June 17, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb, Osijek and Split.

AvioRadar reports that Korean Air, a member of the global airline carrier SkyTeam, will launch newer and larger planes on their service to Zagreb this autumn. Namely, from September 17 to October 28, 2019, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner will operate on the service between Zagreb and Seoul Incheon, instead of the smaller Airbus A330-200 aircraft. The Korean Air Airbus A330-200 aircraft has a capacity of 218 across three classes, while the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner has 271 seats. 

Thus, 53 more seats will be available on this service, which runs three times per week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. 

In other news, AvioRadar reports that on Friday, June 14, 2019, Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air landed their last flight at Osijek Airport. The Airbus A320 landed on time, five minutes before 8 pm, from Basel/Mulhouse. The final departure left at 8:25. 

This service operated two to three flights per week, on Mondays and Fridays and in selected periods on Wednesdays. The Airbus A320 flew on this route.

Osijek airport expects this line to return, though there are currently no tickets to purchase until the end of the summer schedule or for the winter schedule. 

The most exciting news of last week revealed that Split Airport’s new 450 million kuna terminal and additional facilities would open in approximately two weeks. 

Namely, Ex Yu Aviation reported that Split Airport's new passenger terminal is set to open on schedule, and in approximately two weeks, though the exact date is still unknown. Technical checks are currently underway at the site, after which the Croatian Ministry for Construction and Spatial Planning will issue an operating permit. 

Recall, the new terminal will spread across 50,000 square meters, which is a significant improvement compared to the current 14,000. The will be 30 check-in counters, 6 exits, 5 luggage carousels, a new sorting facility, parking for 900 cars, a station for 49 buses, and a 120-meter-long air-conditioned pedestrian bridge that connects it all. There will also be a lounge for business class passengers, an observation deck, and more restaurants. You can see the progress of the airport back in March here. 

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

June 16, 2019 - Is Croatian tourism and business set for a major boost with the old airport terminal in Zagreb about to start a new chapter as a budget airline base?

It is 16 years since I moved to Croatia on a permanent basis, and it is fair to say that there has been considerable change in airline connectivity in that time. Those who today complain about the lack of winter flights from cheap carriers from November to March should look back just a few years to before the arrival of Ryanair in Zadar in 2007. My off-season choices to get from the UK to Hvar, for example, were two-fold - Ryanair to Trieste and then the 11-hour bus journey down the coast to Split and onward ferry, or Ryanair to Graz, train to Zagreb and bus to Split. 

Although Ryanair were the pioneers, they did not expand as quickly in the Croatian market as elsewhere. Indeed it took them 12 years to inaugurate flights to both Split and Dubrovnik, with the first flights only touching down this month. easyJet and Norwegian were much more aggressive in the Croatian market, with the former outpacing the national carrier, Croatia Airlines, by some distance in seasonal passenger numbers to the main coastal airports. But while an increasing number of budget carriers from an ever-expanding list of destinations was servicing the coast, one key airport was seemingly missing out on the low-cost connectivity.

Zagreb. 

It was explained to me that one of the reasons that Zagreb did not have many budget flight options was a decision to protect Croatia Airlines, a national carrier in quite a lot of trouble, but a proud symbol of a young nation. If Croatia Airlines was subjected to the brutal competition of the Ryanairs in its home territory, then it would have little chance of survival. It is an argument which I could understand from the point of view of protecting the status quo, but it made little sense for the Croatian economy. A little envious look a short drive north to Budapest showed that life after a failed national carrier was not only possible but healthy. 

The Hungarian state carrier Malev went bankrupt in 2012, the main player at Budapest Airport. As Budapest Airport CEO Jost Lammers explained in this TCN interview, it did not take Budapest long not only to react, but to thrive, and the airport is much busier and more successful than it was then.

