December 8, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Flydubai replaces Emirates in Zagreb next year.

Ex Yu Aviation reports that Flydubai will replace Emirates on the Dubai-Zagreb route next summer!

Recall, Emirates officially canceled the Dubai-Zagreb route for all of 2021 back in October. The airline had planned to operate on the Dubai-Zagreb route in this year's summer flight schedule, but due to the global coronavirus pandemic, the start of operations on this route was first postponed, and then completely canceled for this year.

Emirates then left daily flights on this route on sale for the 2021 summer flight schedule, but ultimately canceled the route entirely. Namely, the airline canceled all flights to Zagreb for the next year, closed its office at Zagreb Airport, and fired its local employees. Emirates also canceled their routes between Dubai - Edinburgh, Dubai - Porto, and Dubai - St. Petersburg.

A logical move, Flydubai will now operate on this route three times a week, beginning February 3, 2021, before running four flights a week from March 28, 2021, and daily from June 1, 2021,

Flydubai will operate using a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which Ex Yu Aviation says will likely be upgraded to the 737 MAX once it receives regulatory approval to return to the skies. 

However, capacity between Zagreb and Dubai will be significantly reduced compared to 2019, offering 57,420 seats on 330 flights. Recall, in the summer of 2019, Emirates offered 137,510 seats on 380 flights on the three-class Boeing 777 aircraft. Thus, Flydubai will operate with a capacity reduction of 58.2%.

Ex Yu Aviation also reports that Flydubai should resume its seasonal summer service to Dubrovnik from May 13, 2021, which would operate until August 27. FlyDubai had also previously announced regular flights to Zagreb from December this winter, which will no longer happen as the airline withdrew all flights on the route until the beginning of February 2021. It is now only a question of when those flights will also be canceled.

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December 7, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Air Serbia operates twice weekly to Zagreb in December, slightly reducing its winter flight schedule to the Croatian capital. 

Croatian Aviation reports that Air Serbia will operate only twice a week this month between Belgrade and Zagreb. There are also four additional return flights on sale around the holidays.

Namely, in December, the Serbian national carrier operates only twice a week between Belgrade and Zagreb, every Monday and Friday (Monday mornings, Friday evenings). 

In November, three flights a week were generally available on this route, but due to reduced demand, the company further reduced its flight schedule to Zagreb, canceling flights on Tuesdays.

However, during the Christmas and New Year holidays, the company will offer, in addition to the already mentioned two flights a week, four more return flights. Flights are announced on Saturday the 19th, Sunday the 20th, Wednesday the 23rd, and Sunday, the 27th of December.

ATR72-200 aircraft operate on all routes. Air Serbia offers a total of 1,584 seats between Zagreb and Belgrade in December.

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.

This news comes after Windrose Airlines canceled certain departures on the route Kyiv - Zagreb - Kyiv.

Namely, because the entry of foreign nationals into the Republic of Croatia is limited after the last epidemiological measures were introduced. Windrose will not fly on the Kyiv - Zagreb - Kyiv line on December 6 and 9 (Wednesday and Sunday), and the normal flow of traffic on this line is expected from December 13. The airline leaves the possibility of additional flight cancellations, which will primarily depend on border measures and decisions of the national headquarters related to the entry of foreign nationals into the Republic of Croatia.

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December 6, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Windrose cancels certain departures to Zagreb in December. 

Croatian Aviation reports that due to new epidemiological measures, Windrose Airlines has canceled certain departures on the route Kyiv - Zagreb - Kyiv.

Namely, because the entry of foreign nationals into the Republic of Croatia is limited after the last epidemiological measures were introduced, Windrose Airlines canceled certain flights to Zagreb in December.

Windrose will not fly on the Kyiv - Zagreb - Kyiv line on December 6 and 9 (Wednesday and Sunday), and the normal flow of traffic on this line is expected from December 13. The airline leaves the possibility of additional flight cancellations, which will primarily depend on border measures and decisions of the national headquarters related to the entry of foreign nationals into the Republic of Croatia.

The airline sees great potential on the line to Zagreb. In the second month of operations on this line, they recorded an average occupancy of the passenger cabin of a high 72%.

The airline was scheduled to introduce an additional, third flight a week on this route, beginning in December, every Friday, until the end of the winter flight schedule. As confirmed by Windrose Airlines, the reason for not going ahead with additional frequencies is the result of the previously mentioned epidemiological measures and restrictions at the borders that directly affect reservations, both on this route and others. The line will continue to operate twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Windrose Airlines plans to increase the number of weekly flights to Zagreb in the summer flight schedule in 2021, provided that the epidemiological situation is much better and that there are no restrictions on international travel to or from Croatia. Confirmation of the potential of this line is in the excellent Load Factor in October and a satisfactory number in November, especially at a time when international travel is kept to a minimum.

