August 8, 2021 - Ryanair promo flights to Croatia are on sale from London Stansted to Zagreb and Edinburgh to Zadar. The promo runs until August 11, 2021, and is valid for use until October 31, 2021!

As Mirror.co.uk reported, Croatia is currently on the green watchlist and is open to both unvaccinated and vaccinated travelers from the UK. The flight deals are valid until October 31, so there is still a lot of time for you to choose the perfect dates to spend an amazing holiday in Croatia's top tourist destinations at a bargain price! On top of that, Ryanair also offers Zero Change Fee T&C, which will allow you to amend booked flights (in case of last-minute changes) without incurring extra charges!

For £4.99, visit and explore Croatia's capital city - Zagreb. From there, it is also easy to reach nearby cities, even coastal cities if you want to enjoy the Adriatic Sea, by car in just a few hours. For the best travel guide to Zagreb, visit Total Croatia's Zagreb in a Page 2021: Guide, Tours, Food, Drink, Festivals. 

For the same price, Ryanair also offers flights from Edinburgh to the coastal city of Zadar. Watch the most beautiful sunset in the world (as per Alfred Hitchcock) and visit the famous Zadar Sea Organ where music meets the Adriatic sea. Learn the best travel tips on one page through Total Croatia's Zadar in page 2021: Sunsets, Sea Organ, Parks, Tours.

Visit Ryanair now to book your trip to Croatia at a great price. Ryanair also offers flight deals to other hotspot European destinations such as Spain, France, Portugal, and Germany. Do not forget to book them by August 11 when the sale ends! 

COVID-19 measures when traveling to Croatia

Croatia requires travelers arriving from the UK to present a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of travel or a negative antigen test no less than 48 hours old prior to entering Croatia. This rule applies to both vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers. Refusal of entry to Croatia will be given to those who do not adhere to this rule.

GOV.UK also advises UK travelers to complete an online entry form before travelling to Croatia, as well as proof of accommodation booking or ownership. For business-related trips, please bring with you proof of business invitations or meetings. 

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

For more about Croatia, CLICK HERE.

July 27, 2021 - After opening its base in Zagreb, Ryanair domestic flights in Croatia are on the horizon. 

Ex Yu Aviation reports that Ryanair is looking to launch domestic flights in Croatia after its new Zagreb base officially launched earlier this month. The airline's CEO, Eddie Wilson, noted it could be done without subsidies. 

“At the moment, all the domestic routes are subsidised. Seems bizarre that you must pay an airline to fly up and down Croatia when Dubrovnik is such a nice place to go to. We would have no difficulty flying internally with zero subsidies. We have just done that in Ireland, where there was one of these Public Service Obligation routes, which is just a way of channelling money to airlines. Why should the taxpayer pay for that on 300 euros fares to Dubrovnik in the height of summer when commercial airlines can do that for no subsidies? We would be quite prepared to do those routes”.

European funds are available for 'unprofitable domestic routes deemed vital for the economic development of the region they serve' through the Public Service Obligation (PSO) scheme in Croatia. Croatia Airlines and Trade Air hold the existing PSO contracts, and new contracts should be opened by the Croatian government later this year. 

As part of the current PSO contracts, Croatia Airlines covers routes from Zagreb to Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar, Pula, and Brač, and Trade Air from Osijek to Dubrovnik, Split, Pula, Zagreb, and Rijeka. Croatia Airlines annually receives 10.3 million euros for domestic services, while Trade Air receives 2.6 million euros per year. 

The Ryanair Zagreb base will operate on 24 lines to and from 16 countries - Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. In the first year of flying on routes from and to Zagreb, Ryanair will transport about 700,000 passengers.

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.

July the 7th, 2021 - The new Ryanair Zagreb route looked as if it was set to put not only Croatia Airlines, which many complain is far too expensive, but British Airways, which hadn't been present in the Croatian capital for months, out of work. With air traffic for the Zagreb on the rise, just how is this wildly popular Irish carrier doing?

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, after several months of falling and stagnant air traffic, Zagreb's Franjo Tudjman International Airport is recording a trend of gradual recovery, in the summer months they expect continued acceleration of growth, which will peak at the end of the summer season, when the Ryanair Zagreb base is expected to open.

