flights to croatia

Daily Travel Updates

Monday, 22 November 2021

Air Serbia Belgrade-Zagreb Flights Running Daily in December

November 22, 2021 - Air Serbia Belgrade-Zagreb flights will run daily in December, so long as the Zagreb fog allows it!

Serbian national airline Air Serbia will increase the number of operations between Zagreb and Belgrade, operating daily in December, reports Croatian Aviation.

Since the pandemic's beginning and immediately after the lockdown, Air Serbia resumed traffic between Belgrade and Zagreb, constantly changing the number of weekly operations and adjusting them to the demand itself. Until December 5, six flights a week have been announced, every day except Tuesdays, and from December 7, Air Serbia will introduce a flight on Tuesdays, meaning they will run between the two cities every day.

From December 10, there are two flights a day on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, which will increase the number of weekly frequencies to 10!

Namely, on certain days, Air Serbia will land late at night in Zagreb, while the return flight to Belgrade will be before dawn, around 4 am. Given that the difference between the incoming and outgoing flights will be short, it is to be expected that the crew will wait for the return flight on the aircraft.

ATR72 aircraft with a capacity of 70 seats have been announced for all flights. However, Croatian Aviation states that the problem for the airline is the weather conditions in Zagreb, i.e., the thick fog due to which ATR72 aircraft are often unable to land in the Croatian capital. In that case, the airline is forced to either cancel the flight, delay the flight and wait for the weather to improve, or do what was done last night due to fog - replace the aircraft on the line with a larger type for which fog is not an obstacle.

For example, the visibility in Zagreb last night was only 200 meters, so instead of the ATR, the A319 landed in Zagreb with an hour delay, carrying 52 passengers. As a result, only 30 passengers left Zagreb for Belgrade on Sunday night.

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

Saturday, 20 November 2021

Reduced Qatar Airways Zagreb Flights, Croatia Airlines Only Flight Between Zagreb-Heathrow

November 20, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as reduced Qatar Airways Zagreb flights have been announced in December, and Croatian Airlines remains the only route between Zagreb and Heathrow... for now.

One World Alliance member Qatar Airways is reducing the number of weekly rotations between Doha and Zagreb in mid-December, reports Croatian Aviation.

The news does not come as a surprise as the occupancy of aircraft on this route is relatively low, with few arrivals from Asia. Qatar does not have a wide base of transfer passengers that were the backbone of the line to Zagreb before the pandemic.

Until Saturday, December 18, Qatar Airways will run three flights a week between Doha and Zagreb, every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. From mid-December, flights will be canceled on Mondays and the line will operate only twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The same number of weekly rotations is planned until the end of January next year.

Qatar Airways uses A320 narrow-body aircraft on this line, the smallest in its fleet. Until there is a significant opening of countries in Asia and until passengers from these countries visit Croatia in greater numbers, the number of weekly departures will remain uncertain.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reports that British Airways has again canceled all flights on the Zagreb-London route at the end of this month. Consequently, only Croatia Airlines operates between Heathrow and Zagreb.

British Airways again canceled a number of flights between Zagreb and London, as the airline is dissatisfied with the demand on this line, and ticket prices between the two cities have never been more favorable. Namely, before the pandemic, British Airways came to Zagreb with A321 aircraft, when more seats were required due to frequent overbooking.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Zagreb line has not functioned well, thanks in part to the strict measures in the UK. British Airways operated to Zagreb until the beginning of November, then all flights were canceled at the end of this month. There were plans to return in December with a smaller number of flights, but that is currently still in question.

Croatia Airlines operates between Heathrow and Zagreb four times a week, every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. One more flight per week is available compared to the summer months. All flights depart from Zagreb in the afternoon, with an evening return from London.

Ryanair also operates between London and Zagreb daily, but to Stansted Airport, which is approximately 65 kilometers away from the center of London (Heathrow is only 22 kilometers away from the center).

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

Friday, 19 November 2021

12 Weekly Turkish Airlines Flights to Zagreb and Dubrovnik in December

November 19, 2021 - Twelve-weekly Turkish Airlines flights to Zagreb and Dubrovnik have been announced in December, with 10 to the capital and 2 to the Adriatic pearl!

Star Alliance member and Turkish national airline Turkish Airlines has announced its December flight schedule, with operations to Zagreb and Dubrovnik up to 12 times a week on these two routes, reports Croatian Aviation.

Compared to November, Turkish Airlines will have only one less flight a week to Zagreb in December, but this will also be offset by the use of higher capacity aircraft between Istanbul and Zagreb.

