March 12, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as a new Ryanair Zagreb-Brindisi line has been announced to replace the recently canceled Lviv-Zagreb line.

Irish low-cost airline Ryanair introduces a new route from Zagreb International Airport in just over two weeks! Namely, Ryanair will introduce a regular route between Zagreb and Brindisi on March 27, the airline's fourth route from Zagreb to Italy, reports Croatian Aviation.

The line will be in operation from the beginning of the summer flight schedule, March 27, twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays, until the end of October, i.e., October 26, 2022.

A total of 22,320 seats are on sale, and tickets start at 10 euros one way. This is a line that will be in traffic in the afternoon and evening, and an A320 aircraft with a capacity of 180 seats in the passenger cabin has been announced.

The new line will replace the previously announced Lviv-Zagreb line, which was canceled due to the war in Ukraine.

Ryanair announced the Lviv-Zagreb line in mid-January this year and had plans to operate on it from the very beginning of the summer flight schedule - on March 27. Fights were planned twice a week, every Wednesday and Sunday.

The Irish airline closed sales on all routes from Lviv, including the announced route to Zagreb. A total of 22,320 seats were on sale, and Lviv was to be the second city in Ukraine with which Zagreb was to have a direct connection. Ryanair has announced its return to Ukrainian airports as soon as security conditions allow.

In addition to Brindisi, Ryanair from Zagreb operates to Rome Fiumicino, Bergamo, and Naples. Ryanair is also introducing new lines from Zagreb to Bratislava and Corfu this summer. 

“There are some tourist destinations from Zagreb that can be served in the future and that are of interest to us too. We really believe that Zagreb can be attractive all-year-round, not just for families and the diaspora, but for tourists as well, so we want to use all these opportunities in the future," Tadej Notersberg, Director of Operations of Ryanair’s subsidiary Lauda Europe, told EX-YU Aviation last week. 

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

March 5, 2022 - Director of Operations of Ryanair’s subsidiary Lauda Europe, Tadej Notersberg, reveals the Ryanair Croatia expansion plans.

EX-YU Aviation News spoke to the Director of Operations of Ryanair’s subsidiary Lauda Europe, Tadej Notersberg, about the Ryanair Croatia expansion, which should be expected soon. 

“We can see that demand in Croatia is generally very high. We can also see that the Croatian market has huge potential. There were many routes missing, and the full potential of Croatia wasn’t utilized in the past. The Ryanair Group recognized this potential, and we, as Lauda Europe, are very happy that we can operate these flights for the Ryanair Group. There is also further growth planned for the future. This year we will operate three aircraft from Zagreb and out of Zadar as well. We won’t stop with these six aircraft in Croatia. Currently, we are planning operations with three aircraft from Zagreb this year. However, future growth is planned, and we are quite sure and optimistic that we will be able to increase operations out of Zagreb and out of Croatia in general soon," said Notersberg.

“We were so overwhelmed by the response of our recruitment open day last week that we are very excited to offer another chance to join Lauda Europe’s expanding Croatian bases, where Lauda Europe will operate six A320s this summer. Over the coming years, the Ryanair Group and Lauda Europe will expand opportunities in Croatia that will deliver more traffic, new jobs, and career benefits”, Notersberg said. Namely, in addition to the already held recruitment days in March, there will be a recruitment desk at Zagreb Airport until March 14. Those interested can apply in person and potentially be interviewed on the same day. 

How is the Zagreb Ryanair base going overall? 

“Currently, we are really satisfied with the majority of the markets served out of Zagreb. For example, the UK market performs really well, and Ireland with the Dublin route, despite Croatia Airlines not operating the service in the winter. Then we see German and Swedish markets, Swedish markets … so we are very happy with the current demand. Of course, we are adding some new routes out of Zagreb in the summer, like Bratislava and Corfu. Some tourist destinations in the future are of interest to us too. We really believe that Zagreb can be attractive all-year-round, not just for families and the diaspora, but for tourists as well, so we want to use all these opportunities in the future”.

Ryanair recently halted its Zagreb-Lviv line due to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. 

