Zagreb Airport is preparing for a busy winter season, which will see it handle more flights than ever before, following on from what is set to be a record summer. A number of carriers have already committed to increasing both frequencies and capacity to the Croatian capital when compared to last winter, with El Al Israel Airlines recently announcing it will extend its seasonal summer flight programme between Tel Aviv and Zagreb by a month, until the end of November. Services will be maintained once per week. Furthermore, as previously reported, Croatia Airlines has upgraded its seasonal flights to Barcelona and Lisbon to year-round operations, while Qatar Airways is expected to uphold its two daily service throughout the winter, up from last year's ten weekly flights.
Carriers that will be operating to Zagreb Airport this year, but were not present last winter, include Emirates, with a five weekly service from Dubai, Monarch Airlines, with services from London Gatwick and Manchester, as well as Norwegian Air Shuttle, which will maintain its recently launched flights from Stockholm to Zagreb throughout the winter. Furthermore, Lufthansa's low cost unit Eurowings will add its fourth destination to the Croatian capital, from Dusseldorf, starting October 31. Sales for the new route have been encouraging, resulting in the airline's decision to run the service three times per week instead of two, as initially scheduled. Monarch Airlines recently said its decision to extend its seasonal flights to Zagreb over the winter was down to strong loads and bookings over the summer months. "The summer flights and city breaks to Croatia have been selling well and we are always looking for new routes that we can offer all year round, so we are happy to be adding Zagreb as another city break to our winter programme”, Monarch's Chief Commercial Officer, Ian Chambers, said.
Elsewhere, LOT Polish Airlines will increase frequencies on its Zagreb flights over the winter. The airline will maintain eight instead of six weekly services from Warsaw, all of which will be run by its 82-seat Embraer E175 aircraft. Furthermore, ČSA Czech Airlines will add an extra weekly flight from Prague over the winter for a total of three with its ATR 72. At this point, the carrier has not scheduled a stop-in-service during the slow month of February, as was the case this year. Czech Airlines recently said that more than a third of travellers who began their journey in Zagreb continued on from Prague towards other destinations served by the carrier and its partners.
Zagreb Airport is targeting passenger growth of 8% in 2017, although it is expected to surpass this figure. During the first half of 2017 it handled 1.335.942 passengers, up 9% on last year. Recently, its General Manager, Jacques Feron, said that attracting new airlines was one of the management's key goals which will, in turn, transform the airport into a true hub. "An airport such as Zagreb cannot decide to become a hub on its own. It is airlines which make the airport a hub. At our concessionaire level, we shall accompany the airlines, and especially Croatia Airlines, in their strategies by being efficient and flexible". Mr Feron said.
Comments
Also DUS is such a,missed opportunity for the carrier. They could have run daily flights with the Q400
ZAG needs more LCCs
Otherwise, Gulf carriers will probably reduce the prices dramatically in winter. Having 2 daily DOH and 1 to DXB is madness.
Agree about DUB. Maybe they can try to get Aer Lingus to fly this route.
Yes, madness - but great for us consumers !! Bring on the price war
Also I think it has more to.do.with good performance of their SYD flights
(In SPU and DBV is also a good performance to MAD/BCN.)
Is this just one-time service?
OU's load factor overall is around 72%, if they can push it to 75% would be really nice.
Really good ... after 1 month of flying, they announced they would cut 2 services per week over the winter. With Qatar announcing double daily flights, my bet is that they will further reduce their winter services - too much capacity without the convenience of frequency"
Good, it is good nobody cares what you think.
This blog reported it, few months ago, and EasyJet coming too as well.
Zagreb is on EK and QRs cargo run, there's currently weekly cargo flights by Qatar and Cargo with EK starts in August with daily flights, EK projects 1600 Tons of air cargo between Zagreb and Dubai. Qatar has similar projections.
EK is doing fine on Zagreb route, 80% LF rate atm.
Indeed, no need to rush things, Voltea, Tranavia and EasyJet are coming next year, Norwegian will most likely expand their operations next year too and I think Vueling and Air Europa might start more regular service to Zagreb as well. Monarch is connecting Zagreb with Manchester and London and might add Birmingham and Edinburgh next year.
I think when it comes to LCCs, that is it, no need for Wizz or Ryan. Concentrate on getting good coverage with Legacy carriers and great seasonal service by other carriers.
Zagreb will do fine.
BTW Sofia will hit 7 million this year. Mostly cause of LCCs.
They're not reducing London, they're reducing LHR, LGW is still on for extra flights.
Once 3rd Runway @LHR is finished they'll get new slots @LHR this is if the UK remains in the EU. Dublin should be priority for OU, 20 000 Croats live in Ireland. 80 000 Irish visit Croatia, good enough reason for direct service to Zagreb.
What exactly should government do for minor infractions ? They've fined the airport, and individual in question already passed passport control, the security control, he was bit late that is all, no laws broken other than stupidity. Hardly a crime these days, if it was a crime, Trump would serve a life in prison.
Hitting planes isn't unusual, happens a lot on all airports. Ground crew was careless. Airport normally covers the costs of such damage through insurance.
https://i0.wp.com/hajdasdoncic.hr/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/radovi-faze-2.png?w=562
I think I saw google earth rendering of what the terminal will look like, but forgot where, not if it was this blog, or some aviation forum. I am sure if you google it you'll find it.
