July 1, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Split, Dubrovnik, and Zadar.

Croatian Aviation reports that Dubrovnik and Split airports are recording more airline announcements for July this year, as the flight schedule of three airlines, Iberia, Windrose and Finnair, has been announced. 

Spain's Iberia will return to Dubrovnik Airport with a regular flight from Madrid. The company will launch the Madrid-Dubrovnik route from Friday, July 3, with flights every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A319 / 320/321 aircraft have been announced on the route.

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In last year's summer flight schedule, the line operated daily, and for September this year, even A330 aircraft was announced on the route, with which this company operates on intercontinental routes.

Iberia lines to Zagreb, Split and Zadar are not on sale for July.

Ukrainian airline Windrose Airlines has announced the resumption of regular traffic on the Kyiv-Split route. The line will be in operation as early as Sunday, July 5, with one flight per week, every Sunday. As of July 23, the second flight of the week, on Thursdays, is on sale. We remind you that this company will soon operate to Pula, while the line to Zagreb has been postponed until the winter flight schedule.

Finnair announced the introduction of direct flights from Helsinki to Dubrovnik and Split.

The Helsinki-Dubrovnik line is on sale from July 27, and flights are announced once a week, on Saturdays. From August 3, the line will operate twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, until the end of the summer flight schedule, i.e., on October 25.

The Helsinki-Split line is on sale from the same date as the line to Dubrovnik, and from the beginning of August, there will also be two weeks of flights on this line, every Wednesday and Saturday.

Last summer, Finnair flew to Split as many as 6 times a week, while Helsinki was connected to Dubrovnik every day, and on Fridays with as many as two daily flights.

Furthermore, Avio Radar reports that on June 29, Lauda began operations on the Vienna-Zadar route, which did not run last year. This route will run twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays, with the third flight in September, on Wednesdays. 

This is the first announced new regular line for this year that has started operating. The second new line for this year was the Vienna-Dubrovnik route, which is currently not on offer at all. 

Lauda will fly to Split from Sunday, July 5, from Stuttgart. This line will run once a week, on Sundays, which is two flights less than last year. 

June 30, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Split, Dubrovnik, Pula and Zadar.

Croatian Aviation reports that Austrian national carrier Austrian Airlines will introduce the Vienna-Zadar route in this year's summer flight schedule. The route was initially announced from the end of March with one flight per day.

Austrian currently operates from Vienna to Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik.

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The Vienna-Zadar line is being introduced, three times a week, from July 10. Type 195 aircraft will operate on this line every Monday, Thursday and Saturday, with the exception of the first day of operations when Austrian will operate on Friday as well. As we mentioned, the line was originally supposed to operate daily, with a larger capacity aircraft from the very beginning of the summer flight schedule, but due to the pandemic, it is being introduced only now, in July.

Although Austrian announced the flight schedule for July, there have been some changes and a significant increase in the number of weekly flights to Croatia.

The Vienna-Dubrovnik line was announced four times a week through July, but there has been a change, and the line will run as many as 6 times a week (from July 10), every day except Tuesdays.

The Vienna-Split route was to operate only three times a week, though the company modified the flight schedule to this airport and increased the number of weekly flights to as many as six (every day except Wednesday).

The Vienna-Zagreb route will have 8 weekly rotations with daily flights, with the exception that there will be two flights a day on the line on Thursdays.

Croatian Aviation also reports that well-known Irish low-budget carrier Ryanair will launch lines from Ireland and Great Britain to four Croatian airports this week.

From the beginning of July, Ryanair will fly to Croatia again. Flights to Zadar have already started (from Stuttgart and Vienna), while the other 8 lines from Zadar will begin operating this week.

From Wednesday, July 1, Ryanair will operate again on the route Dublin - Dubrovnik - Dublin. Flights are announced until the end of October and will take place twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays. As a reminder, before the pandemic, the company planned 4 weeks of flights on this line.

From Thursday, July 2, the company will establish traffic on the London - Pula - London (Stansted Airport) line. Flights on this route are also announced by the end of October, twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays. In previous summer seasons, Ryanair operated on this line up to 5 times a week.

