October 16, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Rijeka and Croatia Airlines. 

Avio Radar reports that Serbian national carrier Air Serbia has made changes to the upcoming winter flight schedule on the Belgrade-Rijeka route. As announced, this line will remain in service throughout the winter with two flights per week. The winter timetable will be in effect from October 27, 2019, to March 28, 2020. 

Instead of running on Tuesdays and Fridays as it did in the summer flight schedule, this service will run on Mondays and Thursdays throughout winter. This line will not operate in the middle of the day as it did this summer, but on Mondays in the evening and Thursdays in the morning. An ATR-72 aircraft will fly on this line. 

Furthermore, Avio Radar reports that British carrier TUI Airways has increased capacity in their post-season route from London (Gatwick) to Rijeka. Specifically, in October, the larger Boeing 757-200 aircraft has run on this line, instead of the smaller Boeing 737-800, with three arrivals on Thursdays from October 3 to 17. 

TUI Airways’ aircraft will finally run on this line. Namely, since the route launched in May, the aircraft has been leased from other airlines, mostly the Boeing 737-800 from Norwegian Air Shuttle. 

The Boeing 757-200 aircraft often arrives on the TUI Airways route to Dubrovnik and Pula. TUI Airways has only 12 Boeing 757-200 aircraft in its fleet. 

Croatia Airlines has also announced some small changes to its flight schedule this year. 

Recall, Croatia will assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from January 1, 2020. With that said, Ex Yu Aviation reported last month that the national carrier would add one flight per week between Brussels and Zagreb, totaling to 12 per week. Furthermore, the seasonal service between Zagreb and Dublin will work until January 26, 2020, while its operations between Zagreb and Lisbon will end at the end of October. 

Croatia Airlines will maintain the same winter operations for other Croatian cities this year, which include flights from Split to Frankfurt, Munich and Rome, Dubrovnik to Frankfurt, and Rijeka to Munich. Croatia Airlines has also announced no changes to its winter operations between Croatian locations. 

Recall, Croatia Airlines is currently undergoing a privatization process, which the Croatian Minister for Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, Oleg Butković, previously said should be completed by the end of the year. “I believe we will deliver within the set timeframe,” the Minister said. Privredna banka Zagreb (PBZ) and Germany's DVB Bank are advising the airline in the process.

While the national carrier projects a 5% increase in passenger traffic by the end of 2019, there are no plans to make any significant changes to its services until the privatization process is complete. 

Ex Yu Aviation adds that Croatia Airlines even dropped its plans to extend the wet-lease for one of Air Nostrum's Bombardier CRJ1000 jets into the winter months, which would have lengthened some of its seasonal routes. Croatia Airlines currently maintains twelve routes from Zagreb during the summer.

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

October 7, 2019 - The 11th round of the Croatian First League was held from October 4 to 6, 2019. Hajduk remains in first after the 11th round, with Dinamo just one point behind in second and Osijek and Rijeka 4 points behind in third and fourth place. 

Istria 1961 v. Inter Zapresic (2:2)

Istria and Inter opened the 11th round on Friday, October 4, 2019, in Pula in front of 1,555 spectators. 

Inter’s Grgic was the first to score for 0:1 at the half, though most of the excitement was saved for the second half. 

Ivancic scored two goals for Istria, in the 47th and 56th minutes for 2:1, though Frelih equalized for Inter in the 4th minute of added time for 2:2. 

Istria is currently in 7th place with 10 points, while Inter is in 9th with 7. 

Hajduk v. Varazdin (2:0)

Hajduk and Varazdin met on Saturday, October 5, 2019, at Poljud stadium in Split in front of 7,945 spectators. 

Hajduk’s Jairo scored in the 21st minute for 1:0 at the half, though Nejasmic increased their lead to 2:0 in the 65th minute, which was the final score of the game. Varazdin’s Senic received his second yellow in the 90th minute, forcing Varazdin to play with a man down for the final minutes of the game. 

Hajduk is currently in first place with 23 points, while Varazdin is in the last place with 7. 

Dinamo v. Slaven Belupo (1:0)

Dinamo and Belupo met on Saturday, October 5, 2019, at Maksimir stadium in front of 1,511 sectors. 

The only goal of the match came in the 5th minute when Petkovic scored a penalty for 1:0. Neither team was able to score for the remainder of the match. 