Istanbul - Zagreb - Istanbul
Turkish Airlines plans to operate 10 times a week between Zagreb and Istanbul in December, one flight less than in November. On a large number of flights (25 of them), Turkish will send Boeing 737 MAX8 aircraft to Zagreb, and often A321 and B737-900ER aircraft. MAX9 aircraft have also been announced for two flights in December, but for now, there are no announcements of wide-body aircraft, as was the case in November. As was later confirmed, A330 Turkish Airlines came to Zagreb because of the cargo and not the passengers.

Turkish Airlines will operate twice a day on Mondays, Thursdays, and Sundays, and once a day on other days in December, totaling 10 weekly flights.

Thus, Turkish will offer a total of 14,846 seats on 46 return flights between Zagreb and Istanbul in December.

Istanbul - Dubrovnik - Istanbul
The line between Dubrovnik and Istanbul also continues to operate in December, twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. So far, Turkish has canceled only two flights to Dubrovnik in November.

According to current announcements, there will be 9 return flights between Dubrovnik and Istanbul in December, with A320 announced for 7 flights and smaller A319 aircraft for only two flights.

Turkish will offer a total of 2,646 seats between the two cities in December, which is enough this winter season with fewer tourists.

Turkish Airlines plans to operate both to Dubrovnik and Zagreb for the rest of the winter.

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

Wednesday, 17 November 2021

Increase in Ryanair Zagreb Christmas Flights from Dublin, Eindhoven, Stockholm

November 17, 2021 - The Croatian capital will be busy this holiday season with an increase in Ryanair Zagreb Christmas flights from Dublin, Eindhoven, and Stockholm!

The Irish low-cost airline is offering a number of weekly flights around Christmas and New Year on several existing routes, as well as on routes running in early December, reports Croatian Aviation.

In addition to the new lines announced for next summer, Ryanair is also preparing for increased demand on European lines around Christmas and New Year and has thus made several operational changes to the lines from its Zagreb base.

Ryanair is showing great interest in the line between Dublin and Zagreb, which will run from December 2 this year, three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. From December 20 to January 9, Ryanair will increase the number of weekly flights on this route to a total of four, operating between the two cities on Wednesdays, too!

On the new Ryanair line between Eindhoven and Zagreb, which runs from December 3 (twice a week, Monday and Friday), there will be an increase in the number of weekly rotations on this line from December 20 to January 9, totaling four-weekly flights with additional flights on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

There will also be an increase in operations on two lines to Sweden, to Gothenburg and Malmö. The Gothenburg-Zagreb line currently runs three times a week and will run four times a week around Christmas, additionally on Tuesdays. From January 3 to January 9, six weekly flights have been announced, every day except Saturday.

Finally, on the Malmö - Zagreb - Malmö line, there will also be an increase in operations at the very beginning of January, and four weekly flights have been announced on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The line currently operates twice a week.

More good news: Ryanair introduced a line between Rome (Ciampino Airport) and Zagreb this summer, though the flights were transferred to Fiumicino at the end of October due to work at Ciampino. Now, Ryanair will stay at Fiumicino and will operate to Zagreb from there until the end of the winter flight schedule. This is great news for travelers given that Fiumicino is significantly better connected to the center of Rome than Ciampino.

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

Sunday, 14 November 2021

Air Canada Toronto-Zagreb Flights Discontinued for 2022 Summer

November 14, 2021 - Air Canada Toronto-Zagreb flights will not operate next summer as planned, with ticket sales officially suspended on the line.

After Air Transat announced it would be running between Toronto and Zagreb next year, Air Canada has suspended ticket sales for the same route next summer. The airline was meant to re-establish flights in June. Recall, Air Canada was meant to take over the Air Canada Rouge Zagreb service, after all wide-body aircraft was axed due to the pandemic, reports Ex Yu Aviation.

The Air Canada route was to run from June 2, 2022, three times a week, with 54 flights and 32,076 seats between the two cities. The route would have been serviced with the 297-seat Airbus A330-300 aircraft.

Air Canada will, however, run summer flights to many cities around Europe - Athens, Barcelona, Edinburgh, Lisbon, Manchester, Nice, Reykjavik, Rome, and Venice, with Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, London, Lyon, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Paris, Vienna, and Zurich running year-round.

Fortunately, Air Canada can still get passengers to Zagreb with a connection in Amsterdam

“It is no secret the resumption of medium and long haul flights primarily depend on travel restriction imposed by different countries. Zagreb Airport had a notable number of passengers from the Far East, Australia, and North America. The return of these flights will depend on border restrictions. We expect the gradual resumption of these services between 2022 and 2025," said Zagreb Airport’s General Manager, Huseyin Bahadir Bedir.