After two US companies (Delta Airlines and United Airlines) launched direct flights to Dubrovnik, Hungary's Wizz Air, one of Europe's fastest growing airlines, yesterday marked the launch of flights from Dubrovnik to Rome, Warsaw and Vienna. At the same time, Zagreb Ryanair flights were cancelled, which can only be assumed is the result of the apparent low interest of passengers.

Compared to the second quarter of 2020, during the lockdown, the traffic at Zagreb Airport is 3.5 times higher. This year’s figures are currently at 220,000 passengers, and June alone closed with more than 100,000 passengers. From July, Croatia Airlines will fly from Zagreb on 14 international and 5 domestic routes, and will have a total of more than 150 weekly departures. They expect a significant contribution to the recovery of traffic in Zagreb from Ryanair. At the Franjo Tudjman Airport, the plan is to serve between 90 and 100 daily air operations during the peak period of the summer season, and Zagreb will be connected with 6 domestic and 42 international destinations with regular lines.

However, experience shows that things are not going quite so smoothly yet, as the Croatian Aviation portal published the testimonies of passengers whose flights were cancelled by Ryanair.

On June the 17th, the Irish carrier launched its second of 15 planned routes from Zagreb to Bergamo, an airport near Milan. Since then, planes have operated on this route four times a week, but the portal received a number of passengers who bought tickets for flights in August, only to receive a notification from the company that their flight had been cancelled. It turned out that all 18 flights were cancelled in August, and the passengers were notified in the email that the cancellations were due to new restrictive measures for tourist trips between Croatia and Italy.

This is not clear at all, however, as nothing has changed in terms of restrictions between these countries. Moreover, Ryanair has announced the Rome - Zagreb - Rome route in August, Ryanair flights from Zadar to Milan have not been cancelled, nor have the other four routes between Zadar and the Italian destinations operated by this airline. Croatia Airlines, Vueling, EasyJet, Volotea and Wizz Air also didn't cancel flights scheduled to fly to Italy in August.

It's difficult to understand what is really going on here, given the lack of clarity that has dominated flights ever since the pandemic began at the beginning of 2020, but with tickets as cheap as they are and with Croatia Airlines being the other option, it's hard to imagine the Irish carrier suffering a great deal as a result.

For more on Ryanair Zagreb flights, make sure to follow our dedicated travel section.

ZAGREB, 1 July 2021 - The Irish low-cost airline Ryanair reopened its base at the Croatian Adriatic city of Zadar on Thursday, with two base aircraft and 78 weekly flights to 37 destinations, the airline and Zadar Airport said.

Of the total number of weekly flights, 17 are new and will operate to European destinations.

Among the destinations to which Ryanair planes will be flying from Zadar are Rome, Paris, Milan, Dublin, Edinburgh, and Budapest.

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, 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.

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

May 15, 2021 - The Ryanair Zagreb base expects two to three million passengers over the next three years, and will open the Zagreb base earlier than planned due to great interest and demand, the company's commercial director Jason McGuinness revealed. 

McGuinness says that Ryanair decided to open the Zagreb base two months earlier than originally planned due to many reservations and requests from Zagreb and the high demand for flights to Zagreb, reports Index.hr.

At the Ryanair Zagreb base, which opens at the end of July, the airline will have one aircraft by the end of August, and plans to introduce another in September, says McGuinness.

He also reveals that following the demand; the airline is considering the possibility of introducing a third aircraft during the winter if reservations show good results because it plans flights to Zagreb all year round and already has 14 destinations planned from Zagreb from November this year. By the summer of 2022, there are plans for about 30.

"I will not give you information on reservations by individual routes, but I will repeat what I emphasized at the press conference at the end of March when we announced our arrival: Zagreb has been underrepresented for years. For example, Zagreb and Dublin are cities of similar size. Still, before the arrival of Ryanair, Zagreb had flights to 38 destinations, and Dublin to about 200, and Zagreb is much more beautiful and interesting than Dublin," McGuinness said about the state of reservations and sales of flights to Zagreb.

