Eurowings eyes Rijeka base


Low cost carrier Eurowings is considering opening its first base in Croatia. The no frills airline has begun talks with the Croatian Ministry for Tourism and Rijeka Airport over its potential plans. The Lufthansa subsidiary currently operates seasonal summer services from Berlin, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Stuttgart to Rijeka. "This year Eurowings will boost operations to Rijeka and Pula. If Rijeka offers agreeable conditions, it will become a Eurowings base", the Croatian Minister for Tourism, Gari Cappelli, said following his meeting the low cost airlines' management at the ITB Tourism Fair in Berlin this week. An additional sixty rotations are planned to be operated by Eurowings to Rijeka this year, which should result in some 20.000 extra passengers on 2016.

Apart from Rijeka, Mr Cappelli noted that the airline is also mulling a year-round two weekly service between Dusseldorf and Zagreb, as well as flights to Brač next summer. Furthermore, the Tourism Ministry is currently finalising talks for the new Stuttgart - Osijek route to be extended into the winter months as well. "We believe this service will result in the launch of new ones as well. We really want flights from Osijek, not Zagreb", the Minister said. Eurowings' Network Development and Airport Relations Manager, Ivan Oreč, previously noted, "We are pleased to commence new flights between Osijek and Stuttgart through which we will connect Slavonia with Germany. Osijek becomes the 130th destination in our network and the seventh in Croatia. It is a very important destination and we are certain we will consider some other routes from Osijek in the near future".

Eurowings will significantly expand its operations in Croatia this year. Apart from resuming all of its seasonal services to the country, many of which will launch earlier on in the summer and see additional frequencies, the German airline will also introduce flights from Munich to Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar and Pula, from Salzburg to Dubrovnik and Split, Vienna to Zadar, Dusseldorf to Pula and from Stuttgart to Osijek. Rijeka Airport handled some 160.000 passengers last year, which is just short of its 2006 record when it saw 166.675 travellers pass through its doors. However, the figure is expected to be overtaken in 2017.

Eurowings' Croatia expansion - summer 2017

RouteLaunch date
Salzburg - Dubrovnik27.03.2017
Salzburg - Split28.03.2017
Vienna - Zadar08.04.2017
Munich - Split27.04.2017
Munich - Dubrovnik29.04.2017
Munich - Pula02.05.2017
Munich - Zadar03.05.2017
Dusseldorf - Pula06.05.2017
Stuttgart - Osijek09.05.2017

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:03

    Wow that would be amazing for Rijeka. Would they just open a seasonal base like Ryanair in Zadar or would they go year round?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:22

      My guess would be seasonal like Ryanair in Zadar.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:08

    Nema sanse! Ovo je obicna glupost, kakva Rijeka?! Logicnije je da baza bude Split ili Dubrovnik.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:15

      A možda nude najbolje uslove.

      Delete
    2. Nemjee09:17

      Split, Dubrovnik...or Zagreb. ;)

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:17

      Zasto Split ili Dubrovnik? Nemojte zaboraviti da je Istra prva turisticka zupanija. Broj jedan. Puno turista dolazi autom, to je istina, ali ima tu mjesta i za one koje lete avionom. Ajmo Istra i Kvarner :)

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:35

      Za Istru postoji Pula

      Delete
    5. Anonymous14:19

      Sa porastom noćenja i broja dolazaka turista u Hrvatsku otvaraju se nove mogućnosti, jedna od njih je i ova. PGŽ je treća županija u Hrvatskoj po broju noćenja turista, grad Rijeka bilježi (kao i Opatija, Crikvenica) velike poraste u vidu dolazaka/noćenja turista tako da mene nekakva "baza" Eurowingsa ne bi iznenadila u ljetnim mjesecima. Ako ništa, povećanja u kapacitetima i duljem redu letenja će sigurno biti neovisno o tome (porast je vidljiv svake godine, biti će i ove sezone, onda vjerujem i iduće).

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:09

    Super! Game over OU and JU....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:14

      ? JU does not even fly to Rijeka.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:09

      Definitely game over for OU for untapped ZAGDUS route! I said it on here a few days ago how dumb it is to open routes to HEL and LED but ignore much more lucrative DUS which is shorter and will fill an airbus instead of just a 100-seater. Now they will pay!