Canadian leisure airline Air Transat announced earlier this week it would reintroduce the seasonal route between Toronto and Zagreb when announcing next summer's flight schedule. Zagreb is among the 44 international destinations in its network, reported Croatian Aviation.

The airline plans to operate to almost all destinations as before the global pandemic, adding new ones, mainly in the United States, with 13 international routes to Europe, including to Zagreb.

The first flight from Toronto to Zagreb has been announced for Saturday, May 7, 2022. A month later, from June 7, the second weekly flight with departure from Toronto on Tuesday will be introduced. Two-weekly flights are currently announced until the end of the next summer season - October 29, 2022.

A330-200 aircraft have been announced for the Toronto-Zagreb route, with a capacity of 332 to 345 seats. Thus, Air Transat will offer more than 31 thousand seats between Toronto and Zagreb next summer.

It is no surprise that the Canadian market is important for Croatia. In 2019, Air Transat and Air Canada Rouge handled 65,486 passengers, or a 14.6% increase on 2018.

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

Saturday, 13 November 2021

New Ryanair Zadar Summer Flights, Blue Air Bucharest Flights to Dubrovnik, Split

November 13, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as Ryanair Zadar summer flights and Blue Air flights from Bucharest to Dubrovnik and Split have been announced.

As the summer flight schedule is slowly being announced, more routes to Croatia have gone on sale, including to Zadar Airport, reports Croatian Aviation.

New Ryanair summer flights include:

Zadar - Nuremberg - Zadar, from March 29, 2022, twice a week, every Tuesday and Saturday until the end of October,

Zadar - Stockholm Arlanda - Zadar, from March 27, 2022, twice a week, every Wednesday and Sunday, until the end of October,

Zadar - Turin - Zadar, from March 28, 2022, twice a week, every Monday and Friday, also until the end of October.

These new lines will offer almost 70 thousand seats from the end of March to the end of October next year.

Nuremberg will also be Ryanair's ninth destination in Germany from Zadar (along with Berlin, Bremen, Cologne, Dusseldorf Weeze, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, and Memmingen), and Stockholm will be the third in Sweden (existing lines to Vaxjo and Gothenburg).

Currently, 39 international Ryanair routes are on sale to and from Zadar Airport.

In addition to the lines to Zadar, Ryanair operates on year-round lines to Zagreb, and next summer, it will be present in Pula, Rijeka, Split, and Dubrovnik.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reports that Romania's low-cost airline, Blue Air, announced two scheduled flights to Croatia in the 2022 summer flight schedule.

Namely, Blue Air has announced seasonal routes to Split and Dubrovnik.

The Romanian low-cost airline operated mainly on charter routes to Croatia in the summer flight schedule this year, specifically to Dubrovnik, with ad-hoc arrivals to other Croatian airports. The airline is now announcing regular operations to Dubrovnik and Split from the Romanian capital.

Bucharest - Split - Bucharest will run from June 23 to September 29, 2022, twice a week, every Thursday and Sunday,

Bucharest - Dubrovnik - Bucharest will operate from June 28 to September 27, 2022, every Tuesday and Saturday, also twice a week.

The airline plans to operate on ad-hoc charter flights to Croatia next summer, mainly for Romanian tour operators selling holiday packages in Istria and the central Adriatic. Blue Air will thus operate on charter flights to Pula and Zadar airports.

When asked about introducing a regular line to Zagreb, Blue Air points out that they are considering several destinations, including the Croatian capital.

Until the beginning of the global pandemic, Croatia Airlines operated three times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays) between Zagreb and Bucharest in the summer flight schedule. The line was introduced in May 2017 and was in operation every summer until 2020. It is unknown whether Croatia Airlines will resume operations between Bucharest and Zagreb in the summer of 2022.

In addition to two new lines from Split and Dubrovnik, Zadar will also have a regular connection to the Romanian capital. Ryanair will continue to operate between Zadar and Bucharest next summer, twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, from March 30 to October 29, 2022.

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

Friday, 12 November 2021

Air Transat Toronto-Zagreb Flights Return for Summer 2022!

November 12, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as Air Transat Toronto-Zagreb flights will finally return next summer!

Canadian leisure airline Air Transat announced it would reintroduce the seasonal route between Toronto and Zagreb when announcing next summer's flight schedule. Zagreb is among the 44 international destinations in its network, reports Croatian Aviation.

With the start of the summer flight schedule, Air Transat will gradually increase the number of operations to Europe (from Montreal and Toronto). In the summer of 2022, the airline plans to operate to almost all destinations as before the global pandemic, adding new ones, mainly in the United States.

