Croatia and Ukraine seek flights


Croatia and Ukraine are looking to establish flights between the two countries, prior to the launch of Ukraine International Airlines' planned service between Kiev and Zagreb scheduled to commence in 2021. "In order for us to implement these plans, it is very important for a bilateral air agreement to be drafted between our two countries, which is in line with EU legislation", Ukraine's Deputy Minister for Infrastructure, Viktor Dogvan, said. He added, "We must remove restrictions currently imposed on airlines in order for them to launch operations between the two countries". Recently, Slovenia and Ukraine drafted similar plans which paved way for Adria Airways to commence services between Ljubljana and Kiev several months ago.

According to the Ukrainian Ministry for Infrastructure several airlines have expressed interest in establishing flights between Zagreb and Kiev, although none are expected to launch in 2018. "While Ukraine International Airlines and Croatia Airlines do not plan to introduce flights in 2018, we as a regulator should provide such opportunities. This is how nonstop flights from Ljubljana, which are operated by Adria Airways, recently resumed", the Ministry said. It added, "In addition, Croatia is a member of the European Union with which we wish to liberalise air transport". Ukrainian nationals were granted visa free travel to most EU-member states last year, resulting in a significant increase in travel demand.

Croatia Airlines considered introducing services to Ukraine in 2009, however, ultimately decided against the move. Based on traffic flow, unserved European destinations which have been identified by Zagreb Airport as having the potential to sustain direct flights include Kiev, Basel, Geneva, Riga and Sofia. Any future expansion by Croatia Airlines would require a more permanent solution to its regional fleet, with the carrier concluding short-term wet-leases for two Bombardier CRJ1000 aircraft for a second year in a row this summer in order to support its growing summer network. Ukrainian carriers currently maintain seasonal summer flights from Kiev to the Croatian coast.

Zagreb Airport has been linked with six previously unserved destinations since May of last year, resulting in strong passenger growth. Last month it welcomed 253.853 passengers, representing an increase of 5.7%. The number of flight movements stood at 3.384, up 2.7%. Overall, during the first four months of the year, Zagreb Airport registered 839.429 travellers, an increase of 11%.

MonthPAXChange (%)
JAN191.276 13.3
FEB170.658 10.3
MAR223.642 16.2
APR253.853 5.7

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:02

    Nice growth in April but how come it's so much smaller than January and February? What changed?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:10

      Easter was earlier this year. So March was great for all airports in Christian countries.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:20

      I guess there was also Easter in January and February.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:38

      Clearly April's 2017 figures were boosted from Easter being n the middle of it.
      And that is why March 2018 s so much higher than march 2017. Also April 2018 being higher than April 2017 with its Easter holiday traffic is very positive.

      Delete
    4. Handball championship in January.
      And what is so strange that the weakest months had a bit bigger percentage than April?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:20

      Because I am curious why January and February saw such large growth but April didn't. Aren't we allowed to ask questions without having you coming with your usual aggressive attacks?

      Delete
    6. Pinpoint where I was aggressive with my counter question. Was I using rude words? Cursing? USING CAPS?

      Delete
    7. Anonymous11:04

      It's the tone you always use when commenting, always so aggressive. In stead of giving a constructive answer to my question you are asking what's so strange about April when I explicitly answered that question in the first post.

      Delete
    8. I have you the constructive answer, but you've decided to read it as aggressive. Again, pinpoint the aggressive part. Thanks .

      Delete
    9. Anonymous12:49

      A blind man can not see what you are showing him no matter how hard you try. Give it up Anon 11.04. Better to ignore him.

      Delete
    10. Wow. Pretending to have a support from other Anons.
      People are so touchy today. Ridiculous...