He says that he is surprised by the bookings from Zagreb. However, expectations this year are still conditioned by the pandemic and travel restrictions. There is a lot of competition for flights to sunny destinations such as Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Croatia.

He adds that Ryanair will not operate traffic to Zagreb only with "Zagreb" planes because it has 450 planes and can fly to Zagreb from the other 80 bases throughout Europe.

When asked how long they intend to have a base in Zagreb, he answered that they see great potential in Zagreb and that it will dedicate itself to its own and the growth of Zagreb Airport.

"We will follow developments and decide on routes, where costs are one of the main points in our decisions. We are the company with the lowest low-cost price in Europe, and we are so precisely because of our primary cost orientation. We work with partners on efficient operation, and it is the costs that determine our future decisions," says McGuinness.

As previously announced, they will need about 60 workers at the Ryanair Zagreb base. McGuinness explains that each aircraft needs about 30 people to service it, from pilots and cabin crew to engineers and support.

When asked if they will look for these employees on the local market or bring them from other countries, he said that they already have many pilots and cabin crew from Croatia and a lot of people who would like to live in Croatia because of the climate.

"We work in about 40 countries at 230 airports and have workers of various nationalities. For example, members of about 30 nationalities work in our base in Dublin. In Zagreb and Zadar, where we will also have a base this summer, people from Zagreb and Zadar, but also from other countries that want to live and work in Croatia," says McGuinness.

Apart from employing themselves, he points out that we should not forget the indirect jobs that their flights bring to a destination, i.e., the benefits that taxi services, buses, catering, hotels, and others have from passengers.

The situation is similar with Zadar, where they will have two planes at the base during the summer season this year, for which, as in Zagreb, they are investing 200 million euros.

Asked how he would invest given the losses he, like many other companies, has in the pandemic, McGuinness said it should be "put in context."

"In the past two months, Ryanair has opened ten new bases in Paris, Venice, the Greek islands, Denmark, Riga in Latvia, and Stockholm's Arland. You know we are the strongest company in Europe, and we don't get help from the state and funds, as is the case with other companies, including Croatian Airlines. We do not receive such assistance, and we have the strongest balance sheet in Europe, and we have merged the strongest airlines. We are the only European company that has achieved growth in air traffic over several years. We see that, for example, Croatia Airlines has postponed the purchase of new aircraft, while Ryanair has confirmed orders for 210 new Boeing 200 aircraft, which are the strongest in that class," McGuinness says.

Regarding the purchase of new aircraft, he says he will take them over in the next four years, increasing the fleet to more than 600 aircraft, which they plan to carry about 200 million passengers a year.

To achieve this and overcome pandemic and other challenges, he is currently working with partners across Europe to find opportunities for recovery, which he considers very important.

"We are doing this in Croatia, where we have been flying since 2006, which means that this year we have our 15th anniversary, during which we transported about five million passengers to and from Croatia, which we are very pleased with. We also know how important tourism is to the Croatian economy and that it makes up about 20 percent of the national GDP. In cooperation with the airports in Zagreb and Zadar and others, we also bring investments. We consider this to be the right way in which we can help recover traffic at this time," says Ryanair’s commercial director.

Apart from Zadar and Zagreb, this summer, they will also fly to Pula, i.e., they will have 58 routes to Croatia, of which 33 are new.

There are a couple of routes to Dubrovnik and Split, but as the fees at the airports in those cities are too high for them, he says that they are talking to partners about further conditions and that it is unlikely that an agreement will be reached.

When asked if they are satisfied with the agreement reached with Zagreb Airport, he said only that "agreements can always be better," that they are committed to Zagreb, but also that their focus is always on price.

"Ryanair is quite an opportunistic company, and there are a lot of places we don't fly to, and people ask why. According to our conditions, we have many places where we could place our capacities and where there is a market gap for us, and one of them was Zagreb. I am happy that we have reached an agreement and that we will fly to Zagreb and set up our base there earlier than planned," McGuinness says.

In the region closer to Croatia, they introduce innovations this year, such as two flights to Tuzla in Bosnia and Herzegovina. They also operate in Banja Luka and Podgorica in Montenegro and Nis in Serbia.

