January 8, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as Lufthansa Rijeka-Frankfurt flights are boosted for the 2022 summer season. 

Star Alliance member and German airline Lufthansa will increase the number of weekly rotations between Frankfurt and Rijeka in the upcoming summer flight schedule, reports Croatian Aviation.

While Lufthansa has operated a regular flight between Munich and Rijeka for many years, in 2021, Lufthansa also introduced a regular line between Frankfurt and Rijeka, which was also in operation once a week, every Saturday. The company has announced operational changes to this line for the 2022 summer season.

Namely, instead of once per week, Lufthansa will operate twice a week between Frankfurt and Rijeka. The line should begin operations from Saturday, April 9, and the second weekly flight will be introduced from Wednesday, May 25. Flights on Wednesdays will take place in the evening, and on Saturdays in the morning. This will give passengers more flexibility when planning a trip to and from Kvarner, which was practically impossible with one flight a week.

A320 aircraft with a capacity of 168 seats have been announced on the route between Frankfurt and Rijeka for this summer.

Croatian Aviation adds that German Condor too will operate between Frankfurt and Rijeka in the upcoming summer season, once a week, also on Saturdays, between May 21 and September 24. Thus, Rijeka will be connected to this famous European hub by three weekly flights. 

As for Munich and Rijeka, Lufthansa should operate on this route once a week in the summer, and Croatia Airlines is expected to launch three weekly flights on this route. However, we must wait to see how airlines will react to the new tender for joint advertising announced by the Croatian National Tourist Board.

Rijeka Airport is continuously recording positive announcements from airlines for this year, and several strategic partners have yet to announce their increases towards Kvarner.

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

January 7, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as MyWings cancels the newly introduced Zagreb-Pristina line from February 2, 2022. 

On December 15, 2021, the Kosovo tour operator MyWings introduced a regular route between Zagreb and Pristina, in cooperation with two Croatian airlines, Trade Air and Croatia Airlines. The line, however, will soon be canceled, reports Croatian Aviation.

The regular line between Pristina and Zagreb was introduced on December 15, less than a month ago, and three flights a week were announced. Shortly after the operations were established, flights were canceled on Mondays, and the remaining flights will be canceled soon.

Namely, the Kosovo tour operator withdrew tickets from this line after February 2, 2022. Until that date, flights should run regularly, twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Croatian Aviation writes that objectively speaking, the line was introduced at the wrong time, and that they do not remember when one airline reduced the number of rotations and determined its end in less than a month since the line was introduced. The line is no longer announced for the summer flight schedule and there are no direct flights between the two cities after February 2, 2022.

Croatia Airlines is selling tickets for these flights through a code-share agreement between the mentioned partners in this project, and the last flight available for booking with the Croatian national airline is February 2, 2022. Croatian Aviation concludes that the question is whether, when, and who will try to re-introduce a regular line between Pristina and Zagreb after this Kosovo tour operator failed. 

But this isn't all the bad news hitting Zagreb Airport.

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 thus 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 added 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.

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

January 4, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as 12 Ryanair Zadar summer flights have been postponed until June.

After announcing the temporary cancellation of 12 routes from Zagreb Airport, Irish low-cost airline Ryanair has postponed the start of operations on the same number of routes from the Zadar base, reports Croatian Aviation.

Ryanair had already announced the start of operations on almost all seasonal routes from Zadar Airport at the very beginning of the summer flight schedule (from the end of March this year), though this will no longer happen. Namely, on 12 international lines, Ryanair postponed all operations until the beginning of June. This airline did the same with the lines from the Zagreb base.

The following lines from Zadar have been postponed and have a new start date:

Zadar - Aarhus, from June 3, twice a week,

Zadar - Nuremberg, from June 2, three times a week,

Zadar - Bari, from June 2, twice a week,

Zadar - Bologna, from June 2, twice a week,

Zadar - Milan Bergamo, from June 2, twice a week,

Zadar - Turin, from June 3, twice a week,

Zadar - Maastricht, from June 3, twice a week,

Zadar - Gdansk, from June 4, twice a week,

Zadar - Vaxjo, from June 1, twice a week,

Zadar - Bournemouth, from June 4, twice a week,

Zadar - Liverpool, from June 2, twice a week,

Zadar - Manchester, from June 4, twice a week.

