November 7, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Lufthansa cancels Munich-Zagreb from December 1, and Chair Airlines announces a route between Zurich and Split next year. 

Croatian Aviation reports that German airline Lufthansa has canceled the Munich-Zagreb line from December 1. With the cancellation of this line, the airline will temporarily leave Zagreb Airport. Recall, the Frankfurt-Zagreb line was previously canceled until the spring of 2021.

Lufthansa launched the Munich-Zagreb route shortly after the lockdown and initially operated on it three times a week, gradually increasing the number of weekly flights between the two cities. During the lockdown, the airline stopped traffic on the Frankfurt-Zagreb line, and its resumption of operations was announced for March 2021.

The figures confirm how important Lufthansa is as a partner of Zagreb Airport - in 2016; this airline had a share of a high 18.25% of passenger traffic; in 2017, as much as 17.45%

Lufthansa was expected to operate the entire winter flight schedule on the Munich-Zagreb route (the only active route to Croatia). The number of operations has even increased for November, and daily flights are available. Still, from December 1, they will suspend traffic on this route, and will completely, temporarily, withdraw from Zagreb Airport, and consequently from the Croatian market.

Because Lufthansa will stop traffic on the currently only active route to Zagreb, and with previously canceled flights of Austrian Airlines, Eurowings is the only company from the Lufthansa Group will operate to Zagreb Airport this winter.

Thus, 53 years after the first flight to Zagreb, Lufthansa will temporarily withdraw from Zagreb Airport due to the global pandemic and weak demand.

From Wednesday, December 16, Croatia Airlines will offer daily flights on the Zagreb-Munich route, which will primarily depend on booking, which, after the withdrawal of Lufthansa, could be satisfactory, especially during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

The withdrawal of Lufthansa from Zagreb is certainly bad news, considering that the direct connection with Munich is being lost, which, as a hub, enables the continuation of travel to numerous destinations in Europe and the world.

Croatian Aviation also reports that Swiss Chair Airlines has announced its destinations for next year's summer flight schedule. Among others, the Zurich-Split line is being introduced.

It is an airline operating under the name Chair Airlines since the summer of last year, formerly known as Germania Flug. The airline has two A319 aircraft in its fleet that can carry up to 150 passengers.

The announcement of the Zurich-Split route by Chair Airlines comes just a few days after the news that the German Condor will also operate on this route in the summer flight schedule next year.

With this new Chair Airlines route, Split and Zurich will be connected with as many as four airlines, with Croatia Airlines, Edelweiss, and Condor Airlines operating on the same route. Chair Airlines line will be in operation from April 25 to October 24, 2021, almost the entire summer flight schedule.

"After most citizens spent their summer vacation in Switzerland, we believe that next summer, popular destinations will be in demand more than ever before, that's why we decided to introduce a line to Split."

Chair Airlines between Zurich-Split-Zurich will be in operation twice a week, every Thursday and Sunday in the evening. The company has a total of 15,900 seats on sale between the two cities for the summer of 2021.

Timetable:

Thursday: Zurich 18:40 - 20:10 Split 20:55 - 22:30 Zurich

Sunday: Zurich 17:20 - 18:50 Split 19:35 - 21:10 Zurich

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November 6, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Sundair operates to Brac from Berlin and Dusseldorf as part of its 2021 flight schedule, and more. 

Croatian Aviation reports that German charter airline Sundair has announced two new routes to Croatia in its 2021 summer flight schedule. Namely, Sundair will operate on the lines from Berlin and Dusseldorf to Bol on the island of Brac. 

German tour operators are already selling group and individual arrangements for the summer of 2021 on the island of Brac, offering direct flights from Berlin and Dusseldorf, operated by Sundair.

The Dusseldorf - Brac line will be in operation from May 22 to October 2, 2021, once a week, every Saturday, while the Berlin - Brac line will be in operation from May 23 to October 3, 2021, also once a week, on Sundays.

As a reminder, Sundair was supposed to operate on the charter line between Frankfurt and Brac for the German tour operator this summer, but the flights were canceled due to weak demand caused by the global pandemic.