They are satisfied with the business in the Balkans and hope that they will continue to grow there as well, while they have the largest base closer to Croatia, and otherwise the largest, in Italy with 70 aircraft.

They also operate in Hungary, Greece, Israel, and Cyprus.

On the company’s business as a low-cost carrier, McGuinness says only one model is suitable for airlines and good business, and that is low cost.

"I repeat that we are the strongest airline in Europe and that we do not receive state aid for our investments, including the purchase of new aircraft, which we consider extremely important in a situation where companies across Europe have received around 30 billion euros in aid since the pandemic. It is illegal. and we really appeal and challenge because this situation can destroy the market, which is bad for consumers, and it can destroy competition. We will continue to fight for consumers across Europe and 'challenge' all these illegal actions in the courts across Europe," comments McGuinness.

Despite everything, and unlike many companies that have received grants, their prices remain extremely low throughout Europe.

When asked about the owners of Ryanair, he states that the public companies are listed on the London, Dublin, and New York Stock Exchanges, which have many shareholders around the world, mostly large institutional funds, institutions, and others.

He says that flights and trips on their planes during the pandemic are safe in every sense, including health, because safety is their priority.

"Aircraft are disinfected every 24 hours, everyone who has to be around and in the aircraft pays attention to health safety measures following international rules, and the air quality in the aircraft is like in the operating room. Therefore, all available seats can be booked in on the plane, and passengers and staff must wear masks," McGuinness emphasizes.

He also considers EU Covid passports to be a good idea, which will make travel easier for people from this summer, and Ryanair has already made its so-called covid-wallet or passport, in which all the necessary information can be entered via the application and the website about testing, proof of vaccination and the like.

Asked to comment on Croatia Airlines' complaints, McGuinness said it was inappropriate to complain at all, as they had "received millions of euros," in his opinion, of illegal state aid.

"The fact is that Croatia Airlines has not achieved growth and profit in the past four years. Ryanair will bring 14 new routes to Zagreb this year, and Croatia Airlines has brought three in the past four years. We think Croatia Airlines must do its homework again and new calculations," comments McGuinness.

When asked if Croatia Airlines is their competition in Croatia and how they generally deal with competitors, he reiterated that they operate in 40 countries, concluding that they always consider competition good for consumers, airports, and Ryanair, as well as for Croatia, Zagreb, its airport and the people of Zagreb.

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 the 5th, 2021 - The news of Ryanair Zagreb flights has been met with a cheer from travellers who will now no longer need to rely on the often unreasonably expensive Croatia Airlines flights to the Croatian capital, especially given the fact that British Airways still hasn't made its return between the European capitals of London and Zagreb.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes, Zagreb has been on Ryanair's wish list for years now, and the new incentives of Zagreb International Airport for the arrival of new low-budget operators to the Croatian capital were an opportunity for this well-known and wildly popular Irish company to open a base in Zagreb, which we have reported on extensively.

"The first line starts operating in June, and the Zagreb base will be operational from September. We plan to base two aircraft, the A320 aircraft of our partner company Laude. We're extremely satisfied with the booking on all lines to and from Zagreb. What's interesting is that as much as 90 percent of these bookings are made by foreigners, with the top three countries being Belgium, Sweden and Italy. Only 10 percent of the total booking is made up of passengers from Croatia. In addition, 70 percent of the reserved tickets refer to a planned period of stay in Zagreb which is shorter than four days, which justifies our claim about Zagreb being a city break destination,'' they said from Ryanair.

They added that by the summer of 2022, they plan to have about 40 flights from Zagreb, and one of them could be to Dublin, which is a popular tourist and business centre for many Croats. Ryanair still plans to have a seasonal base in the Dalmatian city of Zadar, where it will now base two aircraft instead of the previous one plane, and open a number of new routes. Currently, the most significant bookings towards Zadar come from the markets of Poland, Sweden and Germany.

Seasonal routes to Pula, Split and Dubrovnik are set to continue, which means that the largest European airline will fly to five Croatian cities this summer season. Although in the previous period they flew to Rijeka and Osijek, so far they have no plans with these two destinations.