Air Transat will operate from Montreal next summer on 19 international routes to destinations in Europe, of which 7 are in France. In addition, a new line between Montreal and Amsterdam is being introduced.

Air Transat plans to operate 13 international routes to Europe, including to Zagreb. At the peak of the summer season, Air Transat will have almost 60 weekly flights from Toronto to the Netherlands, Greece, Croatia, Great Britain, France, and other European countries.

Air Transat had planned to resume traffic to Zagreb during the 2021 summer, but due to restrictive measures in Canada and weak demand, this did not happen.

Before the pandemic in 2019, Air Transat operated between Toronto and Zagreb three times a week. Two-weekly flights have been announced for next summer. The first flight from Toronto to Zagreb has been announced for Saturday, May 7, 2022. A month later, from June 7, the second weekly flight with departure from Toronto on Tuesday will be introduced. Two-weekly flights are currently announced until the end of the next summer season - October 29, 2022.

Air Transat introduced the line to Zagreb in June 2016, gradually increasing the number of weekly flights (from 1 to 3 in the summer of 2019). Until 2019, Air Canada Rouge operated on the same route, which retired all wide-body aircraft in the corona crisis. For this reason, Air Canada released tickets to Zagreb for the next summer season, but flights will depend primarily on passenger demand and potential travel restrictions.

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

Thursday, 11 November 2021

Flights to Croatia: Finnair Helsinki-Zagreb Flights, Condor to Rijeka and Dubrovnik

November 11, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia with the announcement of Finnair Helsinki-Zagreb flights and new Condor flights to Rijeka and Dubrovnik.

Finnish national airline Finnair (Oneworld alliance member) announced its 2022 summer schedule, and Zagreb is on the list of new destinations, reports Croatian Aviation.

Finnair will operate regularly between Helsinki and Zagreb next summer, and the Helsinki - Zagreb - Helsinki line will be introduced on May 1, 2022. Flights will run three times a week, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. A319 aircraft with a capacity of 144 seats have been announced on the route, meaning Finnair will offer more than 22,000 seats on the Helsinki-Zagreb route from May to October next year.

Before the pandemic, Croatia Airlines operated in the summer between Helsinki and Zagreb, but the line was not in operation in 2021 and 2020 due to reduced demand.

Finnair has operated to Dubrovnik and Split in the summer flight schedule for many years, and earlier this airline had Pula on its destination map. Finnair's arrival in the Croatian capital is great news for all those who normally travel between the two cities, as well as for those who will continue their journey to destinations in Asia with this airline.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reports that German leisure airline Condor announced two new routes to Croatia.

Condor Airlines announced a series of new routes from Düsseldorf, which is the focus this winter. For now, several new routes have been announced for next year's summer flight schedule, including two to Croatian airports.

Condor plans to operate to three Croatian airports next summer. Split is already a traditional destination and will have three routes next year - from Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, and Munich.

Condor will introduce two new routes - between Düsseldorf and Rijeka, twice a week, and one flight a week between Düsseldorf and Dubrovnik.

Croatian Aviation adds that A320 aircraft will operate to Rijeka and Dubrovnik, while Condor will use A320, A321, and B757 aircraft to Split, just like in the 2021 summer season.

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

Monday, 8 November 2021

Russian Vaccination Tourism in Zagreb: 6-Weekly Flights Announced from Moscow!

November 8, 2021 - Russian vaccination tourism in Zagreb is the latest trend, as Russian citizens flock to the Croatian capital to get jabbed with an EU-approved vaccine. Recall, Sputnik, the Russian vaccine, has yet to be accepted by the European Union - and EU digital Covid certificates are a hot commodity.

As TCN reported on Sunday, November 7, Russian citizens waited in line for hours at the small vaccination point in Zagreb's Kajzerica neighborhood last week, hoping they could get vaccinated. It's not that Russians are having trouble getting vaccinated in their country, but only the Sputnik vaccine is available, which has yet to be approved by the European Union.

Thus, increased demand and high capacity on flights to Zagreb from Moscow this offseason are primarily thanks to the coronavirus vaccine. Many hope to get jabbed with Johnson & Johnson since only one dose is needed, after which they can receive an EU digital Covid passport to travel freely and avoid self-isolation or quarantine.

Four Russian airlines, Aeroflot, PegasFly, Nordwind, and Azur Air, are currently operating on scheduled flights between Moscow and Zagreb. However, Azur Air was the last to introduce a route at the end of October this year, reports Croatian Aviation and 24 Sata.

Russia's national airline, Aeroflot, operates between Zagreb and Moscow three times a week, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Although the announcement included A320 aircraft with a capacity of 158 seats, due to increased demand, larger A321 aircraft with 183 seats mainly operate on this line.