The two-month postponement is justified by the airline's low demand caused by the pandemic and the reintroduction of passenger restrictions across Europe.

If passenger restrictions remain in force as we approach the start of the summer flight schedule, there is no doubt that other airlines will be forced to modify their operations as well. As a result, there will be fewer weekly operations than planned or the complete cancellation of operations, as Ryanair has already done on 12 lines from Zadar for the spring of this year.

Croatian Aviation concludes by asking how this airline will continue to react to the reduced demand and whether it will additionally cancel flights from Zagreb and Zadar, adding that such moves do not instill confidence in existing and potential passengers.

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

December 30, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as LOT Warsaw-Zagreb flights will run daily in January, and NYE charter flights have departed from Zagreb to Italy and Portugal. 

LOT Polish Airlines will operate daily on a regular route between Warsaw and Zagreb in January 2022, reports Croatian Aviation.

Unlike last winter when LOT drastically cut and temporarily suspended traffic to Zagreb, this airline has been operating regularly towards Zagreb Airport - the only destination in Croatia in the winter months, since the beginning of this year's winter flight schedule.

On the Warsaw-Zagreb line, daily flights have been announced for January, in the morning and afternoon, depending on the day of the week. The Embraer fleet, type E195, E190, E175, and E170, will operate on the route. These aircraft have a capacity from 76 to as many as 118 seats.

LOT will offer a total of 5,072 seats on 31 return flights between the capitals of Poland and Croatia in January, and one-way tickets can be purchased in January for 960 kuna.

In addition to passengers traveling directly between the two cities (business, tourists, and VFR passengers), this airline is also used by a relatively large number of transfer passengers who continue their journey through Warsaw to other destinations in Europe and the world. Furthermore, before the pandemic, several tourists from Asia, mainly from Japan and South Korea, came to Croatia with this airline.

Croatian Aviation also reports that Croatian private airline Trade Air operated two charter flights from Zagreb on Wednesday. These are organized New Year's trips to Italy and Portugal (Catania and Porto).

At 9 am, B737-800 aircraft departed from Zagreb for Porto. The return from Porto is scheduled for January 2, 2022. 

An F100 aircraft, registration number 9A-BTE, departed from Zagreb at 10 am to Catania, Italy. The return flight is also expected on Sunday, January 2, 2022.

The flight to Porto is organized by Idea putovanja from Zagreb, while the flight to Catania is organized by Palma Travel, also from Zagreb. Croatian Aviation reports that the flights are well filled, despite the current passenger restrictions.

On December 30, at 9 am, a Croatian Airlines aircraft type A320 should take off from Marrakesh. 

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 21, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as Ryanair operates between Naples and Zagreb, and Turkish Airlines Zagreb-Istanbul flights are boosted in January! 

Ryanair has been operating regularly between Naples and Zagreb since Friday, December 17, reports Croatian Aviation.

As part of the latest expansion at the new Zagreb base, Ryanair made its first flight on the new line between Zagreb and Naples on Friday, December 17. Recall, Ryanair has announced 10 new lines from the Zagreb base - nine of them were introduced in the first days of December, and as of last Friday, the line to Naples is also in operation.

A320 aircraft with a capacity of 180 passengers from the partner Lauda will fly between Zagreb and Naples twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays.

Next year, flights are also on sale for the summer flight schedule until October 28, 2022. More than 33,000 seats are on sale between the two cities until that date.

Until 2019, Zagreb had a regular seasonal route to Milan (Malpensa) and a year-round route to Rome (via Split) on Croatia Airlines.

On Friday, Zagreb has regular lines to three Italian cities - Milan, Rome, and Naples.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation also reports that Turkish Airlines will increase the number of weekly operations on the Istanbul-Zagreb route in January.

From the beginning of the new year, Turkish Airlines will operate between Zagreb and Istanbul 13 times a week, three extra flights than in December this year. This will bring Turkish Airlines almost to the level of operations before the global pandemic, when it flew to Zagreb 14 times a week, twice a day. 

From the first of January, two flights a day are available between Zagreb and Istanbul, in the morning and the evening, except on Wednesdays, when Turkish will have one flight to Zagreb.

A321 and B737MAX8 aircraft (occasionally MAX9) will operate on this route, which will offer Turkish Airlines almost the same number of seats between Istanbul and Zagreb as before the pandemic.