The Ryanair Zagreb flights have delighted many who want to see the capital's tourism picture changed and have much cheaper access to travel to other European cities without having to pay an extortionate amount for very little.

For more, follow our travel section.

April the 17th, 2021 - Croatia Airlines has already been dealt a significant blow by Ryanair arriving in Zagreb, but will Croatia Airlines incentive payments, which it has been being paid since long before the coronavirus crisis also pose an issue for the Irish carrier? It seems it could indeed.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes, although the EU Court of Justice recently approved the incentives given by Finland, Denmark and Sweden to their respective air operators, Ryanair said it would appeal the ruling because it runs counter to the principles of the European Union and the free market.

This largest European airline, which is based in Ireland and operates throughout Europe and carried 152 million passengers in pre-pandemic 2019, explained that the Finnish Government has approved a loan of 600 million euros to Finnair, and the overall incentives for this carrier since the beginning of the crisis have now reached a whopping 1.2 billion euros.

The Danish and Swedish governments have respectively given a loan guarantee to SAS of 132m euros, bringing the total aid paid out to the company to over 1.3 billion euros in the last year alone.

Although Ryanair doesn't specifically mention Croatia, the fact is that Croatia Airlines incentive payments stood at around 1 billion kuna over the last 1.5 years alone (around 132 million euros) through several models of assistance, and as the Irish carrier has ambitious plans in Croatia, especially in Zagreb, where one of its main competitors is CA. Owing to that, it is possible that soon there will be questions asked and issues raised.

According to Ryanair's calculations, EU countries have granted a total of 30 billion euros in incentives to their national operators during the coronavirus crisis - The Lufthansa Group received a total of 11 billion euros in this period, as did Air France and multiple others. There are also Norwegian with 800 million, LOT with 650 million and Condor and Air Europa with 600 million euros of state incentives each.

Ryanair pointed out that although the ongoing coronavirus crisis has damaged all airlines that contribute to the economies and connectivity of Finland, Denmark and Sweden, the governments of those countries have decided to support only their carriers. Ryanair asked EU judicial and regulatory bodies to review these incentives as early as back in mid-2020, and they're also announcing an appeal against yesterday’s European Court ruling.

"One of the EU's greatest achievements is the creation of a true single market for air transport. The European Commission's approvals for Finnish, Danish and Swedish state aid were contrary to the fundamental principles of EU law.

These judgments establish a process of liberalisation in air transport back 30 years, allowing Finland, Denmark and Sweden to give their national carriers an advantage over more efficient competitors, based solely on nationality. We'll now ask the Court of Justice to abolish these unfair subsidies in the interests of competition and consumers.

If Europe is to emerge from this crisis with a functioning single market, airlines must be allowed to compete on a level playing field. Undistorted competition can eradicate inefficiency and benefit consumers with low prices and choice,'' they stated from Ryanair, indicating that Croatia Airlines incentive payments could indeed pose a problem.

It's worth noting that this week Croatia Airlines also complained about the conditions and incentives that Ryanair received in its new base in Zagreb from the concessionaire of the Zagreb International Airport (MZLZ).

CA said that they, as the largest long-term user of Franjo Tudjman Airport's services with more than a 50 percent share of its annual passenger traffic, are asking the concessionaire at the MZLZ airport to harmonise the agreed conditions of airport services with better commercial conditions than those received by the new competitor in Zagreb, Ryanair.

For more on travel to Croatia, make sure to check out our dedicated section.

April 4, 2021 - From new epidemiological measures imposed due to the increase in COVID-19 infections to the arrival of Ryanair, here are TCN's five highlights of the week, recapping the big events in Croatia from March 29 to April 4, 2021.

At the end of March, the fight against the pandemic was in its final stages, taking into account the government's efforts to promote the return of the tourist season, the reopening of business in the country, and the announcement of mass vaccinations in Zagreb after Easter. Despite this, the novel coronavirus has once again warned that its presence continues to threaten the population, and this has since manifested in the increase in cases across the country. On the other hand, sporting and cultural events have also stood out as we entered a new month this week.

