PHOTOS: Aegean touches down in Zagreb

NEWS FLASH

Aegean Airlines yesterday launched seasonal summer flights between Athens and Zagreb, with the service to run up to four times per week until late October. The route will be flown by the carrier’s Bombardier Dash Q400 turboprops which are operated by Olympic Air, with the Star Alliance member expecting to face no direct competition on the city pair. According to "Anna Aero", some 14.800 passengers travelled indirectly between the two cities last year, with 51% of passengers originating at the Croatian-end of the route. Based on the same source, the most popular airport for connecting traffic was Belgrade, with it capturing 44% of the market courtesy of Air Serbia. The second most popular connecting airport for transfer traffic between Zagreb and Athens in 2017 was Vienna.

Commenting on the new route launch, Aegean's Airport Services Manager, Sergios Diplarakos, said, "We are delighted to be introducing a new service to Zagreb, which has become a popular destination for both leisure and business travellers. We also look forward to welcoming Croatian passengers who have chosen Greece as their point of travel". Previously, Aegean Airlines told EX-YU Aviation News it would consider upgrading Zagreb to a year-round operation. "The flights to Zagreb are initially planned as seasonal. Depending on performance we may consider a year-round operation", the company said. In addition to the Croatian capital, Aegean will introduce flights from Athens to Zadar next Tuesday. Furthermore, it will strengthen its operations to Dubrovnik this summer by operating daily flights from May 29 with a Dash 8 turboprop, up from last year's four per week, while starting June 5, the Greek airline will introduce an additional flight to Split for a total of four.