"In fact not only Ryanair but all major airlines reacted very quickly to the new situation. With hindsight I may say that February 2012 clearly demonstrated to us that fierce competition is going on in the world of aviation, and there is no room for market vacuum at all. Even large legacy carriers reacted in less than 24 hours to the bankruptcy of Malév and made quick business decisions to fill in the missing routes. Some arrived with their first flights in Budapest within 72 hours. Of course the winter low season also helped, there was some free capacity at hand for all major airlines to start a new route to Budapest. Discount carriers were of course the quickest to react. Their market share used to be around 25 % when Malév was still around, and it quickly rose to 50-52 % where it stabilized."

I have been working a lot with the medical tourism industry in Croatia in recent months. As with many things here, the potential is phenomenal, but the realities of modern Croatia are holding things back. The Hungarian dental tourism market is estimated at some 600 million euro a year, at least 25% of which Croatia could take if it got organised, according to Keith Pollard, Chief Editor of the industry's leading media, International Medical Travel Journal, in an interview with TCN.

But while the quality of Croatian dental care is as good as any in Eastern Europe, flying to Zagreb from the UK compared to places like Budapest is currently a lot more complicated and expensive, and Croatia's dentists, and a whole range of other businesses and tourism opportunities, are missing out. I asked Lammers about the boost that Budapest's strategy had brought for Hungarian dental tourism:

"It is not only “dental tourism” that has shown strong development. We have close ties with river cruise operators. More than 250 000 people start their holidays on the Danube cruise-ships here in Budapest. These people are flying in through our airport from all over the world, from the US through China to Japan. All in all, I think Budapest has become a remarkable tourism destination offering a very wide variety of entertainment to all customer segments: the traditional Sziget Festival brings in tens of thousands of young people in the summer with backpacks; then Red Bull Air Race and Formula-1 are two major and fabulous technical sport events with lots of spectators. Budapest also has a lot to offer in cultural tourism. For instance, we cooperate closely with the Winter Festival which targets mostly opera and classical music fans."

Zagreb seemed to have moved in a totally different direction which was a lot more prohibitive to the development of budget carriers. A shiny new 330 million euro airport terminal opened in 2017, with prices to match. The arrival of airlines such as Emirates and increased rotations from Qatar, as well as direct seasonal flights from Canada and Seoul increased Croatia's intercontinental access considerably, but Zagreb remained an expensive and poorly served airport for those looking for a cheap flight. 

But is that about to change, and change drastically?

I am not in the habit of publishing rumours for the sake of it. This region is that land of rumours and conspiracy theories, and we would not survive long as a credible portal if we did. But I have heard from several excellent industry sources that something rather exciting - and innovative - is soon to take place at the old (and now unused) airport terminal in Zagreb. 

It will operate as a separate airport structure to the new terminal, but using the same runway, and the old terminal will operate as a new budget airport hub. Two airlines which keep being mentioned are Eurowings and Lauda, and this would be in line with Eurowings' expansion in the region. I contacted both the city of Zagreb and the Ministry of Transport for comment, who both replied quickly suggesting I contact the airport concessionaire for comment.  

According to the various sources, discussions are quite advanced, and if realised, Zagreb would have a rather unusual, but very exciting dual airport system for visitors to choose from. By making Zagreb a lot more accessible, one more obstacle for Croatia's economic development will have been removed. As we have written previously, our increasingly digitalised world will see about one billion digital nomads by 2035. Any country which can be close to the forefront of hosting that industry is going to see their economy revolutionised. Cheap and easy access is an essential part of the package. Croatia already has so many natural advantages to attract digital nomads - EU country, safe, affordable, great Internet connectivity, stunning, English widely-spoken, fantastic gourmet offer, great tourism and lifestyle. And - hopefully, soon - even better connectivity to the rest of Europe and beyond. 

As for digital nomads, so too for dental tourists and a host of other sectors of the Croatian economy which will benefit. 

Should the old terminal be put back into action as a low-cost hub, there are of course a number of questions, most notably about the future of Croatia Airlines. There would also have to be some mechanisms and rules to stop airlines paying higher fees at the new terminal from defecting. One way to ensure this would be to say that the old terminal can only do point-to-point traffic and the fees will only be lower if you provide a certain volume of traffic. 