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December 5, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as KLM boosts Amsterdam-Zagreb from February 2021. 

Croatian Aviation reports that Dutch KLM, the oldest airline in the world, will introduce the second daily flight on the Amsterdam - Zagreb - Amsterdam route from February 12 next year!

Until now, KLM has operated daily to Zagreb, but from February KLM will operate on this line 14 times a week.

"However, from February next year, we are happy to be able to offer 2 daily flights to Amsterdam. All KLM staff, both on the ground and on the plane, guarantee our passengers the highest level of health and safety. We have taken several sanitary measures on the plane and at the airport, as well as adjusted our sales and refund policy to ensure smooth and safe travel. I hope that this new, additional flight between Zagreb and Amsterdam will be a sign of optimism for the future, offering the opportunity to visit the world, reunite family and friends living abroad, establish new businesses between Croatia and the Netherlands, and welcome new foreign tourists in the country," said Ildikó Kiss, sales manager for the region.

"We would like to express our satisfaction with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines' decision to introduce a second daily flight on the Amsterdam-Zagreb route from February 2021. This news is especially significant in the circumstances when we face significant consequences of the pandemic in global air traffic. We are optimistic about the future and firmly believe that the additional daily flight between Amsterdam and Zagreb will be a bright sign of a new future," said Huseyin Bahadir Bedir, Executive Director of Zagreb Airport.

KLM planes will take off from Zagreb twice a day, at 06:30 in the morning (arrival in Amsterdam at 08:30), and 12:20 (arrival in Amsterdam at 14:30). E175 aircraft have been announced for both daily flights.

The introduction of KLM's second daily flight to Amsterdam will enable an even larger number of connections from Zagreb Airport, and in addition to the Dutch company's two daily flights, Air France is expected to introduce a second daily flight to Paris in the spring of next year.

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December 4, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Eurowings cancels Cologne-Split, and Vueling terminates its recently announced winter service between Barcelona and Dubrovnik.

Croatian Aviation reports that two well-known low-cost carriers, Germany's Eurowings and Spain's Vueling, withdrew two lines to Croatian destinations, although they were announced for December and January, respectively.

In November, Eurowings announced its flight schedule for December this year, in which it will offer slightly more flights to Croatian destinations, Zagreb and Split, just in time for the holidays.

Although Eurowings has announced traffic on the direct Split-Cologne line, this will not happen. Namely, the airline's original plan was to operate on this line from December 22 to January 10 twice a week, on Tuesdays and Sundays, but low demand caused by new measures at border crossings forced the company to cancel planned operations on this line.

There will still be lines from Dusseldorf and Stuttgart to Split, as well as Eurowings lines to Zagreb.

Furthermore, Spanish low-cost airline Vueling announced at the end of October that it would launch the Barcelona-Dubrovnik route in January 2021.

Regular flights on this route were on sale twice a week, every Thursday and Sunday. Vueling was also forced to cancel these flights and is currently planning to return to Dubrovnik with the start of the summer flight schedule, in April next year.

The airline tried to motivate a certain number of passengers to visit Dubrovnik in January at very reasonable prices, but this was clearly not enough. When we take into account all the restrictions that exist today when traveling (especially international ones), the cancellation of these flights is quite an expected move by the airline.

Dubrovnik was left without its only announced scheduled flight this winter, and there will be no international flights to and from Dubrovnik until the spring of next year, while Split remains connected by Croatia Airlines to Frankfurt, Rome and Munich, Edelweiss to Zurich, KLM to Amsterdam and Eurowings for Dusseldorf and Stuttgart.

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December 3, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Croatia Airlines operates to 11 international destinations from Zagreb in December. 

Croatian Aviation reports that in December, Croatia Airlines will operate to 11 international destinations from Zagreb. As before, the largest number of weekly flights will be to Frankfurt, then to Amsterdam, while the smallest number of flights will be to the airport in Sarajevo.

The Zagreb - Amsterdam - Zagreb line operates daily in December, with a morning departure from Zagreb.

The Zagreb - Vienna - Zagreb line operates once a week, every Wednesday, December 9, 16, 23, and 30.

The Zagreb - Brussels - Zagreb line operates twice a week, on Fridays and Sundays. Instead of on Christmas, the line will run exceptionally on Wednesday, December 23.

The Zagreb - Frankfurt - Zagreb line operates two to three times a day, and on Saturdays once a day.

The Zagreb - Copenhagen - Zagreb line operates twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays. Additionally, direct flights are on sale on Wednesday, December 16, Saturday, December 19, and Monday, December 21.