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:32

      absolutely stupid move to not expand in the german market. DUS & BER

      Delete
    4. Anonymous14:33

      Na ovom blogu, šta god netko napravio ili ne napravio - je glup potez

      Delete
    5. I da dobiju 100 aviona na leasing, našao bi se netko sa još boljom destinacijom od najavljenih.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:15

    The most untapped airport in Croatia which was always going to take off. Gateway to some of the best islands and beaches. Hope that they upgrade the terminal. A relic from a by gone era.
    Go Eurwowings, Go Rijeka. Go Croatia. It's going to be a big year

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous09:16

    It would be great especially after loosing Limitless Airways.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nemjee09:16

    OT

    This morning I passed through the check-in area in T1 and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised- the whole area will look really beautiful.
    What I like the most is that the green 'mosaic' (tiles) on those four columns in the middle have been replaced by white ones, so in a way they've kept the original design while giving it a slightly more modern look.

    As for LCA-BEG, we were about 65 passengers and only about 15 passengers disembarked in Belgrade. There were a lot of Slovenes and Croats onboard.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:28

      T1 - mosaic green tiles now white giving it a slightly more modern look? What does this all mean'and which airport are you refering to? Sounds very low cost to me

      Delete
    2. Nemjee09:38

      BEG Terminal 1.
      Don't know, maybe it all depends on each person's individual taste but I think that making the whole check-in area brighter was a smart move.

      When I saw pictures online I was skeptical. However it looks good in real life.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:54

      OK - BEG. Ordinary loads and a lot of transfers pax which means JU are selling really low fares to attract pax. Commercially sounds like a loss making route

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:47

      Commercially, you have absolutely none of the required data to make that conclusion :) :)

      Delete
    5. Anonymous11:34

      From hating tiles, to hating loads, to hating fares. There's one common denominator for all nationalist haters. Hating everything of the other party. And making it their passion.

      Get off your high horse and slow down the hating overdrive, bro. And visit Serbia! <3

      Delete
    6. Nemjee12:11

      Well there was one passenger in business class so I am sure he made the flight profitable. ;)

      Also, at the same time as us, LO was boarding and their E95 was packed with transfer passengers to Scandinavia and Amsterdam. To me it seems like JU should stick to having lower fares in LCA until they manage to secure a larger part of the market.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous12:47

      Low fares? LCA - BEG - ZAG is 240€, LCA - BEG - LJU is 253€.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous12:56

      Those are actually good fares, not low and not high.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous14:06

      The guy wanted to share his impressions on the interior of a vintage terminal in an exYU airport. But he was met by a hater on duty who immediately turned a positive and peaceful post into a barrage of hate towards one airport, one airline, and - we need to be honest and face this - one country/nation.

      Why admin allows such hate-driven trolling is probably something only he can figure out.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous14:25

      Looks like W6 captured most of the o&d Serbia to Cyprus market.

      Delete
    11. Nemjee17:01

      Anon 02.06

      The best thing is to ignore those people, they are not looking to discuss, they are after a fight.

      Anon 02.25

      Actually, I think JU is partly to blame here as well. Most Serbs in Cyprus I know think that the cheapest fare with JU is €250.
      Funnily enough, Wizz Air tends to be more expensive than Air Serbia when you add luggage to the equation. Unfortunately Air Serbia insisted for a long time on keeping expensive tickets which cost them their clientèle which has been flying with Jat since they launched LCA in 1992. Before JAT the route was operated by Adria.

      Wizz Air is only more competitive because of their schedule, nothing else.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous23:23

      ...and that is for some people only.

      Delete
    13. Nemjee07:20

      And what other reason is there? Their prices are no longer low, especially not in summer when they are always between 23.000 and 35.000 RSD.

      That's why it will be interesting to see how JU performs in Malta this summer. Seems like they did learn a thing or two from their LCA experience. The only thing is that they have more to lose in Malta as they carry very little transfer passengers, unlike LCA.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:23

    It's good to see the ministry taking a more active approach to attracting airlines.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous09:31

    there are NO PLANS to open eurowings bases outside DE-CH-A-B yet (PMI is something else), this is only wishful thinking for now

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:46

      They are opening a base in Spain (Palma) this summer.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:52

      lol, PMI is Palma (PMI is to germany what MOntenegro is for Serbia)

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:01

      EW CEO did two or three times announce they will solely also expand outside DACH-B area.

      How much cheaper is RJK compared to SPU regarding airport fees and taxes?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:02

      Mallorca is the 17th federal state of Germany!

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:53

      @10.01 i don't think there is any room left at Split regardless of the price.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous12:33

      Rijeka is definitely the cheapest airport on Adriatic coast so maybe that's the reason for germanwings interest.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous16:54

      Accoring to Eurwoings website I compared HAM-RJK-HAM and HAM-SPU-HAM 01.-08.June.