Lidia Capkovic Martinek, Advisor to the Director of International Airport Jsc. was kind enough to promptly reply to my questions about Eurowings and the use of the old terminal for low-cost carriers. 

"Eurowings currently operates 18 weekly flights to ZAG from 5 different destinations in Germany. As the concessionaire of Zagreb Airport, we are continuously in contact with our existing partners and other carriers, in order to improve air connectivity at Zagreb Airport.

"Currently there is no official plan to use old terminal building for low-cost carriers. But as a private company we would like to utilize our resources at maximum efficiency, therefore we always brainstorm about new ideas and projects."

I was obviously not expecting a direct confirmation from the airport, who announce things like this with their own media strategy, but stating there is no official plan, rather than no plan, suggests perhaps that there might an unofficial plan not yet for public consumption. And is this private company is looking to use its 'resources at maximum efficiency', one would assume that that would include how to get better use of a major asset such as the old terminal. 

Stay tuned. 

For a comprehensive guide to the new Zagreb Airport terminal, check out the Total Croatia guide. 

For more information on the latest flight news to Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN page. 

June 15, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Dubrovnik and Zagreb. 

Avio Radar reports that Greek carrier Aegean Airlines, a member of the Star Alliance association, will maintain their summer route between Dubrovnik and Athens for the winter, thus giving Dubrovnik a new line this winter season.

From October 28, 2019, the Aegean route will operate twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturday, until January 4, 2020. Afterward, there will be a two-month winter break, and from March 3, 2020, traffic will continue with two flights per week. 

At the same time, the Greek airline will increase winter traffic on the Zagreb-Athens route. In addition to last year’s two flights a week, on Mondays and Wednesday, an additional third flight will be introduced on Thursdays at selected times during the winter period. 

Just like the Dubrovnik route, the Zagreb route will have a break in traffic this winter, but for a shorter amount of time - from January 16 to February 23, 2020. 

Both lines will operate using the Bombardier Q400 aircraft from the Greek Olympic Air fleet. 

In other news, Avio Radar also reports that the Austrian low-cost carrier Anisec Luftfahrt, flying under the marketing name LEVEL, has significantly reduced traffic on many of its European routes. This significant reduction in traffic has also influenced the only route in Croatia, between Vienna and Dubrovnik, which was scheduled for four flights per week.

Now, the line will operate just one flight per week this summer, on Saturdays. Traffic will end on this route on September 7, 2019, with no further sales. An Airbus A321 aircraft will fly on this route. 

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

Just a few days ago, Lufthansa landed at Rijeka Airport for the first time and thus established a permanent line with Munich. And now, on June 4, 2019, Air Serbia landed at Rijeka Airport. Therefore, for the first time in almost 30 years, Rijeka is once again linked to Belgrade with a direct flight, reports Otok-Krk.org on June 4, 2019. 

The new airline was welcomed with a traditional inauguration ceremony and water cannon salute. Representatives of the Rijeka Airport attended the ceremony with chief representatives of Air Serbia Goran Grozdanić, Chief Marketing Officer Maja Šotra, Regional Manager for Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina Damir Rigo, and Area Controller in charge of Rijeka Airport Zlatko Kuzmanović.

Thirty passengers were on the flight from Belgrade and were welcomed with homemade cakes and folk dancing by the young KUD Ive Jurjević from Omišalj. The tape was cut collectively by Air Serbia representative Goran Grozdanić and head of the RJ Plan and development of the Rijeka Airport Vedrana Čubranić.

This new line has established a direct air link between Rijeka and Belgrade, which will take place twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays throughout the year. This will, as Vedrana Čubranić pointed out, cut travel time between the two cities from six hours on the highway to only eighty minutes in the air. 

Traffic on the Belgrade-Rijeka line will be operated by the ATR 72 which can accommodate 66 passengers. During the high season, the A319 aircraft will work with a capacity of 144 seats.