      Delete
    11. Anonymous15:47

      Chill out dude.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:06

    Bravo Hrvatska!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:29

      Not today though, nothing to bravo for.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:17

    This would be a good market for OU but it is more difficult with Adria already flying the route.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:18

      They fly from Ljubljana, not Zagrrb.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:21

      Same catchment area.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:42

      They already flying so what? If someone open new route from ZAG people will fly where is good price. There is no "reserved" pax if you open route first. I belive there is room for direct flights from both, LJU and ZAG to Kiev.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:03

      Dajte prestanite sa glupostima tipa "catchment area" - ne poznam nikoga iz ZAG gdje živim da juri na aerodrom u drugoj državi, koji je udaljen 50 km od njihova glavnog grada, da mora voziti 2,5 sata, da mora kupiti SLO vinjetu, proći maltretiranje SLO graničara, platiti trošak benzina i parkiranja auta, da bi letio 50-100 EUR jeftinije.
      Istovremeno mogu za 8 kn (1 EUR) doći pola sata prije leta direktno iz centra ZG na F.Tuđmana.
      Svašta pišete, nemate opće osjećaj realnosti.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous11:06

      Значи ти си меродаван за те ствари? Зато што један појединац не познаје неког таквог одједном то постаје правило уклесано у камену. Први Пургер путује миљама да би летео јефтиније.

      А мислим да ниси схватио шта catchment area тачно значи. Не односи се искључиво на сам град Загреб већ на сва насељена места која га окружују и која му гравитирају.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous11:41

      Anon 11.16 - hvala za poruku.
      Moja poruka je bila isključivo u cilju da shvatite da je npr. ZAD puno prihvatljiva opcija nama u HR, jer se tamo nude zaista jeftiniji letovi, dok (ne znam da li nažalost ili na sreću) još nismo u Schengenu više puta sam bio 2-3 sata na Bregani plus svi ostali argumanti.
      Poslovni sam čovjek koji putuje često, poznajem puno ljudi jer to radim, nisam pojedinac koji putuje iz sobe po atlasu.
      Hvala za poruku, ja sam iz starije generacije koja poznaje Tvoje pismo i zaista to cijenim da si odgovorio na svojem jeziku.
      Ne mislim dalje nastavljati jer catchment area unutar države i izvan države su odvojene stvari.
      Lijep pozdrav iz Zagreba.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous12:15

      +1000

      Delete
    8. Anonymous13:29

      Kot poslovnež bi lahko vedel, da obstajajo opcije, ki ne zahtevajo nakupa vinjete, plačila parkinga ipd. da prideš do LJU iz Zagreba. Kar se pa tiče meje in pregledov - isti razlog velja v obratni smeri.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous14:14

      Nije isto, Hrvatska nije u Schengenu.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous00:16

      In tudi nikoli nebo

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:21

    Ukraine is a country of 40 million. All ex yu carriers have dropped the ball by not serving it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:29

      Lol, especially JP.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:49

      Surprised that ASL canceled their flights to KBP :/

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:44

    I can see UIA flying to BEG, ZAG and SKP

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:56

      They already ssid they would fly ZAG and BEG but in 2021 and 2022!!!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:37

      I simply don't get how UIA can plan their route launch dates 3-4 years ahead.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous10:33

    Windrose (Z6) already fly daily to SOF and 5 weekly to OTP. Thy should do the same at least for BEG and ZAG as LJU is already linked to KBP by JP.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous11:07

    hey charters for Hurghada from SKP are back!! Does anyone knows which airlines will operate them? last years it was Nesma Airlines

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous11:14

    Best wishes from Greece to Croatia , just booked with Croatia airlines for me and my wife tickets to Dubrovnik and back to Athens for 135 euros each , very nice price , leaving on wednesday 29 of august and return on Monday 3 of September just to see something else from the Greek islands .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:54

      Sto nije jasno?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous20:23

      That is a very good price for the travel period. Route not selling well?

      Delete
  9. Anonymous11:40

    Were there ever flights between Ukraine and Zagreb? In the 90s or 2000s?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:47

      Not 1990 and 2000 but during Yugoslavia times Aeroflot used to operate from ZAG both to Kiev and Moscow once or twice weekly on Tu154

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:55

      Thank you!

      Delete
  10. Anonymous11:41

    The route could work because OU for example could get transfer passengers to Europe and could benefit from holiday traffic. If there are seasonal flights from Ukraine to the Croatian coast it means tourists are coming and OU could easily connect them via Zagreb.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Connecting times in ZAG are long, LJU n JP they offer fast connections (approx 1h), coz waves are well planned, something was OU n ZAG dont have!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:45

      Maybe they will fix that once JP buys OU.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:02

      Agreed with Sloavia. Minimum connecting time (MCT) in LJU airport is very well organised and total trip times are shorter. BEG also has this.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous16:06

      How long are the connections in Zagreb?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous16:52

      From Mostar, some cities like AMS have a 13 hour connection!

