Low cost carrier easyJet is planning on growing its operations to Croatia next year, particularly from the United Kingdom. Sophie Dekkers, easyJet's UK Country Director said, "A lot of the challenges we’ve faced in the last twelve months has consolidated our capacity in Europe. A lot of airlines have shifted away from Egypt and Turkey in favour of routes like Spain and Portugal. Everyone is competing to get passengers. We are looking at alternative routes to places like Croatia next year”. She added the airline is considering such expansion from across the country. easyJet is seen as a possible contender to fill the void on the London - Zagreb route following the collapse of budget rival Monarch Airlines and in the wake of Croatia Airlines' flight reduction to the UK capital after the sale of its Heathrow slots. easyJet previously discontinued services from London Gatwick to Zagreb at the end of the 2014 summer season.
The budget airline added eight new routes to the Croatian coast this year, which were announced in mid-December of 2016. The expansion represented a 23% year-on-year increase in seat capacity. The carrier continues to maintain its position as the second largest carrier in the country based on capacity, increasing its share by 2% to 10% this year, behind Croatia Airlines but ahead of Eurowings, Ryanair, Norwegian Air Shuttle and Lufthansa. It is the number one airline in both Split and Dubrovnik with a 22% and 16.8% share this year respectively. easyJet has applied for subsidies on offer for 2018 by the Croatian National Tourist Board through the implementation of joint strategic promotional campaigns.
Ali Gayward, easyJet’s UK Commercial Manager, noted, "We see a growing demand for short and long breaks to Croatia and we’re continuing to make it convenient for our customers to visit Croatia’s fantastic destinations contributing to the local economy". Furthermore, the airline said, "easyJet periodically assesses the opportunities on the basis of market research with business cases on several routes and then we choose the ones that result to prove more attractive for our customers. easyJet currently offers as many as 39 destinations to and from Croatia confirming the airline’s commitment to the country and to making travel easy and affordable for local passengers to connect to Europe".
Why only from the UK? I think there are opportunities from other countries too.
ReplyDeleteSuch as? What routes could they open?
DeleteZadar to the Netherlands. There are no flights at the moment but there is demand.
DeleteFrom ZAG - BER, DTM, STN
DeleteZagreb - Dublin! There is no regular scheduled flights to Dublin outside of summer and the number of Croats living in Ireland is constantly growing.
DeleteDUB is usually always flown and operated by FR.
Delete?
DeleteHave you ever heard of EI or one of the other 61 airlines serving DUB?
Zadar Netherlands, Eindhoven or Rotterdam will perform very well
DeleteEasy would be a good replacement for Monarch in ZAG.
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice but they left Zagreb because of high fees. Those fees are now even higher then they were 3 years ago.
DeleteI think they will return to ZAG sooner or later regardless of the fees.
DeleteZAG should covert the old terminal for LCCs and that way lower its fees.
DeleteI doubt that will happen. Someone has to pay for the new terminal. If they open the old terminal with lower fees, many airlines will want to use its services instead, and that won't be very profitable for the airport.
DeleteGreat! Easyjet is a nice airline and very welcome in Croatia.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Easy Jet is by far the best budget airline. Much better service than Wizz, and miles better than Ryan.
DeleteOut the big 3 LCCs, they are the best and they fly to primary airports.
DeleteEasyjet is the most expensive LCC.
DeleteOnly Norwegian is ahead of them in terms of best LCC
DeleteWhy is their service "much better than wizz"?
DeleteI think they are quite similar.
You can not compare easyJet and Wizz Air by any standard. EasyJet is much better company by product, care to passengers and strategic (they are not ULCC so mostly they don't fly to small airports 100 km from city).
DeleteU2 focus on business travellers while W6 mainly on leisure or gasterbeiter routes. Different products. But W6 also started to fly to main airports: FCO, FRA, LGW, WAW not WMI, IEV not far away KBP, etc.
DeleteCroatia would benefit from both, either way.
That easy flies to more major airports, it's true. But for product and care for passengers, you're not giving any concrete examples of differences. I've flown with both of them a lot and I really cannot put one above the other.
DeleteU2 has better buy-on-board choices. Also, I remember flying them in AUG14 and JAN15 when they had Serbian automated announcements. Not something you would hear on W6 if it was operated by a foreign base.
DeleteStill, princip je isti, sve su ostalo nijanse.
I wish they expand in BEG.
Talking of easyJet, Greek media is reporting that they have indefinitely suspended all flights from SKG because they couldn't get the slots they wanted.