“We see a lot of passengers from Slovenia on our Zagreb flights. Even if you go to Zagreb Airport, either in departures or arrivals, you will see that there are a lot of Slovenians. At the airport’s parking, one will notice many cars with Slovenian car plates. We know, and we are sure we are covering the Slovenian market well from Zagreb Airport”.

You can read more at EX-YU Aviation News.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

March the 5th, 2022 - With the war raging in Ukraine and companies no longer flying over Ukrainian or Russian airspace, things for the aviation industry are needing to be reworked once again following a terrible time with the coronavirus pandemic. Ryanair, which is currently on the hunt for Zagreb stewardesses however, isn't too worried.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes, the global coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions it brought are slowly easing up, and the Russian-Ukrainian war should not significantly complicate air traffic in Europe, including for Croatia, Ryanair said.

They added that plans to base three of their aircraft in Zagreb and Zadar remain firmly in place, and the recruitment of cabin crew in Croatia, particularly Zagreb stewardesses, is underway. Tadej Notersberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Lauda Europe, a company that is part of Ryanair, spoke about the current situation and plans as we move forward:

"The coronavirus crisis has disrupted air traffic in Europe a lot, but with the lifting of restrictions in most countries, we're returning to our previous framework. We can’t say that the pandemic is something that is now firmly behind us because we're still living with it and adapting to the situation. Reservations for the summer look very good and we're optimistic. As our business year ends at the end of March, I still can't say exactly what last year's numbers of transported passengers are going to be, but they're certainly much higher than those from 2020, and it's also certain that we haven't yet reached the level of 2019. However, we have indications that this year could be at the level of 2019, if not better,'' said Notersberg, who is well acquainted with the Croatian market because he started his career in the neighbouring Slovenian Adria Airways.

He added that the war in Ukraine presents them with a certain challenge, but so far, it isn't even anywhere remotely close to what COVID-19 caused, and still is causing. Ryanair had no lines to Russia, and those to Ukraine (Zagreb-Lviv has recently been removed) are currently suspended until the situation there calms down.

"We're very satisfied with our business so far here in Croatia, and the forecasts speak of further growth. That's why we're now increasing our fleet and our number of flights and lines. Based on the results so far, we're working on strategies for the next period where Croatia will be an even more desirable destination with a much larger number of air passengers,'' said the director of Lauda, the only company within the Ryanair Group to fly Airbus while everyone else uses Boeing aircraft.

Due to the current and expected growth of air traffic in the Republic of Croatia, Ryanair has started (with a specialised employment company called Crewlink) the process of recruiting Zagreb stewardesses, as well as staff from Zadar. Notersberg pointed out that they plan to employ about 40 people for now, but that this is probably a process that will be constant because they will need additional staff in the future.

"We're very pleased with last week's response to our open day in Zagreb, and in the coming days we're going to have two events in Zadar and another one next week again in Zagreb. In addition, we've opened an info desk at the Franjo Tudjman Airport in Zagreb, which will work for at least 15 days, and where all passengers and curious people will be able to learn more about job opportunities in Ryanair and register and pass a preliminary interview,'' pointed out Nottersberg. This summer, Lauda Europe will operate six Airbus A320 aircraft based in Croatia.

“Over the next few years, the Ryanair Group and Lauda Europe will expand their capacities across Croatia, which will bring more traffic, new jobs and career benefits,'' said Notersberg, adding that Ryanair already has Croatian employees, especially among pilots, but this is a completely different model of selection and is not related to this process.

For more, check out our travel section.

March 3, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as Ryanair cancels its Zagreb-Lviv line, and Volotea announces a new line to Split this summer, connecting Lille and Split!

The new Ryanair line between Lviv and Zagreb is no longer on sale. As expected, Ryanair has suspended sales on flights to and from Ukraine due to Russia's invasion, reports Croatian Aviation. 

Ryanair announced the line between Lviv and Zagreb in mid-January this year and has plans to operate on it from the very beginning of the summer flight schedule - on March 27. Fights were planned twice a week, every Wednesday and Sunday.

The Irish airline closed sales on all routes from Lviv, including the announced route to Zagreb. A total of 22,320 seats were on sale, and Lviv was to be the second city in Ukraine with which Zagreb was to have a direct connection. 

Ryanair has announced its return to Ukrainian airports as soon as security conditions allow.

Furthermore, Spanish low-cost airline Volotea has announced another new route to Split Airport this summer, reports Croatian Aviation.

Namely, Volotea, which has its bases not only in Spain, but also in France, Greece, and Italy, is introducing another new route to Split Airport this summer, regularly connecting Split and Lille, a city in northern France with more than 220,000 inhabitants.

The first flight on the new line has been announced for May 8, and flights will run every Sunday until October 9 this year.

A319 aircraft with a capacity of 156 passengers have been announced on the route, so Volotea will offer a total of 7,176 seats between the two cities this summer.

This is also the seventh destination of the Spanish airline from France to Split Airport. Tickets for flights from Split to Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Nice, and Toulouse are also on sale.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

February 17, 2022 - The new Ryanair Leeds-Zadar flight is the 8th route from the UK to this Croatian airport this summer! 

Irish low-cost airline Ryanair released tickets on another new route from Zadar Airport on Wednesday, reports Croatian Aviation. 

Namely, Ryanair announced tickets on its twelfth new route from Zadar airport for the upcoming summer flight schedule and the eighth Ryanair flight between Zadar and the UK! 

This is a regular seasonal line between Zadar and Leeds (Bradford Airport), which will operate from May 3 this year. Two flights a week have been announced, every Tuesday and Saturday. On 52 return flights, Ryanair will offer a total of 19,136 seats, operating between the two cities on B737-800 aircraft with a capacity of 189 seats.

The line should operate until the very end of the summer flight schedule this year, i.e., until October 29, 2022. The plane will depart from Leeds in the early morning hours to Zadar, while the return from Zadar is planned before noon.

With this new announcement, Ryanair currently plans to offer a total of 45 scheduled, direct flights from Zadar Airport in the upcoming summer flight schedule. According to the announcements, it is expected that Zadar will achieve a large increase in terms of the number of passengers compared to last year, and potentially exceed the figures from the record, 2019.

“If the summer season begins without any major problems, this year we can expect more passengers and better financial results. Our estimate is that we will handle more travelers in 2022 than in 2019 when we had 801.347 passengers. We will see by how much," Zadar Airport's General Manager, Josip Klišmanić, said on Ex Yu Aviation. You can explore the entire Ryanair network on the airline's official website. 

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

January 28, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as 27 Ryanair Zagreb summer routes will run this year, which is 13 more than in 2021. 

Ryanair, Europe's largest airline, announced the largest summer flight schedule in Zagreb to date, including 27 routes and more than 70 weekly flights to exciting European destinations such as London, Paris, Milan, Vienna, Frankfurt, and Dublin.

Namely, Putoholicari.hr reports that last summer, Ryanair opened its base with the first aircraft in Zagreb to support strong demand for flights to/from Croatia. This increased connectivity will support tourist arrivals and also provide international tourists and business travelers with plenty of travel choices to leading European markets like Spain, Italy, Greece, Germany, France, and Austria.

While other airlines are reducing the number of routes, Ryanair is increasing capacity to a significant extent in Croatia. With an additional 13 lines compared to the 2021 summer season, including the recently announced for Bratislava, Corfu, and Lviv, travelers from Croatia now have 27 routes available for their next summer trip. This growth was driven by the delivery of 67 new so-called Gamechanger aircraft (which emit 40% less noise, 16% less fuel, and have 4% more seats available) before the start of the 2022 summer season.

A list of the flight destinations:

Baden - Baden
Basel
Bratislava
Brussels Charleroi
Corfu
Dortmund
Dublin
Eindhoven
Frankfurt - Hahn
Gothenburg
London Stansted
Lviv
Malaga
Malmo
Malta
Manchester
Memmingen
Milan - Bergamo
Naples
Paphos
Paris Beauvais
Podgorica
Rome Fiumicino
Sofia
Thessaloniki
Oslo - Torp
Dusseldorf - Weeze
*Note: 13 new lines during the summer of 2022 compared to the summer of 2021.

A statement was made by Lauda Europe CEO David O’Brien, on behalf of the Ryanair Group: 

"We are pleased to announce our largest summer flight schedule ever in Zagreb, where Ryanair will operate more than 70 weekly flights to 27 destinations, giving incoming tourism a much-needed boost, and Croatian consumers the widest choice of great destinations, both for leisure and for business travel. Ryanair is investing in Croatia to help the tourism industry recover from the coronavirus pandemic and strengthen ties with the rest of Europe, while Ryanair itself continues to grow and air traffic returns to pre-pandemic levels.

To celebrate these 27 summer lines, we are launching a seat sale with ticket prices of just 152 kn (€19.99) for a one-way trip until the end of April 2022. Take advantage of promotional prices until Saturday, January 29, at midnight. As these incredibly low ticket prices will sell out quickly, we advise you to book your seat at www.ryanair.com today."

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

December the 29th, 2021 - Ryanair's arrival at Zagreb Airport was absolutely fantastic for the vast majority of people who had become sick of relying on Croatia Airlines and their notoriously expensive ticket prices for the most basic of economy flights. With the arrival of this much loved Irish low cost airline, cities across Europe have been opened up for very little money for those of us living in the Croatian capital. It wasn't all roses and bells for some, however, and an investigation into whether Ryanair was given a ''privileged position'' at Zagreb Airport was launched.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Brnic writes, the agreement between Zagreb International Airport (MZLZ) and the low-cost airline Ryanair did not come about from any form of distortion of what would be the normal process around such tenders, the Competition Agency announced recently. Their investigation into the case was prompted by media reports and claims that more favourable conditions caused damage to the national carrier Croatia Airlines. Many would claim that their ticket prices did more harm to them than much else, but I digress.

It is an incentive programme from what's known as Zagreb Airport's ''price list'' which includes eight different models, and one of them is the incentive model for traffic growth, which tried to reduce the negative consequences of the coronavirus pandemic that hit air transport terribly.

The CCA conducted a survey, which included both Croatia Airlines and the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency (HACZ), and found that the aforementioned model had passed the standard adoption procedure, which included the approvals of the Franjo Tudjman Airport User Council and HACZ.

It came into force back in December 2020, and all airlines operating on the new routes could apply for the incentive until June the 30th this year. The call was publicly available on Zagreb Airport's own website, and the only one interested was Ryanair.

“The determined discount system in this model, as in other models of incentive programmes, has a standardised threshold that applies equally to all interested airlines and such a discount system in practice doesn't result in the unequal position of airlines, as the discount scheme isn't flexible and there is no individual determination of the discount in relation to each airline,'' they explained from AZTN, whose report shows that the incentive is not calculated after signing the contract, but only after the deadline and determining compliance with the contract.

For more, check out our business section.

December 14, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as Ryanair Dublin-Zagreb flights have been boosted around the holidays, and Russian carrier S7 will connect Moscow and Zagreb in January next year.

Irish low-cost airline Ryanair has launched additional flights between Zagreb and Dublin, reports Croatian Aviation.

The Dublin-Zagreb line was introduced earlier this month when Ryanair also based its third A320 at Zagreb Airport. The airline currently operates on this line three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, and additional flights have been announced on Wednesdays around Christmas and New Year.

Ryanair will increase the number of weekly rotations between the two cities from February 4 to March 25 next year, when it will operate on this line four times a week. In addition to the mentioned flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, flights are also introduced on Fridays, which is great for those who want to travel to Dublin (or Zagreb) only on weekends.

In the two months mentioned, Ryanair will offer a total of 12,240 seats on 34 return flights between Zagreb and Dublin. The new flights on Friday will generate nearly 3,000 extra seats.

Croatia Airlines also operates between Zagreb and Dublin, twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays, until January 30 next year.

Croatian Aviation also reports that S7 Airlines will launch a new route between Moscow and Zagreb in January next year.

S7 Airlines operates between Moscow, Pula, Zadar, and Split in the summer flight schedule, and from January next year, regular flights to Zagreb International Airport have been announced.

The airline has confirmed to Croatian Aviation that it will operate between Moscow and Zagreb from January 23, 2022, once a week, every Sunday, until the end of March, i.e., the winter flight schedule. 

A320 aircraft have been announced on the flights between Domodedovo Airport and Zagreb, which have a capacity of 174 seats. For the 9 announced rotations from January, S7 will offer a total of 3,132 seats between Moscow and Zagreb.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

December 4, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as new Ryanair summer lines from Zagreb, Rijeka, and Zadar have been announced for next year, which are interesting for both tourists and Croatian travelers. 

Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair announces new routes for the 2022 summer flight schedule from three Croatian airports - Rijeka, Zagreb, and Zadar, reports Croatian Aviation and Ex Yu Aviation. 

From Zagreb to:

Bratislava, twice a week, from March 27, 2022, every Wednesday and Sunday, until October 26 next year. There have been no regular lines between the two cities so far.

Corfu, twice a week, from June 4, 2022, every Tuesday and Saturday, until September 27 next year.

So far, there has been no regular line from Zagreb to Corfu. This line will certainly be attractive in the summer, given that an increasing number of Croatian citizens go on summer vacation to Greece. Along with Thessaloniki, Corfu is Ryanair's second destination from Zagreb to Greece.

From Rijeka to:

Stockholm (Arlanda), twice a week, from March 27, 2022, Thursdays and Sundays, to October 27 next year.

Ryanair has operated between the two cities in previous years, but from Skvasta Airport, which is dislocated from Stockholm, so the change in operations in Arland is very positive news for all passengers on this line. This is the third announced Ryanair route for next year from Rijeka, with the addition of lines to Brussels and London.

From Zadar to:

Sofia twice a week, from March 27, 2022, Wednesdays and Sundays, to October 26 next year.

Helsinki, twice a week, from June 3, 2022, Mondays and Fridays, to September 30 next year.

The new additions bring Ryanair’s total number of destinations out of Zagreb to 26, far more than national carrier Croatia Airlines, reports Ex Yu Aviation.

“Ryanair has added 24 routes out of Zagreb, while Croatia Airlines has introduced three in the past three years and been the beneficiary of twelve million euros in state aid. We, on the other hand, receive no subsidies from the government. Croatia Airlines is a distinguished carrier, but it has lost touch with the development of air travel in Croatia, particularly from Zagreb. We do not see them as a competitor because even on the routes we both operate on, we fly to different airports. Ryanair will change travel habits in Zagreb and encourage locals to travel more by air," said Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary on Croatia Airlines’ slow development out of Zagreb before these new lines were announced. 

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

November 30, 2021 - The latest flight news to Croatia as the third Ryanair aircraft in Zagreb will arrive this week, with 9 additional lines launched around Europe. 

As already announced, Ryanair is basing its third A320 aircraft (from the Lauda fleet) at Zagreb Airport this week and is launching an additional 9 new routes to well-known European destinations, such as Dublin, Manchester, and Eindhoven, reports Croatian Aviation.

Ryanair will start regular operations on 9 new lines this week according to:

Paphos (Cyprus), from 03.12., twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays,

Thessaloniki (Greece), from 03.12., twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays,

Dublin (Ireland), from 02.12., three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays,

Naples (Italy), from 17.12. twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays,

Malta (Malta), from 04.12., Twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays,

Eindhoven (Netherlands), from 03.12.,, twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays,

Malaga (Spain), from 01.12., twice a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays,

Basel (Switzerland), from 03.12., twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays,

Manchester (UK), from 02.12., twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays.

Taking into account the existing lines, only Dublin is not a new direct destination from Zagreb, while the eight other mentioned destinations are new.

On December 2, Ryanair will base the third A320 aircraft from Vienna to Zagreb on new routes, giving the well-known airline a total of 24 scheduled international flights from Zagreb Airport. More than 60 weekly flights from or to Zagreb have been announced, which is more than 22,000 seats on a weekly basis.

The new lines are not completely diaspora-oriented, which is the case with other lines that are already operating. It should also be noted that Ryanair does not have a representative office in Zagreb, so there are often problems when accepting and departing passengers on these flights, as was the case this Friday on a flight from Zagreb to Charleroi when passengers physically attacked airport employees, adds Croatian Aviation.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.