Ryanair to expand Zadar base

Ryanair anticipates handling 315.000 passengers from Zadar next year

Ryanair will expand operations from its seasonal summer base in Zadar in 2016, after downsizing its network from the city for two consecutive years. The no frills carrier plans to launch one new route, operate 39 weekly flights, carry 315.000 passengers and create 230 on-site jobs in Zadar next year. The airline will introduce services from Zadar to Berlin Schonofeld Airport from April 4, which will complement the carrier's existing network from its Croatian hub, which include Beauvais, Charleroi, Dublin, Gothenburg, Hahn, Baden-Baden, London Stansted, Manchester, Marseille, Moss, Stockholm Skavsta and Weeze. "Ryanair is pleased to launch our Zadar summer 2016 schedule, with a new route to Berlin and thirteen routes in total. Our customers can look forward to further improvements in the coming months", Ryanair’s Chief Commercial Officer, David O’Brien, said.

Zadar provided 1.4 million euros in order for Ryanair to set up a base and station one of its aircraft at the airport in 2013. The Croatian Tourism Association provided half of the above-mentioned sum, while the rest was paid for by local authorities and businesses benefiting from the new flights. The airline also enjoys a range of subsidies at Zadar Airport. However, Ryanair has scaled down its operations from the city both this year and last. Over the past year, the airline suspended flights from Zadar to Haugesund in Norway, as well as Billund in Denmark. "Ryanair's business strategy is - more frequencies, fewer routes. The service to Haugesund had an average cabin load factor of 56% last year, Billund 68%, while Oslo Rygge recorded a load factor of 70%. While these figures are by no means low, they [Ryanair] were obviously unsatisfied with these results", Zadar Airport's Managing Director, Irena Ćosić, said. Last year, Ryanair handled 157.253 passengers on its flights to and from Zadar.

Zadar Airport has seen its passenger numbers decline during the busy summer months this year, in part due to Ryanair's network reductions. In September, the airport handled 69.738 passengers, down 9.1% on the same month last year, continuing on from the negative trend which began in June and peaked in July when figures declined 18%. During the first three quarters, Zadar Airport welcomed 430.417 travellers through its doors, declining 3.6% on the same period in 2014. The airport anticipates its figures for the whole of 2015 will decline some 2% compared to last year's record breaking result. Besides securing a new service by Ryanair, the airport is also in talks with Air Serbia and recently attended the World Routes Forum in Durban to discuss potential cooperation with other airlines and tourism authorities.

Details for the new Zadar - Berlin service can be found here.

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:14

    Interesting about the amount they pay Ryanair and besides the fact that they paid them Ryanair still went and decreased their flights a year later. This is also a good indicator of how much other cities (Skopje, Nis, Pristina) would have to pay although it should be taken into consideration that these cities have far less tourism appeal but definitely more diaspora traffic. While it's great for the city and people in general to have a Ryanair base in their backyard, you should always have a backup plan. They could decide next year that they are not paid enough and pull out of Zadar and the airport would loose over 300000 passengers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:23

      As far as I heard this year was touch and go as well. The tourist board wasn't as keen to give Ryanair cash and they threatened to pull out completely a few months ago while they were negotiating.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:27

      Voila, that's the difference between Wizz Air and Ryanair for all to see.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:56

      I wonder what kind of a deal Ryan got from Osijek.
      This would be more relevant for the likes of INI, OMO, BNX or perhaps one day ( and that day may never come) for LYKV.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:06

      BNX workers are more use to pocketing money for themselves than giving to others.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous15:19

      How come Croatia is too expensive for Wizz Air and not for Ryan? I remember Wizz's CEO said here that Croatia was too expensive for them to fly to.

      BTW Talks betwen Ryanair and Macedonian government have stalled because of money but I'm pretty sure they will start flights next summer, just not at the volume as originally planned.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:14

    So Zadar has given up on those dream flights to China?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous09:27

    Go Croatia!
    2016 is going to b fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous10:43

    Shouldn't the Montenegro charter flights for Chinese tourists have started by now?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:47

      No, I just read somewhere that they have issues because Montenegro still hasn't abolished visas for Chinese.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous10:50

    For the money they got they should have done more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:00

      How about FR flights from BUD WAW GDN KUN BTS and MAD LIS EDI. All Ryanair bases. Have ECA actually operated a flight to ZAD this month?

      Delete
  6. Anonymous11:10

    Does anyone know how Sea Air performs in general ? Is it in 'black' ?
    Would be interesting to see if the model works (i.e. no AOC)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous11:18

    Is there a place in the schedule that may them connect Zadar and Belgrade in the summer season? How are regulated flights to non EU countries?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:33

      OPEN SKY.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:35

      B738 on ZAD-BEG? Seriously?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous15:32

      Why not an ATR?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous18:05

      I thought the topic is on Ryanair. Or you want them to divert from their core business with 1 ATR just to cover ZAD-BEG?

      Delete
  8. Anonymous12:25

    Ryanair still operates Oslo Rygge..

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous13:08

    I wonder what kind of a deal Ryan got from Osijek. 
    This would be more relevant for the likes of INI, OMO, BNX or perhaps one day ( and that day may never come) for LYKV. 

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous15:08

    I'm surprised a LCC hadn't set up a base in Dubrovnik or Split. You have tourism and Croatia is in the EU. I assume that the airports just don't want to give subsidies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:27

      You answered yourself. I don't have the time to search for it now but there is an article here from earlier this year or last year where deputy GM of DBV said they have no need to waste money when low cost airlines already fly from all across Europe to Dubrovnik. They don't need to become a base.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous15:14

    Had Yugoslavia stayed together every major airport in the country would probably have been a base to low cost airlines. Hell, the country probably would have had its very own low cost airline with flights betwen Belgrade and Zagreb every hour.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:23

      If ...

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:30

      Thankfully it didn't stayed together.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous15:42

      @anon 3:30pm
      You can not be more wrong, even if you tried.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous16:55

      +1000

      Delete
    5. Anonymous18:17

      And people would pay this with which money? Don't forget people are still driving in Yugos in Serbia today...

      Delete
  12. Anonymous18:31

    OT This afternoon JU one more time cancelled flight because of technical problems, YU-ALP will stay overnight in Skopje. The same thing happened with another ATR in Tirana recently. Unbelievable.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous20:25

      So what are they gonna do, was another a/c sent as a replacement?

      Delete
  13. Anonymous19:27

    This is no more than a tiny expansica that FR announced. Actually hardly worth mentioning. When I read the title of the article I thought FR would at least base another a/c in ZAD.

    ReplyDelete
  14. OT: Airberlin to cease flights to Russia
    http://www.exyuavforum.lkwhx.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=77#p136

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous23:35

    What about the pax in Skopje?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Purger08:13

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    Swiss Zurich (ZRH) -Toulouse (TLS) petak 16.10 u 14.10
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    ReplyDelete

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