Dinamo is currently in second place with 22 points, while Belupo is in 8th with 10. 

Osijek v. Gorica (2:1)

Osijek and Gorica met on Saturday, October 5, 2019, at City Garden Stadium in front of 2,212 sectors. 

While the first half went without goals, Lovric put Gorica in the lead with a goal in the 54th minute. Osijek’s Maric scored a penalty in the 66th minute for 1:1, and Mance increased Osijek’s lead to 2:1 in the 75th minute. 

Osijek is currently in 3rd place with 19 points, while Gorica is in 5th place with 15. 

Rijeka v. Lokomotiva (1:1)

Rijeka and Lokomotiva closed out the 11th round at Rujevica Stadium on October 6, 2019, in front of 4,835 spectators. 

Andrijasevic put Rijeka in the lead with a goal just before the ref blew the whistle for the half, though Uzuni equalized for Lokomotiva minutes later in the 49th minute for 1:1, which was the final score of the game. 

Rijeka is currently in 4th place with 19 points, while Lokomotiva is in 6th place with 15. 

You can see the HNL table here. 

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

ZAGREB, October 5, 2019 - The Chamber of Commerce of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina and the County Chamber of Commerce of the northern Croatian coastal city of Rijeka signed a cooperation agreement in Novi Sad on Friday, Vojvodina television said.

The agreement was signed at the 52nd International Tourism Fair by the president of the Chamber of Commerce of Vojvodina, Boško Vučurević, and the president of the County Chamber of Commerce of Rijeka, Vidoje Vujić.

"The agreement aims to improve cooperation in the economic area, with emphasis on food, wine and health tourism," Vučurević said, adding that the two chambers would intensify their cooperation in the coming period.

He announced joint efforts by the chambers of commerce of Vojvodina and Rijeka and the Hungarian association of towns to boost health and spa tourism.

Vujić said that Rijeka would be the European Capital of Culture in 2020 and Novi Sad in 2021.

"Novi Sad and Rijeka are twin cities. We have intense cooperation with many scientists, every year we exchange several business delegations, and we think the time has come for the two chambers to provide greater logistical support and pave the way for cooperation. The closer the cooperation between businesses, the better it will be for science, culture, education and everyone else," Vujić said.

He particularly highlighted the potential of hunting tourism and agriculture and the need to preserve villages and develop rural areas, citing traditional farms in Vojvodina as an example of good practice.

More Rijeka news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

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

After Korean Air announced they would reduce the capacity between Seoul and Zagreb this winter, operating three weekly services on the 218-seat Airbus A330-200 aircraft, the airline has instead decided to discontinue the service this winter.

Namely, Avio Radar and Ex Yu Aviation report that the Seoul-Zagreb service will not run this winter, though services will resume on April 1, 2020. As reported, the service will run between the two capitals only until November 29, 2019. Tickets sales have thus been discontinued. 

Recall, during the 2018/19 winter season, Korean Air operated using the 261-seat Boeing 777-200ER aircraft from late October, which was replaced by the B787-9 from January.

Unlike the winter, the summer months have been excellent for Korean Air. Recall, the airline increased operations from three to four times a week in September. 

“Since the launch of the route between Seoul and Zagreb, it has been performing with a high load factor. There has been growth this summer season, mainly on demand originating from Korea,” Korean Air said earlier this year. Korean Air began operations to Zagreb in September 2018 - and the Croatian capital is one of the airlines busiest destinations. 

In other news, Avio Radar reports that LOT is coming to Rijeka with a new direct seasonal service from Warsaw. The route will run from March 29 to October 18, once a week on Sundays. The flight lands in Rijeka at 15:30 and departs for Warsaw at 16:20. An Embraer E195 aircraft, which has the capacity for 118 passengers, will service this line. 

To conclude, Avio Radar reports that SAS Scandinavian Airlines, a Star Alliance member, added a new Croatian destination to their 2020 summer flight schedule. Namely, the airline will service Zadar in addition to the existing routes to Dubrovnik, Pula, and Split. 

The new Copenhagen-Zadar route will operate twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, from June 30 to August 8, 2020. A Canadair CRJ-900 will be used for this line. 

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

September 27, 2019 - The 9th round of the Croatian First League was held from September 27 to 29, 2019. This round saw big wins for Dinamo, Osijek, and Rijeka. Dinamo is now only one point behind Hajduk, who sits at the top of the table.

