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| Osijek Airport records busiest year |
Osijek Airport has registered its busiest post-war year on record thanks to budget carrier Ryanair and Trade Air’s commuter domestic service. Osijek, in Croatia’s east, expects to handle some 30.000 passengers by the end of the year, up from just 3.404 in 2013 and is set to overtake figures recorded back in 1985. Ryanair has been fuelling the growth with its seasonal summer flights from London Stansted Airport, with 18.000 passengers making use of the service this year. “Some 25% of all passengers on the route were British citizens, which is probably the biggest gain this airport has had. It shows we made the right decision with this route. These results are even more impressive having in mind the airport was facing closure only three years ago”, Osijek Airport’s CEO, Domagoj Marinić says. He adds, “This does not mark the end of our pursuit to expand the network of low cost airlines operating to the airport. In 2015 and 2016 we will further expand this offer, particularly with flights to Germany”. Ryanair’s service between London and Croatia’s fourth largest city ran twice per week over the summer.
Due to its close proximity to the Serbian border, a portion of the approach to Osijek Airport is controlled by the Serbia and Montenegro Air Traffic Services Agency. The Croatian Minister for Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, Siniša Hajdaš Dončić, says the two countries will regulate this issue in the coming weeks. “In the next two to three weeks, the two countries will sign a bilateral air agreement which will allow incoming aircraft to use part of the airspace controlled by Serbia. This will help improve the airport’s competitiveness”, Mr. Hajdaš Dončić said. The Minister added that Osijek Airport should become a low cost hub.
Osijek’s busy year marks a major turnaround for the airport which was on the brink of collapse only two years ago. Osijek Airport suffered significantly after Ryanair suspended flights to the city for two years in 2012. It is believed the low cost airline pulled out after the airport was no longer able to subsidise the flights. Furthermore, Osijek Airport faced mounting debt, outstanding loan repayments, as well as lawsuits and was unable pay its staff for almost half a year. The Croatian government has invested significant resources over the past two years in securing a brighter future for the airport and initiated Trade Air’s domestic flights from Osijek to Zagreb.
Nice year for Osijek Airport, hope next one will be even better!
ReplyDeleteCongrats but I wonder how much Ryanair costs this time. Why not give that money to Croatia Airlines to fly from Osi?
ReplyDeleteWell, because they already have Trade Air.
DeleteWas there fog in Bosnia this morning? Air Serbia cancelled its Banja Luka flight and Turkish operated its Belgrade flight via Sarajevo.
ReplyDeleteI read that Qatar will be decreasing Budapest-Zagreb flights to three weekly, does it mean they will add an additional direct flying to Zagreb?
ReplyDeleteYes.
DeleteYes, an additional nonstop flight will be added. You can read about it here
Deletehttp://exyuaviation.blogspot.com.au/p/blog-page_29.html
Great, thanks. I hope it eventually becomes daily, at least by summer 2015.
DeleteFour daily direct flights started about a month ago.
DeleteWith what frequency they serve Budapest then, still daily?
Delete@ Q400, No, the fourth nonstop flight begins on December 21. as reported. You can check here
DeleteBudapest is served daily. Qatar was forced to operate numerous joint flights because it lacked aircraft. As more birds are joining their flock, it has enabled them to separate numerous destinations. That's why both Budapest and Zagreb will receive daily, direct flights.
DeleteI am just a bit afraid what impact flydubai's entry into Zagreb will have on Qatar. So far QR had only TK as its competition. Things are about to change.
Zagreb will NOT get daily flights by Qatar.
DeleteI think Sofia and Bucharest (possibly Thessaloniki) will get daily direct flights much before Zagreb.
DeleteI dont think FZ will do much damage to QR because QR has a better product and better frequencies compared to FZ. There is also a frequent flyer program advantage. Itll be similar to FZ in BEG, where there will be O&D traffic between DXB and ZAG, as well as other connections with FZ ex DXB (CMB etc.).
DeleteNot true, FZ does not rely on O&D alone in Belgrade. Currently Emirates hold about 60% of the market between Serbia and Australia which is served by flydubai from Dubai to Belgrade.
DeleteRe-read what I wrote. I never mentioned that FZ only relies on O&D from BEG.
DeleteI said there will be O&D traffic AS WELL AS connections. There is O&D traffic between the UAE and Serbia, both tourists and expats.
Yes, I read what you wrote and I added that FZ relies on Emirates for passengers coming from Australia, they are about 30 per day which is not little.
Deleteto anon @ 1.48PM.Qatar flies out of Zagreb daily as per amadeus in January 1,5,6,7 are non stop and 2,3,4 are with a stop in Budapest.
DeleteDoes anyone have any idea how Trade Air Emb 120 flights are doing?
ReplyDeleteThe airport anounced in an article that Trade Air are doing better and better, with a LF 33%, that means 10 pax onboard of a plane that has 30 seats... In the last year, there were about 5pax onboard... I think that the hugest problem is OU that has no interest in Osijek line, they dont offer connecting flights to Osijek, or if they do so, it is more expensive than Zagreb... Trade air at the moment has a promotional return tickets for a little bit less than 400kn, that is really fair, I think 156 from Osijek and 236 from Zagreb. Fingers crossed for the flights from Osijek. If Graz can have daily connections with Vienna, Osijek can have at least one...
DeleteExYu and Anon 1510,
ReplyDeleteThanks.