Zagreb Airport to close on Monday

Strike set to close Zagreb Airport
All flights departing from Zagreb Pleso Airport yesterday between 11 and 17.00 CET were severely delayed as unhappy employees staged a protest. Further industrial action is planned for Monday, November 21, with the airport to close from 06.00 until midnight, resulting in traffic chaos. If the demands of the workers are not met, the union says that it will paralyse Croatia’s busiest hub by closing it indefinitely from Monday, November 28. Unions staged the stoppage on Friday after the management rejected amendments to the collective agreement which the unions say would protect the workers' rights if the airport was concessioned to a new operator. The airport management said on Thursday it could not accept the unions' demands as they would require "unreasonably wide extensions of the rights they enjoy now".

Meanwhile, the Croatian government has once again extended the deadline for the submission of bids in a tender for the construction of Zagreb Airport’s new terminal. The deadline has now been extended until December 12. Once all the bids are submitted it is expected that a lengthy process for the selection of the winning bid will begin. The company chosen to oversee the construction of the new terminal will not only partially finance it but will also run the airport for the next thirty years. The final deadline for the submission of bids has already been extended several times. The Croatian government says that this has been done upon the request of the bidding parties. Construction of the new terminal is expected to begin by September 2012 with the first phase of the project to be completed in 2015.

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:19

    How much money are these people getting?

    How many flights were affected by the strike yesterday?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous09:59

    That thing should be closed anyway, Zagreb doesn't need an airport on its own.

    Pozdrav svim Boasnjacima, Hrvatima i Slovencima!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous10:11

    the nearest airport for landing is MBX.... so? why cancel all this flights? Also JP did land last week on MBX with 9 or 10 aircrafts....

    ReplyDelete
  4. Purger10:44

    Cancled were just flights which have more than 2 flights per day and had alternative afternoon (FRA, MUC, VIE...), and only PRG was cancled not to have alternative same day.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous11:47

    Off topic : FZ every day introduces additional flights on their route DXB-BEG. The last ones are on DEC23rd and DEC30th. Now they have 15 flights during 2 weeks covering Christmas and New Year's Eve.

    ReplyDelete
  6. interesting statistics regarding Qatar and ZAG (from routesonline):

    "Looking at the statistics, the O&D demand between Zagreb and Doha is around 2,000 passengers due to the current absence of a direct service. However, the wider demand to Africa is around 18,000 passengers; the Middle East approximately 45,000; Asia around 41,000 and Australasia an estimated 17,000 and these are all areas that Qatar Airways will be targeting."

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous12:35

    ZG Airport employees are very well paid from the budget i.e. from everyone's tax money.

    This is one of last Socialist bastions in Croatia. Personnel (too many of them) trying to work, as less as, possible and to be well paid in the same time.
    In addition, they are trying to freeze such status forever.
    Half of them should be fired out, anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ankica Ivancic - Locic / Sulejman Locic12:56

    @ Anonymous, November 19, 2011 - 09:59 AM

    I bet you're a little Serbian undercover rat too scared to hide your real self with a proper name! No need to be jealous buddy, but that comment applies to Belgrade. The Serbs can use Skopje, Sofia, Bucharest, Pristina, Podgorica, Sarajevo or Budapest for that matter! ;)

    ...pozdrav NON taken buddy!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ankica or whatever

    I do not see the point in your comment, it's as useless as the other one.
    I guess you too are alike.

    On the topic of ZAG being closed down, well can't they do something to prevent it? ZAG is not making crazy profit in order to give them what they need.

    ReplyDelete
  10. @ First Anonymous

    Average NET income of lowest-ranked employee of ZAG airport (cleaning ladies, manual workers), is 5.924 kn, which is about 800 euros. Employees at check-in, around 1000 euros, and so on...
    In addition to that, they have "hot meal" and "transportation" allowances (up to 1000 kn, or 150 euro), plus bonuses, plus holidays extras.

    @ Purger

    The only way for BEG to Adriatic and v.v. flights is low cost model.
    People in region in general are not rich enough to pay OU or JU prices, and businesmen are few, and in addition to that 90% concentrated in BEG and ZAG, and there is no need for "domestic" transit flights.

    For european transits on BEG-ZAG route: you mention (except LIS), destinations which are served NONSTOP from BEG, all by JU and other conventional carriers, and some of them by lowcosters (Nikki,Cimber,Germanwings...)with the same or even lower prices then those of OU. This goes for general public. Concerning businessman, if they have to fly 1 stop for departure time or service reason, they will definitely choose OS,LH or LX with similar departure time, rather then OU. I'm not saying that there would be no passengers at all on these route, but definitely not for profitable flying.