A319 aircraft with 150 seats in the fleet of this airline will operate on the routes to Brac. If the flights are realized (which will primarily depend on demand), Brac will directly connect with German cities after a long time.

Furthermore, Ex Yu Aviation reports that low-cost carrier easyJet will launch a seasonal service between Glasgow and Pula in June 2021, which will run on Monday and Friday until September 3. easyJet will be the only airline connecting the two cities. 

Ex Yu Aviation also reports that Brussels Airlines will resume its seasonal operations between the Belgian and Croatian capitals next summer. Brussels Airlines plans to return to Zagreb with six weekly flights (each day except Saturday), beginning March 28. Airbus A319 aircraft will operate on this route. 

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November 5, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Air Serbia reduces weekly flights between Belgrade and Zagreb in November. 

Croatian Aviation reports that in November this year, Air Serbia operates only three times a week on the Belgrade-Zagreb route. The airline normally operated on this route up to 10 times a week in the winter flight schedule.

Due to the global pandemic's impact, Air Serbia has further reduced the number of weekly flights between the capitals of Serbia and Croatia. Although the company's original plan was to operate up to 5 times a week on this route, low demand forced Air Serbia to reduce weekly flights further.

Until the end of November, Air Serbia will operate on this route only three times a week, on Mondays, Fridays, and Sundays, in the afternoon and evening.

ATR72 aircraft with a capacity of 70 seats have been announced on all flights to and from Zagreb Airport.

The second year-round Air Serbia flight to Croatia, between Belgrade and Rijeka, did not operate this summer season, nor will it this winter, so a direct flight to Belgrade is only available at Zagreb Airport.

This summer, Air Serbia operated to Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik, to a lesser extent than in the summer of 2019, while direct flights from Belgrade to Zadar, Pula, and Rijeka did not operate.

If the situation normalizes by the beginning of the next summer season, Air Serbia again plans to operate to all 6 destinations in Croatia.

Furthermore, Ex Yu Aviation reports that KLM is the busiest foreign airline maintaining flights to Zagreb this November, accounting for 5.3% of all traffic from the capital. KLM operates between Amsterdam and Zagreb daily, using the Boeing 737-700 aircraft or two Embraer 190 jets.

Thus, KLM leads in front of Lufthansa, Air France, Eurowings, and Turkish Airlines as Zagreb's busiest foreign airline. 

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November 4, 2020 - The three largest Croatian airports, Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik, released their monthly statistics for October. All airports recorded a decrease in the number of passengers compared to September.

Croatian Aviation reports that the drop in passenger numbers in October was actually expected for several reasons. First, we traditionally have fewer seasonal lines in October, especially in Split and Dubrovnik. This year, due to the pandemic's impact, several lines stopped operating in late September, a month earlier than usual in previous years.

Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik combined did not reach 100,000 passengers in October

In addition to the earlier cancellation of routes, aircraft operating to and from the three mentioned airports had low passenger cabin occupancy. In addition to the pandemic itself and the crisis it causes, there is the fear of traveling by plane due to frequent flight cancellations and uncertainty about frequent changes in rules at state borders. All of the above resulted in record low numbers - the three largest Croatian airports in October together did not have even 100 thousand passengers (specifically, there were 95,432)! 

Zagreb Airport in October this year recorded 55,289 passengers, by far the most of all Croatian airports. Still, there is a noticeable decrease in the number of passengers than in September (more than 10 thousand fewer passengers than the previous month).

In October 2019, Zagreb registered 330,598 passengers. In total, from January 1 to October 31, 840,610 passengers passed through the main Croatian airport (2,957,109 in the same period last year). Thus, it is clear that Zagreb Airport will not reach the millionth passenger this year. From January to October, Zagreb recorded a drop in passenger traffic of over 71% compared to the same period last year.

Split Airport recorded 25,796 passengers in October, while in October 2019, 247,172 passengers passed through this airport. Split lost its chance for the millionth passenger a long time ago; by the end of October, only 657,570 passengers passed through Split Airport, which is actually an excellent result considering that there was almost no significant traffic by May. Hence, most passengers passed through Split at the height of the season. Namely, from June to October, Split generated over 600 thousand passengers!

This airport had more passengers from January to October last year than Zagreb - over 3 million (3,214,702).

