Flights to Croatia: easyJet Boosts Traffic to Split with 7 New Routes
July 15, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Split Airport.
Croatian Aviation reports that easyJet announced a new set of lines to Split. After the company launched the first six lines to Croatia, which started operating from the beginning of July, the low-cost airline announced the start of operations on another 7 lines.
As we announced earlier, easyJet launched six lines to Split at the beginning of July, which you can read more about it HERE.
From the end of July, the company will significantly increase the number of routes to Split Airport, by introducing another 7 international routes, which will allow easyJet to operate to as many as 13 international destinations from Split. Traffic is established on the following lines:
Lyon - Split line is introduced from July 20, twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays,
Bristol - Split is introduced from July 21, twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays,
London Gatwick - Split line is introduced, from July 18, five times a week (every day except Monday and Friday),
Mila - Split line is introduced from July 22, twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays,
Naples - Split is introduced from July 24, six times a week (every day except Wednesday),
Paris Orly - Split line is introduced from July 24, twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays,
Manchester - Split line is introduced from July 25, twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Also, specific routes that are already in operation will have an increase in the number of weekly flights:
Amsterdam - Split will operate five times a week, instead of two times,
Geneva - Split will run three times a week, instead of once.
This is still a significantly smaller number of weekly flights and routes to Split compared to the 2019 season, but given the situation, we can be satisfied with this flight schedule.
For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily.
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UFC Legend Alistair Overeem Filming Documentary in Croatia: "I Have a Special Connection with Split"
July 14, 2020 - UFC and K-1 legend Alistair Overeem has been spending his vacation in Croatia with his wife and two daughters. However, it is not all about the holiday, because apart from enjoying the sun, sea, and Croatia's historical sights, the Dutchman is training hard for his next fight, which is scheduled for the beginning of September.
He revealed this to Slobodna Dalmacija, who spent yesterday with the UFC star to visit the grave of his acquaintance and the first winner of the K-1 Grand Prix, Branko Cikatic.
"Branko was a big face in kickboxing. I mostly met him in the company of Peter Aerts," said Overeem, winner of the last K-1 Grand Prix, which took place in Japan.
After Dubrovnik, Overeem arrived in Split, where he met his friend and coach Ante Bonacic. Bonacic also prepared Ivanisevic for Wimbledon, and he also represented Croatia at the Sydney Olympics as a member of the sprint relay.
Bonacic and Overeem met long ago on Hvar, and he was with the Dutchman when he defeated Brock Lesnar in the UFC in 2011. Now, at Park Mladezi, he is preparing for his next meeting on September 5.
"Ante kills me with exercises, but we also have some free time to rest. Here, I have a day off today, and we still had training," laughs the UFC heavyweight who adores Croatia and could host a camp in Split.
"I have a special connection with Split, so we'll see. Maybe we can organize something. I plan to create my own team, work with fighters. I will be a coach, I will have several assistants around me and work on developing new fighters," he revealed to Slobodna.
A small film crew has also accompanied Overeem, so his stay in Croatia will be recorded in a documentary about him.
"My wife and children are with me; we go to dinners, we hang out, we enjoy everything. Everything is open; the city is beautiful, you don't feel like the corona is here like in some other parts of the world. I like that."
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Marin Brbic Resigns as Hajduk President
July 14, 2020 - Marin Brbic has resigned from the President of the Management Board of Hajduk, the club announced on its official website.
"I am resigning from the position of President of the Management Board of HNK Hajduk. It is my moral obligation because we failed to achieve the promised result this season, and that is the place that leads to the qualifications for the Champions League," said Brbic, adding:
"I will not leave the club immediately, but when the conditions for that are met, because out of responsibility towards Hajduk, I must not and do not want to allow them to run without their heads, keeping in mind the importance of maintaining business stability and the functioning of the Club."
The Supervisory Board may or may not accept Brbic's decision
Now, everything is decided by the members of the Hajduk Supervisory Board, who may or may not accept Brbic's resignation.
Brbic's resignation does not come as a surprise, because at the beginning of the season, he announced that he would leave Hajduk if the club does not win at least second place in the current season, which leads to the qualifications for the Champions League next season.
If the Supervisory Board manages to persuade Brbic to stay, we won't know until next Sunday, when the Assembly of the club will be held, at which the City of Split and the association Nas Hajduk (which together control over 90% of ownership) will comment on the situation.
Since Hajduk was two points away from Osijek two rounds before the end of the championship, there will likely be no Champions League this time around.
