Turkish Airlines plans third Croatia route


Turkish Airlines is negotiating the introduction of its third destination in Croatia following Zagreb and Dubrovnik. The carrier's Country Manager, Ugur Cantimur, said, "Twenty years ago we launched two weekly flights to Zagreb, while today we maintain double daily services. In addition, two years ago we commenced four weekly year-round operations to Dubrovnik. This summer, services have been increased to eleven weekly. Our plan is to launch another route to Croatia so we can better connect the country to the world and bring even more tourists". Mr Cantimur noted that the airline's flights to Croatia see a mix of leisure, point to point and transfer traffic with an increasing number of passengers connecting via Istanbul to the United States.

Commenting on carrier's operations in the former Yugoslavia, the Country Manager noted, "Turkish Airlines currently flies to every capital city in the region such as Belgrade, Sarajevo, Podgorica and Ljubljana. Before we decide on introducing a new route within our destination network, our team of experts conducts a number of studies focusing on various aspects and taking into account the performance of our existing destinations, which also plays a deciding role in our network expansion. In addition, it is important to take note of various changes on the market and have initiative". Turkish Airlines carried just over 132.000 passengers on its flights between Istanbul and Zagreb last year, while its figures to Dubrovnik increased over 80% on 2016.

Turkish Airlines has previously been linked to a potential takeover of its fellow Star Alliance member Croatia Airlines, however, the carrier has denied such claims. "Such speculation is incorrect. We have a very professional partnership with Croatia Airlines which we will continue to nurture in the future", Mr Cantimur said. The two carriers have a wide ranging codeshare agreement in place with Croatia Airlines adding its designator code and flight numbers onto Turkish's services from Istanbul to Zagreb and Dubrovnik, while the Turkish airline has its own flight numbers on its Croatian counterpart's flights from Zagreb to Pula and Zadar.

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:01

    Brac. No doubt about it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:03

      Mali Losinj comes to mind as a potential new route ;)

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:28

      Vrsar

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    3. It’s going to be Zagreb Lučko people!

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    4. Anonymous11:56

      Unije

      Delete
    5. Anonymous18:59

      Nope, finally Ploče airport is officially opening its doors to the public again! That is the place of the missing airport between SPU and DBV that was discussed on here a few times in the past.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous08:41

      Ne, ne, Gubaševo Zagorje International.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:03

    My guess is Split.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OSI or BWK, no other option :)

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:05

      Pula? Split? Zadar? Rijeka? HR has a lot more international airports.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:11

      Obviously he was being sarcastic.

      Delete
    4. Mali Losinj no doubt about it ;)

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:04

    I bet it is SPU, and I can say finally!

    Better year round potential than DBV.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:06

      Not really. DBV has much more potential vs SPU.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:06

      +1

      Bigger city and catchment area.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:07

      But would there be much point in starting Mostar then like they said. I mean flying to both Split and Mostar which are so close would be a bit of an overkill.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:08

      I dont think so. 2pw in winter can work for both, OMO and SPU.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:10

      Anon 9:06 AM

      Why you say that? Dubrovnik is small city, and loads depends only on toursts come INTO town.
      But Split has tourists and big catchment area, almost 500000 in Split-Dalmatia county. Cannot compare potential, especially in winter.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:18

      But doesn't DBV have more flights during winter than SPU?

      Delete
    7. Anonymous09:20

      Its almost the same number. But only because of SPU bad management, and good management in DBV. Thats nothing about potential, you cant compare Dubrovnik with 45000 and Split area with 500000

      Delete
    8. Anonymous09:25

      Then why does DBV receive more flights in winter? SPU just depends on mainly drunk UK tourists that come in huge numbers.
      DBV has more culture to offer, no wonder why Asians want to come here.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous09:59

      Split has to offer a lot of culture too, don't be so ignorant (in the sense of not knowing something).

      Delete
    10. Anonymous10:05

      Dubrovnik, with all due respect, is a dead city. An empty shell made of city walls. The people are what makes a city. In that sense Split is miles ahead.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous10:13

      Next to DBV you have Budva, Mostar and warmer compared to SPU. The area itself is more interesting and rich in history.
      I am not saying SPU is a "bad" place. Just DBV has more potential and much better airport management for instance. It is classified as one of the best airports in Eastern Europe and can be compared to the standards of BCN.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous10:20

      DBV is just a small airport that will always be third or even fourth in Croatia with the potential to fall even further down the list. Regardless of that historical "supremacy" or "advanced" management

      Delete
    13. Anonymous10:40

      We will see this summer who is small and who is big.

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    14. Anonymous13:20

      Judging by the Q1 numbers I would say the bronze medal in Croatia is secured for 2018 with no chance of anything better.

      Delete
    15. Anonymous15:51

      Ajde sto izvodite vi sa SPU, obicno skladiste a ne terminal. Odakle obraz usporedivat se u bilo cime s DBV??

      Delete
    16. Anonymous18:16

      DBV is a nice airport but it will lose pax due to TIV, OMO and SPU. Eventually it will reduce to 1.5 million pax in the next two to three years. SPU will be at 4 million pax by then.

      Delete
    17. Anonymous19:26

      SPU is most likely to freeze its growth or maintain a 3-5% growth. Also DBV has a 3300m runway and SPU only 2550 meaning that we may see much bigger aircraft even Korean Air A380. So small, small...not so small after all.

      Delete
    18. Anonymous19:54

      Again TATL fantasies at DBV. SPU is focusing on good connections to EU which is what people around SPU really need. The length of the runway is more than sufficient for any aircraft flying within Europe.

      Delete
    19. Anonymous20:36

      SPU depends heavily on massive tourists mainly from UK and Germany.
      DBV is now connected to a top world airport - DXB while SPU is if you check is connected to Swedish villages or small French towns.
      I think SPU has more to learn from DBV.

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    20. Anonymous23:05

      SPU has a sustainable business model that shows good results and has a potential for future growth. DBV on the other hand is already close to its limit. This will become more obvious next year when SPU will explode with new terminal coming into operation while DBV will continue to grow on a much lower rate. The final death blow to DBV will be once the Peljesac bridge gets built, then landing at SPU and going to Dubrovnik by car for a one day visit will become real possibility.

      Delete
    21. Anonymous23:50

      ZAD, SJJ and OMO are already gearing up seriously to get their share of the cake. So, not sure of what business model you are referring to. SPU is a destination for an average budget tourist wanting to spend a little.
      DBV is looking for cities with money like DXB and surely Korea and USA soon. Like I said, we will wait and see. Meanwhile SPU can enjoy flights from VXO and BRS or LPL. We will stick to DXB.

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    22. Anonymous07:38

      This obsession with DXB is irrational. What does it mean to have a pax arriving from DXB, is it some uber-mensch who will spend a lot? In reality it is those silly looking kinds from all across the world who come for city break trips and Ultra Europe who will spend a lot on booze and fun. Dubrovnik is far from any elite destination, Porto Montenegro is much closer to that. So the money lies in numbers in Croatia, not in some self-proclaimed elitism.

      Delete
    23. Wow. How old are all of you?

      Delete
    24. Anonymous10:24

      @frishki: What sensible contribution you bring to our discussion? Don't be a troll!

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:04

    Maybe Pula or Zadar You never know especially since it seems they fly almost all their scheduled routes year round.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:06

      And they codeshare from ZAG to these two.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:13

    That's a healthy number of passengers to Zagreb. There were some rumours they wanted to go third daily to ZAG is that true?

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:14

      It would be nice that they reintroduce 14pw in winter again. Its not time for third daily.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:16

      Indicates that loads vary seasonally although I think their decision to reduce ZAG during the winter had something to do with them flying to Dubrovnik as well.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:21

      @9.13
      If I remember correctly the rumour was that they would get Croatia Airlines to resume IST and fly the third daily flight.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:22

      I think if there was potential for more flights to/from Turkey Pegasus would have launched flights by now.

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    5. Anonymous09:34

      @ Anonymous 9:16

      Keep in mind Qatar/Emirates took away a lot of passengers from them in Zagreb.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:14

    I hope they consider another Serbian city as well. The other day, we made a recap of the TK Balkan coverage. They fly to at least more than 1 city in most countries.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:06

      In the Balkans they fly to more than one city in Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania. I think Romania is the most - 3 cities.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:10

      HR - ZAG and DBV
      BG - SOF and VAR (year round)
      RO - OTP, CLJ and CND (only 2 weekly)

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:17

    Turkish has defeated pretty much every ex-Yu airline. Adria stopped flying from LJU to IST because of them, Croatia Airlines stopped flying ZAG to IST because of them and Air Serbia stopped BEG to IST because of them. Now Turkish is spreading its wings even more in the region. I don't understand that neither of these airlines had a response.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:22

      It's very difficult to compete against Turkish because they attract a lot of transfer passengers and also because Turks who are going on city break holidays prefer and almost exclusively fly with Turkish carriers.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:37

      And don't forget that they were almost always cheaper than the ex-Yu alternatives.

