June 4,  2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as the Ryanair Zagreb-Sofia flight is the airline's 15th route to the capital city network.

Avio Radar reports that Europe's largest low-cost airline has announced a new route from Zagreb to Sofia. The line will run twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays from August 3, with a Boeing 737-800 aircraft from a base in Sofia. It will be the 15th new Ryanair line from Zagreb and the first direct line between Croatia and Bulgaria.

Ryanair Sales and Marketing Manager for Central, Eastern Europe, and the Balkans, Olga Pawlonka, said:

"As vaccination programs continue in the coming months, and the summer season is just around the corner, we are pleased to announce this new route from Zagreb to Sofia that will be in traffic twice a week from August as part of our Croatian 2021 summer flight schedule.

Bearing in mind that restrictions change regularly due to COVID-19, customers can now book flights for a well-deserved vacation, knowing that if they need to postpone or change the travel date, they can do so by the end of December twice without a change fee."

The Irish low-cost airline landed at Zagreb Airport for the first time on Wednesday, June 2. The first arrival was on line number FR4982 from Charleroi Airport near Brussels. This line will be in traffic twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays, and from September 3, it will be intensified by the third flight a week, on Fridays. On the first flight was a Boeing 737-800 aircraft with registration number EI-EVP with 67 passengers arriving. There were 40 passengers on the return.

Ryanair announced a base in Zagreb with 12 new lines. Two more were added later. From June 17, traffic will start on the line from the base at Bergamo Airport near Milan with four flights a week, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Traffic from the base in Zagreb will start on July 23, with the first departure from Zagreb on the line to Gothenburg. On the same day, the plan is to start traffic on the routes to Rome ("Ciampino" airport) and London ("Stansted" airport). Other 9 lines to: Paris (Beuvais Airport), Dortmund, Dusseldorf (Niederrhein-Weeze Airport), Frankfurt (Hahn Airport), Karlsruhe, Memmingen, Malmö, Oslo (Sandefjord-Torp Airport) ") and Podgorica are scheduled for September 1. 

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ZAGREB, 3 June 2021 - Irish Ryanair on Wednesday started operating a new route between Zagreb and Brussels Charleroi, which is scheduled twice a week, and the same airline announced the launch of several other flights from Zagreb, with ticket prices from €19.99, Zagreb Airport (MZLZ) has said.

The flight to Milan Bergamo launches on 17 June, and the flights to Gothenburg, London Stansted, and Rome Ciampino will be available from 23 July, when the first Ryanair airplane will be based in Zagreb.

The full Ryanair flight schedule from Zagreb for summer 2021 will be available from September, when the second airplane will be based in Zagreb and nine new routes will open to Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, and Montenegro.

Ryanair's Sales and Marketing Manager for Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans, Olga Pawlonka, said that she was pleased that her company had officially marked the first flight for Zagreb on the Brussels Charleroi route.

Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

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ZAGREB, 3 June 2021 - Croatia Airlines (CA) on Thursday operated its first flight this season between Munich and Rijeka.

The reintroduction of regular flights between Rijeka and Munich is part of the plans to renew and intensify flight arrangements from Croatia to other European destinations during this summer season.

CA flights on the Rijeka-Munich route will available on Thursday and Sunday this summer, plus also on Tuesday during July, the Croatian air company said.

First flight on the route Munich-Rijeka today (Croatia Airlines Official Facebook Page)

CA plans to operate flights to seven Croatian destinations and another 18 destinations in Europe this summer.

Zagreb will be connected with 14 European destinations, Split with 12, and Dubrovnik with six destinations outside Croatia, for instance.

Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

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ZAGREB, 3 June 2021 - A plane of Russia's national carrier Aeroflot carrying 86 passengers landed at Dubrovnik Airport on Tuesday evening, marking the reintroduction of a daily direct flight between the south of Croatia and Moscow after seven years.

Dubrovnik Airport director Frano Luetić said he expected that the interest of Russians would bring even better flight occupancy.

"If the situation with the pandemic continues to improve, I expect July and August will be excellent," Luetić said, adding that the British market, which accounted for 30% of Dubrovnik Airport's traffic, is yet to reopen.

A COVID antigen and PCR testing facility has opened at Dubrovnik Airport, available to all citizens. A business aviation terminal is another novelty, and it is the most modern in Croatia.