    My point again: The only way to have BEG-ZAG vv full, and at the same time NYC or YYZ full, is introduction of long-haul, for example from ZAG, with good connections to/from BEG,SJJ,SKP,DBV,SPU,OMO,PRN...And of course, with limited number (let's say 24) business seats, and good service, and favourable prices.

    I'm fully aware it's expensive, and complex, and risky. However I am convinced that there is market potential for a carrier which would concentrate to whole ex-yu region. And frankly, I don't know whether dalmatian.hr has such plans, but from my point of view, it would be nice to see them in the air soon.

    I apologize if I offended you in my previous posts. It was not my intention, and I don't want to argue here. I'm just convinced that we need low cost and long-range operations by croatian, or serbian, or any ex-yu airline. And I hope it could be dalmatian.hr.

    Best regards!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous13:35

    All employees at ZG airport should be fired out and Maribor or Ljubljana used instead, until new workforce is hired / trained with different employment contracts.
    Airport is of general public importance and not private property of its employees, hired anyway illegally i.e. via good connections. Unemployed in Croatia (300 000) are waiting for such opportunity.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Doesn't the Croatian government have the power to rule a strike illegal if it disrupts the economy thus making the unions legally responsible for all damages?????

    Must be an election year.

    ReplyDelete
  13. thank you, thank you - happy to see some normal perspective here (pozdrav iz Rijeke, anonymous...)

    I've been arguing with idiots on www.vecernji.hr for days now about all the same points on destructivenes of strike.

    I believe that "union mafia" is dissappointed for realizing they'll lose their purpose + is generally dissatissfied with the fact they won't be able to sell off their land - where the original drawings predicted 2nr runway. The newest architect drawing (IGH 2008) did it differently to avoid barganning with the locals (the terminal is supposed to be made on the state territory where the military base is). The new drawing also didn't put in the 2nd runway, which is certainly not needed - at least till 2050.

    They are also pissed about the fact that new ground handling operators are now able to come in - just like in Belgrade that actually has only 450 full time employees. No wonder why BEG makes 7 x larger profit.

    LDZA employees are overpaid, overnumbered, lazy and they obviously think they own the airport.

    I say fire all of their asses, use the alternative airports and start all over.
    In a long run, it'd be worthwhile.

    Their union is so powerful and had infiltrated the local and national policy.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Adriatic14:44

    First of all after reading some of the post here, I will comment om 2 areas....

    1...regarding a Zagreb-Belgrade Service. My idea is simple 2 Flights each way. In th morning hours JAT comes from Belgrade and passengers who want to use services to European destinations can go via ZAGREB but where JAT would gain is on the return to BELGRADE...they would be carrying the transfer passengers from DBV,SPU,ZAD and PUY. The same is true in the afternoon for CTN. They can leave in the afternoon with transfers from Europen flights and the on its return trip it would be carrying paasengers who wish to go to DBV,SPU,ZAD and PUY. This way both airlines would
    be on equal footing.
    Secondly I would like to remind the workers at ZAGREB airport that during the Ronald Reagan years in the US, he fired all the AIR Traffic Controlers when they went on strike.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous15:18

    not good for zagreb, it is true the emplyees are vert spoiled, they get payed many times what airport employees get payed in serbia, even though prices are a little higher in croatia (inflation)

    OT but how come for the JAT flights to Croatia, they arent on the right side of the ex-yu home page? admin?

    ReplyDelete
  16. ^They wil be added tomorrow

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous16:52

    I think this strike is politically motivated...no reason to call working people lazy and spoiled .

    Also its only logical that nobody wants to work more for less money !

    As if that would be case .As i said ...this strike is more politics than all other !

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous18:15

    OT: but how come FZ does not have a code share with JU to attract pax from SJJ flying Sarajevo - BEG - Dubai?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous18:32

    my friend tried buying tickets Amsterdam - Sarajevo and said for Croatia Airlines via Zagreb is 300 euros when JAT is 240 euros via Beograd. He is obviously flying with JAT and many others have said they chose JAT because of the cheaper prices, all they need it new airplanes , better bigger fleet to attract many more pax, and more transfer pax which they already have a lot of. Croatia and Zagreb will do good with tourist passengers, but nobody will be able to beat BEG with transfer pax

    ReplyDelete
  20. TANI18:49

    OT: how do passengers react on massive delays of FZ...wouldnt it be better to change times for arrival and departure ?