      HAMRJKHAM total fees and taxes 35,49 EUR

      HAMSPUHAM total fees and taxes 50,91 EUR

      Therefore RJK is 15!!! Euros cheaper than SPU! SPU is by far most expensive from all HR coastal airports, probably they can afford it because the space there is very limited during summer and they still grow a lot every year.

      More comparison:
      HAMZADHAM 3.6.-10.6. 36,49 EUR

      HAMPUYHAM 3.6.-10.6. 35,99 EUR

      HAMDBVHAM 4.6.-11.6. 37,74 EUR

      I really find the airport taxes in Split absolutely crazy.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous17:06

      Why do you think airport taxes in Split are crazy? There's a demand and so many carriers already fly there with many announcements for this year!

      Delete
    9. Anonymous17:09

      Imagine the demand and new flights if they were 13 EUR cheaper. They always have many slots left between Monday and Thursday, even in high season!

      Delete
    10. Anonymous17:21

      SPU ima problema sa kapacitetima i nije im pretjerano u interesu da svaki dan imaju opterećenja

      Delete
    11. Anonymous18:00

      I am sure lots, lots of people would have an interest to have more flight options at least between weekdays 1 and 4

      Delete
  9. Anonymous10:06

    Such a shame they are leaving VIE-SPU to OS/OU in summer only. Still no nonstop service now and a friend of mine is flying now departing 10:10 via ZAG going every few weeks. Always lots of connections in ZAG. And in summer if you want to fly direct it's minimum 400 euros economy. Crazy!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous10:11

    Really looking forward to any Brac flights with an A319!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous10:43

    hahahaha! Unfortunately, this is just crazy wish for our minister, nothing else. No one would open the base in Rijeka, there is much more potential in airport's like Pula, Split, Dubrovnik... Primorsko-goranska county have potential, but airport management does no exist...

    ReplyDelete
  12. OT:

    28/03 is the official start date of operations at Zagreb's new terminal with the opening ceremony taking place on the 21/03.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:15

      Have they resolved the administrative issues?

      Delete
    2. Off course they have. Why wouldn't they ? Don't always trust the papers. Especially since those articles in VL are written by the very same guy who has no professional credibility.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous12:31

    Wow! Nice. Can't wait.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous14:18

    OT: flew TK twice this month on the BEG-IST route. All flights were operated by 738s, two of them with dedicated business class and IFE in economy, other two without dedicated business class or IFE.

    All legs at least 90% packed in economy and maybe 50% in business.

    There was one interesting detail: it seems TK have stopped serving cold meals on routes under 2 hours. It used to be salad + cold sandwich + dessert + water on a platter. Now it is a single hot sandwich (delicious btw) and they simply give it to you hand-to-hand. Beverage selection is the same - except they now "hide" beer and wine inside the food tray, so passengers cannot see them on top of it. Only fruit juices and sodas are visible. I asked for a beer and immediately got it (actually I had two) but I guess a number of passengers did not ask for it simply because they did not see it on the cart.

    Clearly a cost-cutting measure in TK, but still a very good product. In other news, they are currently splashing the cash on marketing in the Americas (prime Super Bowls commercials featuring Morgan Freeman, etc.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17:42

      I had pleasure to fly with them to OSL via ISt,frst flight was on b738 another on a321,very good stuff,and meals were excellent.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous15:04

    Oce li biti koji a 319 ove godine za brac? Pa makar i od croatie airlans?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:33

      How is BWK doing with their planned runway extention??

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:43

      They are done, runway is already extended!

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:55

      Super!
      Why no news reported on this blog??

      Delete
    4. Anonymous17:12

      See here - all will be completely finished by Easter.
      https://www.total-croatia-news.com/travel/15969-brac-airport-expansion-draws-tui-and-eurowings
      Still it is amazing how fast the runway was lengthened. And next runway extention phase is planned for June 2018 to 2350m so it can accommodate also up to 190 seaters such as B737 and A320. According to the article EW will not announce Brac flights in 2017 since the runway extention came a little too late, when flights for this summer were already planned.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous17:37

      @ 4.55 there was news about it several yimes. You missed itm

      Delete
  16. Anonymous19:51

    If it weren´t for Zadar´s silly, billy games they could´ve taken advantange instead of being too pretentious. Also this means more competition for LJU. Lets see what happens with Rijeka.
    On the other hand, I see EW launching INI anytime next year.

    ReplyDelete

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