The Zagreb - London - Zagreb line operates once a week, on Mondays. Additionally, direct flights are on sale on Saturday, December 19, Wednesday, December 23, and Wednesday, December 30.

The Zagreb - Paris - Zagreb line operates twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays. Additionally, a direct flight is on sale on Tuesday, December 22.

The Zagreb - Rome - Zagreb (via Split) line operates three times a week, on Mondays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Instead of Thursday, December 24, a direct flight is on sale on Wednesday, December. 23.

The Zagreb - Sarajevo - Zagreb line has been temporarily suspended. It will be in traffic again from December 17, with two flights a week, on Thursdays and Sundays.

The Zagreb - Skopje - Zagreb line operates twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays. It is not on sale for Christmas.

The Zagreb - Zurich - Zagreb line operates twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays. Additionally, direct flights are on sale on Friday the 18th, Saturday the 19th, and Saturday the 26th of December.

The Split - Frankfurt - Split line operates once a week, every Saturday. The airline offers daily flights from Split to Frankfurt with a short transfer in Zagreb.

The Split - Munich - Split line operates twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays. Additionally, flights are on sale on Saturdays (December 19 and 21), and instead of Christmas, the line will operate on Wednesday, December 23.

The Split - Rome - Split line operates three times a week, on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays. Instead of Thursday, December 24, a direct flight is on sale on Wednesday, December 23.

On Christmas, Croatia Airlines aircraft will not operate to international destinations

Expecting a slight increase in passenger demand, Croatia Airlines. increased the number of flights on the route to Brussels, Copenhagen, London, Paris and Zurich in December. The increases are minimal, which is expected on the one hand, given that new measures are in force that will force a larger number of passengers to cancel their trips to Croatia during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

The line from Split to Munich is currently the only direct line between Croatian airports and the capital of Bavaria, after Lufthansa canceled the Munich - Zagreb line on December 1. Croatia Airlines does not currently operate on this line.

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December 1, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as FlyDubai cancels Zagreb this winter. However, the airline could possibly make a comeback to Croatia in the spring. 

Croatian Aviation reports that although Emirates' partner company, FlyDubai, had announced regular flights to Zagreb from December this winter, which will no longer happen.

As we announced earlier, FlyDubai will not return to Zagreb Airport so soon. The company previously announced flights in early October, which it then canceled by mid-December. Although we announced then that the company will probably not operate on the line between Dubai and Zagreb this year, this has now been confirmed. FlyDubai withdrew all flights on the said route until the beginning of February 2021, and in fact, it is only a question of when those flights will also be canceled.

After Emirates completely gave up on the Dubai - Zagreb line for 2021, it would be logical for FlyDubai to take over this line in the 2021 summer flight schedule. According to the announcements, this should happen, but only from April, with four flights a week throughout the summer flight schedule. Of course, this will depend on passenger demand and the epidemiological situation, so predicting the return of this airline (especially the number of weekly operations) at this time is not wise.

FlyDubai is a state-owned company and works closely with Emirates, operating to less attractive destinations.

FlyDubai will not be able to offer one very important element in relation to its partner Emirates, which with the B777-300ER aircraft offered space for almost 18 tons of cargo or approximately 125 cubic meters of cargo space, depending on the configuration and capacity of the passenger cabin.

Given the announcements that the B737MAX aircraft will soon be re-licensed to operate regular commercial flights, it is to be expected that once FlyDubai returns to Zagreb on a route from Dubai, it will use this type of aircraft, which in terms of comfort and passenger cabin design has significantly better characteristics compared to B737-800.

Additionally, after the news that Korean Air withdrew from Zagreb Airport, FlyDubai will have the opportunity to take on some passengers from the South Korean market, which will certainly be important in the next summer season. It is certain that both Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways will try to create dominance in our traditional, and most important markets with their pricing policy.

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November 29, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Korean Air cancels Seoul-Zagreb in 2021.

Ex Yu Aviation reports that there will be nothing of Korean Air’s Seoul-Zagreb service next year, as the sale of tickets on the seasonal line have been discontinued. The Korean national airline had announced prior that they would resume flights on this line on March 30, 2021, which would run three times a week, on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. This service was scheduled to be in operation until October 30, 2021, and was to use Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.

The service was to offer 50.034 seats and 93 (one-way) flights next year.

The Seoul-Zagreb service did not work this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has particularly affected Korean Air since the virus ripped through Asia in January. 

Due to its hardships, at the beginning of November, Korean Air revealed it is planning to merge with competitor Asiana Airlines in a deal worth $1.6 billion. 