"Last year, we had a very good connection in that segment, and this year we expect an even better one. Those are high-paying guests that spend their holidays on yachts on the Adriatic coast. The terminal is very modern, with passport control, customs control, catering, and VIP lounges," Luetić said.

Dubrovnik Tourist Board director Ana Hrnić said that Dubrovnik and Croatia were very interesting to Russian tourists.

"Last week, a popular tourist show was filmed here, so we expect further growth in interest," said Hrnić, who expects tourism turnover will be significantly better after 15 June.

Also, as of 10 June, Russia will include Croatia on the list of epidemiologically safe countries.

This year, over 500 flights will be connecting Russia and Croatia from June to September, and Croatia joining the epidemiological "green zone" opens the possibility of charter flights.

In addition to Dubrovnik, Aeroflot will connect Moscow with Pula, Split, and Zagreb during the season.

Croatia has renewed the issuance of tourist visas for Russian citizens, and there is currently great interest in holidays in Croatia on the Russian market.

According to data from the eVisitor system, this year visitors from Russia have generated about 30,000 overnight stays, or 48% more than in the same period last year.

 Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

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

ZAGREB, 2 June 2021 - TAP Air Portugal, the state-owned flag carrier airline of Portugal, started operating direct flights between Zagreb and Lisbon on Wednesday, Zagreb Airport reported upon the reintroduction of this direct flight service.

The flights from Zagreb to Lisbon are scheduled three times a week, at 13.25 hours on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, while the flights from Lisbon to Zagreb are at 8 a.m. and arrive in Zagreb shortly afternoon.

Arik De of TAP Air Portugal said on Wednesday that this also strengthened the position of Lisbon as an air transport hub between Europe and America and Africa.

Yavuz Aytis of the Zagreb Airport (MZLZ) said that he was glad that this Lisbon-Zagreb direct service was restored after a five-year suspension.

During his recent visit to Portugal, Croatia's Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman announced the restoration of this service as one of the steps that would facilitate cooperation between the two countries.

In 2019, 65,570 Portuguese visitors traveled to Croatia, and in 2020, their number fell to 7,122  due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the data provided by the Croatian National Tourist Board.

 Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

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June 1, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as two new Wizz Air flights to Croatia from Vienna will land in Dubrovnik and Split! 

Avio Radar reports that Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air has announced new routes from Vienna to Dubrovnik and Split! 

Namely, the Vienna-Dubrovnik line will operate twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays, from July 4 to September 26, while the Vienna-Split line will also operate twice a week, but on Mondays and Fridays, from July 2 to September 24.

This is only the latest from Wizz Air, which has announced a series of flights to Croatia this summer. 

Last month, the airline announced its return to Dubrovnik after several years with a connection from Rome (Fiumicino Airport) three times a week, from July 1 to October 30, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

Tickets were also released on the Warsaw and Dubrovnik line just over a week ago, which will operate from July 3 on Wednesdays and Saturdays, until September 19. 

Wizz Air has significantly increased its operations to Split this year.

The low-cost airline will run between Rome and Split from July 2 every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, until October 29. 

From June 13, WizzAir will operate between Lublin and Split, on Thursdays and Sundays, until mid-September. From June 11, it will run between Poznan and Split every Monday and Friday, also until the end of September.

Wizz Air also has lineds from Gdansk, Wroclaw, and Krakow this summer. While the airline had announced a line between Split and Oslo this year as well, the airline has decided to completely withdraw from the Norweigan airport. 

To put things into perspective, Wizz Air connected Split with only four international destinations in the summer of 2020! 

Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

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ZAGREB, 29 May 2021 - The first 187-seat passenger Boeing 737-800 of the new Croatian airline ETF Airways was presented at Pula Airport on Saturday and another one is expected at the beginning of next month.

ETF Airways was established last year with the signing of the first permanent contract on connecting destinations in Southeast Europe with those across the EU, it was said.

"The market is recovering quickly after the spring easing of the pandemic. The demand for our services outside Croatia is growing above our expectations. We have a great team of people who have managed to respond to every challenge and prepare our company for the first season of operations with two Boeing airplanes. This is the first time in the past 30 years that Boeing is appearing on the Southeast European market," ETF Airways CEO Stjepan Bedić said.