Dubrovnik was far from famous this year in air traffic, and October was another modest month. Only 14,347 passengers passed through Dubrovnik Airport, while in the same month last year, there were almost 300,000 passengers (299,532).

At Dubrovnik Airport, slightly better traffic monthly was achieved only in August (almost 120 thousand passengers).

From January to October, 321,296 passengers passed through this airport, while last year in the same period - 2,804,478.

One thing is for sure, the decline in the number of passengers will continue in the last two months of this year, but the problem is that the market recovery is not in sight, almost certainly not until the spring of next year. Detailed statistics of other Croatian airports (Pula, Rijeka, Zadar, and Osijek) will be published soon.

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November 3, 2020 - So, what’s it like traveling during a pandemic? My COVID-19 trip report from Split to Barcelona and back.

Traveling during a pandemic - a good idea? 

Let me start by saying that I do not encourage anyone to travel during a pandemic unless you absolutely have to or are 100% healthy.

In my case, I have not had to travel for any reason since the COVID-19 outbreak in Croatia in early March. 

That is, until now. 

You see, when COVID hit Croatia like a hurricane back in the spring, my partner, who had been playing for a water polo club in Split, was thanked for his time and left without a job and an apartment 48 hours before Croatia went on lockdown, and the EU borders closed. He left for Australia in a hurry, his homeland, and a safe haven where he could still train with the Australia national team to prepare for the Summer Olympics. We were quite naive at the time. 

We said goodbye, not knowing when we’d see each other again or if he’d ever make it back to Europe, given the circumstances, but we remained hopeful. 

Fortunately, a contract arrived from Barcelona in the summer, where his career would continue whenever he could get there. And as the COVID situation developed in Europe, a journey that was meant to begin in September finally surfaced in October. After 7 months, he was back in Europe. I booked a trip to see him a few weeks later. 

While seeing him was my priority, I was also the safe keeper of three massive bags of his belongings - and I needed to get what I could to Spain. 

We monitored the status of flights and corona developments in the days leading up to my departure on Thursday, October 29, and as the cases rose around Europe, the less hope I had that things would go smoothly. However, I was ready for whatever the outcome, with a negative COVID test in hand. 

Unlike the first wave, flights were not abruptly canceled this time around, and my first leg from Split to Stuttgart on Eurowings was on schedule. 

I arrived to Split Airport an hour and a half before I was to take off and was greeted by a rather empty check-in, although not a totally unfamiliar sight this time of year. 

Since I was traveling on two different airlines to get to Barcelona (Eurowings to Stuttgart and Vueling to Barcelona) and was checking a bag, I technically needed to enter Germany. Remember, Croatia is on Germany's high risk list, and unless you have a negative test, you need to go into self-isolation once you've entered.

The flight attendant panicked before knowing I had a negative COVID-19 test in hand and assured I would have no issues. She then checked the entry forms for Spain to make sure I had everything I needed. I did. 

The security line at Split Airport - heaven.

After I made my way through security and passport control, I waited at the gate. One cafe and the Duty-Free shop was open. All seating was marked, so passengers maintain a social distance. 

It wasn't long before the gate area drew a crowd, and I was beginning to think that the nearly empty seat assignment I saw just a few days before was no longer. Perhaps it had something to do with Germany announcing a lockdown on November 2. 

Masks are mandatory in the airport and on the flight. Numerous airport employees ensured everyone was not only wearing a mask but the right one. Cotton masks are not permitted on flights, and disposable masks were distributed if anyone needed one. 

It was good that everyone followed the mask rule because, unfortunately, it was nearly impossible to maintain social distance on the way to Stuttgart. 

Smooth sailing so far, that is, until we disembarked the plane in Stuttgart and into passport control chaos. You see, all passengers are to be given a Public Health Passenger Locator form to fill out on the flight. This is then to be collected by the flight attendants at the end of the flight. Our Eurowings flight attendants failed to do so. 

Not only were over 100 people pushed into the passport control area from my flight and another that arrived at the same time, but there was no order, nor was there anyone to ask for help. A good half hour into waiting, an officer arrived with the forms, calling for everyone who needed one to fill them out as they are required at the window. 

