Zadar Airport has held talks with the Ambassador of China to Croatia in a bid to secure flights to the country. The newly appointed General Manager of Zadar Airport, Josip Klišmanić, as well as the Mayor of Zadar, Branko Dukić, recently hosted the Chinese Ambassador, Hu Zhaoming, and briefed him on development potentials, as well as possible flights between the two nations. "This meeting was organised in cooperation with Zadar County as a continuation of the management's endeavour to establish business cooperation with Chinese tour operators and airliners", the airport said in a statement. It follows on from talks with Hainan Airlines in 2015 over possible services from Chongqing, in China's south-west, to Zadar, which would have continued on to Rome. However, the flights never materialised.

The Zagreb-based Chinese Southeast European Business Association (CSEBA) had previously said that Zadar Airport has the best chances of securing operations to China. "The number of Chinese tourists visiting Zadar and Croatia itself has grown significantly even prior to the launch of flights", CSEBA noted, adding that a Chinese carrier is interested in establishing services between Guangzhou and the coastal city. "Guangdong Province is prepared to financially support the new route. Flights could operate twice per week, most likely by Hainan Airlines, which is very interested in introducing services to Croatia and the region in general", CSEBA said. However, it warned that there is still much to negotiate and that politics also plays a big role in securing such flights. Hainan Airlines recently filed for permits with Chinese authorities for a number of new routes for 2018 including Vienna, Brussels and Dublin in Europe.

Earlier this year, Zadar Airport held talks with China Southern Airlines over possible services from Guangzhou, however, the carrier decided against launching the flights. "We have to be prepared that some countries are returning to the tourism market and will try to attract consumers with low prices. That is why we are turning towards the Asian market, primarily Korea, Japan and China, where we are concentrating a lot of our efforts. We might see direct flights between China and Zadar", the Croatian Minister for Tourism, Gari Cappelli, said earlier this year. He added, "In addition to flights, we plan to open the office of the Chamber of Commerce and even our Tourist Board in China. The arrival of Chinese guests would guarantee a stronger pre and post season since they are not interested in the beaches",