From Saturday, July 4, the Dublin - Split - Dublin line will be introduced, which should operate until October 24, i.e., the end of the summer flight schedule. Although Ryanair flew significantly more weekly flights on this route last year, due to the crisis and reduced demand, two flights a week are currently announced, every Tuesday and Saturday.

In the second week of July, from Monday, July 6, Ryanair will operate again on the London - Rijeka - London (Stansted Airport) line. Throughout July, only one flight per week is announced, every Monday, while an increase to two weeks of flight is expected from the beginning of August (additional flight on Fridays). This line will operate slightly shorter than the others, until the end of September.

Ryanair previously canceled the line from London to Osijek, and it will operate to four Croatian airports this summer as well. The line from London to Zadar has also been canceled in this year's summer flight schedule.

As for AerLingus, which usually flies from Dublin to Pula, Split and Dubrovnik, all lines (except the one for Split) were marked as sold out in July and it is currently not possible to buy a ticket. The company confirmed that they are monitoring the situation and will react by introducing lines as soon as the conditions are met.

June 26, 2020 - After two negative test results, Goran Ivanisevic has tested positive for the coronavirus. The former tennis player and Adria Tour Zadar director is in self-isolation, and is said to have milder symptoms and feels well.

Dalmatinski Portal writes that in addition to being in constant contact with Novak Djokovic, Goran Ivanisevic was with the tennis players and participants of the Adria Tour in Zadar.

"Unfortunately, after two negative tests in the last 10 days, I just found out the results of today's third test and it is positive for COVID-19. I feel good and have no symptoms. I want to inform everyone who has been in contact with me that I am COVID-positive and ask them to take all necessary steps to protect themselves and their loved ones. I will continue to self-isolate as I have been doing already. I wish everyone who got infected a speedy recovery," Ivanisevic wrote on Instagram.

The drama started just a few minutes before the final of the Adria Tour in Zadar between Djokovic and Rublev was to take place on Sunday. However, Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov, who also played in Zadar, announced on Instagram that he was positive for the coronavirus. The final was canceled and participants were tested.

Apart from Dimitrov, Croatian national team player Borna Coric and Serbian tennis player Viktor Troicki also received positive results, as well as Marko Paniki, fitness coach of Novak Djokovic and Christian Groh, coach of Grigor Dimitrov.

The No. 1 tennis player in the world, Novak Djokovic, did not test with the others in Zadar, but in Belgrade. His result was positive. His wife Jelena is also positive, while their children's test results are negative. Novak's parents Srdjan and Dijana, as well as his uncle Srdjan, received negative results. His brother Đorđe, who was the director of the Adria Tour in Zadar, was tested in Croatia and was also negative.

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June 25, 2020 - Tournament director Goran Ivanisevic hits back at critics of Novak Djokovic after the coronavirus outbreak at the Adria Tour in Zadar.

The final of the Adria Tour in Zadar was canceled when it was learned that Bulgarian player Grigor Dimitrov tested positive for the coronavirus. Panic ensued, and the tournament could not go on. Everyone who was there was asked to be tested.

Among those infected now are Croatian tennis player Borna Coric, as well as the Adria Tour tournament organizer and number one player in the world, Novak Djokovic, and his wife.

While some consider the main culprit Dimitrov, who kept silent that he wasn't feeling well and did not want to be tested, many are pointing the finger of guilt at Djokovic, who has been the target of severe attacks in recent days. Goran Ivanisevic, who was one of the directors of the tournament, also spoke out, and in conversation with Sportske Novosti, said that he was outraged by the number of attacks on Djokovic, as reported by T.portal.

"It is easy to be a general after a battle. Now everyone is very smart. A lot of them attack Novak, it’s very popular, as if they could hardly wait for his wrong move. He tried to do something big that had a humanitarian character after we were all imprisoned for three months," said Ivanisevic.

The legendary Croatian tennis player admits that the party in Belgrade was excessive and that they were carried away by the atmosphere. The parties were considered the source of the focus in Zadar, but Goran disagrees. 