A photo of my form from one of my return flights on Air France

But the only forms they had were in German. 

Crowds then gathered at the walls as we looked for translators to help us fill out the form. Some passengers yelled and the police had to escort someone out.

Since I wasn't staying in Germany and had a flight in just a few hours, I did not need to provide a temporary address and wrote 'not staying.' Once I finally made it to the window, they quickly looked at my passport, form, and negative test, and I was on my way to the baggage claim. Even though that went quickly, the entire passport control process took over one hour. 

After I picked up my bag and went outside for fresh air before checking in for my next flight, a call from my partner made things worse:

"It looks like there is a ban on movement in Barcelona now. I am not sure what it means for you traveling, but it comes into effect at 6 am on Friday." It was 3 pm in Germany on Thursday. I knew I couldn't do anything until I got to Spain, and there was no turning back from Stuttgart now. I accepted that my 3.5-day trip to Spain might be extended. 

I made my way up to departures to check into my Vueling flight to Barcelona with two hours to spare. The woman at the counter said nothing about the new measures, nor did she seem worried. 

"Can I see the QR code on your entry form for Spain?" 

And I was on my way to security. 

My Vueling flight to Barcelona was not nearly as full, and a seat between my row buddy and me had me feeling much safer than the Stuttgart fiasco I had just experienced. Two hours later, I was in Barcelona and only needed to scan the QR code at the airport to ensure I was healthy. 

The atmosphere in Barcelona was not nearly as morbid as I anticipated. The COVID-safe hotel we booked took our temperature upon arrival and asked a series of questions about whether we had been infected or had any symptoms. Masks are mandatory inside the hotel and everywhere outside - and everyone in Barcelona followed the rules. 

Hand sanitizer is placed at the entry to all shops around the center, which I noticed is used by 99.9% of people entering. While restaurants and bars are closed, delivery and pick up thrive, and the options were endless. 

However, not everyone was pleased with the new measures on movement, and on Friday evening, the first day the measures came into force, some protestors were violent. 

"Hundreds of people chanting “freedom” and “this is theft” took to the streets of Barcelona on Friday to protest against tough new coronavirus lockdown restrictions. Violent clashes with police lead to at least 12 people being arrested.

Bars and restaurants have been closed in Catalonia since the middle of October. But confronted by the spread of the virus, a 10 pm curfew has now been introduced as well as a ban on people leaving their home towns during all saints weekend," reported EuroNews on Friday. 

"The measures imposed by the government of Spain and the Catalonian authorities more specifically don’t have any logic to them,” said one protestor. “They make no sense. What they should do is take more measures for hospitals, provide them with staff and material to help them to overcome this pandemic- not impose measures of social control on us," they added. 

Police raced up and down the street of our hotel, where angry protestors burned trash bins 100 meters away. "I don't think your delivery food is going to make it," the hotel receptionist said. 

Our food came, in the end, and the disarray lasted a little over an hour. 

On Monday morning, my wonderful weekend in Barcelona came to an end, though I did have my hesitations about how I would get to the airport during a curfew that lasted from 10 pm to 6 am (my flight was at 6:20). I ordered a taxi with the hotel reception who assured me there would be no issues. My taxi arrived at 4:30, and I was at the airport 20 minutes later. The streets were empty. 

Getting through El Prat Airport was a piece of cake, considering I was traveling with only my carry-on back to Split. The line for checked baggage, however, was long - even at 5 am. 

It was a rather eerier morning at the airport as most everything was closed until 6 am - or closed due to the pandemic. 

I flew Air France from Barcelona to CDG Paris, which was mostly full. I was one of the lucky ones to have no one in the middle seat. 

Arriving in Paris was a dream. Airport employees could be found at every point to make sure crowds never formed and passengers were getting where they needed. On my rather long walk to my connecting flight to Zagreb, I even noticed an Antigen Testing Center. 

CDG felt awfully familiar, and not so much unlike the travel we are used to. Apart from the travelers in Hazmat suits. 

Most shops and food stops were open, though seating areas were closed off.  

Our temperatures were checked before boarding the Air France flight to Zagreb. 

