October 10, 2019 - Air Transat is looking to strengthen operations in Croatia. Are trips to Dubrovnik and Split in its plans?
Ex Yu Aviation reports that the theme of Air Transat’s annual meeting last week was Croatia - and we are not surprised. In 2018, 172,712 Canadian tourists visited Croatia, which was an increase of 26.5% compared to 2017.
While Canada’s third-largest airline has operated a seasonal summer service to Zagreb since 2016, it has put Croatia’s popularity in focus and previously expressed interested in expanding to Dubrovnik and Split. They’ve even made contact with both airports.
“Croatia remains a key destination for Transat in view of the interest shown by Canadian travelers in the summer and its potential for tourism development. We are continuously looking at all opportunities, including Croatia. Like all airlines, there are a number of considerations involved when we are selecting a destination, including customer demand, airport infrastructure and competition from other carriers," Air Transat said.
So, is a connection to Dubrovnik and Split on the horizon? Air Transat said they are always analyzing and re-evaluating the market and their roads, based on a variety of factors, to optimize their operations.
Recall, Air Transat announced a new service between Toronto and Split back in September 2018, though they canceled it in January 2019 and instead increased frequencies to Zagreb.
Air Transat's Marketing Director, Debbie Cabana, confirmed the news then.
"For commercial reasons, we have decided to cancel our summer 2019 program for Split, Croatia. Nevertheless, Croatia remains a key destination for Transat and, given the interest shown by Canadians in the summer of 2018 and its potential for tourism development, we will be adding a third weekly departure from Toronto to Zagreb. Flights will be on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays during peak season. Passengers from Montreal and Vancouver will also benefit from a connecting flight to Toronto to take advantage of this added flight to Croatia. This third flight will make Zagreb accessible from Calgary as well, via return connecting flights to Toronto".
The carrier was to fly between Toronto and Split once a week from June 20 to September 12.
However, Air Transat isn’t the only airline helping Canadian tourists to Croatia - we have Canada Rouge to thank for that, too.
"Further growth in travel is expected from Canada to Croatia at around 20% per year. Estimates are based on the recovery of the Canadian economy, the strong contribution of nonstop flights linking Toronto with Zagreb, and general growth in interest for travel to Croatia,” Ina Rodin from the Croatian National Tourist Board concluded.
Air Transat announced they’ll release the 2020 summer flight schedule soon.
To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.