"I can accept that we didn’t need it, but all the players are there for themselves. No one forced anyone to come to that club, no one was forced to dance or take off their T-shirts," says Ivanisevic and adds: "Again, how can anyone say that the infection started from there? Marco Panichi, Novak’s fitness trainer, wasn’t even at the party. I was with him in Belgrade every day for almost two weeks, and he tested positive, while I tested negative twice. Can anyone explain that to me? Or that Miljan Amanovic, Novak's physiotherapist, treated Grigor Dimitrov's elbow in Zadar, more than once, and his test was negative?"

Ivanisevic also revealed why Zadar is the main topic, and there are fewer cases of infection there than in other places.

"Zadar is 'attractive' because the most famous ones tested positive there, so now everyone would like to score some points. That's how it goes, and it doesn't matter that there are fewer people infected than in some other cities in Croatia," says Ivanisevic.

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June 24, 2020 - The president of the Croatian Tennis Federation, Nikolina Babic, spoke about the coronavirus outbreak at the Adria Tour in Zadar.

Index.hr reports that Nikolina Babic is a member of political party HDZ, and at one time, she was in parliament for 13 days as Darko Horvat's deputy. Babic called in on Skype because she was self-isolating

Babic told Index that, despite following all the recommendations of keeping a two-meter distance indoors and contact that did not last longer than 15 minutes, she went into self-isolation.

"This was a big organization and there was a great desire to organize a tournament in Zadar and Croatia, and to present it with popular players. We did everything in good faith, but what happened, happened," she said.

She also answered the question of why they didn't ensure that matches were monitored according to the regulations?

"We sold tickets according to the recommendation, in all our speeches, we asked the spectators to adhere to the regulations and distances. I don’t know exactly how many tickets were sold, I think about a third. The players themselves were not in contact with other actors, and I'm talking about 15 minutes, the players stopped, took photos, went on, the most threats were among themselves," she said.

She added that there were security guards on the Tour who kept order and disinfectants and that they adhered to the measures.

"There were more than 100 of them, and there were disinfectants everywhere, we adhered to the measures. The virus is among us and will be among us. Life will not stop, and first of all, we must protect ourselves and everything around us. This was all outdoors and there was certainly less risk to it. In other parts of Croatia, there are many more infected without such an event," she added.

She also said the measures did not require tennis players to be tested earlier.

"The measures that were in Croatia did not require it, as foreigners who come to Croatia are not obliged to be tested. If it weren't for Dimitrov, a tennis player, a star, there wouldn't be such tension and a story about this tournament. Of course, it happened that a famous player was infected. Zadar was 'alive', everyone thanked us, the caterers, bookings were full, a nice presentation was given, but unfortunately, what happened happened," she added.

She also commented on Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, who is not in self-isolation.

“Okay, I mean, we know what close contact is, longer than 15 minutes indoors at less than two meters. I was with the Prime Minister from when he arrived to when he left. He really wasn't in any close contact with the tennis players, that is, with Djokovic, except for the picture with Djokovic circulating where he patted him on the shoulder for 30 seconds. 

I'm sorry, if it weren't for the elections, Zadar wouldn't have the connotation it has ... Political targets for political purposes… it's certainly not good and I'm extremely sorry. From the very beginning, the Prime Minister adhered to regulations and measures and guards and watches. Certainly, and considering his function, he cannot be in self-isolation, as he is really very exclusive in that," she said. The journalist interrupted Babic, saying that he did not agree.

Babic added that she was in self-isolation because she had been in Zadar all week and that she was doing it preventively, and that she herself would not have been in self-isolation if she had been in contact with the tennis player for five or ten minutes.

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ZAGREB, June 24, 2020 - Following the emergence of coronavirus at a tennis tournament in Zadar at the weekend, another 74 samples were tested on Tuesday and all returned negative, the local coronavirus crisis response team said on Tuesday evening.

A total of 186 people have been tested since Sunday, and 123 are under "active observation," the response team said.

The epidemiological situation in the Zadar area is good, and the crisis response team asked the public to continue to adhere to the measures in place to maintain the present situation.

Four people attending the Zadar leg of the Adria Tour tournament have tested positive for COVID-19, which prompted the organisers to cancel the competition. The first case was detected on Sunday after Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov did a test in Monaco after returning from Zadar and reported that he had been infected. Croatian tennis player Borna Coric, the coaches for the world's no. 1 tennis player, Serbian Novak Djokovic, and Grigor Dimitrov, and a five-year-old child have also tested positive.