“The new integrated Korean flag carrier will rise to one of the top ten most competitive players in the global aviation industry, laying the groundwork to cope with the coronavirus crisis with efficiency and to leap forward in the post-pandemic era”, the airline said of the merger which should take two years. 

Korean Air initially launched the year-round service between the two capitals back in September 2018, worked as a  triangle routing from Seoul - Zagreb - Zurich - Seoul in the 2018/19 winter season, and became seasonal in 2019. Because Korean Air handled 43, 123 passengers between the two cities in 2019, the airline had plans to increase its summer capacity this year from the Airbus A330 to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

But not all hope is lost. Korean Air is offering alternatives from Seoul to Zagreb from other European cities, like Frankfurt, Paris, and Zurich. 

Low-cost carrier T’Way Air also announced plans to operate flights to Croatia when conditions are met. They have so far received the necessary permits from the Korean Ministry for Land, Infrastructure, and Transport to operate up to four flights a week to Croatia. 

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November 27, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as British Airways returns to Zagreb for the holidays, and Croatia Airlines boosts traffic on the same route.

Croatian Aviation reports that British Airways will briefly re-establish the London Heathrow-Zagreb route at Christmas and New Year. Croatia Airlines is also increasing the number of flights on this route.

This year, British Airways very often changed its schedule on the London-Zagreb route. Recall, the route was suspended in September until the end of October, then it operated for a very short time, only two weeks, and stopped traffic to Zagreb again.

By mid-November, the company had offered a significant number of direct flights between Zagreb and London from mid-December. However, the closer we get to the announced flights, the more significantly the airline reduced the number of departures on this line, just in time for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

British Airways has confirmed that this line will operate from December 20 to January 5 and will perform only 5 return flights on this route, far less than originally planned. The London Heathrow - Zagreb - London Heathrow line will operate on December 20, 22, and 29. Only two flights are available in January - on Sunday, January 3, and Tuesday, January 5.

Departures in both directions on all announced British Airways flights are very well filled.

The question remains as to why British Airways did not sell more departures on this route in time for the holidays when all flights were well booked almost a month in advance. The airline has time to open additional sales on certain departures, but so far it has done just the opposite, and instead reduced the number of flights to Zagreb for the upcoming holidays.

Croatia Airlines, which operates once a week (Monday) between Zagreb and London, is offering a second flight a week on this route from mid-December. This is a good move by the national airline, which is obviously following what the competition is doing on this route and opening sales on time.

From December 14 to January 10, there are 4302 seats for sale between London and Zagreb.

In addition to flights on Mondays, Croatia Airlines has direct flights on sale on December 19, 23, and 30. In January, flights are available on Saturdays, on January 2 and 9.

Croatian Aviation adds that anyone who wants to spend the holidays in Croatia will have a rather difficult time organizing this trip, given that flights between London and Zagreb will be quite rare for this time of year. Apart from British Airways and Croatia Airlines, there is no doubt that a large number of passengers will travel with other airlines, with stops, for example, in Amsterdam and Warsaw.

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November 26, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Austrian Airlines returns to Zagreb for the holiday season.

Croatian Aviation reports that Austrian Airlines will briefly resume operations on the Vienna-Zagreb route. During the Christmas and New Year holidays, the Austrian company will operate 14 flights between the capitals of Austria and Croatia.

Austrian Airlines has been a long-time user of Zagreb Airport and one of the biggest unpleasant surprises in this crisis year was the news that the Vienna-Zagreb route was interrupted.

Although the reason for the temporary departure from Zagreb is clear (drop in demand), the question remains how Austrian regularly operates to smaller destinations in the region, such as Pristina, Skopje and Sarajevo, and is also present in Belgrade.

The line will be in operation from December 18 to January 3, during which time Austrian Airlines will make 14 rotations between Vienna and Zagreb.

Direct flights will be available on the following days: Friday, December 18, Saturday, December 19, Sunday, December 20, Monday, December 28, Wednesday, December 30, Saturday, January 2, and Sunday, January 3. 

DashQ400 aircraft with a capacity of 76 seats in the Austrian Airlines fleet has been announced for all flights. A larger E195 aircraft with a capacity of 120 seats was announced for the flight on Sunday, December 20.

Austrian Airlines will offer 1,152 seats between Vienna and Zagreb in three weeks of operation.

After January 3, this line will be interrupted again, according to the airline's current plan, until March 1 next year, when Austrian should resume daily traffic between Zagreb and Vienna. Whether this will really happen will depend on the demand itself and the epidemiological situation.

Unlike other airlines (KLM, Eurowings and Edelweiss), Austrian will not introduce direct scheduled flights to coastal airports this winter.

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