Croatia Airlines intends on introducing flights between Zagreb and Mostar in May, linking the two cities for the first time following a twelve-year hiatus. Mostar Airport's General Manager, Marin Raspudić, told the "FENA" news agency that the final details concerning the new service are still being negotiated but added, "We will officially announce the new route once we conclude talks with Croatia Airlines, however, we can say with certainty that flights will commence in May". As previously reported in December, the Federal government of Bosnia and Herzegovina approved over half a million euros in funding to subsidise the route. Talks between Croatia Airlines and the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton in Bosnia and Herzegovina over the resumption of flights began in September of last year. Although the scheduling is yet to be finalised, services are expected to run at least twice per week with the Bombardier Dash 8 turboprop. Flights between Zagreb and Mostar were last operated in the summer of 2006 by the now-defunct B&H Airlines.
Mostar Airport is also negotiating flights to Belgrade and Istanbul for the summer. In addition, Eurowings will commence operations from both Dusseldorf and Stuttgart on May 16 and 19 respectively. "The arrival of Eurowings and Croatia Airlines will improve the airport's connectivity and make other carriers take note", Mr Raspudić said. Mostar Airport sees a range of seasonal and charter flights during the summer, primarily catering for pilgrims visiting the Medjugorje site, as well as tourists. However, its passenger numbers have been declining over the past few years, with 43.118 travellers handled in 2017, down 19.6% on the year before. In contrast, figures are expected to double in 2018.
Croatia Airlines recently announced the launch of new seasonal flights from Zagreb to Dublin, Dubrovnik to Munich and Split to Copenhagen. Furthermore, it will boost frequencies on several routes out of the Croatian capital. Starting May 4, the carrier will add four weekly afternoon departures to Skopje, for a total of twelve per week, as well as an extra two weekly services to Rome (via Dubrovnik) for a total of ten. It will also add one service to St Petersburg, bringing its total number of flights on the route to three per week. "This season, Croatia Airlines will operate scheduled flights to 39 destinations in 23 European countries, with the capital Zagreb connected with five Croatian airports", the airline said in a statement. It added, "Due to the expansion of the network, and an increase in the number of operated flights, Croatia Airlines is leasing two Air Nostrum Bombardier CRJ1000 aircraft for the upcoming tourist season with the capacity to seat 100 passengers. This will supplement the company’s existing fleet of six Airbus aircraft (four A319s and two A320s) and six Dash 8-Q400s". The carrier expects its passengers number to continue growing after handling a record 2.125.000 travellers in 2017, an increase of some 10% on the year before.
If they schedule these right, they will get a lot of transfer passengers.
ReplyDeleteThe price also has to be right. Otherwise people can transfer through Dusseldorf and Stuttgart too.
DeleteIt would be important that it connects to the Rome flights.
DeleteThat would be a long flight Rome-Dubrovnik/Split-Zagreb-Mostar.
DeleteWhat sort of scheduling would they have to have? When are the departure waves from Zagreb?
DeleteTransfers should be provided at least from Milano, Dublin and Warsaw (Lot) bcs pilgrims from It, Irl and Pol are quite numerous in Medjugorje
DeleteShould be early morning arrival in ZAG.
DeleteI think that flights will leave Zagreb around 9pm and return to Zagreb the next day around 7am.
DeleteSchedules will be (Summer) from May3
DeleteDays 7-4 ZAG 2210 2315 OMO
Days 1-5 OMO 0615 0720 ZAG
^ Thanks. Do you know it's seasonal or year round?
DeleteYear round service
DeleteExpected a schedule like that. Only unfortunate thing is that it's 2 weekly but better to be safe than sorry I guess.
Delete2.125 000 carried last year, wow, I was expecting around 2.03 million, but 2.125 million is beyond my wildest expectations.
DeleteI guess in 2018, Carrier might carry 2.25 million, or additional 125000 pax.
Would be nice if by 2020, carrier can manage 2.5 million pax. However, the load factor will need to be above present 72.5%. OU must achieve 80% load factor before 4 brand new A320 Neos join the fleet in 2021/22
Reminds me a lot of Air Serbia's Banja Luka flights.
ReplyDeleteTrue. Low frequency, both subsidized, both with turboprops.
DeleteWell routes like Mostar-Zagreb and Banja Luka-Belgrade can only survive if they are subsidized.