Djokovic later confirmed that he, too, was positive after doing a test in Belgrade. He said he was feeling good and had no symptoms.

June 23, 2020 - Novak Djokovic has tested positive for the coronavirus after being tested in Belgrade. As confirmed in a statement from his team, both he and his wife are positive while the children received a negative result. They add that they have no symptoms.

Index.hr reports that after the coronavirus outbreak on the Adria Tour in Zadar on Sunday, the world's best tennis player immediately went to Serbia, where he was tested with his family.

A statement from Djokovic on his website:

“The moment we arrived in Belgrade we went to be tested. My result is positive, just as Jelena’s, while the results of our children are negative.

Everything we did in the past month, we did with a pure heart and sincere intentions. Our tournament meant to unite and share a message of solidarity and compassion throughout the region.

The Tour has been designed to help both established and up and coming tennis players from South-Eastern Europe to gain access to some competitive tennis while the various tours are on hold due to the COVID-19 situation.

It was all born with a philanthropic idea, to direct all raised funds towards people in need and it warmed my heart to see how everybody strongly responded to this.

We organized the tournament at the moment when the virus has weakened, believing that the conditions for hosting the Tour had been met.

Unfortunately, this virus is still present, and it is a new reality that we are still learning to cope and live with.

I am hoping things will ease with time so we can all resume lives the way they were.

I am extremely sorry for each individual case of infection. I hope that it will not complicate anyone’s health situation and that everyone will be fine.

I will remain in self-isolation for the next 14 days, and repeat the test in five days.”

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic was in contact with Djokovic at the tournament in Zadar. He was tested yesterday and was negative.

Recall, the tennis spectacle in Zadar was interrupted after Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov tested positive for the coronavirus.

Last night, 22 people were tested, including tennis players, and it was determined that three more people were positive, including Croatian tennis player Borna Coric.

Along with Coric, Marko Panichi, Novak Djokovic's fitness coach, and Christian Groh, Grigor Dimitrov's coach, are also positive. Among the tennis players who were tested was Marin Cilic, who received a negative result, but will still go into self-isolation for 14 days.

Borna Coric and the two infected coaches remain in Zadar under strictly controlled conditions prescribed by epidemiologists and will follow all instructions, the Croatian Tennis Federation reported. Other participants and players will travel home and will be in constant contact with the epidemiological services of their home countries. 

Residents of Zadar County who suspect infection were called by the Zadar headquarters to contact the epidemiologist on duty at 098 332 765 and their doctor.

More soon...

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June 23, 2020 - The Croatian Sports Secretary, Tomislav Druzak, comments on whether the events at the Adria Tour in Zadar will affect the course of Croatian sporting events.

Gol.hr reports that after the dramatic events in Zadar at the Adria Tour, many are wondering how it is possible that the corona outbreak even occurred. Recall, Croatia long hesitated about how and when to allow the start of sports training and the continuation of seasons.

Gol.hr asked the Croatian Secretary of Sport, Tomislav Druzak, whether the events in Zadar will affect the course of Croatian sporting events.

You were in Zadar, and you saw everything. Who was in charge of supervising the entire tournament and following the epidemiological recommendations?

"The Zadar tournament was supposed to be a wonderful sports and promotional story for Croatian sports and the country. To a large extent, it was. The organization was carried by the Croatian Tennis Federation, i.e., the people who hosted the Adria Tour, which was led by Goran Ivanisevic as the director and the entire team of Novak Djokovic who ran the tournament. The organization was at a high level from the sports aspect of the story. The other part, where the after-parties took place, I wasn’t familiar with that. I think it could have been done without it, that the whole story would have been much more beautiful if it weren't for the parties."

Was the organizer obliged to test the players before the start of the tournament?

"From the epidemiological point of view, that was not obligatory. However, I would have carried it out, had I been the organizer. I was even convinced that some testing had been conducted, especially when we know where a large number of tennis players and support staff are coming. If that had been done, we would probably have had a slightly better situation today. "

Given recent events, are you considering restricting or introducing new measures when it comes to training and sporting events?