      Delete
    6. Anonymous20:25

      Why are people obsessed with transfer pessangers in Balkan airports? They rarely bring profit.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous21:05

      Yes, transfer passengers are exactly why airlines are losing money in the Balkans.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous12:42

    Considering the way OU has been opening new routes, I wouldn't be surprised they launch Kiev.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous18:14

      and keep cancelling due to lack of technicians

      Delete
  12. Anonymous12:45

    Would be great if an LCC opened this route. Wizz or Ryanair.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:46

      Maybe when OU goes bankrupt, don't think it will happen before.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:55

      Ultra low cost at Zagreb? Highly doubt it.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous15:57

      There is no market for ULCC in ZAG.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous16:31

      "There is no market for ULCC in ZAG."

      One of the worst comments ever. Let's ask Wizz and Ryan if they agree? Let's also ask citizens if they would like to fly to many destinations in Europe for 20-30 eur. Let's ask tourists if they would come to Zagreb more often if they could fly much cheaper. There is a massive market for ULCC in Zagreb.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous16:33

      Ask Wizz Air and they will tell you they already failed there while legacy carriers keep on increasing flights. So what gives?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous17:58

      Ask Wizz why they failed and they will likely say it's because of protectionism in form of high airport fees, not because there is "no market" as claimed. Airport does not want to offer discounted intro fees for Wizz and Ryan to protect domestic carrier from competition, while airlines like Emirates receive subsidies to start routes where they don't compete with OU. Both Wizz and Ryan think there is a market for ULCC in EU capital. Citizens, diaspora and tourists want those flights but LH and OU are counting on airport to keep ULCCs away as long as possible. Once FR or W6 decide to step in and offer flights to FRA, VIE or FMM, OU days are numbered.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous18:16

      +100 @anon 5:58

      Delete
    8. Anonymous19:46

      How did ZAD manage to attract FR then? Subsidies like SKP?

      Delete
    9. Anonymous20:07

      Talking about ZAG, not ZAD.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous20:31

      I travel a lot to Bologna which is a city of some 400k people and around 2mil catchment area.
      Airport has attracted both Ryan air and Wizz and grown from 3.5 to 8.5 mil in some 6 years. Tourism is booming and locals are traveling like crazy as they have some 40 Ryan destinations.
      That is not stopping 7 legacies to have 3-5 frequencies a day to major hubs in Europe. There is room for everybody.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous21:15

      +100!

      Wow: 3.5 to 8.5 mil in 6 years!

      Delete
    12. Anonymous01:38

      I am anon 8:31. My mistake, 3.5 was back in early 2000es, 2013 was above 5.5 and this year is expected to surpass 8.5. In any case, very good example how beneficial is arrival of LCCs and it does not mean loss for legacy carriers.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous12:57

    Will BNX be faster than ZAG and receive flights from KBP or IEV operated by FR or W6? If so, ZAG has minimal chances I think.
    BNX is quietly growing like a small dinosaur..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:15

      lol. its the INI guy.

      Delete
    2. Can someone tell me how fast "small dinosaurs" grow? Just so I know how much time we have...

      Delete
  14. Anonymous18:04

    Hopefully Admin won't delete my comment. So, HUGE announcement for ZAG in a few days, with 2 more to go (soon). Stay tuned!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous18:11

      OU bankruptcy?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous18:16

      What is the point of these comments? If you don't want to post what it is why post at all?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous18:47

      This is the point (from another forum, reliable source):

      "What I can tell you before the official launch is a year round, three weekly, wide body will be serving ZAG. What the heck I'll even let you know one type of wide body will be used in high season, and another type of wide body will be used in low season." It will be a legacy carrier. Be patient.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous19:44

      Is it Jin Air or Air Asia for next year?
      ZAG-SEL or ZAG-KUL?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous19:49

      Korean Air A330-200 and 777-200ER?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous20:23

      Maybe Etihad A330-200 and A350-1000? They will start receiving their A350s this year, would be really nice to see those at ZAG.

      Delete
    7. If this is true and we're talking about a legacy carrier, I'd say either Korea (most probably),or China. Maybe Thailand as the third plausible option.

      Delete

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