DeleteAnd people were making such a drama because of the ground handling subsidy for JU at BNX.
DeleteKada bi cene karata bile normalnije, mnogo vise ljudi bi koristilo te linije, a jos jedna bitna stvar... promocija, marketing, mora mnogo vise da se ulaze u to ! :)
DeleteBEG-BNX is hardly expensive. I just checked return fares in March at its 57 euros all taxes included.
DeleteNow those kind of prices should be to places like Podgorica, Tivat as well.
Delete^Impossible because taxes alone amount to that much.
DeleteWill it be seasonal or year round?
ReplyDeleteFor 500,000 EUR hopefully year round.
DeleteThis will be a big year for Mostar. It's interesting how well developed Bosnia's airports will become. Banja Luka Airport will also supposedly get its act together in 2019 but still even now all have international flights.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of it has to do with the fact that Sarajevo Airport isn't operating up to full potential.
DeleteYes, due to the ridiculous decentralization, Sarajevo is suffering the most here actually, and directly financing and helping out its competition. It is insane for such a small country.
DeleteDecentralisation? You make it sound as if it would be normal if only SJJ was functional if things were proper as BiH is a small county. May I inform you that a ride from Banja Luka, Medjugorje, or Brčko to SJJ would take hours and hours... So BiH should support all of its airports if you don't want the population from these areas to use SPU DBV or ZAG.
DeleteYou´re welcome Croatia Airlines (yours truly, Sarajevo Airport)
ReplyDeleteHow is Sarajevo Airport responsible for this?
DeleteSarkazam.
DeleteIt is indirectly financing the subsidies. The money that was given to Bosnian airports from the government is from the passenger tax collected at Sarajevo Airport.
DeleteYes and money was also given to non existent Bihac Airport.
DeleteIts actually very directly financing the subsidies Mostar - Zagreb. The entire 1 million BAM was allocated from the Sarajevo Airport tax.
DeleteWhich was feed by Croatia airlines passengers on 13 weekly flights on Zagreb-Sarajevo route!
DeleteSo basically Croatia Airlines passengers from Sarajevo financed new route to Mostar, not Sarajevo airport. It was collected by Croatia airlines tickets.
if only it worked that way lol
DeleteAnon 1.36 - not really, Zagreb in 2016 was only the 5th busiest destination from Sarajevo (only 67.737 passengers in 2016, way behind Dubai, Istanbul, and Vienna).
DeleteAnd what logic is that anyway, its not like Croatia Airlines was paying passengers to Sarajevo to fly with them, its the money of the passengers who for one or the other reason had to fly with Croatia airlines, be it to Zagreb or transiting.
Of course it is 67.737 passengers x 7 EUR = 474.159, so that money is from Croatia Airlines passengers.
DeleteThe point of taxes isn't for the airline to get it back, it's for the airport which collects it to profit from.
DeleteNot it is not. It is for development of air traffic in all Bosnia and Hecegovina! And that is definition of that tax.
DeleteRoute will be 3 flights pw, not 2.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't say it will be 2 it says it will be AT LEAST 2.
DeleteTreba ukinuti ovo nelegalno finansiranje aviokompanija. Zasto vlada da placa kartu putnicima. Pola miliona je mnogo za tako kratku liniju. Drugo je kada grad Dubrovnik odobri svojim gradjanima popuste/dotacije.
ReplyDeleteInteresting they are talking about BEG flights too. Personally I don't see where they would find the demand, unless it's also subsidised.
ReplyDeleteThere would probably be a number of transfer passengers and some O&D demand. Like with flights with Zagreb, they need to be scheduled right.
DeleteBut I assume the majority of transfers will be taken by OU. I'm not sure the O&D demand would be too great. Anyhow they would have to cancel or reduce something else to start these flights.
DeleteSo is that it for Croatia Airlines this summer? Those are the new routes? People here in the comments were writing how they would launch 8 new routes, get A321s....
ReplyDeletewell people write here a lot of fake facts. that's it. They will launch again 8 new seasonal routes and boost some of them. Also, they are starting with 2 new routes from Zagreb (OMO, DUB) and one from Dubrovnik and Split. Think that is quite good.
DeleteThey will launch 8 new seasonal routes? What?
DeleteI think he meant that they will resume 8 seasonal routes which were launched in 2016 and 2018.