The flight to Zagreb was unexpectedly full and included a Spanish Judo team and young Europeans escaping to the capital for looser measures. I have never been more relieved to get back to Croatia in one piece. 

Only one more flight to go before I was back in Split...

Zagreb Airport was covered in signs reminding passengers to wear masks, keep a distance, and wash their hands. 

There was even a group of Americans waiting to board my flight!

Markers reminding us to social distance were also found on the bus to our plane.

The last leg of my journey, from Zagreb to Split on Croatia Airlines, was also surprisingly full. We were greeted with hand sanitizing wipes as we entered the plane. 

After a painless walk through Split Airport, I was on my way home to self-isolate, just to be safe. 

Traveling during a pandemic, would you do it?

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November 3, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Condor announces Zurich to Split next summer, and Tunisair plans to connect Zagreb and Monastir for the first time since 2014.

Croatian Aviation reports that the German leisure carrier Condor announced one new route to Croatia in next year's summer flight schedule - Zurich to Split.

Namely, Condor is opening its first base outside Germany, and in the summer of 2021, this well-known airline will base two A320 aircraft and launch nine international routes from Zurich.

Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Olbia, Heraklion, Kos, Rhodes, Larnaca, and Split are new destinations for Condor Airlines from Zurich next summer. This airline is responding to the requests of Swiss tour operators with whom it will cooperate even more actively next summer season.

Condor Airlines will make its first flight on the Zurich - Split route on April 30, 2021, and tickets are already on sale on the airline's official website.

On the Zurich - Split route, Croatia Airlines and Swiss Edelweiss operate in the summer flight schedule, making Condor the third airline on the same route.

From April 30 to May 23, 2021, the line will operate twice a week, every Friday and Sunday. From May 25, the third flight of the week will be introduced every Tuesday, and Condor will operate with three flights a week until October 5, 2021.

Condor will offer as many as 26,280 seats on the Zurich - Split line next summer.

Condor Airlines flight schedule on the route Zurich - Split - Zurich

Tuesday: Zurich 06:40 - 08:20 Split 09:20 - 11:15 Zurich

Thursdays and Sundays: Zurich 16:45 - 18:25 Split 19:25 - 21:20 Zurich

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reports that Tunisia's national airline Tunisair planned to launch a charter route between Zagreb - Monastir at the end of May this year (once a week, on Wednesdays), which was to operate until the beginning of October. 

Zagreb and Monastir were last directly connected back in 2014, and there have been no direct lines between Tunisia and Croatia for a long time.

Due to the impact of COVID-19, Tunisair decided against launching this line in the summer of 2020 but instead has announced its flight schedule for the next summer season in which it plans to launch a charter line between Zagreb and Monastir.

The regular charter line is currently announced from June 2 to September 29, 2021, only slightly shorter than the original plan for this year’s summer flight schedule.

Monastir 18:00 - 21:10 Zagreb 21:55 - Monastir 23:00

In the 2021 summer season, the line will operate once a week, on Wednesdays, with B737-600 aircraft with a capacity of 126 seats in the fleet of this carrier. According to the original plan, A320 aircraft with a higher capacity than the currently announced B737-600 was to operate on the route.

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October 31, 2020 - A closer look at 2020 for Croatia's national carrier, as Croatia Airlines recorded almost 1.2 million fewer passengers and a net loss of HRK 243.5 million.

Croatian Aviation reports that Croatia Airlines ends the first nine months of 2020 with a financial result directly affected by the coronavirus pandemic, which caused the deepest crisis in civil aviation history.

The epidemiological crisis has drastically reduced the demand for air transport services, which, together with the resulting traffic restrictions, has imposed the need to reduce capacity and drastic cuts in the scheduled flight schedule by reducing crashes, that is, by canceling or reducing flight operations on existing routes or by abandoning the introduction of new planned routes.

In the current market circumstances, Croatia Airlines made an operating loss of HRK 222.4 million in the first nine months of this year, which with a net financing result, gives a net loss of HRK 243.5 million.

The increase in the net loss of HRK 195.1 million compared to the same period in 2019, which is a direct consequence of the reduction in demand for air transport service in the context of a global pandemic, directly reduced the company's revenues by 70 percent between April and September 2020.

As a result, there was a reduction of 11,709 flights and a drop in the number of transported passengers of 69 percent (-1,168,190 passengers). The structure of the crash was additionally adjusted to the needs of reduced traffic. Given the market circumstances, greater emphasis was placed on using the Dash 8-Q400 fleet, whose capacity is smaller compared to the fleet of Airbus 319/320.

Due to reduced demand for air transport services during the coronavirus crisis, Croatia Airlines recorded a drop in passenger traffic of more than 90 percent in April and May, 80 percent in June, 70 percent in July, 67 percent in August, and 80 percent in September.

In the first nine months of 2020, the number of passengers in domestic regular traffic (142,958 passengers transported) decreased by 64 percent; in international regular traffic (384,712 passengers), this decrease was 69 percent, and in extraordinary traffic (5,700 passengers), there was a decrease of 91. A total of 533,381 passengers were transported in the first nine months, i.e., 1,168,190 fewer passengers than in the same period in 2019 (-69 percent).

Given the worsening epidemiological situation and a further decline in bookings in the coming period (autumn and winter), no significant improvements are expected. These are low season months (winter season) when the company makes losses under normal conditions. An additional problem in maintaining liquidity is the unpredictability of the duration of the crisis caused by the pandemic and the pressure on its cash flows.

The company's operations until the end of 2020 will largely depend on external factors, decisions and recommendations of the Croatian Civil Protection Headquarters, which directly affect the possibility of travel in domestic and international regular traffic, reciprocity in abolishing or facilitating measures at the interstate level and the achieving optimal occupancy and average tariffs in conditions of reduced demand caused by COVID-19 directly (public health restrictions) or indirectly (financial and security reasons).

As the Croatian national airline, Croatia Airlines represents a strategic part of the Croatian transport infrastructure, which came to the fore in this crisis period because the company contributed to maintaining transport connections with the Croatian economy and citizens.

From the beginning of the crisis until May 2020, the company helped 23,000 Croatian citizens return, made itself available to the Republic of Croatia to transport humanitarian aid, returned Croatian soldiers from Afghanistan, and performed several repatriation flights from different parts of Europe.

In the conditions of the crisis and the consequences for the tourist season, the additional importance and contribution of Croatia Airlines to tourism is in connecting Adriatic airports with European destinations in the season when the arrival of foreign airlines was significantly reduced. In the autumn-winter period, and especially due to the current deterioration of the epidemiological situation, the importance of Croatia Airlines will be further emphasized by maintaining Croatia's connection with major European destinations, as a large number of foreign airlines have already withdrawn from the Croatian market or reduced flights. 

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October 30, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Vueling returns to Dubrovnik in January, and Transavia completes services to Split and Dubrovnik for this year. 

Croatian Aviation reports that Spanish low-cost airline Vueling plans to return to Dubrovnik Airport in January 2021.

At the end of the summer flight schedule, the company suspended traffic to all Croatian airports, and Dubrovnik is currently the only planned destination in Croatia in the winter months.

This summer, Vueling flew to Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik, with reduced flights compared to last year's summer flight schedule.

Vueling plans to re-establish the Barcelona-Dubrovnik line starting in 2021. Regular flights between the two cities are currently announced from Sunday, January 3, 2021, twice a week, every Thursday and Sunday.

The line should operate until the end of the winter flight schedule (March 28, 2021) with the above two flights per week, and for the summer flight schedule next year, the company currently has daily flights on this line.

The realization of these flights will primarily depend on the global situation with COVID-19, which directly affects the demand itself, so Vueling will cancel the announced flights in case of commercial unprofitability. 

Vueling announced flights to four Croatian airports for the next summer season; Zagreb, Zadar, Split, and Dubrovnik, but we will know more about the summer flight schedule later, as it is too early to conclude so many months in advance, especially in these uncertain times.

Vueling's intention to operate on the Barcelona-Dubrovnik route in the winter flight schedule is certainly positive news, but the question remains: Will there be demand?

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reports that low-cost Dutch airline Transavia, a subsidiary of the world's oldest airline, KLM, and also a member of the Air France - KLM group, will perform the last flights to Croatian airports for this year this weekend. 