Lokomotiva v. Dinamo (0:4)

Lokomotiva and Dinamo opened the 9th round at Kranjčevićeva Street Stadium in Zagreb on Friday, September 27, 2019, in front of 2,983 fans. 

Kadzior opened the scoring spree for Dinamo with a goal in the 10th minute for 0:1, which was the score at the half. 

Olmo and Orsic scored in the 58th and 59th minute for 0:3, while Gavranovic secured Dinamo’s victory with a goal in the 74th for 0:4. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 6th place with 14 points, while Dinamo is in 2nd with 19. 

Varazdin v. Rijeka (0:2)

Varazdin and Rijeka met on Saturday, September 28, 2019, at NK Varteks stadium in front of 1,946 fans. 

Rijeka scored both goals in the first half - Pereira in the 12th minute and Halilovic in the 36th minute. Varazdin’s Djurasek was shown his second yellow in the 69th minute, forcing Varazdin to play with ten men for the rest of the match. 

Varazdin is currently in 9th place with 7 points, while Rijeka is in 3rd with 18. 

Slaven Belupo v. Osijek (0:4)

Belupo and Osijek met on Saturday, September 28, 2019, in Koprivnica in front of 703 fans. 

Mance (’25), Maric (’35), and Lepa (’41) scored for Osijek in the first half for 0:3. Skoric secured Osijek’s shutout with a goal in the 71st for 0:4. 

Belupo is currently in 7th place with 10 points, while Osijek is in 4th with 16. 

Inter Zapresic v. Gorica (0:2)

Inter and Gorica met on Sunday, September 29, 2019, at ŠRC Zaprešić Stadium in front of 553 fans. 

Cabraja scored in the 31st minute for 0:1 at the half.  Zwolinski increased Gorica’s lead in the 57th minute for 0:2, which was the final score of the game. Gorica also played a man down from the 53rd minute after Marina was shown his second yellow. 

Inter is currently in the last place with 6 points, while Gorica is in 5th place with 15. 

Istria v. Hajduk (1:1)

Istria and Hajduk closed out the 9th round on Sunday, September 29, 2019, in Pula in front of 4,569 fans.

Hajduk’s Caktas scored in the 35th minute for 0:1 at the half. Loncar equalized for Istria in the 80th minute for 1:1, which was the final score of the game. 

Istria is currently in 8th place with 9 points, while Hajduk remains in first place with 20. 

You can see the full HNL table here. 

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

ZAGREB, September 29, 2019 - An overhaul worth 800 million kuna was carried out in the Rijeka Oil Refinery in Urinj over the first four months of this year, the largest to date, and the installation of a 4 billion kuna delayed coker is being prepared, it was said at the Refinery Open Day on Saturday.

CEO Ivan Krešić said the event was organised to make the company as transparent as possible in its operations and relations with the local community.

The delayed coker, whose installation should be completed in three years' time, will increase profitability and enable the Rijeka refinery to rank with the most high-tech refineries in Europe as well as ensure its long-term viability, he added.

A contract on the installation should be signed by year's end.

More than 2,000 external contractors from dozens of domestic and international companies were hired for the overhaul, said Ivica Jerbić, the refinery's director.

Regular air and sea quality measurements around the refinery show the best results, except in the immediate vicinity, but the overhaul will significantly reduce hazardous particle emissions, he added.

More news about INA oil company can be found in the Business section.

September 27, 2019 - Rijeka will be crowned as the European Capital of Culture next year. 

Novi List reports that Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli met with Mayor Vojko Obersnel in Rijeka on Thursday and said that the preparations for the European Capital of Culture are examples of good cooperation between the City, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, and the Croatian government, regardless of party affiliation. 

Vojko Obersnel said that they also spoke about the good tourist results in Rijeka in the last six to seven years, in which the number of overnight stays has increased by about 20 percent a year, and the accommodation capacity and number of cruise ships are increasing.

Regarding the Rijeka 2020 Program - European Capital of Culture, it was assessed that the Government financially monitors the program and is proud of how far it has come. All agreements made at the first meeting were realized in the ministries of culture and tourism, and we expect that cooperation in 2020, Obersnel added.

Minister Cappelli pointed out that the ministries of culture and tourism have invested about 30 million kuna in the Rijeka 2020 project so far, and about 10 million euro is planned.

