June 2, 2019 - It has taken many years of discussion, but low-cost airline Ryanair finally landed in Dubrovnik from Dublin this afternoon.
The first week of June has two very significant - and very different - firsts for Dubrovnik Airport.
All eyes will be on the airport later this week, as the first direct flight from the United States since the war will touch down, with American Airlines beginning a direct service from Philadelphia. TCN will be on board and bring you the full story.
Also very significant was a flight which has just landed from Dublin. After many years of discussions and reporting of imminent agreements, the first Ryanair flight has now landed at Dubrovnik.
The low-cost carrier has been trying to fly into Dubrovnik for years, but the business model of concessions and reduced prices were at odds with Dubrovnik's general policy. As previously reported on TCN, eyebrows were raised in early December when Ryanair announced flights to both Split and Dubrovnik, with Dubrovnik Airport claiming to have no knowledge of the arrangement - from the TCN December report:
Josip Paljetak from Dubrovnik Airport has said that they have had no official information from Ryanair at all. He pointed out that the company hasn't even contacted the airport this year.
"We were very surprised to see that they'd announced flights from Dublin, and it's very strange that they've started selling tickets for flights which they never agreed upon with the airport. We don't even know if we can accept their planes for when they say they want the flights,'' Paljetak said.
It would appear that all issues and miscommunications are now resolved, and the Irish carrier will fly four times a week from Dublin to Dubrovnik during the season. A similar schedule started between Dublin and Split yesterday.
Previous discussions reported about Ryanair interest in Dubrovnik have centred around the topic of year-round flights. Could today's groundbreaking flight be opening the door to a 12-month service, something that would be warmly welcomed by tourists and residents alike?
To learn more about Dubrovnik Airport, check out the Total Croatia Dubrovnik Airport guide.