Transavia had reduced traffic to Pula, Rijeka, Zadar, Split, and Dubrovnik this summer, connecting five Croatian airports with destinations in France and the Netherlands, despite reduced demand.

The company cut traffic to Rijeka, Pula, and Zadar in September, and Transavia operated only to Split and Dubrovnik in October with a relatively small number of weekly flights.

The Split - Paris Orly line operated 2 to 3 times a week in October, and on Friday, October 30, the company will perform the last flight to Split on the line from Orly.

In Dubrovnik, Transavia had two active lines this month, from Nantes and Paris. These two lines will end with traffic for this year, a day later compared to Split, on Saturday, October 31. 

In October, two routes from France to Dubrovnik operated with a minimum weekly frequency, only once a week, on Saturdays. Still, all routes were operated by B737-800 aircraft with a capacity of as many as 189 seats in the carrier's fleet.

Transavia will no longer have regular operations at Croatian airports after the last weekend in October, and re-establishing numerous seasonal routes is expected in mid-April next year. This low-cost carrier has not operated to Croatian airports in winter before, and Transavia will not operate to neighboring airports (Ljubljana and Belgrade) in the winter months.

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October 28, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Qatar Airways operates only once a week to Zagreb in November. 

Croatian Aviation reports that Qatar Airways reduced its traffic to Zagreb at the end of September, and the line will operate with a minimum number of weekly operations in November.

Qatar Airways canceled departures on Mondays and Wednesdays and will operate on the Doha-Zagreb route only once a week, on Fridays throughout November.

Under normal circumstances, the Doha-Zagreb route operated twice a day, with A320 and A321 aircraft, but since the outbreak of the global pandemic, this airline has very often changed its flight schedule to Zagreb, canceling operations in July and August for two to three weeks.

Since September, the airline has operated on this line only once a week, on Fridays, and one flight a week has been announced for November.

Qatar Airways will have a morning departure from Doha to Zagreb in November, while the departure from Zagreb is planned at 3:35 pm. Arrival in Doha is at 11 pm, which allows passengers from the Croatian capital to transfer to numerous flights to a number of destinations in Asia.

However, only one flight a week is not satisfactory, and the airline thus does not offer passengers flexibility in choosing the date of travel, so the low occupancy of this line (with the pandemic and travel restrictions) is not a surprise.

It is likely that when the situation calms down, Qatar Airways will return to Zagreb with a significantly higher number of weekly flights, but we will have to wait and see. A temporary suspension of traffic on this line is certainly possible, especially in the winter months ahead.

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October. 27, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Lufthansa operates daily between Munich and Zagreb. 

Croatian Aviation reports that since October 24, German airline Lufthansa has been connecting Munich and Zagreb on a daily basis. The line has not operated daily since the outbreak of the pandemic, even in the summer months.

With the end of the summer flight schedule, Lufthansa has suspended traffic to Adriatic airports (Pula, Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik) and will have only one route to Croatia in this year's winter flight schedule, between Munich and Zagreb. 

After the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Lufthansa reintroduced the Munich-Zagreb route, but it did not operate daily (3 to 5 times a week, even in July and August). As of October 24, Lufthansa offers daily flights on this route in its reservation calendar, which enables passengers from Zagreb to make numerous connections via the hub in Munich to destinations in Europe and the world.

On November 1, 3, and 8, two daily flights on this line have been announced

Lufthansa will use smaller capacity aircraft, type CRJ900, on this route, which has a capacity of 90 seats in the fleet of this carrier. After the outbreak of the pandemic, the company completely canceled the Frankfurt-Zagreb line and has not operated on it since last winter. The first flight has been announced for the spring of 2021.

11:20 Munich - 12:25 Zagreb 13:05 - 14:10 Munich

With one transfer to Munich, it is possible to continue the journey to a number of destinations in Europe, while destinations such as New York, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, San Francisco, Bangkok and Seoul are available for long-haul flights.

The German national airline will operate on this route in the early afternoon in November. It remains to be seen whether Lufthansa will cancel certain departures according to bookings. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Lufthansa has operated to Croatian destinations in accordance with the announced flight schedule, without ad-hoc cancellations.

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