“We are pleased that everything is going according to plan so far,” Cappelli said. He announced that around four million visitors are expected in Rijeka in 2020, who will be able to follow more than 1000 events. Given that Croatia will chair the Council of Europe in the first six months of 2020, Rijeka, as the European Capital of Culture, will be an outlet for those coming to Zagreb for the events related to that presidency, the tourism minister said.

After the meeting, a new promotional video for the city premiered at the Art Cinema.

Check out Rijeka “I Miss You” below.

To learn more about what can be expected next year, here's a taste of the 2020 Europan Capital of Culture program.

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

As Morski writes on the 24th of September, 2019, the Port of Rijeka has been listed as one of the top 100 ports in the LSCI (Liner shipping connectivity index) this year, published since 2006 by UNCTAD.

The index refers primarily to container traffic and is calculated annually, for almost one thousand world ports, based on their connection with shipping lines with other world ports, the efficiency of cargo handling and other parameters.

The LSCI index is one of the benchmarks not only for connectivity but also for the efficiency of container ports, so this listing is among the top 100 in the world not only for the existing container terminal in Brajdica, which is under the management of the Adriatic Gate (Jadranska Vrata), majority owned by the Philippine ICTSI, which has recorded a constant double-digit increase in traffic in percentages in recent years, but also for the prospect of a newly built container terminal.

The best-rated port as calculated by UNCTAD this year is China's Shanghai, with an index of 134.32, followed by Pusan ​​in South Korea, China's Ningbo, and the port in Hong Kong.

In the top ten ports in the world according to the LSCI index, only two are European ports - as expected, Antwerp ranked 6th with an index of 93.73 and Rotterdam ranked 7th with an index of 92.75.

For comparison (if there can be comparisons made between these ports and Rijeka at all, given the scale of container traffic), the Rijeka index is 35.21, which is nearly three times lower than the best-ranked European ports, but it should be noted that in the thirteen years since the publication of UNCTAD's list of best-connected ports, the LSCI index for Rijeka has increased by 3.5 times, from an initial 9.98 2006, to the current 35.21, which is in line with the growth of container traffic over the last decade in the ports of the Northern Adriatic in general, as well as in Rijeka.

Otherwise, from the container ports located in the Northern Adriatic, among the top 100 in terms of connectivity are Koper (Slovenia) and Trieste (Italy), with the Slovenian port ranked 80th in the world, with an index of 36.74, and the Italian port ranked in 84th place, just two places ahead of the Port of Rijeka, with an index of 35.54.

Since the beginning of the publication of this index back in 2006, in terms of connectivity index, all three ports have advanced significantly, Koper was still the best placed, at 168th place, while the ports of Rijeka and Trieste were below 200th place.

The current difference in position of just a few places shows that the connectivity of all three Northern Adriatic ports has more or less equalised. It should be noted, however, that both of the aforementioned foreign ports are far ahead of the Port of Rijeka in terms of container traffic. Last year, Koper recorded a figure of 988 thousand TEUs, which is obviously close to one million, Trieste had 625 thousand TEUs, while the "dial" at Rijeka's Brajdica stood at 227 thousand TEUs, Novi list writes.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.

September 23, 2019 - After Dino Skender was sacked as the Osijek coach on Saturday, Rijeka coach Igor Biscan handed in his resignation. 

Index.hr reports that Biscan resigned at a press conference after defeating Istria in Pula (3:0). Rijeka registered their first victory after 50 days, but that did not affect the decision made by Bišcan before the game. Damir Miskovic already had a solution on Sunday morning.

Biscan cited that he was dissatisfied with the club atmosphere and limited staff. Rijeka officially confirmed the news as soon as the match in Pula ended.

After the victory, Biscan shunned the cameras and asked his assistant Anto Tomic to take the television interviews and comment on the match live from the stadium. Tomic knew that Biscan was going to hold his final press conference as the coach of Rijeka.

In a brief address to the press, Biscan said he was leaving disappointed with the working conditions at the club and the situation around the club.

"I will talk about the match very briefly. The way my players played today is the best indicator of how much truth there is in the headlines that we turned our backs on each other. As you know, this is my last match on the Rijeka bench. I am tired of working in conditions that are not ideal; they are nowhere near that. Nonetheless, we were able to produce great results in conditions that were not great. Times have changed,” Igor Biscan said in his introduction, and openly said that he had a hard time dealing with the boycott of Rijeka fans from day one and cared very much about the club.

This was clearly evident in his work and dedication in Rijeka, where, despite the turbulence, he revitalized an average team and proved to be an excellent coach. Even so, Biscan was increasingly nervous and repeatedly said at press conferences that poor results are the result of lack of quality in the team, but that players have no reason to complain.

Bišćan thanked his players and associates.

"From the beginning, I did not have the support of the general public here. As I said before, it's a different time. Rijeka used to be able to buy a left back for one game, and now this is no longer possible. I decided I had to stop. I thank everyone for their support, Damir Mišković for his trust, and the biggest thanks go to my staff and players. I wish Rijeka good luck and hope they find someone who will care about the club as much as I did,” Igor Biscan concluded and left the press conference.

The reporters did not have the opportunity to ask Biscan additional questions.

The boss of Rijeka has already hired a new coach, and according to unofficial information, the club is being taken over by Simon Rozman, a 36-year-old Slovenian with whom the club has been in contact since Matjaz Kek's departure.

Miskovic saw a long-term solution in Biscan, but their cooperation didn't last a year. On Monday morning, Index.hr learned that the new coach is already on the way to Rijeka. Rozman is otherwise a great favorite of Matjaz Kek, who wanted him as part of his staff in Rijeka.

Rozman has led Celje and Domzale in his coaching career. He left Domzale 18 days ago.

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

September 23, 2019 - The 9th round of the Croatian First League was held from September 20 to 22, 2019. The 9th round brought a big upset to Dinamo, saw the coaches of Rijeka and Osijek leave their posts, and Hajduk now sits clear in first place by 3 points. 

Lokomotiva v. Osijek (2:1)

Lokomotiva and Osijek opened the 9th round on Friday, September 20, 2019, at Kranjčevićeva Street Stadium. 

While Osijek’s Maric scored in the 7th minute for 0:1, Halilovic equalized for Lokomotiva in the 37th minute for 1:1 at the half. 

Tolic increased Lokomotiva’s lead for 2:1 in the 88th minute, giving Lokomotiva the win in the end. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 4th place with 14 points, while Osijek is in 5th with 13. 

Slaven Belupo v. Gorica (2:0)

Belupo and Gorica met in Koprivnica on Saturday, September 21, 2019. 

Steenvoorden put Belupo in the lead with an own goal in the 29th minute for 1:0 at the half. After Cabraja was shown a red card in the 85th minute, Belupo’s Krstanovic scored a penalty to increase the lead to 2:0, which was how the game ended. Gorica ended the game with nine men after Lovric was shown a second yellow in the 91st. 

Belupo is currently in 7th place with 10 points, while Gorica is in 6th with 10. 

Varazdin v. Dinamo Zagreb (1:0)

Varazdin and Dinamo met in Varazdin on Saturday, September 21, 2019. 

After a shocking 4:0 win against Atalanta to open their Champions League season, Dinamo suffered a defeat in the Croatian League to a team that was promoted from the second division this season. 

While the first half went without goals, Guera scored for Varazdin in the 62nd minute, which was the final score of the game. 

Varazdin has moved from the last place to 9th place with 7 points,  while Dinamo is in second with 16. 

Hajduk v. Inter Zapresic

Hajduk and Inter met at Poljud on Sunday, September 22, 2019. 

In addition to celebrating 40 years of Poljud, Hajduk celebrated another win. 

Caktas put Hajduk in the lead with a penalty in the 41st minute for 1:0 at the half. The second half saw two goals in three minutes - Stanko Juric scored for 2:0 Hajduk just moments after he entered the game, which was followed by Serderov’s goal for Inter. 

In the 86th minute, Jairo scored for 3:1 Hajduk, which was the final score of the game. 

Hajduk currently sits in first place with 19 points, while Inter is in the last place with 6. 

Istra v. Rijeka

Istria and Rijeka closed out the 9th round on Sunday, September 22, 2019, in Pula. 

Franko Andrijasevic scored for Rijeka already in the 6th. Minute, which was followed by a Loncar goal in the 45th for 0:2 at the half. Ivancic saw two yellow cards in the first half, forcing Istria to play a man down for the remainder of the game. 

Muric increased Rijeka’s lead to 0:3 in the 77th minute, which was the final score of the game. 

Istria is currently in 8th place with 8 points, while Rijeka moved into third place with 15 points. 

You can see the full HNL table here.

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