"Beginning operations outside Croatia does not mean that ETF Airways won't become an important bridge for Croatia's tourism. It's a big world, but we are first of all a Croatian company. A charter plane is an irreplaceable air motorway and we are sure that the opening of new markets and bridges to high-income travellers will continue in the years ahead," said Velimir Šonje, deputy chair of the airline's supervisory committee and one of its investors.

ETF Airways will not be a line carrier but base its business strategy on charter flights and wet lease contracts, i.e. leasing aircraft and crew to other airlines or businesses.

"For smaller airlines it's almost impossible to compete with giants like Ryanair and Lufthansa. However, there are many niches on the market, in part related to tourism, in which there is more than enough room for companies like us," said management board member Marko Banković.

Among the guests at Pula Airport was Boeing's director for Europe, Matthew Bull, and an envoy of Croatia's tourism minister, Ivo Bašić, who said that enterprise initiative like this one were important from a number of aspects as they strengthened Croatia's position on the air destination map.

May 26, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as flights from Scandinavia to Croatia return this summer thanks to SAS, Norwegian, TUI, and Nova Airways. 

Croatian Aviation reports that SAS, Norwegian, TUI, and Nova Airways are announcing the start of operations on their seasonal routes from Scandinavia to Croatian airports.

After several months, Scandinavian airlines are resuming traffic on their seasonal international routes to Croatian airports. Pula, Split, and Dubrovnik will again have direct connections with several cities. A look at the flight schedule for June.

Lines to Split begin first

The first flights this season have been announced to Split Airport. From June 5, Norwegian will operate once a week on the Stockholm - Split - Stockholm route, and from the end of June, daily flights have been announced.

In addition to Stockholm, Norwegian plans to introduce the Copenhagen - Split - Copenhagen route (daily) from the end of June, and flights on the Oslo - Split - Oslo route have been announced from June 17, three times a week, every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

SAS Scandinavian Airlines will resume operations on the Stockholm - Split - Stockholm route from June 5, and as of June 16, two flights a week have been announced on this route, on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

As of Wednesday, June 9, SAS introduces the Copenhagen - Split - Copenhagen line, which will operate twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. At the beginning of July, the company will introduce a regular line between Oslo and Split.

In addition to the two mentioned carriers, from Friday, June 4, TUI will operate once a week from Stockholm to Split. Nova Airways will also operate on the regular charter line Gothenburg - Split - Stockholm from the beginning of June.

At the end of June, the return of SAS to Pula

From the end of June, SAS Scandinavian Airlines routes to Pula Airport have also been announced. These are three international lines, from Copenhagen, Oslo, and Stockholm.

The line from Copenhagen to Pula is announced twice a week, on Tuesdays and Sundays, the line from Oslo once a week, on Mondays, and the line from Stockholm twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The lines will be in operation from the last week of June, and an increase in the number of weekly operations is expected from July.

Norwegian is currently not selling tickets to Pula Airport for this summer season.

Lines to Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik has SAS and Norwegian flights in the announcement; both mentioned airlines should resume traffic to Dubrovnik in the last week of June.

SAS is currently planning two lines to Dubrovnik from Copenhagen and Stockholm. The line from Copenhagen is announced once a week from June 28, on Mondays, while the line from Stockholm is also announced once a week, on Sundays, from June 27. The carrier also plans to increase the number of operations towards Dubrovnik in early July. 

Norwegian currently offers only one line to Dubrovnik Airport. It is a line Stockholm - Dubrovnik - Stockholm, which should have its first flight this season on June 28. Three flights a week have been announced, on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, and from July on Saturdays.

Four lines from Zagreb

According to current announcements, Zagreb will have four direct lines to Scandinavia this summer.

At the beginning of June, Croatia Airlines will increase the number of operations on its regular route Zagreb - Copenhagen - Zagreb with a morning departure from Zagreb Airport, and in June, flights on this route will be available daily.

From July 23, Ryanair will introduce the Zagreb - Gothenburg - Zagreb route (three flights a week), while from September, regular flights from Zagreb to Oslo Torp and Malmo have been announced (both routes two flights a week).

In previous years, Norwegian operated on the line between Copenhagen and Zagreb, but this line is not on sale on the airline's official website this year either.