DeleteAll passengers are bused to Athens.
Yes they are angry because of the updates at the airport. I think it is because of empty planes.
DeleteThey should finally open a base in Dubrovnik or Split. They offer so many flights now.
ReplyDeleteBoth airports are expensive as hell and because they are probably not interested in subsidising airlines for basing an aircraft.
DeleteTheir passenger base are tourists and I don't think there would be enough demand for DBV in November or February.
DeleteThe future of Croatian aviation is on the coast.
DeleteGreat news!
ReplyDeleteHopefully they will start Zagreb next year.
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't get is that this is an airline offering a million seats to/from Croatia each year bit they don't fly to a single city through the whole year.
ReplyDeleteNo demand during winter for the types of routes they fly. The only city they could sustain year round flights is Zagreb but the airport is expensive.
DeleteBecause the demand is really limited during the winter months.
DeleteLast year they announced new routes around middle of December so I hope we might see another expansion of that sort announced around the same time :)
ReplyDeleteI'm expecting for many more announcements to come in the near future.
DeleteEasyJet will open 3 routes this summer from Zagreb and base in 2018 with 7 routes.
ReplyDeleteWhere did you hear that?
DeleteWhat destinations?
DeleteWe keep on hearing about this every year yet here we are. ZAG is too expensive for them. I heard they are disgusted by the LCCs.
DeleteLol. Troll alert.
DeleteBase 2018, not 2019. I work for easyJet.
DeleteNew routes in 2018:
London Gatwick
Paris CDG
Manchester
New routes in 2019:
Berlin Tegel
Toulouse
Porto
Edinburgh
Last time around easyjet was obstructed in Zagreb in collusion between the airport and Croatia Airlines. Croatia Airlines had a public campaign against easyjet about how they are paying lower fees and how OU will cut flights from Zagreb if easyjet isn't treated equally.
DeleteAnd have they some plans for BWK ?
DeleteNot for BWK.
DeleteZagreb airport will change their policy for LCC from 2019. In 2018 they will allow some benefits for LCC but will still be focus on legacy and intercontinental. But from 2019 they will be focus on LCC. EasyJet is their prime interest because of ADP (on of concessionaire in Zagreb) where easyJet has 3 bases (Amsterdam, Orly and CDG). So they will start with easyJet but will try to attract one more LCC to base plane in Zagreb. I thing it will be Eurowings.
Bravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteLiverpool to Ljubljana would be an excellent addition to the easyJet timetable.
ReplyDeleteOr even MAN, adria flight are always full
DeleteZAG needs new routes that can be served by airlines like U2. T
ReplyDeleteYou can now book connecting flights in cooperation with Norwegian on their website.
ReplyDeleteMy only guess for Hrvatsko is ZAG as the coastal airports already have plenty of direct flights by U2.
I am surprised they officially dumped Romania and pull out of Serbia in March unless INI can act fast.
I am not aware that they have pulled out of Serbia.
DeleteThey haven't, it's just the guy hoping they will because they haven't put tickets on sale for Geneva-Belgrade past March even though easyjet officially said twice already that they are not suspending this route and that they are making a new timetable for it which is why tickets are still not on sale but will be put on soon.
DeleteYes according to some sources some people at EZY said that the will continue past March. What is most important though is that the Network department has confirmed that the entire schedule for 2018 is published.
DeleteThey called you and confirmed it that it is published? "Some people" is easyjet itself https://www.aviatica.rs/easyjet-odlucio-ostaje-linija-zeneva-beograd/
DeleteBut hey it is always nice to dream.
There are numerous more lucrative routes from many coastal airports- but they only seem to consider new routes from/to a base - shame. Most of the airports they serve are of course not a base. So it narrows down potential new routes very significantly.
Delete"Network department has confirmed that the entire schedule for 2018 is published."
DeleteLOL where? You do realize they announce many new routes traditionally in December.
„easyJet će nastaviti sa letovima između Ženeve i Beograda i tokom letnje sezone. Trenutno radimo na redu letenja za ovu liniju i letovi će uskoro biti dostupni našim putnicima za rezervisanje preko sajta easyJet.com“.
DeletePre desetak dana easyJet-ov korisnički centar je u odgovoru putnicima preko društvenih mreža na pitanje zašto više nema letova u rezervacionom sistemu odgovorio da „linija postaje sezonska i da će se letovi vratiti od naredne zimske sezone“.
Aha! So we know ;)
Doesn't seem you know much. I guess you take the word of their social media team because that suits you better. But I forgot their network department called you and told you.