Yes fella was bit stupid, indeed should face a fine or something, shit happens. He passed security screen, his baggage was on the plane already, he was giving a lift by airport staff as he was too late for the airport neoplan bus, airplane was informed and they waited for him. He was only 2-3 min late and they let him board. Moving on.
Also don't always believe shit you read on index or tportal !!!
He didn't brake any laws other than force airline to wait for him 2-3 min. Police didn't charge him, arrest him or question him, why??? Cause airport handled stuff the right way, allowed poor fella to board the plane he was late.
Story of him running across tarmac is nonsense, he didn't do such thing.
https://tangosix.rs/2017/11/07/kolumna-alena-scurica-koliko-je-sigurna-zracna-luka-zagreb/
Zagreb airport is the only airport in the ex-YU region that can. A380 can park on all other major airports in the region, and land if runway is 3000m long, however to connect directly with the passenger terminal, only possible @ Zagreb.
But none of the airports can serve it effectively, because they don't have catering vehicles to reach second deck, also to board second deck via stairs inside is crazy. But anyway I believe that Zagreb will be the first in ex-YU to get an A380 flight.
85% lf to Zagreb, 75% LF to Dubai, that is excellent result only after 50 days of flying to Zagreb.
Zagreb is year round destination, summer season or not. December is just as busy as July or August when it comes to tourist. Even first two weeks of January are very busy cause of ski-slalom and giant slalom world cup races held in Zagreb each year. A
I am not worried for EK at all, they're doing fine, with cargo they'll start to fly from August 1st and first and business class selling 50-70%, EK is making a killing on the route. EK's own estimates for first 7 moths of operations to Zagreb were 85000.
In first June and July will see around 37000 pax on the route. At this rate, if they keep up lf till the end of September, they'll hit their target, 3 months ahead of what they projected.
In 2018, EK route Dubai - Zagreb - Dubai - is poised to hit 200 000 pax. EK projections for 2018 are 175000. This means they're projecting they'll make good profit with 175 000 or 85000 pax this year.
You should relax, EK knows what they're doing, they're big airline, with good reputation for a reason.
Show me, use google earth, point c gate, i am looking at the airport now, can't see how this is possible. Box is too Narrow, max BG can host is A330-300 or B777 200. 60-63m.
A 380 is 73.7m. As to catering, Emirates does catering only in Dubai. Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and London.
It handles large aircraft on its gate C6.
http://i.imgur.com/X01d14O.png
That is a platform not a terminal, you can park An-225 there, let alone A380, we're talking connecting the plane to the terminal so passengers can deplane through passenger boarding bridges.
Air China was parked on that platform too.
Look at google earth and measure things for yourself, look at the size of the box.
Stop being a smart arse if you don't know what you are talking about.
http://i.imgur.com/xfHCDR3.jpg
https://www.dus.com/~/media/fdg/dus_com/konzern/presse/medien%20informationen%20englisch/düsseldorf_airport_to_become_airport_for_the_a380.pdf - on the last page you can see that Dusseldorf airport has bought catering vehicles for A380
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PWDMu29V0w&t=90s - video of Emirates A380 turnaround at Manchester airport, you can clearly see catering vehicles
-ZAG is still having problems handling the B77W, loading and unloading cargo and as well as servicing the aircraft ie cleaning. The A380 would just increase the problem.
- EK caters from almost all destinations except for the shorter flights, a couple African destinations and ZAG due to a lack of a proper catering facility. Nothing to do with aircraft type, rather the facilities, or lack of facilities and quality of catering. Same as with QR who doesnt cater in ZAG but DOH. FZ doesnt cater in BEG rather from DXB, with return catering loaded in the cargo and JU Catering just swaps the carts around during ground time. QR wasnt taking on catering previously in BEG either, being catered in SOF for the SOF-BEG-SOF sector and again for the SOF-DOH sector.
- A380's are boarded at some airports via remote stand on a regular basis.
- BEG can take on all types (i think just not the A380). However, difference in ZAG is that in ZAG the gates are not closed as is the case in BEG.
@ anonymous 6,27pm
you obviously havnt seen the amount of catering that gets uplifted to an aircraft before. You will be surprised.
@ anonymous 6,52pm
widebodies in BEG use just one bridge not 2, which is connected at L2. I thought the same before but its not the case, and there are a few pictures around that show this.
The only reason they don't do it for JFK is because it departs during the busy period when they need all the gates they can get.
Gate was closed, no one was on gate any more. No one inform captain that he will be late on flight - that is not true.
His luggage was taking out of plane because he was not on it
He push emergency button, walk on apron and try to find plane, but he did not know which one was it
Than he recognize his luggage on trolley, and stop driver and ask him to drive him and his luggage to plane.
Driver did so.
Captain and agent allow him to board plane.
Crazy!
He is applying nothing but his stupidity, the guy is a nationalist troll and everyone can read between the lines.
He is jealous emirates is flying to Zagreb and want's to Emirates fail in Zagreb. Well it won't, they're doing a fantastic job, Winter was always expected to be reduced, they do that on most destinations across their network, Zagreb isn't exception.
Emirates projected 80-85000 pax on the route this year, 160-175 000 pax in 2018 for entire year, it seems now, they'll have 85000 by the end of September and 200 000 pax in 2018. Massive increase on their projections.
Zagreb is developing just nicely. new Legacy Carriers are coming in first, just like in major West European airports, and LCCs are picking the destinations now covered by legacy carriers.
No need to rush things in Zagreb, get a stable and solid growth based on legacy carriers and service, build a proper airport.