Deleteyeah, I was thinking on those route from the summer 16. and 17. :) In total, that is 10 new routes from Zagreb in 3 summer seasons.
Deleteopps yeah I was meant to write 2016 and 2017.
DeleteHopefully at least one or two become year round in 2018.
DeleteGood luck with the new route.
ReplyDeleteEvo jednog teksta od prosle godine pa ko zna,mozda i mi krenemo sa letom za
ReplyDeleteMostar ove god.
https://www.ekapija.com/news/1931385/tokom-2018-moguci-letovi-kompanije-air-serbia-izmedju-beograda-i-mostara
It says in today's article as well that they are discussing flights to Belgrade and Istanbul but I personally doubt Air Serbia is going to start flights to OMO, at least not this year.
DeleteThat would be really good, both for passengers and Air Serbia. Also, a lot of Serbs from East Herzegovina will use this airport. :) Cross fingers to flight from Mostar to Belgrade :)
DeleteDa li ti uopste znas koliko malo ljudi zivi i u Istocnoj i u Zapadnoj Hercegovini. Tri autobusa su dovoljna dnevno za Istocnu.
DeleteA da li ti uooopšte znaš da ne postoji pojam Istočna i Zapadna Hercegovina da se pišu velikim početnim slovom?? Ne znaš.
DeleteU srpskom jeziku se odrednice Gornja Volta, Zapadna Morava pisu velikim slovom.
DeleteZapadna Hercegovina i Istočna Hercegovina nisu reke, a nisu ni regioni.
DeleteI'm happy to see that Mostar Airport will finally get some scheduled flights and airlines this year.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteBravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteNot bad for OU this summer. Looks as if their aircraft will be better utlisided than in previous years since they will operate all these flights with the same number of aircraft and the only cuts I know of in their schedule is LHR.
ReplyDeleteI would have been more happy with another low coster like Ryanair, Wizz or easy but I guess something is better than nothing.
ReplyDeleteWizz Air was interested in flying from Poland to Mostar a few years ago but I assume Mostar didn't have the money to subsidise them.
DeleteOU could have based a Q400 in OMO and started flights to a few cities, primarily Italy.
ReplyDeleteWhy? It is cheaper to shuttle passengers through Zagreb.
DeleteWhat airline could it be to Istanbul?
ReplyDeleteEither Turkish or Pegasus probably.
DeleteIt could be someone else like Onur Air.
DeleteThey talks about Istanbul flights each year but nothing ever happens.
DeleteIt's Turkish Airlines. They have been talking for years.
DeleteTo me this route seems better suited for Pegasus but we will see.
DeleteGreat news for Mostar.
ReplyDeleteWhy has the number of passengers decreased so much from Mostar?
ReplyDeleteFewer tourists from Italy.
DeleteWasn't there some embargo from the Vatican for people not to visit Medjugorje?
DeleteThere was a ban on official pilgrimage to Medjurgorje. It was lifted at the end of 2017.
DeleteThat could mean that there could be a significant passenger boost this year from that sector as well.
DeleteAs someone has mentioned, the Pope sad that Mary is not a mailman to publish new messages every single day in Medjugorje.
DeleteNothing for you to worry about, since no one forces you to visit and believe. Btw neither do I but passengers are passengers and tourists are tourists.
Deletegreat boost for SKP. I think this was triggered by JP increasing SKP to double daily
ReplyDeleteI think so too. OU will have a bit more competition on their hands this year with Adria opening some similar routes.
DeleteJP 14x, OU 12x, JU 7x (14 in spic sezona) ex-yu airlines are back on track at SKP!
DeleteSo how many passengers would be realistic for Mostar in 2018?
ReplyDelete"In contrast, figures are expected to double in 2018."
DeleteAnd how many passengers could OU handle this year?
ReplyDeleteAround 2.4 million my prediction.
DeleteThey are catching up to Air Serbia.
DeleteHow many did JU carried last year?
DeleteMany thanks for all info.
They have not announced it yet. I think it's the same like in 2016 - 2.63 million.
DeleteWith this year's cuts to ASL schedule and fleet I see that our managment is doing everything it can to give OU a chanse to catch up in 2-3 years max.
DeleteA 180 degree turn is needed in managmemt performance.
If they retire the remaining two 737 next year they will be down to just 17 aircraft.
DeleteStill the Croats would need a major expansion of their fleet from 12.