DeleteNo I just took the article you just quoted https://www.aviatica.rs/easyjet-odlucio-ostaje-linija-zeneva-beograd/ and found two obvious contradictions. But hey, so good the "called" someone.
DeleteBut you choose to believe a social media team which is informed very little on what the airline does. This site (exyu) quoted the airline's spokesperson by name who said the route is not being suspended. I tend to believe them. But maybe I should believe you since you got confirmation from their network department.
DeleteThe guy posts the same thing every few days on all Serbia related topics. Just ignore him. Might want to focus on the actual topic today which has nothing to do with Serbia.
DeleteYes, he is also so anti-everytthing. Said that DUS-LJU won´t launch although it is confirmed by both EW and DUS airport.
DeleteTime to open a base in Croatia.
ReplyDeleteBases could work only from cities like Zadar or Rijeka which are willing to pay.
DeleteIf U2 does come to Zagreb it will be bad news for Croatia Airlines.
ReplyDeleteThey would surely give OU a run for their money.
DeleteEasyjet need connected brac and london ..he can be great company for brac airport
ReplyDeleteCan A320 land in Brac?
DeleteNo, but A319 can.
DeleteCannot land without limitations by U2 SOP's.
DeleteIs Zagreb the only EU Capital city with no budget flights to London?
ReplyDeleteIf we exclude Nicosia then it seems like that's the case.
DeleteZAG was neva a LCC airport. But I guess you are right and what´s more ironic - the only ex-Yu capital together with SJJ with no budget flights to London!
DeleteWhat exactly would make ZAG an LCC airport?
DeleteI still don't understand why there is such animosity when it comes to LCCs and ZAG. For the love of God, most Croats would be happy if the average fare would go down the same way it did in Belgrade and Skopje once LCCs moved in.
100% agree. I would be happy to have more LCC in ZAG.
DeleteMoney, Nemjee, money. Their all about the profits in Zagreb, which is why they turned the old terminal into a cargo terminal and are increasing that segment by a lot and why they increased the fees, even though they already were high. Also, it's why they've been saving on everything, including the needed number of employees, why the service at Zagreb airport has been less than satisfactory and everything looks so austere.
DeletePersonally, I don't disagree with their strategy in principle, especially if Easy starts flying to Zagreb regardless, as is the case with Split and Dubrovnik. But they went too far!
Last time around easyjet was obstructed in Zagreb in collusion between the airport and Croatia Airlines. Croatia Airlines had a public campaign against easyjet about how they are paying lower fees and how OU will cut flights from Zagreb if easyjet isn't treated equally.
ReplyDeleteThey really had such a campaign?!
DeleteYes I remember it. It was in all the newspapers. Croatia Airlines was angry that Easyjet was given rights to fly established routes, especially Paris. They said they would suspend their own routes if Zagreb doesn't raise easyjet's fees. And this lasted for few months.
Delete2010
DeleteA feud has erupted between the management of Zagreb Airport and its main customer Croatia Airlines. Angered by recent news that easyJet will commence services from Paris and London to Zagreb, Croatia Airlines said it may be forced to reduce frequencies or terminate the routes during the winter months. “This way Zagreb would lose flights to certain European cities, which would lead to its isolation and would negatively impact on Croatian tourism”, a spokesperson from Croatia Airlines told the “Buisness.hr” portal. Furthermore, the national carrier said that the arrival of low cost airlines won’t offer passengers anything new from Zagreb and will increase competition on the market, which is still recovering from the economic crisis. The airline said that easyJet’s flights to Paris and London and Norwegian Air Shuttle’s service to Copenhagen will see passenger numbers decline. It warned that Zagreb is becoming a low cost airport. “This is against European standards because low cost airlines do not fly to major hubs, instead they use secondary airports”, a spokesperson from the airline said.
“We believe that Croatia Airlines’ announcement regarding the suspension of some services shows the airline’s inability to face up to competition”, a spokesperson from Zagreb Airport said. He continued by stating that low cost airlines do not only operate from secondary airports...
We need them back in Zagreb! UK routes would work.
ReplyDeleteGreat news for Croatia. More affordable flights for tourists, and more tourists for Croatia.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with the majority of people here. My experiences with Easy Jet have been terrible. That said I do hope they start some new flights for the sake of boosting numbers at Croatian airports.
ReplyDeleteSo U2 is the busiest foreign airline in Croatia?
ReplyDeleteNot sure, it could be Lufthansa. But like the article says easy has the largest seat capacity when it comes to foreign airlines.