Brbic began his second term as president of the Split club in early March 2019, when he succeeded Jasmin Huljaj.
Brbic's return at the time was a natural solution after the arrival of Benjamin Perasovic at the head of the Supervisory Board.
Brbic was first the President of the Hajduk Management Board in a challenging situation, when the club was saved from bankruptcy by selling young players and raising loans for which the city of Split was its guarantor.
After three years and nine months in office, his cooperation was terminated by a decision of the then Supervisory Board, which sought a step forward.
When Brbic first came to Hajduk, he was met with a debt of 105 million kuna. His closest associate at the time was Goran Vucevic, who put together a team of young players and later sold them in order for the club to survive.
He held the position of President from 2012 to 2016.
Source: Index.hr
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Flights to Croatia: Aer Lingus Announces Only One Line to Croatia
July 13, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Split Airport.
Croatian Aviation reports that the Irish national company Aer Lingus, which normally operates in the summer flight schedule to Dubrovnik, Split and Pula, has announced the launch of only one route to Croatia.
In the summer flight schedule, Aer Lingus mainly starts traffic to Croatia at the beginning of April, which was not possible this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. As the airline has announced, the Dublin - Pula line will not be in operation in July, but sales are open from mid-August, which still leaves the possibility of a complete cancellation of this line for this summer season.
It is the same with Dubrovnik - the company has been holding a line from Dublin since mid-August, as well as a new line from Cork, but the chances of starting traffic this summer season are relatively small.
The only line to Croatia that has been confirmed and should start operating soon is the Dublin - Split line, which should operate three times a week from July 20, every Monday, Wednesday and Sunday, on an A320 aircraft with a capacity of 174 passengers.
It only makes sense, as on Sunday, July 12, Split Airport recorded as many as 70 operations of commercial aircraft on domestic and international routes to this airport, as reported by Croatian Aviation.
Traffic to Split Airport was established by a number of companies, some a little earlier, back in June, but most carriers returned in early July. Of course, as it usually happens, the biggest traffic is recorded during the weekend, and this airport alone recorded over 70 landings and take-offs over the weekend.
During Sunday morning, several companies landed in Split: LOT from Katowice, easyJet from Basel and London, Scandinavian Airlines from Stockholm and Copenhagen, Croatia Airlines from Frankfurt, Lufthansa from Munich, KLM from Amsterdam, Luxair from Luxembourg and Eurowings and Transavia from Hamburg and Rotterdam.
On Sunday afternoon, British Airways, Condor, Smartwings, Austrian Airlines, Air Serbia, Transavia, Croatia Airlines, LOT, EasyJet, Windrose Airlines, Laudamotion and Lufthansa landed at the airport from numerous European destinations.
On Sunday evening, there were several more lines to Split from the following cities: Amsterdam (EasyJet and KLM), Paris (Transavia), Rome (Croatia Airlines), Dusseldorf and Cologne (Eurowings), Oslo (SAS), Zurich (Edelweiss) and London ( Wizz Air).
In total, Split had 35 lines to as many as 25 European destinations last week. Only a larger number of destinations can be expected every following week, especially until the end of August, when the peak of the season lasts.
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2020 Record: Split Airport and Ferry Port Count 45,000 Passengers Over Weekend
July 13, 2020 - The Split Airport and Ferry Port recorded around 45,000 passengers last weekend, which is this year's record for weekend tourist traffic.
"Saturday and Sunday until midnight at Split Airport, we will have 125 landings and as many takeoffs of commercial and private aircraft, which will carry about 15,000 passengers on arrival and departure, which in the circumstances of the coronavirus epidemic is the biggest traffic during one weekend this year," said Mate Melvan, Head of the Reception and Dispatch Service at Split Airport, on Sunday for Slobodna Dalmacija.
That’s about 25 percent of the turnover achieved compared to the second weekend in July last year, but given the epidemiological circumstances, that’s a positive trend, he estimated. Recall, in the first six months of this year, Split Airport generated only 10 percent of traffic compared to last year's first half of the year, he added.
"In July this year, 30 airlines flying on 45 international routes have been hired at Split Airport so far," Melvan said.
He expects that the number of airlines and the number of passengers at Split Airport will increase by the end of July.
"We believe that by the end of July about 150,000 passengers will be passing through our Airport, which is about one-fifth of last year's total traffic in July, but given the circumstances, we are satisfied with this kind of traffic. In fact, we can say that we have a ‘new normal season’ in epidemiological circumstances," Melvan pointed out.