The planes are recording excellent occupancy, and there are only a few vacancies left on the flights in the following days. The question is whether Aeroflot will further increase its capacity to Zagreb by introducing wide-body aircraft. If there is no further increase, Aeroflot will offer almost 3,500 seats between Moscow and Zagreb by the end of the month.

Nordwind and PegasFly also operate between Moscow and Zagreb, twice a week - Nordwind on Mondays and PegasFly on Fridays. By the end of November, the two airlines offer 2,172 seats between Moscow and Zagreb. Flights are operated with E190 and B737-800 aircraft.

The newest carrier between Moscow and Zagreb is Azur Air, which operates to Zagreb from Vnukovo Airport, while other airlines use Sheremetyevo Airport. Azur Air operates to the Croatian capital only once a week, on Sundays, using aircraft type B737-800. By the end of November, this carrier will offer 1,512 seats between Moscow and Zagreb, and the company claims that if there is increased demand, it will react by introducing a B757-200 aircraft with a capacity of 238 seats.

By the end of November, the four mentioned airlines would offer a total of 7,164 seats between Moscow and Zagreb, and flights are available six times a week.

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

Monday, 8 November 2021

Wow! Comparing Split, Dubrovnik Winter Flights to ExYu, Mediterranean Competition

November 8, 2021 - How do Split and Dubrovnik winter flights compare to other cities in the region, as well as competitor destinations on the Mediterranean. Quite interesting...

I am just back from a couple of trips to the Adiatic coast in October and November.

So much beauty, such a great time to visit.

And yet...

Split and Dubrovnik winter flights are as scarce as summer flights are abundant, and the whole Dalmatian coast largely goes to sleep from the end of October until March.

It was not always that way, as we learned in a recent TCN interview with a UK tour rep in the 1980s, who explaine how year-round flights were bringing in Americans for stays of up to 6 weeks. Read more in Croatian Winter Tourism in 1990: Full of Life! Tour Rep Interview.

And yet, there are pockets of the coast which are very much alive in the winter months. Small initiatives that show there are people here - and the feeling that many more would come if the likes of Split and Dubrovnik were more accessible. Above is a photo from Nomad Table in Split on Friday night, a weekly event hosted by Saltwater Nomads and Zinfandel in Split. It was packed and sold out - again. I spoke to several remote workers who are enjoying Split as their temporary new home. More flights and easier access, combined with a proper strategy would increase their numbers considerably.

After writing a few articles on the potential of winter tourism recently, I asked if there was anyone with something to contribute on the subject who would be interested in getting in touch to kickstart an initiative to improve the Split and Dubrovnik winter flights situation.

Among the many who get in touch was tourism consultant Mario Seric, who was actively involved in a concerted effort with Split's hotels to bring more flights to the city a decade ago. Although the main initiative was ultimately not a success, there were some wins, including the Split to Munich flight, which continues today.

I met Mario in Split over the weekend for a beer or three, and was not only deeply impressed by his intimate knowledge of the subject, but also just how badly served Split and Dubrovnik are when compared to the neighbours and competition.

Although comparing Split and Dubrovnik winter flights to other Ex-Yu destinations is not a like for like comparison, it serves as a useful indicator of their position in the region in this regard. And when one compares to similar destinations in the Mediterranean, that is where things get a little shocking - for me at least.

I asked Mario to send me some data on winter flights in terms of numbers of flights a week, number of airports served, and number of countries connected. This is what he sent me.

I am sending the basic airport info as well as main information for the winter 2021/2022 timetables for direct scheduled flights for 9 selected airports that I have chosen based on the following criteria:

I exclude big Mediterranean metropolises such as Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Athens, and Istanbul;
I also exclude some other big Mediterranean cities such as Malaga, Valencia, Marseille, Naples, and Izmir;
I also exclude island cities such as Palma de Mallorca, Cagliari, Palermo, Catania, Heraklion, etc.
I include mid-size Mediterranean cities with established or emerging tourism industries such as Alicante, Nice, Venice, Bari, and Thessaloniki (for serious comparisons);
I also include some cities in the Western Balkans that are not comparable at all such as Banja Luka, Tuzla, Niš, and Ohrid (for fun).

I would also like to point out that the information below for the winter 2021/2022 timetable is the latest official info from the airports and the airlines, but this is constantly changing, especially nowadays during the pandemic (even on a daily basis).

ALICANTE-ELCHE AIRPORT

Basic Airport Info

Serving Alicante, Elche, and Costa Blanca
Passenger traffic in the year before pandemic (2019): 15.048.240
No. 5 airport in Spain by passenger traffic (after Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, and Malaga)