"I think that the Croatian Institute of Public Health and the Central Office for Sports, together with the Croatian Olympic Committee and other factors, i.e., national federations, have really made an effort and that we have made precise and quality measures to ensure the continuation of all sporting events. I think it would be a step backward to go towards closing sporting events. The virus has shown that it is there, that it lives with us, that we have to get used to it and that we finally start applying these recommended measures," said Druzak.

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June 23, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik and Zadar.

Croatian AviationCroatian Aviation reports that Scandinavian Airlines, better known as SAS, has announced a modified flight schedule for July, in which the number of weekly flights to Split has increased significantly.

As we announced earlier this month, the company launched flights to Split from Copenhagen and Oslo in a reduced form, only once a week from Oslo and twice a week from Copenhagen.

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The company has decided to increase the number of weekly flights and add a route from Stockholm to Split, so SAS will connect Split with Scandinavia according to the following schedule:

Copenhagen - Split, from June 29, daily (so far twice a week)

Oslo - Split, from June 29, six times a week, except Thursdays (so far once a week).

SAS will also introduce Stockholm - Split, from July 1, which will operate daily!

On the routes from Copenhagen and Oslo, the company will use A320neo aircraft, while B737-800 aircraft will operate from Stockholm. The A320 in the fleet of this carrier has a capacity of 174 passengers, while the B737-800 has a capacity for 181 passengers.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reports that Austrian Airlines changed its flight schedule for July, and there were some operational changes on the routes from Vienna to Croatia.

Austrian made its first flight this summer to Dubrovnik on Sunday and will operate twice a week on the route to Vienna until the end of the month. On Wednesday, Austrian will launch a line to Split. As of June 29, a daily connection between Vienna and Zagreb will be introduced.

In July, there will be some changes to these lines. Namely, Austrian Airlines will increase the number of weekly flights to Dubrovnik and Zagreb and decrease it to Split.

Vienna-Dubrovnik will be increased from the existing two flights a week to four (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays),

Vienna-Split will be reduced from the existing four flights to three (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays),

Vienna - Zagreb will continue to operate daily, but on Thursdays, there will be two daily flights on this line (a total of 8 flights per week).

The Vienna-Zadar line will not be in operation in July either, so its launch this summer season is questionable.

The announcement of Lufthansa, which is part of the group that also includes Austrian Airlines, is expected soon, so we believe that Lufthansa will increase the number of flights to Croatia.

ZAGREB, June 22, 2020 - The head of the national coronavirus crisis management team, Davor Bozinovic, said on Monday that anyone who did not adhere to social distancing rules at the tennis tournament in Zadar, who shook hands or had close contact with others had failed and caused damage to themselves and their loved ones.

"Anyone who did that has fallen short for their own health and for the health of their loved ones," Bozinovic told reporters when asked who was to blame for the spike in coronavirus cases in Zadar following the Adria Tour tennis tournament.

Three participants at the tournament have tested positive for COVID-19 after Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov was diagnosed with the novel COVID-19 coronavirus. 

Bozinovic: We are fairly safe if we keep our distance

"We are in a situation that follows after a period of shutdown when Croatia is opening its economy and tourism...the fact is that if we all adhere to at least the basic measures, such as physical distancing, then we are fairly safe," said Bozinovic.

He said that he was certain that in the next few days people would become aware of the necessity to adhere to measures to prevent the disease from spreading.

Asked whether the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) presidency had considered postponing the parliamentary election, Bozinovic said that the matter had not been discussed and that there were no indications that it should be discussed.

"At the moment we have one of the most favorable epidemiological situations in Europe. At the moment we are the third country from the bottom regarding the number of deaths. We do not have anyone on a ventilator. We have a very small number of people hospitalized. If these aren't figures for the success of our work in managing this crisis, I don't know what is," he said.

Beros: It's not the end of the virus, precautions should be mandatory for all 

Because of the spike in the number of coronavirus cases, Health Minister Vili Beros is going to visit Zadar General Hospital today.

"I am going to Zadar. Unfortunately, it's not the end of the coronavirus and that's why precautions have to be mandatory for everyone. One should be responsible for oneself and for the others, particularly the youngest. Prevention is the priority," Beros said on Twitter.