Croatia U-21 reaches the EURO Tournament Quarterfinals

The eyes were not only all firmly on the senior team, who, after starting the qualifying process with an away loss against Slovenia, got back on track with six points against Cyprus and Malta in Rijeka. Luka Modric also became the most capped player in the history of the Croatian National Team.

Some good news also came for those who follow the younger generations, as the U-21 team won their ticket to the quarter-finals of the EURO tournament in a dramatic fashion. Those led by Igor Biscan failed to win the match, but a Bradaric goal in injury time allowed Croatia to climb to second place, thanks to the other teams' results and goal difference. 

Now, the little Vatreni will have to face Spain on May 31.

Koper, Slovenia (Credit: PIXSELL)

Ryanair announces flights to Croatia

After several years in which the Zagreb International Airport was in deficit in terms of both airlines and low-cost flights, it finally reached an agreement with the well-known Irish low-cost company Ryanair. This agreement was announced through a virtual press conference, in which it was detailed that the capital of Croatia will now be connected to European cities such as Paris, Brussels, Dortmund, Frankfurt, Karlsruhe, Memmingen, Milan, Rome, Podgorica, Oslo, Gothenburg, and London.

Zagreb wasn't the only city to rejoice with this news, as the airline also confirmed 17 new flights to Zadar International Airport in a separate conference, and passengers will be able to choose from a wide variety of European destinations from July 2021. While many still believe this news might affect the future of Croatia Airlines, others including the company itself assure that the regional base establishment of the popular airline in Zagreb will not only create more jobs but also transform the capital's tourism.

Credits: Pixabay

The Prime Minister reveals the National Recovery Plan

After a cabinet meeting which was held last Thursday, PM Andrej Plenkovic announced through a press conference all the details surrounding the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which aims to reform and transform the country in regard to several different issues such as healthcare, employment, education, science and research, infrastructure, and more. The estimated investment would stand at 18 million kuna and the objective is to carry out these reforms within five years, more precisely between 2021 and 2026.

Plenkovic added that the plan consists of modernising scientific research and educational systems, increasing the quality of the healthcare and pension systems, improving employability through a more efficient programme, and carrying out the reconstruction and structural renovation of numerous homes and buildings in the country, in such a way that they are not only better prepared in case of natural disasters, but that they're also more adapted to the most recent demands for energy efficiency.

Zagreb (Credits: PIXSELL)

The traditional Za Krizen Procession was held on Jelsa

Despite the reduced capacity of followers and pilgrims this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the island of Hvar celebrated its 2021 edition of its traditional Za Krizen (Behind the Cross) procession in the town of Jelsa, inscribed as intangible UNESCO heritage since 2009. TCN covered an event that usually gathers thousands of people around the island as they follow the carriers, but this year had to settle with only the participants and few witnesses in the streets.

The overnight processions were held in the towns of Jelsa, Pitve, Vrisnik, Svirce, Vrbanj, and Vrboska. The event started simultaneously in the six towns at 22:00 pm as the habitants have done for centuries, and ended at the main square.

Jelsa (Credit: PIXSELL)

The measures against COVID-19 are tightened due to the large increase in cases

A month ago, all the cafes, bars, and restaurants in the country were reopened, after many weeks without serving their loyal customers, as an extreme measure to combat the virus. The condition was to serve only outdoors on the terraces and with a limited capacity. The streets were filled with life and joy again. However, one month later, the numbers have dramatically increased and although it is unlikely that a complete lockdown will be imposed again, the government has announced that new measures will take place in order to reduce the infections and it will last until 15 April, before being reviewed again.

In Split-Dalmatia County, for instance, which has seen a big increase in new infections, the mandatory wearing of face masks at outdoor venues with an increased flow of people will be introduced, as will a ban on the sale of alcohol from 8 pm to 6 am. The work of cafes will be restricted until 8 pm, and it will be possible to serve food and drinks only in the open. Foreign language schools will switch to online classes again.

Split (Credit: PIXSELL)

From Monday to Sunday, we list five events featured on the front pages of Croatia's news portals.

To follow all news from Croatia, subscribe to our newsletter.

April the 1st, 2021 - The Ryanair Zagreb arrival was recently finally confirmed following months of speculation, and while this is absolutely fantastic news for the Croatian capital and for the Irish company itself, what will happen with an already enfeebled Croatia Airlines and the frequent accusations it faces of being too expensive?