DeleteIf you count Eurowings, Austrian, Lufthansa under the Lufthansa group then Easy is probably behind them
DeleteNo, it is Eurowings.
Delete6 routes from Pula (1 all year)
6 routes from Rijeka (1 all year)
7 routes from Zadar
8 routes from Split (3 all year)
7 routes from Dubrovnik
5 routes from Zagreb (4 all year)
1 route from Osijek
That is
40 rutes
- of which 9 are all year
The number of routes means little if we are speaking about total seats or passenger numbers.
DeleteEurowings had more passengers than easyJet from Croatia last year.
DeleteLooking at the new route launches on the right, Easy jet is glaringly missing so I won't be surprised when they announce new routes next month. I just wonder which ones.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure easyjet will launch another new destination next year and I expect them to start Zagreb next year too.
DeleteExcellent news.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to some more low cost flights.
ReplyDeleteim from Split, and see them flying so intense in summer months, really hope they will set up base in Split in coming years, they bring to Split app 500000 passengers per year alone, if possible to make some routes all year round would be great for Split region tourism.
ReplyDeletePotential U2 routes:
ReplyDeleteZAG-LGW
ZAG-MAN
ZAG-EDI
ZAG-BHX
ZAG-LPL
ZAG-SXF
ZAG-CDG
DBV-VIE
DBV-BRU
SPU-ORY
Domestic daily flights from ZAG-DBV or ZAG-SPU to end OU monopoly. Croatian domestic market needs more players, not only U2 but W6 too.
Domestic flights would be amazing.
DeleteMonarch planned to introduce Birmingham - Zagreb in summer 2018. Unfortunately they went belly up.
DeleteBirmingham would be a nice addition.
DeleteDefinitely agree about domestic flights, it would finally put an end to OU monopoly!
DeleteI think they will start nore flights from Zadar as well, last year they started their first route Zadar - Milan Malpensa
DeleteThis year they could add flights for example from Amsterdam to Zadar.
Also I think Amsterdam - Zagreb could work if they start flying from Zagreb. OU always sends the A320 (while to CDG they mostly fly with the A319) and KL often upgrades to bigger planes.
A lot of Dutch people like to go on small city trips during the winter as well which could fill the easyjet plane throughout the whole year. Next to this I noticed that more and more Croats are starting to visit Amsterdam and also Paris!
Why would they start ZAG-CDG? Croatia and Air France already fly multiple daily, and both are expensive airports, is there really that much demand?
DeleteWhich destinations did they use to fly from Zagreb?
ReplyDeleteLondon Gatwick, Paris and Dortmund
DeleteOdd that they suspended all of them.
DeleteZagreb is going in the very right direction. It's always good to grow in gradually. It would be good for easy jet to return and compete on the London route too.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny to see peeps cheering invasion on their country where the outcome will be nothing but negative. Seen flucks of turists in other countries, when same has happeed. Thought Croats are smarter than preferring quantity before quality.
ReplyDeleteEspecially an invasion of British tourists! They don't come worse than that.
DeleteRight, they come for free. Grow up troll.
DeleteI guess all these countries that are served by low cost carriers are pretty dumb.
DeleteInvasion? Really?
What is OU doing? They should have more flights to the UK.
ReplyDeleteThey're doing nothing, as usual! Personally, I wish they kept at least 1 route to Oslo/Stockholm or Helsinki during winter!
DeleteNothing like anon says above. On top of that they will suspend RJK-LHR.
DeleteLet's not forget reducing ZAG-LHR.
DeleteAny chance OU might go to Gatwick instead? Their 3 weekly ZAG-LHR next summer is terrible.
DeleteNo chance, they would have to buy slots as it is virtually full.
DeleteGatwick slots are full?
DeleteYes BA just paid £60m for the Monarch ones. Not sure where OU would get the money from LOL
DeleteThanks, I wasn't aware it was so full. Luton maybe or Stansted then :D
DeleteWhat happened with interest from Volotea and Transavia to launch flights from France to Zagreb. Volotea has announced a lot of new routes to the Croatian coast but nothing from Zagreb.
ReplyDeleteI think easyjet is ideal for ZAG. It is not the lowest of the low cost carriers but it would certainly be a good alternative to OU and legacies.
I doubt we will see either of those in ZAG next year. They fly to cities in Croatia where they will get subsidies from tourism organisation and local governement.
DeleteWould be nice of them to return to Rijeka. It was one of their first Croatian destinations.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete