Low cost airline Eurowings will unveil its expansion plans for Croatia at a press conference in Zagreb next Tuesday. The Lufthansa subsidiary plans on carrying over one million passengers to and from the country in 2018. It comes following a 60% increase in capacity on the Croatian market this year, during which it launched a number of new services. The carrier will continue growing its presence in the country next week with the launch of a new year-round service from Dusseldorf to Zagreb, marking its fifth destination to the Croatian capital after Berlin, Cologne, Stuttgart and Hamburg, the latter of which is maintained on a seasonal summer basis.
Eurowings has previously said that it will focus on easing seasonality on the Croatian market by introducing more year-round routes in the coming period. The airline is also considering adding flights between Cologne and Osijek following the successful launch of its service from Stuttgart to the Croatian city this May. "We are delighted that we launched flights to Osijek and became the only carrier serving seven Croatian airports. In addition to Croats flying between Osijek and Stuttgart, we are also working on bringing German tourists to this part of Croatia because Slavonia has a lot to offer. Since we have a lot of plans for Croatia, we can expect some new routes from Osijek in the future", the airline's Network Development and Airport Relations Manager, Ivan Oreč, said earlier this year. Eurowings is also expected to introduce flights to Brač Airport after it included the city in a new route launch competition earlier this October.
The Supervisory Board of the Lufthansa Group has approved the rapid expansion of Eurowings. For this purpose, an investment framework of around one billion euros was recently approved for the purchase and leasing of aircraft. The funds will be used towards obtaining up to 61 aircraft, including 41 Airbus A320 family jets and twenty Dash 8 Q400s. The acquisition of the aircraft is partly dependent on the successful conclusion of negotiations to acquire parts of the Air Berlin Group. Over the past few months, Lufthansa had already taken on twenty aircraft operated by Eurowings under the existing wet-lease agreement with Air Berlin, allowing it to expand rapidly across the continent, Croatia included. Subject to approval by the relevant antitrust authorities, the Eurowings Group can grow by a total of up to 81 aircraft in the future. It is expected to become Europe's third largest low cost airline.
EX-YU Aviation News will be following events from Zagreb next Tuesday and will bring you the latest news from Eurowings' press conference.
Very interesting. Could this mean they nay announce a base in ZAG?
ReplyDeleteHope so
DeleteNo, Zagreb airport is too expensive for Eurowings so they will not open a base there, at least not now.
DeleteDBV or SPU maybe?
DeleteSPU refused Eurowings and their idea to open a base there...Not sure about DBV.
DeleteHow do you know that split refused to be a base of eurowings? That's not true
DeleteThat's not true? Unfortunately it is. They have enough free slots for Eurowings and their base there but they refused that idea when EW approached to SPU management.
DeleteIf is not true, please give me some argument. I would love to hear that from you when I exactly know what happen there.
ZAG has hefty discounts if a new route is launched. Now if they wanted to creat a base in ZAG, and their network doesnt over lap with OU there could be alot of potential.
DeleteEW could add five new destinations in the UK, and Ireland, four France, four in Scandanavia, two in Switzerland, three in Spain, and Portugal, two more in Germany, etc, etc. There are endless possibilities.
Any airframe they took from Air Berlin, and use to Croatia is good because Air Berlin didnt focus on Croatia.
EW could even code share on the domestic routes with OU.
Five destinations in the UK? Are you sure? This seems like an overkill even before Brexit.
DeleteUK tourists are going to be the first to break one million in Croatia. They are already somewhere around 700,000 to 800,000 today, and the vast majority fly in unlike the Germans, and Austrians.
DeleteJust Monarch had two UK destinations with an additional two planned to be added for 2018 before they went bust.
Brexit means little to UK when traveling to Croatia because everything is cheap for them.
All EW need to do is add a London airport that isnt already served, and Man City and thats what Monarch had. Monarch was sappose to add Burmingham, and one more destination for 2018.
Glasgow, Liverpool, and New Castle are good prospects, and throw in Dublin which isnt the UK, but still the most underserved unserved destination from ZAG.
Its a no brainer getting UK destinations, and many already come to ZAG for vacation, weekend breaks, stags, etc.
You are forgetting one thing, Monarch was also a tour operator. These Brits visiting Zagreb came as part of a package tour, not independently. EW wouldn't have that possibility.
DeleteLet's see if anyone actually adds flights. If the market is that big someone will recognize it.
Honestly I really beleive theres a lack of flights just talking to the Brits. The vast majority of them have crazy unconvenient connections.
DeleteOff topic I laughed this summer when I chatted with some Italian guys at Zrce this summer. Crazy shxx these tourists have to go through with the shxxxx connections our region have. They basically grabbed a flight from Palermo to Ancona then took a ferry from Ancona to Zadar and then a bus from Zadar to Novalja just to reach there end destination.
Great news. I'm glad to see OSI is performing well for them.
ReplyDeleteThanks for keeping us updated admin. Looking forward to next Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteDa li SPU od 2018.uvodi nocne letove?
ReplyDeleteAko je tako, definitivno ce presisat ZAG.
http://www.exyuaviation.com/2017/08/split-to-become-24-hour-airport.html
DeleteCini li se to meni ili se svi polako pripremaju na probleme u Spanjolskoj?
ReplyDeleteSensational news for ALL of Croatia. More direct flights to Croatia.
ReplyDeleteAny expansion of Eurowings in Croatia is going to cause huge issues for OU and the govt's privatisation plans.
ReplyDeleteBrac is definitely getting EW flights. We will what other routes they will open to other airports.
ReplyDeleteThis only goes to show that as far as Lufthansa goes, Croatia Airlines has no future in their grand strategy. They will keep on cooperating for as long as possible but I don't see LH Group running to the airline's rescue in the future.
ReplyDeleteLufthansa is becoming extremely aggressive and I think a major clash with easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air is imminent at this point.
Personally, if I were a Croat I wouldn't be too excited about all this. This is yet another move where LH is trying to cement its position on the Croatian market. The same way it has done in Austria and Switzerland.
Croatian coastal airports should welcome Eurowings but at the same time they should ensure that there is enough competition.
Maybe DBV should approach Vueling so as to offer them a (seasonal) base there. Given the political climate in Spain, I wouldn't be surprised if the airline sees lower demand in the coming months.
I must say I agree with you. Especially since it says they want to focus on year-long flights so catering just for tourists is no longer their only priority.
DeleteWho cares about OU? Nobody would be more happy than Croatian people to see that failed company go to bust and stop eating our taxpayer money.
DeleteDa se razumjemo i ne lazemo, za mene nijedna tvrtka sa HR predznakom nije moja niti ju smatram svojom.
DeleteTko ne moze opstat na trzistu svojim snagama, nije mu mjesto na istom.
Tu je velika razlika izmedju vas i nas.
Well, this is an ex-YU aviation blog, OU is an ex-YU airline and Eurowings is a predator that has just announced major expansion plans for Croatia.
DeleteI think it's natural to talk about OU here as they stand to lose the most.
There is no difference between 'you' and 'us.' Don't forget that protectionist policies in Serbia have been suspended in 2009. It's a free and open market and Wizz Air has been operating a base at BEG for several years now.
Like Anon 10.02 (first one) said, EW is no longer focusing on tourists. Launching Osijek was a major step in a new direction. All we have to do now is wait out and see if OSI has the potential to become a new INI.
Mjesas kruske i jabuke.
DeleteAerodromi su jedno, kompanije su nesto drugo.
Aerodromi bez kompanije mogu, kompanije bez aerodroma tesko do nikako.
Osobno, suzu necu pustiti poradi nestanka Croatie s trzista.
Hrvatski aerodromince i dalje poslovati i bez nje.
Не мешам бабе и жабе. Овде се не води дискусија о будућности хрватских аеродрома већ о будућности Кроације као националног авио-превозника.
DeleteЈа ни у једном тренутку нисам споменуо да Загреб треба да их заштити већ да што се Луфтхансе тиче, они не играју битну улогу у њиховим плановима за будућности. То је све.
На крају крајева, не могу се сложити са тобом да аеродроми лако могу вез авио-компанија имајући у виду да је њихова примарна дужност да опслужују авионе и путнике.
Ни теби као путнику а ни привреди не иде у користе да аеродром или авио-компанија имају монопол. Да ли мислиш да ће Eurowings нудити јефтине карте када се позиционирају на тржишту и када протерају мање играче?