    ReplyDelete
  21. hey anonymous - I have been using LDZA for years. During 1996-2007 I travelled to U.S 5 x per year. I also have lots of insider information, know some people who work there etc. etc.

    Seriously, in general they are spoiled, lazy and overpaid.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous19:23

    It is really a question which way will euro-transit pax fly on ZAG-BEG route! There are some exceptions but STAR alliance is pretty strong at BEg and JAT has lowered prices...beside there is WIZZAIR which becoming stronger each year...othervise I will be happy to see BE-ZAG v.v. route!
    In reference to EX-yu-North America flights I think it is still unrealistic untill some flag carrier establish direct flights. That is not going to happen soon as BUD is struggling a lot! Just my opinion! Rgds

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous19:59

    yeah but budapest has AA and DL flying to budapest from USA... i believe JAT will be first to try to order long haul planes and launch intercontinental flights and also get many transit pax from former YU and other parts of europe.

    ReplyDelete
  24. keep believing, Alex, and maybe it will somehow magically happen.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymouse00:33

    @Aleks,
    In ten years there wil be
    no more Jat....
    Everything has to die,no matter if it was good or bad!

    ReplyDelete
  26. alex - i thought the same for OU. Recently their director for planning and strategy explained how difficult it is to get going with overhaul. new aircraft, new training, cost of that, cost of getting slots etc. OU can't and they are doing better than Jat. Jat first needs to survive by taking on some direction that may look like this: buy new aircraft and re-position itself in Europe, restructure the company from within. perhaps if all that goes very well, than maybe in 2020 it'll get long range aicraft.
    I don't think any of ex yu airlines will manage that soon. Delta or AA will probably give it a shot flying NY-Zagreb-Belgrade; Belgrade-Zagreb-Ny first and see how that'll go. than maybe Belgrade directly and/or Zagreb directly. Or just Belgrade.
    Budapest directly stands in the way of getting direct flights.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous04:10

    In addition to all employees to be fired out, union should compensate for all damages incurred.

    In case that new terminal is built as entirely new airport and not as an enlargement of existing one, this strike and other strikes would not happen at all. New airport would be hiring new workforce, as per criteria of the new airport management.

    As Mrs. Thatcher destroyed coal/ mining unions, Mrs. Kosor should do the same.

    LDZA workers are useless & overpaid, out of space & time relict of socialism.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous05:46

    @Alex...
    AA and DL are flying with interruptions to BUD. Discontinuing, trying seasonal, but, yes, still flying. BUD has over 8 milion pax for almost 10 years now...

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous07:18

    Lijepa Nasa Kroacijoooo...bit ce vremena i za to...nece trajati tisuce godina, nedaj bog haha! Ajmeeee...sto ova vlada radi i ceka!

    Pozdrav svim Bosnjacima, Hrvatima i Slovencima! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous08:27

    AA has just recently launched Budapest flights, that is this past summer. They were selling €380 return flights as promotion.
    Malev did a good job in filling the planes which made it possible for AA to keep flights during the winter time, however, with less frequency.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Adriatic13:37

    To Above Anonymous
    Just look on AA web site. As of this moring I did a price check leaving jul 1-Jul 29 Budapest- JFK and back.The total price was 923.10 USD or 683.07 Euros....Only so many seats at that price.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous14:48

    @ anonymous at 5:46 AM

    yes i know they have had over 8 mil. pax, but that is not what matters, what matters is O&D pax and business pax, along with connections which JAT all has.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Adriatic15:25

    @Aleks 2.48

    Aleks I know how much you would like to see JAT succeed, but truly I cannot. Budapest and Vienna have estrablished themselves quite well. They connect most if not all the centres in the Former Yugo. One stop.Both Vienna and Budapest both have good connections via their hubs, to both eastern Europe and the middle east, many of which are non-stop. I have through the years,as a hobby, saved articles regarding all the airlines in the fomer Yugo. One of the articles, from a JAT magazine , stated that 5000 people, transferred on JAT flights to the middle east and beyond. This was in 1988. That works out to 13 transfer passengers a day. Hardly enough to make money. Jat should first concentrate in defining itself in the market and then they can persue other areas. New aircraft would be a start. I truly see that JAT management does not have any ambition to get ahead. Talk is cheap.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Anonymous16:00

    it is very inconvenient if flights are cancelled due to airport closure,i humbly request all authorities to focus on this issue and to commence flights on 21-11-2011-Dr.suresh

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anonymous18:24

    @ Adriatic

    I agree with you... they do need to re-position in the market, new aircraft should be priority number 1, including a bigger fleet and all new airplanes!

    ReplyDelete

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