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    3. Anonymous10:07

      It comes down mostly to their dumping prices.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:43

      dumping prices and better product than all ex-yu carriers- a win-win combination for most passengers

      Delete
    5. Anonymous19:17

      A lot of legacy or national flag carriers airlines do not or cannot fly to IST (anymore): Air Serbia, Croatia, Adria, Swiss, Austrian, SAS, Aer Lingus, Czech and the list goes on...

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:23

    I flew TK recently short haul for the first time. I don't get why people are so fascinated by this airline. Except for offering a hot sandwich on board and free drinks I don't understand what exactly sets them apart from other airlines? The crew is the same as in any other airline and the seats are quite crammed. Maybe I was just expecting something out of the ordinary since I have been listening to people talk about them so much for years and everyone was so amazed for some reason. I still find MEB3 airlines better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:27

      While you may be correct on some points I have to ask whether your ticket was expensive? TK usually has very cheap fares and for the money you pay the value is quite good.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:33

      True, the ticket was relatively cheap.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:37

      Maybe because they have a super coverage. TK has the most numerous number of destinations and countries covered in the world. Just open their route map !

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:06

      E taj sendvic je osnova celog marketinga u avijaciji. Kad pocne AS da ti ga naplacuje znas da im se blizi kraj kao i Adriji.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:36

      They are not so good compared to Etihad, Emirates, Qatar but they are far better than European airlines. And, yes, the have good prices and reasonable transfer times.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:55

      The only problem I have with TK is IST airport. It's far too small, always crowded and the staff are always so rude. Hopefully this will change when the new airport opens in Istanbul.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous11:02

      Completely agree. They are fine company, but their hub in IST is just awful.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous11:05

      Cekacete novi IST bar jos godinu dana.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous11:10

      ^ It opens 29th October.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous11:26

      Cetvrtkom prepodne. Naravno da ce kasniti.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous11:28

      http://www.arabianbusiness.com/394153-istanbuls-new-airport-85-completed

      "The airport will open on October 29. The completion rate by the end of March was at around 85%," Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan told reporters at the airport.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous12:15

      Nema trika da ga otvore do oktobra. Da li imas predstave kolika je to gradjevina?

      Delete
    13. Anonymous22:34

      Maybe they manage to open it!
      Is Ataturk going to remain open or completely close?

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:23

    Bravo Hrvatska!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous09:31

    Great news for Croatian tourism.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous09:32

    It is interesting that more people are transferring through IST to get to the US. Shows how much people from the Balkans value price over comfort by adding several hours to their journey and going eastwards.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:37

      No surprise.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:05

      Let me fix that for you

      "Shows how much people from across the world value price over comfort"

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:35

      I'm pretty sure they have the most transfers to the US from all ex-Yu markets.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:32

      Anon 10:35, I think that title easily goes to LH group + OU/JP code shares.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous22:36

      I do not have numbers but highly doubt they have so many transfers to US. It should be LH group followed by the AF/KLM.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous07:41

      This winter I took a horrible trip from Vancouver to Belgrade via Toronto and Istanbul. It was horrible, but I would do it again, it was so cheap.

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:37

    Will they launch it this year or next?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:04

      Probably next. I doubt they would launch a service to the Croatian coast in winter. It's too late for this summer.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous09:39

    They have a huge offer to ex-Yu. Not the best news for Croatia Airlines-Lufthansa with another new route to be launched (probably Split).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:41

      Why? it not as if either of them fly from any other Croatian city to IST so they are loosing nothing.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:46

      Because passengers flying to 3rd destinations will now travel via IST instead via ZAG, FRA or MUC...

