Ryanair's first EX-YU base opens
Europe’s largest low cost airline, Ryanair, has opened its first base in the former Yugoslavia, in Zadar. The airline has already launched services to Beauvais, Billund, Charleroi, Dublin, Frankfurt Hahn, Gothenburg-City, Baden-Baden, Liverpool, London Stansted, Marseille, Oslo Rygge, Stockholm Skavsta and Weeze. Services to East Midlands will be launched on Friday while on June 16 the airline will introduce flights to Oslo Torp. The base will operate on a seasonal summer flights, meaning the airline won’t be sticking around during the winter months, though local authorities are hoping to reach a deal with the no frills airline for it to operate some flights even during the low season. Ultimately, the decision will be based on the performance of its summer services.
Zadar Airport expects to handle over 500.000 passengers this year. Last year the airport welcomed 371.256 travellers through its doors. Ryanair has now based a Boeing 737-800 at the airport. A total of 1.4 million euros has been provided to the low cost airline for it to make Zadar its 54th base. It is argued that the money will be well spent and the return for the city and Croatian tourism will be much greater. The Croatian Tourism Association has provided half of the above-mentioned sum while the rest has been paid for by local authorities and businesses benefiting from the new flights.
Ryanair has hired local staff on its flights from Zadar. The airline has employed ten pilots, cabin crew and mechanics with a total workforce of forty. “This is a major success for our airport and the Zadar region and testament that we are on the right path”, the CEO of Zadar Airport, Katica Pupić Bakrač, says. Within the former Yugoslavia, Ryanair only operates flights to the Croatian coast. The low cost airline had an unsuccessful venture in Slovenia several years ago when it operated flights to Maribor for a short time. Ryanair becomes the third low cost airline to have a base in the former Yugoslavia, joining Belle Air Europe and Wizz Air. Belle Air Europe calls Priština its home while Wizz Air has bases in both Belgrade and Skopje.
well done ZAD!!! STN & HHN could easily during winter months!
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be more sensible to be that cash to OU to fly from ZAD? Just saying.
ReplyDeleteTrue that.
DeleteAgree with you 100 percent
DeleteIt's a lay, they didnt hire any pilots or cabin crew stuff. They just use ZAD staff for handling. Ryan air is cancer for aviation business.
ReplyDeleteThey are the leader in the race to the bottom.
DeleteOnly positive things if ryan air presence in ZAD are handling fees for ZAD airport (some of these fees are coverd by city of zadar) and effect on tourism. All the salaries of this business (pilot, cabin crew..) as well as profit of ryan goes back to ireland and uk (which is good for those countries, but not for croatia. Its something like foreign banks presence in croatia and other ex yu countries. Nothing good in long run.
ReplyDeleteRyanair's Micheal O'Leary arrives in a hotel in Dublin, he goes to the bar and asks for a pint of draught Guinness. The barman nodded and said, "That will be one Euro please, Mr. O'Leary."
ReplyDeleteSomewhat taken aback, O'Leary replied, "That's very cheap," and handed over his money.
"Well, we try to stay ahead of the competition", said the barman. "And we are serving free pints every Wednesday evening from 6 until 8. We have the cheapest beer in Ireland"
"That is remarkable value" Michael comments
"I see you don't seem to have a glass, so you'll probably need one of ours.
That will be 3 euro please.
O'Leary scowled, but paid up. He took his drink and walked towards a seat.
"Ah, you want to sit down?" said the barman. "That'll be an extra 2 euro. - You could have pre-book the seat, and it would have only cost you a Euro."
"I think you may to be too big for the seat sir, can I ask you to sit in this frame please"
Michael attempts to sit down but the frame is too small and when he can't squeeze in he complains "Nobody would fit in that little frame".
"I'm afraid if you can't fit in the frame you'll have to pay an extra surcharge of €4.00 for your seat sir"
O'Leary swore to himself, but paid up. "I see that you have brought your laptop with you" added the barman. "And since that wasn't pre-booked either, that will be another 3 euro."
O'Leary was so annoyed that he walked back to the bar, slammed his drink on the counter, and yelled, "This is ridiculous, I want to speak to the manager".
"Ah, I see you want to use the counter," says the barman, "that will be 2 euro please." O'Leary's face was red with rage.
"Do you know who I am?"
"Of course I do Mr. O'Leary,"
"I've had enough, What sort of Hotel is this? I come in for a quiet drink and you treat me like this. I insist on speaking to a manager!"
"Here is his E mail address, or if you wish, you can contact him between 9 and 9.10 every morning, Monday to Tuesday at this free phone number. Calls are free, until they are answered, then there is a talking charge of only 10 cent per second"
"I will never use this bar again
"OK sir, but remember, we are the only hotel in Ireland selling pints for one Euro"
Brilliant!
DeleteThanks for the much needed laugh.
Great, Zadar is soon going to have more passengers than Sarajevo.
ReplyDeleteCTN could not possibly spare one A319 or A320 to dedicate it only to LDZD, RYR can do it. CTN didn't show any interest on subventions from Zadar County Turist Offices. Their primary targets are LDZA, LDSP and LDDU and it will stay like that.
ReplyDeleteCTN flies FRA and MUC this year with 3 flights per week. Remember that they cancel ZRH and CDG from ZAD because of not getting money from tourist office.
DeleteBut for sure they fly 3 international flights per week from ZAD so will they get some 200.000 EUR for that as that is 1/7 of money Ryanair gets.
Wish all the best ZAD!! This is a nice positioning of the airport in terms of big competitors like SPU, RJK or PUY!
ReplyDeleteOT: Austrian starts charters from Vienna, Graz and Linz to Ohrid this summer (from 02.05).
one more OT and nothing to do with Ex Yu, but very interesting: http://wizzair.com/en-GB/about_us/news/wizen163
ReplyDeleteThis indeed is interesting, Wizzair to Dubai
DeleteGreat news for Zadar!
ReplyDeleteWould someone know 'ball park' figure of the subsidy ?
you can get it yourself by reading the article
Delete