected losses seem that they'll be reduced to $11.6 billion. The pace of recovery will be determined by the implementation of vaccination programmes and the complete lifting of border restrictions, which, together with uncertainty and complex regulations on passenger traffic, are hampering international travel to this day.

In the implementation of the risk management process of Croatia Airlines, the most important risks were identified according to the possible impact on the company's operations, the monitoring of which should ensure mitigation of possible negative consequences and transformation of risks into opportunities, wherever possible. Reduced demand for air transport services is a significant additional risk, which imposes the need for the continuous and up-to-date adjustment of capacity supply and constant optimisation of flight schedules.

Regular traffic planning will continue to depend on external factors beyond the company's control, such as travel and border restrictions, bans and other measures issued by the National Civil Protection Directorate, which directly affect the ability to travel in both domestic and international regular traffic.

Accordingly, Jasmin Bajic says, Croatia Airlines will continue to focus on the flexible planning of their flight network with a forecast of demand for certain types of travel, and they will strive to achieve optimal occupancy and the average tariff in traffic conditions with reduced capacity.

However, a certain optimism we're witnessing is based on the latest forecast of the International Monetary Fund, which in 2022 predicts the continuation of the recovery of the Croatian economy, ie growth of 5.8 percent. In this context, Croatia Airlines says its focus in 2022 will primarily be placed on cost rationalisation and the implementation of the company's now well defined post-covid strategy.

Jasmin Bajic stated that the company continue to take all measures of active liquidity management and business optimisation, as well as the further application of rigorous austerity measures. During this year, the company worked with the leading international strategic consulting company BCG to develop a good post-covid strategy to define strategic initiatives, the implementation of which, with the prior consent of the majority owner of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, will last three years and enable sustainable business.

For more, check out our dedicated business section.

December 2, 2021 - As part of the campaign prior to the Christmas celebrations, users who access the Croatia Airlines Advent calendar will find daily special offers, discounts, and prizes, some that include up to 50% discount on flight tickets with the national company.

Although the greatest availability and demand for flights to or from Croatia occurs in the summer, December is a month where air traffic is justified under the pretext of reuniting with family and friends during the Christmas holidays. This year's Croatia Airlines Advent calendar presents special prizes to users of its services every day until Christmas Eve, reports Turističke Priče.

In the month of giving, it is enough to visit the LINK where a special one-day Advent offer will be opened every day. By opening the Croatian Airlines Advent calendar window, all travel lovers can discover many surprises and gifts, including discounts (up to 50%) for purchasing airline tickets on selected domestic and international flights of Croatia Airlines, upgrades from economy to business class, Economy Comfort seats and many other benefits. The offer of the day will be announced every day at 9 am.

Today's offer of the day will be interesting for all those who decide to travel by plane from Osijek to Munich. Namely, if you decide to buy a plane ticket today, you will receive a 50% discount on the Osijek - Munich route, and the discount is applicable to all passengers in one reservation.

The Advent calendar offers travelers from Croatia and abroad the possibility of cheaper travel and additional quality of service, while at the same time an excellent opportunity to choose a valuable gift in the month of giving that can be shared with family members, friends or simply choose a gift for yourself.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated section.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.