As someone who lives in Zagreb and travels twice per year to the United Kingdom, more precisely to London, I was dreading having to pay Croatia Airlines prices as British Airways, which was far cheaper, still hasn't returned on this route as a result of the pandemic. With Ryanair now firmly on its way, I have zero doubts that many will be thinking the same as I am.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes, although it is neither the first nor is it the largest company, the wildly popular Irish low-budget airline Ryanair has become synonymous across Europe for its ultra cheap flights and is more or less always first option for young people, as well as for many business people who need to travel a lot.

In addition, Ryanair has been present in Croatia since the mid-2000s, but their announcement that it will open its regional base in Zagreb still resonated like a bomb in domestic business and within tourism circles who are anticipating the Ryanair Zagreb arrival with gritted teeth and tight jaws.

While many people in Croatia and Europe are happy to rub their hands together because they will have the opportunity to, with good and long-term planning, travel to another European capital such as London for about 50 euros or less, the question is how their arrival in the Croatian capital will affect Croatia Airlines, which really didn't need the Ryanair Zagreb arrival to add to its already overflowing heap of problems.

Aviation analyst Gojko Mavrinac, the editor-in-chief of the Croatianaviation portal, pointed out that, in addition to Ryanair deciding to introduce routes to the same European cities as Croatia Airlines (Rome, Milan, Frankfurt, Brussels, London, Paris), it will definitely take a huge percentage of national passengers from the national carrier and deal it another enormous blow.

"Croatia Airlines should react promptly to the Ryanair Zagreb arrival, but the fact is that Croatia Airlines cannot enter the fight at all, primarily because of its prices, with such a large airline. Ryanair has entered the main Croatia Airlines base where it plans to expand its business and Croatia Airlines is now in an almost hopeless situation, I hope they all sat down at the table in Buzin yesterday and are continuing to try to find a solution,'' warned Mavrinac.

He added that passengers are looking for cheap tickets today and Ryanair will offer precisely that in Zagreb and thus take a large "part of the cake" from the continually burdened Croatia Airlines, which financially cannot even enter the ring against this European giant.

"A radical change of business is needed for the company to survive in the capital now that the Ryanair Zagreb arrival has been confirmed, which, in the summer of 2022 plans to have routes to as many as 40 destinations from the Croatian capital, far more than CA ever had even in normal circumstances back in 2019," said Gojko Mavrinac.

Croatia Airlines commented that there is no doubt that the announced flights of the Irish airline from the Franjo Tudjman International Airport in Zagreb will be a direct and additional competition to the national airline.

“CA will adapt its business to the new market circumstances in as much as is possible. It should be noted that part of the newly announced routes refers to flights to secondary airports in destinations to which the national airline regularly flies to primary airports, ie major European transport hubs (Brussels, Frankfurt, Rome, London, Paris) throughout the year, thus continuously providing Croatia's air connections with the rest of the world,'' they stated from the Croatian national airline.

An enormous injection for the capital's tourism

Although the deal was probably agreed before the Ryanair Zagreb announcement came, the second largest Croatian airline, the private TradeAir, announced recently that it plans to take over the fifth aircraft for its fleet soon. According to avioradar.hr, it is an Airbus319 that will join the Fokker F-100 and three Airbus A320.

TradeAir owner Marko Cvijin says an engagement has already been arranged for their fifth aircraft. The Ryanair Zagreb arrival will breathe new life into Zagreb's tourism, which fell by a concerning 76 percent last year due to the coronavirus crisis and the earthquake, as evidenced by the figures presented recently which showcase about 340,000 guest arrivals and 770,000 overnight stays throughout all of 2020.

In the run-up to the record year which was 2019, Zagreb had 1.3 million arrivals and 2.4 million overnight stays. Simultaneously with the announcements of arriving in Zagreb, Ryanair announced the continuation of operations for Zadar, where it has had a base in the summer season for years, and the increase of the existing 20 routes with another 17.

For all current coronavirus information specific to Croatia, including border and travel rules, as well as testing centres across the country, make sure to bookmark this page.