Air Serbia is Serbia's national airline flying to a total of 49 destinations in Europe and the Mediterranean, with direct lines to the Middle East and North America, and direct flights from Belgrade to international destinations in Asia, Australia, and Africa.

“Introducing a direct year-round regular line between Rijeka and Belgrade represents a very significant step forward for the Kvarner region, since it was introduced after almost 30 years when it was traded twice a day in the former Yugoslavia. This line is of great significance as it will travel throughout the year, and introducing lines that will travel for 12 months are the foundation for the further sustainable development of the Rijeka Airport, as it reduces its seasonality and passengers can connect with larger centers throughout the year,” concluded Čubranić.

Air Serbia will also soon begin flights to Zadar, which will operate twice a week, on Fridays and Sundays, from June 21 to September 15, 2019. 

Recall, Air Serbia has already operated seasonal flights from Belgrade to Dubrovnik, Split and Pula, while the airline flies to Zagreb throughout the year. This summer, however, the Serbian airline will cover Croatia’s entire Adriatic coast, plus Zagreb, with its new flight announcements. 

Airline expert Alen Šćuric revealed that Air Serbia would have 31 flights per week to Croatia on the summer flight schedule, which is 4.5 flights a day, while they will run 12 flights a week in the off-season. The airline will offer about 165,000 seats annually, in both directions, on their total flights to Croatia, said Šćuric.

“This means that around 1.5 percent of all Croatian air passengers will travel through Belgrade,” says Šćuric. Though Croatia’s tourists may find that these lines are primarily used to bring Serbian tourists to the Adriatic, Šćuric believes that 70 percent of those passengers will travel across Belgrade to other destinations where Air Serbia operates. 

On the other hand, the Croatian national carrier Croatia Airlines has only one line for Serbia and Belgrade from Split in the summer, where it offers a total of 5800 seats. And it will stay that way for now. Croatia Airlines said that Belgrade has been part of the regular evaluation of the company's network planning department for a long time, but also that the new lines introduced in the last three years showed a higher demand, and accordingly gained an advantage when opening new routes.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

May 21, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Dubrovnik, Pula, and Rijeka airports. 

AvioRadar reports on May 19, 2019, that Czech airline Smartwings began ticket sales from Poland to Dubrovnik. Namely, the Czech carrier is operating charter lines for Polish Travel Service Polska, the daughter company of Rainbow Tours. The Katowice lines to Dubrovnik, as well as the Warsaw-Dubrovnik connection, are now available for sale as regular seasonal lines beginning on June 6, 2019. The charter flights between Warsaw and Dubrovnik began earlier. 

Both lines will operate once a week, on Thursdays, until September 26, 2019. The third charter line between Gdansk and Dubrovnik will remain the same as last year and will have no tickets available for sale via Smartwings. Unlike last year, the charter lines between Bydgoszcz and Szczecin are no longer running. The previously announced charter line between Lodz and Dubrovnik has not been realized.

The Boeing 737-800 will operate on all lines. 

AvioRadar also reports that British low-cost airline EasyJet will boost operations on the route between Pula and Gatwick (London) from June. In addition to last year’s three flights a week, which ran on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, new flights will operate on Mondays and Sundays from June 24 to September 9, 2019. 

In addition to the Gatwick route, EasyJet also operates a trip from Southend Airport in London to Pula, which circulates twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays, just like last year. 

Thus, EasyJet will run seven flights a week between Pula and London. The Airbus A319 or the Airbus A320 will fly on these routes. 

To conclude this Croatian flight announcement, TUI Airways has postponed its new route between Manchester and Rijeka, which is not even available yet for the summer of 2020. 

However, TUI’s offer still includes one flight a week, on Thursdays, between Gatwick (London) and Rijeka. This route will operate from May 23 to October 17, 2019. 

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

May 2, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb airport. 

April 24, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Zadar and Zagreb airports. 

April 3, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Zadar, Pula, and Zagreb.

March 29, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Split and Zagreb airports. 

March 14, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Pula, Dubrovnik, and Split.