Погледај само цене карата по САД од како се десила консолидација. Европа се нажалост креће у том смеру.Изглед да су Аустријанци то први схватили те су покренули истрагу у вези ЛХ власништва и у Остријану и у Никију.
Kao sto rekoh, ako ne mogu opstati, neka nestanu.
DeleteSlazem se. Sta ja imam od OU? To sto nosi ime Croatia u imenu? Sigurno da cu biti sretniji da oh preuzme netko drugi, ali sto prije. Ako nisu sposobni, nek propadnu.
DeleteOU plays a vital role in Croatia economy. Without them there would be a big loss. EW pays taxes in Germany, OU in Croatia. Enough said.
DeleteTi to ozbiljno?
DeleteMmmm... da?
DeleteEW doesnt pay any taxes since they are still in the red.
DeleteOU vitalna za Hr privredu. Aha. Sure.
DeleteA kak nije please.
DeleteA kako je?
DeletePosluje s gubitkom, sisa proracunski novac.....
Dakle, kako je to bitna?
kakav proračunski novac ? malo se informiraj prije nego što lupaš gluposti
DeleteMozda nije vitalna, ali je definitivno bitna. A bila bi i bitnija da je bolje vodjena. Sigurno stranac nece odrzavati linije koje mu se ne isplate.
DeleteCiao za ZAG-SJJ/SKP ako ode OU.
DeleteStranac će održavati linije ako će dobivati novac kao i Croatia. A 10,3 milijuna EUR godišnje za PSO tek 3 linije (i par dodatnih letova za Osijek i Brač ljeti) je više nego velik novac i dovoljno motivirajuć da to obnaša neka druga tvrtka.
DeleteNemje, razlika između vas i nas je u tome što ovdje 80% ljudi neće trepnuti ako Croatia rikne. Eurowings je jednako hrvatska tvrka kao što je Croatia njemačka. Ovo je Europska unija tu imamo više stotina "domaćih kompanija". I samim time Eurowings je domaća kompanija.
Puca mi ona stvar kako će se zvati kompanija koja će letjeti između Dubrovnika i Zagreba 5-6 puta dnevno umjesto 3-4 i imati kartu od 500-600 kn, umjesto 1.100-1.400.
Jednako tako boga molim da DB dođe u Hrvatsku i napravi relativno brze željezničke veze između Splita i Zagreba, te Zagreba i Osijeka sa bar 5-6 polazaka dnevno, trajanjem puta od ne više od 3 sata i udobnim vlakovima. Tada bi koristio željeznicu. Ovo danas...
Jednako tako molim boga da Tesco ili netko drugi kupi Konzum pa da više nemam patnje sa tim da u trgovinama nema osnovnih stvari za kupit.
Bravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeletemark my words, they're taking over OU
ReplyDeleteWhy would they do that ?
DeleteThey have aircraft now that they have purchased huge pieces of Air Berlin, so they can deploy aircraft and crews where necessary.
Taking over OU means inheriting legacy problems, debt and a broken business. Exactly same reasons why they didn't invest in Air Berlin and instead, waited for it to collapse and then bought the pieces it wanted.
OU may not fall like Air Berlin did, but they don't need to invest in any existing airline in Croatia in order to grow. They can do that without the headache of investing in OU
Not only that but if they wait for OU to go bust then they can assume ZAG will change its tune and will be more willing to lower its fees for their base there.
DeleteNe kupuju OU, niti će. Slotovi u Zagrebu nisu nešto posebno na cijeni, a ne treba im flota koja je prestara za EW, pogotovo A320 obitelj. Dashevi se ne uklapaju u njihovu strategiju i ovo što su dobili od Air Berlina sada će postepeno izbaciti iz flote, a uzeli su ih samo zbog slotova koje su dobili u DUS.
DeleteIf OU were to go belly up ZAG pax numbers would see a drastic up swing because MZLZ wouldnt be protecting OU any more which is their biggest customer, and source of revenue.
DeleteLos ti je zakljucak.
DeleteAerodrom je jedan subjekt, OU drugi.
Dodirnih tocaka bas i nemaju.
Jedni o drugi vode svoju politiku za svoj interes.