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:18

      Exactly, I will fly to LYS from Zag now via IST instead of MUC. Can save 20 EUR and travel 7 hours more :)

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:33

      Anon 10:18, I believe you are just being sarcastic in trading 20EUR for 7 hours of extra travel time :)

      Delete
    5. Anonymous14:38

      There is nothing wrong saving 20 EUR if the times are convenient :)

      Delete
    6. Anonymous16:17

      Of course, but you can save even more and go on foot (analogy if you are really willing to double your travel time over 20EUR)...

      Delete
  14. Anonymous09:41

    good news. Now let's hope that these flights will also stick during the winter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:04

      Does TK operate any of its routes seasonally?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:21

      No they don't

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:28

      Interesting, thanks.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous19:22

      Not true at all.

      TK currently operates 7 seasonal only routes out of IST alone.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous10:02

    It will be Split and it is good for anyone coming/going to the Middle East, Asia and Australia...No more backtracking. There are Asian tourists in SPU in winter too (usually the only ones)...

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous10:03

    Pity they are not interested in OU.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous10:07

    What equipment do they usually use to ZAG and to DBV?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:21

      Mix of narrow body Airbus and Boeing planes.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:45

      A320.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous22:38

      DBV nikad Boeing.

      Delete
  18. Anonymous10:29

    It is quite interesting that they have a lot of passengers from Croatia to the US. One would think most would use Lufthansa or Austrian and not backtrack to IST.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:35

      Like someone said above, it is all about price my friend.

      Delete
  19. Anonymous10:38

    It is good to hear their numbers are still growing in Croatia. I thought they would be most affected by Emirates' arrival.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:41

      I agree. Although we don't know if their numbers were up or down in Zagreb last year. Since they now fly to Dubrovnik for the entire year this has probably improved their overall performance

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:53

      Or the market has simply grown so all the can coexist.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:03

      They have reduced Zagreb to twelve per week during the winter time and they a sticking to that schedule next winter season too.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:10

      Remember that Turkish penetrated into the ex-Yu market far before Middle East airlines so they have a better starting position then Emirates, Qatar or Etihad.

      Delete
  20. Anonymous10:54

    Well there are not a lot of options left for them - Split, Tivat and secondary airports in Croatia. That's about it. They already serve all the capital cities.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:23

      Pegasus starting TIV this summer.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous07:42

      Regarding Pegasus, here are the schedule for TIV:
      PC 1321/1322 SAW/SAW STA:1240/STD:1330, Days:4,7 From: 07.06-25.10

      Delete
  21. Anonymous11:01

    It amazes me how this airline is profitable at all. They seem to fly to every village in the world.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:11

      Massive diaspora and they have made IST into a huge transfer point. They were also smart to expand in Africa before the competition.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:20

      The state helped them with billions of dollars.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:37

      Just at the US has helped their carriers with billions at some point of their existence.
      neither ME3 nor TK are inventing the wheel in the aviation business

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:05

      Don´t forget the massive Turkish diaspora in Germany.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous13:12

      Look at Chapter 11. 'nuff said.

      Delete
  22. Anonymous11:24

    Any airline growing in the region is good news. Hope they keep increasing frequencies and destinations.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous11:39

    Anyone know or care to guess how many passengers they carry on an annual basis from/to ex-Yu?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:11

      Around a million I would assume.

      Delete
  24. Anonymous11:40

    I really hope they will consider transatlantic flights from an ex-Yu country soon. Istanbul-Zagreb-New York would be fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:58

      Why would they be considering this? There is no such precedent in TK's network.

      Delete
  25. Anonymous12:04

    Considering they have expressed interest in many ventures like Macedonian national airline, Macedonian TATL flights, Bosnian national airline, Albanian national airline, possible Croatia Airlines acquisition, I think it is safe to say they are interested in doing something in this region and are waiting for the right moment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:31

      Yes but Croatia is nowhere close to Turkey like Albania or Bosnia are.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:14

      They can be. Depends on the wind.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:15

      Anon 4:14, it has nothing to do with wind, but more on business and traditional ties between the countries....

      Delete
    4. Anonymous18:52

      You very well know that if bigger states give Croatia the green light, they can do business with anyone. It is not about ties, it is about permissions to do business with somebody that could be a friendly country or not. And Croatia isn't deciding about that. Unfortunately.

      Delete
    5. This green light is at least 20 years away.... at least!

      Delete
  26. Anonymous14:40

    Hrvatsko is booming again. Très bien !

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous08:47

    Bravo Hrvatska!

    ReplyDelete

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