Flights from Zadar to Stockholm

Since the end of June, Zadar Airport has announced a regular direct Ryanair flight between Gothenburg and Zadar; two flights a week have been announced, on Tuesdays and Fridays, and in July, there will be as many as four flights a week on this route.

In addition to Gothenburg, Zadar will be connected to Stockholm and Aarhus in July.

Rijeka, Osijek, and Brac, the three remaining airports open to international traffic, currently have no scheduled flights from Scandinavia for this summer season. 

Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

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

May 26, 2021 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Russian S7 flights to Split and Zadar will operate from Moscow at the end of June! These will be the second and third routes to Croatia this year after Pula Airport. 

Croatian Aviation reports that the Russian airline, S7 Airlines, will introduce two more scheduled flights to Croatia in June. Namely, the Moscow-based airline will introduce two more scheduled flights to Croatia in the second half of June.

The airline traditionally operates on a regular seasonal line between Pula and Moscow, and this year, it will also operate to Zadar and Split!

Regular flights to Pula operate once a week, on Sundays, and the airline currently plans to maintain one rotation throughout the summer season.

The positive news is that S7 Airlines will introduce two more new routes to Croatia from the end of June.

The Moscow - Split - Moscow (Domodedovo Airport) line will be in operation from June 25, once a week, every Friday. Fifteen rotations with the B737-800 aircraft, with a capacity of 176 passengers, have been announced. The S7 will offer a total of 5,280 seats with one flight per week until the end of September (September 24, 2021) between Moscow and Split.

From June 26, S7 will operate on the Moscow - Zadar - Moscow line (also from Domodedovo Airport). This line was also announced once a week, on Saturdays, until September 25, so the same number of operations was announced as for Split.

On two new lines to Croatia, S7 will offer an additional 10,560 seats. This is the only announced line this season between Moscow and Zadar, while the Russian national airline - Aeroflot - will operate daily to Split. As it stands now, Aeroflot will fly to Split from June 1. 

Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

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

May 25, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as Iberia flights to Split and Zagreb return next month, while the Dubrovnik line will increase to four flights a week! 

Croatian Aviation reports that Spanish national airline, Iberia, will resume traffic to two Croatian airports - Zagreb and Split - from the beginning of June.

Iberia is running again to Zagreb and Split from the beginning of June! Since March, the Spanish national airline has been operating on a regular route between Madrid and Dubrovnik and will reintroduce routes to Split and Zagreb next month. 

Return to Zagreb

These lines were not in operation in the summer of 2020, and the airline only had reduced traffic to Dubrovnik Airport. Still, in the summer of 2021, Iberia will operate to the Croatian capital, Split, and later to Zadar, which will restore traffic on all lines Iberia had in the summer season of 2019, before the pandemic.

The Madrid - Zagreb - Madrid line was announced on Friday, June 4. Initially, Iberia aircraft will operate on this route three times a week, on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Three flights a week have been announced throughout June, and A320 aircraft will operate on the route.

Iberia will offer a total of 4,104 seats between Zagreb and Madrid in June.

Madrid - Split - Madrid from June 1

In addition to Zagreb, Iberia will return to Split Airport as of June 1. In the first half of the month, two flights a week are announced, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and from mid-June, flights on Saturdays and Sundays are added.

As early as the end of June, Iberia will operate between Madrid and Split five times a week, every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Currently, 16 rotations have been announced on this line in June, with 5,472 seats available for sale between the two mentioned cities.

More flights to Dubrovnik

As we mentioned earlier, Dubrovnik is the only Croatian airport to which Iberia operated in the summer of 2020 and is also the company's first destination in Croatia this summer season.

So far, two flights a week have been available on this route, and as many as four have been announced since the beginning of June (from Friday to Monday).

From Friday, June 18, Iberia plans to operate daily between Dubrovnik and Madrid, with A320 aircraft, so that the Spanish company will offer the largest number of seats to Dubrovnik. There are currently as many as 7,182 seats on sale.

Zadar from July!

Regular flights on the route between Madrid and Zadar are currently postponed to the beginning of July (from July 3). Two flights a week have been announced on this route, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, but given that the start date of operations is still quite far, there is no need to hurry with booking because the airline could continue to cancel flights on this route.

In June, Iberia will have three lines to Croatia with a total of 15 weekly operations. Between Madrid, Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik, there are as many as 16,755 seats on offer.

Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

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