Ne vidim nijedan logicni razlog zasto bi aerodrom stitio OU na svoju stetu.
If I'd have a dime for every "mark my words" statement...
DeleteHold my beer and watch this ��
Delete2018 will be a sensational year for tourism in Croatia given all what is happening in other tourist destinations. I expect the growth in the number of pax to be in 20+ percentage points
ReplyDelete+1000
DeleteSo future for brac airport and eurowings we will know at tousday?
ReplyDeleteYes
DeleteNo flights to BWK, at least no during the summer 2018.
Deletethats if they decide to lauch it.
Deletethe Brac launch is a decided thing. The press conference in ZAG is for ZAG plans only.
DeleteNo, the press conference in Zagreb concerns plans for the entire country.
DeleteTUI will launch BWK-Rotterdam 1w
DeleteYes - BRU-BWK-DOL-BWK-RTM-BWK-BRU
DeleteNo flights from eurowings to brac in s 18?
DeleteThis year 28000 german tourist was registred on brac....so brac have big potencional for eurowings flights...
DeleteWow. Nice Routing of TUI Fly Belgium. Happy for BWK.
DeleteIn my opinion Hvar and the hotels and tourism companies there need to also lobby for BWK as it is just a very short hop between airport and Hvar. Bol Airport needs to promote itself as the airport for both heavily touristic islands - gives them a better chance of larger and more charters. And a regular bigger ferry line between Bol and jelsa should be introduced to facilitate travel.
Mozda su Hvar i Brac blizu, no veze medju njima su uzasno rijetke
DeleteAko zelis na Hvar, najbolja opcija je Split.
Correct as per now, unless you take one of the tourist boats to cross. However, there is enormous potential for Hvar tourism in BWK's strive for larger international flight services. As said what is needed is only a (smaller but regular) ferry service Bol/Jelsa. Then Hvar is reached much easier from Bol than from far away Kastela.
DeleteAnother EUROWINGS press conference: Mostar, Monday 30.10.
ReplyDeleteDa li se za najavu novih linija organizra presica? Meni se cini da je posrijedi ili najava vise linija ili nesto drugo. Mozda grijesim.
ReplyDeletegrijesis, imali su presice i ranije za nove linije. I ovog proljeća u Osijeku ako se ne varam. Tako će dan prije i u Mostaru najavit novu liniju za CGN
DeleteOk.
DeleteLooking forward, hope for some new routes from ZAG!
ReplyDeleteSure, for the most Increasing numbers are sign of progress. The devastating consequesces tourism will have on The country itself is to be seen years after. Yugos were always about quantity before quality and same is going to be here.
ReplyDeleteThat is crap of elitist snobs. Give people what they need and make them coming. Money is there to be taken so we'll stick to Mediterranean of 19th century? There is place for everyone if they're willing to pay.
Delete"We are delighted that we launched flights to Osijek and became the only carrier serving seven Croatian airports."
ReplyDeleteThat is absolutely not true:
Croatia have flights from ZAG, PUY, RJK, ZAD, BWK, SPU, DBV and OSI. That is 8 airports.
I hope in press conference they will not present those kind of bullshits.
You should work on your English comprehension. He says that they (EUROWINGS) are the only airline serving SEVEN Croatian airport. Not that there are seven airports in Croatia. They don't fly from Brac.
DeleteAnd that sustenance is not true.
DeleteCroatia Airlines also serve SEVEN Croatian airports, even more, Croatia Airlines serve EIGHT Croatian Airports.
In Croatia there is 9 airports, 8 of those are served by Croatia Airlines, 7 of those by Eurowings. So, it is not true that Eurowings is ONLY airline to serve seven airports.
By Lufthansa annual report Eurowings had 78 aircraft on 31.12.2016. (43 A319 and 35 A320)
ReplyDeletehttps://investor-relations.lufthansagroup.com/fileadmin/downloads/en/financial-reports/annual-reports/LH-AR-2016-e.pdf
page 15.
And that was before those Air Berlin plans. So, it would be much more than 81 planes in future.
Again you don't understand English very well. The article says they plan to add another 81 aircraft in the future, not that they will have 81 aircraft in total in their fleet.
DeleteAgain?
DeleteGreat news!
ReplyDelete