He reminded us that at Split Airport, it is obligatory to wear protective masks, as well as to practice social distance and use hand sanitizer. He points out that guests who come to Split Airport are disciplined and adhere to these epidemiological measures.
The head of Jadrolinija in Split, Jelena Ivulic, said that about 30,000 passengers and 7,000 vehicles would run through Split's Ferry Port last weekend, which is about 40 percent of the traffic compared to last year's second weekend in July, but a record in this year's weekend traffic.
"Guests from Slovenia and Germany have the most traffic through Split's Ferry Port this weekend, and most travel to the island of Brac, so on Saturday we had to introduce two extraordinary ferry lines to Supetar on Brac," Ivulic said on Sunday.
She also assessed that, given the epidemiological circumstances, the traffic in Split's Ferry Port is satisfactory.
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HNL Round 34 Recap: Hajduk Tops Dinamo in Eternal Derby at Maksimir
July 13, 2020 - The 34th round of the Croatian First League was held from July 10 to12, 2020. This round featured the 'Eternal Derby' between Dinamo and Hajduk, which was the rival club's final meeting of the season.
Gorica v. Varazdin (0:1)
Gorica and Varazdin met in Velika Gorica on Friday, July 10, 2020, in front of 953 spectators.
The only goal of the match came in the 76th minute when Drozdek scored a penalty for 0:1.
Gorica is currently in 6th place with 47 points, while Varazdin is in 8th with 33.
Inter Zapresic v. Rijeka (0:1)
Inter and Rijeka met on Saturday, July 11, 2020, in Zagreb in front of 312 spectators.
The only goal of the match came in the 71st minute when Colak scored a penalty Rijeka for 0:1.
Inter is currently in the last place with 17 points, while Rijeka is in 4th with 58.
Osijek v. Istra 1961 (2:0)
Osijek and Istra met on Saturday, July 11, 2020, at City Garden Stadium in front of 2,178 spectators.
Lopa scored Osijek's first goal right before the half for 1:0. Maric missed a penalty in the 72nd minute, though Mance increased Osijek's lead with a goal 10 minutes later for the final score of 2:0.
Osijek is currently in 2nd place with 62 points, while Istra is in 9th with 24.
Slaven Belupo v. Lokomotiva (1:1)
Belupo and Lokomotiva met in Koprivnica on Sunday, July 12, 2020.
While the first half went without goals, Bogojevic scored in the 62nd minute for the Belupo lead, though Tolic equalized for Lokomotiva in the 73rd minute for the final score of 1:1.
Belupo is currently in 7th place with 35 points, while Lokomotiva is in 3rd with 61.
Dinamo v. Hajduk (2:3)
Dinamo and Hajduk closed out the 34th round with the 'Eternal Derby' on Sunday, July 12, 2020, at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb.
Dinamo's Ivanusec scored a quick goal in the 13th minute for 1:0. Hajduk's Caktas missed a penalty 10 minutes later, though 19-year-old Cuic equalized for 1:1 in the 31st minute. Dinamo's Gojak received a double yellow in the 45th minute, forcing Dinamo to play with a man down for the entire second half.
Orsic put Dinamo back in the lead in the 61st minute for 2:1, though Cuic scored his second goal fo the game for Hajduk to equalize again for 2:2 in the 81st. An own goal by Theophile-Catherine gave Hajduk the 2:3 win in the 86th minute.
Dinamo has already clinched the title and sits in 1st place with 76 points, while Hajduk is in 5th with 57.
You can see the full HNL table here.
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Flights to Croatia: easyJet Returns to Dubrovnik, Zadar, Pula, Air France Boosts Summer Flights
July 12, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Pula, and Zadar.
After we announced the flight schedule of low-cost airline easyJet to Split, Croatian Aviation reports that they decided to launch traffic to other airports in Croatia at the end of this month.
easyJet will additionally return to Dubrovnik, Zadar and Pula, but in a significantly reduced form, with very few destinations and a small number of weekly flights compared to the 2019 season.
Lines to Dubrovnik
Amsterdam - Dubrovnik, from July 23, twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays, from July 28 four times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays,
Edinburgh - Dubrovnik, from July 21, twice a week, Tuesdays and Saturdays,
Manchester - Dubrovnik, from July 22, twice a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays,
Naples - Dubrovnik, from July 20, twice a week, Mondays and Fridays.
Return to Pula
Amsterdam - Pula, from July 22, twice a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays,
London Luton - Pula, from July 25, once a week, Saturdays,
Basel - Pula, from July 25, once a week, on Saturdays,
Berlin - Pula, from July 25, once a week, on Saturdays.