In addition to flights to Zagreb, this airline will also operate between Dubrovnik and Istanbul in January. Every Wednesday and Saturday, two flights a week have been announced with A320 aircraft.

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

December 18, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia with two new Zadar Airport summer routes from Oslo and Lubeck, while KLM boosts Dubrovnik-Amsterdam next summer. 

Two foreign airlines have announced routes to Zadar Airport - from Oslo and Lubeck, reports Croatian Aviation.

Namely, Flyr and Lubeck Air have announced new routes to Zadar Airport for next year's summer flight schedule, directly connecting Zadar to Oslo and Lubeck.

The new Norwegian airline, Flyr, will connect Oslo and Zadar from April 9 to October 29 next year, twice a week, every Wednesday and Saturday. The B737-800 aircraft with a capacity of 180 seats have been announced on the route, and the line will operate from Gardermoen Airport in Oslo.

Lubeck Air will run a direct flight between Lubeck and Zadar from May 19 to October 27, 2022, once a week, on Thursdays. ATR75 aircraft have been announced on this route.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reports that Dutch airline KLM will introduce additional flights to Dubrovnik Airport next summer.

The world's oldest airline will soon officially announce the summer flight schedule, including news for the Croatian market. Namely, KLM will significantly increase the number of weekly operations between Amsterdam and Dubrovnik.

The Dubrovnik-Amsterdam line was introduced this summer, after a full 33 years, and flights between the two mentioned cities in the peak season ran daily.

Given the tremendous interest of passengers, KLM plans to operate between Dubrovnik and Amsterdam twice a day and 14 times a week next summer while maintaining two daily flights to Zagreb and as many as three daily flights to Split.

Next year, KLM will have 7 daily and 49 weekly flights to Croatia in the peak summer season. Given the quality of service and the vast network of destinations, and its central hub in Amsterdam, there is no doubt that the airline will bring a significant number of tourists to Croatian airports next summer.

KLM currently operates twice a day to Zagreb and will briefly launch a line between Split and Amsterdam around Christmas and New Year.

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

ZAGREB, 15 Dec 2021 - In October, airports in Croatia catered for 564,000 passengers, which is 431% more than in October 2020, and the number of flights jumped by 140% 9,368, according to the data provided by the national statistical office (DZS).

The cargo transported through Croatia's airports increased this October by 17.2% compared to October 2020.

In terms of passenger traffic, the Airport of Zagreb ranked first, with 180,600 passengers using this airport in October, or 231% more than in October 2020.

Split's airport ranked second, (160,700 passengers), or 541.6% more on the year.

Dubrovnik's airport saw a rise of 720.6% to 114,300.

A majority of flights were between the Croatian airports and Germany, Great Britain, France, and Italy.

However, the passenger traffic in Croatia's airports in October was still below the results in the pre-pandemic October 2019.

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

December 15, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as the British Airways London Gatwick-Dubrovnik flight will resume next year, namely in April with a daily service from May! We also have the latest on Dubrovnik-based Croatian start-up Pragusa.One. 

British national airline British Airways has announced it would resume the scheduled flight between Dubrovnik and London Gatwick Airport, bringing two flights to Dubrovnik next summer from London, from two different airports, reports Croatian Aviation. 

The London Heathrow-Dubrovnik line was in traffic last summer season, while this airline previously operated to Dubrovnik from Gatwick Airport. Following the pandemic, British Airways relocated all operations to Heathrow to reduce its operating costs, and with the gradual recovery of traffic, the line from Gatwick Airport will run again. 

From Monday, April 4, British Airways will connect Dubrovnik and London Gatwick once a week, on Mondays, from April 20 three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and from May 2 every day!

In addition, the airline will keep operations from Heathrow Airport, so Dubrovnik will have two regular routes to London on this British airline.

The lines between London and Dubrovnik are very well filled in the summer flight schedule, which is not surprising considering that Dubrovnik is the most frequent destination for British tourists in Croatia. British Airways currently operates between London and Zagreb, and in the summer flight schedule additionally to Pula, Split, and Dubrovnik.

In other Dubrovnik flight news, Ex Yu Aviation reports that Croatian start-up Pragusa.One will finally launch flights from Dubrovnik in the fourth quarter of 22022. The airline was meant to launch flights already in the 2021 summer. Airbus A330 and A350 aircraft from Dubrovnik and Prague will be used on long-haul flights to North America and Asia. 

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