The airline needs to plan for its future but the EY appointed managers are very short sighted.
^
Deletehttp://www.exyuaviation.com/2018/01/air-serbia-mulls-future-fleet-options.html
12. There are 13 planes all year (one Trade Air on 16 weekly flights that is code-share on OU) + 2 planes in top season, so it is 15 in top season (half of the year).
DeleteTrade Air's plane is Trade Air's plane. Doesn't make it Croatia Airlines plane because they have a codeshare.
DeleteAir Serbia flies longer routes.
DeleteNot true. Those trade air routes are Croatia feeding routes (Osijek via Zagreb and Rijeka/Pula via Split). Trade air here is just Croatian Government contractor with obligation to have code-share on Croatia Airlines.
DeleteBut for sure two CRJ-1000 are part of Croatia fleet. So even with Trade air it is 14, not 12 planes.
By that logic you should count Croatia Airlines fleet in Lufthansa's because it feeds more passengers to them each year than Trade Air does to Croatia Airlines. As far as the CRJs are concerned, yes they should be counted in OUs fleet but Trade Air planes definitely not. Same way Trade Air passengers are not counted as Croatia Airlines passengers unless they connect on a Croatia Airlines flight.
DeleteWell the Trade Air plane with just 19 seats is practically neglegible I suppose and anyway I am sure it (and pax on that J32) will be counted for Trade Air (C3), not OU.
DeleteSo OU is using 12+2 planes.
500.000€ for one route? Med i Mleko!
ReplyDeleteWill OU fly those charters from Mostar to Beirut this year?
ReplyDeleteThey should
DeleteMostar used to have a lot of flights back in the day (80s). All for Medjugorje. But back then JAT used to shuttle them in from all corners of the globe, Asian pilgirms in particular.
ReplyDeleteThere were a lot of JU charters from the UK too.
DeleteIn the end the only new route that will go year round will be these subsidized Mostar flights. OU complains about seasonality but they do nothing to try and make some route year long. I can't believe Bucharest or Prague can't operate during the whole year.
ReplyDeletePrague didn't work for CSA year long. Doubt it can for OU either. That's just the nature of the Croatian market.
DeleteIli ceskoga
DeleteYou know very much that it's the Croatian market. Visible by looking at the figures during summer and winter or purely at the number of airline operating to the country in the summer. Because if that wasn't the case Croatia Airlines wouldn't have over 8 seasonal routes from Zagreb alone.
Deletethe czech are all travelling with their cars to HR
DeleteI ja za Prag idem autom.
DeleteIt shocks me A LOT how BiH has 4 operational airports given its size, economy and population. It is just behind Croatia in ex-Yu.
ReplyDeleteMe too! Surprising really.
DeleteProbably because of the large dispora looking to fly directly to Bosnia rather than flying to Croatia / Serbia and renting cars for outrageous prices and extra charges...
DeleteOU tried and failed in Mostar. I hope this time it's different. Probably will be since their is a financial incentive this time around.
ReplyDeleteWhen? The last airline who tried and failed was B&H airlines
DeleteGood expansion at SKP. I also see their one way fares start at 40 eur (ZAGSKP)
ReplyDeleteTZL, INI, OMO, OHD, BWK -crazy growth and developments. Those airports have worked so hard to reach those amazing results. Excellent!
ReplyDeleteIs eurowings confirmed flights to bwk?
Deletethe only thing comfirmed with Eurowings is chaos planning
Delete500 000€ for 2-3 fpw hahahaha.. At my calculations tickets should be free. With 500 000€ they could base one lcc aircraft and gain 400k passengers.
ReplyDeleteProbably not half a million for one year, I assume the contract is made for several years. But I guess we will never know what are the exact conditions and for how many years is that amount of subsidy.
DeleteFinally!!! Well done OMO....it is very important to develop regional airports such as Mostar, because they help to improve flow of people...OU is targeting transfer passengers, but i think there will be a notable number of point to point passengers considering how many people from Herzegovina live in Zagreb and there are a lot of students from Herzegovina studying at university of zagreb......i think OMO is back on track and showing signs that something is changing and proving it can do better
ReplyDeleteEvery new connection will help a bit to tourism efforts. It should be good to see Air Serbia and Turkish soon there too. Mostar has so much potential to develop into a decent small regional airport. It was a right move by the Federal Government to provide necessary funds.
ReplyDelete