Lines to Zadar
Amsterdam - Zadar, from July 26, twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays,
Basel - Zadar, from July 25, three times a week, on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays,
Berlin - Zadar, from July 25, once a week, on Saturdays,
London Luton - Zadar, from July 25, twice a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The company will launch 12 international routes to the 3 mentioned airports, not including Split to which easyJet has been flying since the beginning of July this year. Changes are still possible and depend on the epidemiological situation in Croatia.
Croatian Aviation also reports that Air France started traffic to Croatia at the beginning of July (except for Split, which will begin in the middle of the month), and the company has already announced an increase in the number of weekly flights:
From August 1, the Paris-Dubrovnik line will operate four times a week (until then only two flights a week), on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
From July 27, the Paris-Split line will operate as many as 6 times a week (until the specified date 3 times a week), every day except Saturday.
The Paris-Zagreb route currently operates four times a week, but as of July 27, there will be as many as 11 flights a week on the route. Namely, Air France will significantly increase the number of flights, introducing two flights a day every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, while on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, it will operate once a day.
Aircraft type A319 / 320/321 has been announced on all routes to Croatia, while aircraft of smaller capacity, type E190, will operate towards Split.
Furthermore, British TUI, an extremely important airline that normally operates to 4 airports in Croatia during the summer flight schedule; Dubrovnik, Split, Rijeka and Pula, will likely not start regular traffic to destinations in Croatia this summer.
Croatian Aviation reports that due to the impact of the pandemic, the company grounded its fleet and canceled numerous destinations in its network, including those in Croatia.
This summer, TUI will not operate on as many as 8 lines to Dubrovnik:
London (Gatwick) - Dubrovnik,
Cardiff - Dubrovnik,
Glasgow - Dubrovnik,
Manchester - Dubrovnik,
Birmingham - Dubrovnik,
Bristol - Dubrovnik
Sheffield - Dubrovnik,
East Midlands - Dubrovnik.
It is important to note that all routes to Dubrovnik from Great Britain had one or two flights a week, they were mainly used to transport tourists from the TUI group (cruisers and packages that include hotel accommodation), and wide-body aircraft came to Dubrovnik regularly, like the B787-8 or even a larger version of B787-9.
As for Split Airport, 3 lines have been canceled:
London (Gatwick) - Split,
Birmingham - Split,
Manchester - Split.
At Pula Airport, TUI canceled 6 lines:
London (Gatwick) - Pula,
Birmingham - Pula,
Bristol - Pula,
Sheffield - Pula,
East Midlands - Pula,
Manchester - Pula.
TUI used wide-body aircraft, mostly B787-8. The only line to Rijeka (London Gatwick - Rijeka) has also been canceled for this summer season.
In addition to the significant loss for airports to which TUI UK normally flies in the summer flight schedule, the loss is even greater for the tourism sector, which has collaborated with this company in the sale of travel arrangements.
Finally, Croatian Aviation reports that Italian national airline Alitalia has announced its modified flight schedule for August, which has no destinations in Croatia.
The company will significantly increase the number of destinations from August, mainly to destinations from which many tourists traditionally come to Italy (a significant increase in weekly flights to Asia and the USA).
During the summer flight schedule, the company operated to Split and Dubrovnik from Rome (Leonardo da Vinci Airport - Fiumicino). The lines are not currently in operation, and the company does not intend to launch them in August, either. Given that both lines were in operation until the end of September, we can expect that the well-known Italian company will not return to Croatia this year.
Croatia Airlines operates from Zagreb via Split and Dubrovnik to Rome, and on direct flights from Rome to Croatia, there is also Vueling, so passengers who want to travel between Croatia and Italy have a choice in the form of direct flights, as well as those with one stop on the way from or towards Zagreb.
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Split Mayor Attacked
July 11, 2020 — Split’s Mayor Andro Krstulović Opara was attacked last night.
Split Mayor Andro Krstulović Opar,53, was attacked Friday night at 8 p.m. by two young men who first insulted him and then hit him. The mayor reportedly did not seek medical help.
Authorities arrested a man and launched a criminal investigation into the incident, which took place on Solurat Street, the Split-Dalmatia Police Department reported.
Opara announced on his Facebook profile that there is no reason for concern and that if it was someone other than him, probably this incident would not be worth mentioning.
“Good people, thank you for caring,” he wrote. “ I'm fine and nothing terrible has happened. If anyone else had been in my place this wouldn't have been any news. It's not worth mentioning.”
At the same time, politicians from across the political spectrum in the city of Split condemned the incident, from the Social Democrats to the Smart party.
The Split SDP also spoke out against the attack on Opar.
"We unreservedly and strongly condemn the attack on the mayor of our city, Andro Krstulović Opar,” said Goran Kotur, president of the SDP in Split. “We believe that the agenda of the Split City Council session should include a discussion on the report of the Split-Dalmatia Police Administration on the security situation in the city of Split. At a thematic session on the security situation in Split, the council decided that this topic would be on the agenda in the second quarter of each year.”
One Year of Public Bicycles in Split, 12 Stations and 86 Bikes on Offer
July 10, 2020 - Most everyone in Split knows about the city's public bicycle system, and many citizens use it regularly. Nextbike, which has garnered the support of many citizens and provided them with an alternative, healthier and cheaper way to get around the city, is celebrating its first anniversary this weekend.
Dalmacija Danas writes that in one year, impressive results were achieved, as evidenced by the number of a total of 42,679 rentals made by 7,909 registered users, of which 84 percent were domestic.
Users rode bicycles for 22,039 hours, while the average rental duration is 30.5 minutes, and they cycled a total of 330,585.55 kilometers, which is just over eight laps around the equator!
It was in Split that records in the use of public bicycle systems in Croatia were broken. The City of Split thus holds the record in the monthly number of rentals with a total of 9,168 rentals in May, while the record number of rentals in a single day was May 3 when there were 450.
Split Parking said that from the beginning, they believed that citizens would recognize and accept this system and its benefits, and they are sure that the interest and number of users with the introduction of new stations, bicycles and opportunities will only continue to grow. The system of public bicycles also showed its advantages during epidemiological measures, when bicycles became the favorite means of transport for citizens.
"When we first started, I must admit that some were skeptical about whether the people of Split would accept this system, but the numbers clearly show that they are. We have done everything in our power to make riding as comfortable as possible, we are working on introducing new possibilities, and we have recently made it possible to ride with small children by placing child seats on public bicycles, the first in Croatia. I believe that, as announced, the development of the city's cycling infrastructure will be accompanied by an increase in the number of stations and bicycles so that our citizens can enjoy cycling in the safest possible way," said Marko Bartulic, director of Split Parking.
The citizens of Split currently have 12 stations and 86 bicycles (classic and electric) at their disposal, and by the end of the year, another 170 new bicycles and about 40 new stations have been announced in order to cover all districts and important locations. The stations with the largest number of rentals in the first year are Riva with 7,042, Split 3 with 5,349, and Znjan with 4,462 rentals.
It is important to emphasize that the further development of this mode of transport is important for preserving the city's environment because the citizens who cycled instead of driving cars contributed to reducing emissions, i.e., ensured that 82.64 tons less of CO2 are emitted into the atmosphere over the year.
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Croatian National Theater in Split Will Soon be Accessible for People with Disabilities
July 10, 2020 - The inaccessibility of the Croatian National Theater in Split for people with disabilities will soon become a thing of the past.
Dalmatinski Portal reports that everything is ready, one of the most important infrastructural interventions - the installation of an elevator, which will finally bring the program of the Split HNK closer to people with disabilities. The City of Split has initiated the procedure for the procurement of elevators, as well as the procurement procedure for reconstruction works to install elevators.
The estimated value of the purchase was 195 thousand kuna, excluding VAT, and is funded by the EU project 'TURISM4ALL' in cooperation with JU RERA and HNK, which aims to promote the availability of tourist destinations and cultural heritage across borders. The value of the reconstruction works amounts to HRK 395 thousand, excluding VAT. The deadline for submission of bids is July 13, 2020, at the latest.
In 2019, the City of Split ordered the development of major projects for the adaptation of the Split HNK building to people with disabilities and reduced mobility. With this project, it is planned to install an elevator from the level of the entrance area on the ground floor of the Croatian National Theater to the level of the first floor - the foyer, from where access to the lodges (mezzanine) is provided. The installation of the elevator is planned where the cash register is currently located. All projects for adapting the HNK building to people with disabilities have been approved by the Ministry of Culture, Conservation Department in Split, according to the City of Split.
With this project, the Croatian National Theater becomes another cultural institution that is accessible, after the first elevator in the Old Town was installed in the Golden Gate Center due to the accessibility of the cinema to spectators. The new building of the Croatian Home is accessible for people with disabilities, and the adaptation of the Old Town Hall and the new polyvalent hall on the Square of the Croatian Fraternal Union is underway. The goal is to make culture accessible to all and encourage everyone to get involved in the social life of the city.
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