Croatia Airlines will launch two new seasonal routes from Zagreb this summer, to Sofia and Podgorica. The carrier will commence operations to the Bulgarian capital on May 1 each Monday, Wednesday and Friday with its Dash 8 Q400 turboprop. On May 3, the airline will inaugurate services to Podgorica, each Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Both routes will be operational until the end of the summer seasonal in late October. Croatia Airlines will return to Montenegro following an eight-year hiatus. It previously flew to Podgorica three times per week until 2012. Tickets for the new routes have been put on sale. Croatia Airlines will run flights to a total of forty destinations this summer season in 26 countries.
Croatia Airlines will source aircraft from Austrian Airlines and easyJet as part of its expansion this summer. As previously reported, the airline will add a 76-seat Dash 8 Q400 turboprop and a 150-seat Airbus A319 jet to its fleet. According to the “Avio Radar” portal, the Dash 8 aircraft, currently registered OE-LGJ, is fifteen years old and has been with the Austrian carrier since it was manufactured in 2005. It will enter into service on May 1. On the other hand, the easyJet A319 destined for Croatia Airlines is seven years old. It will enter service on behalf of the Croatian carrier on March 29. The airline will also wet-lease a CRJ1000 jet from Air Nostrum on a short-term basis from April until October.
As a result of its growing fleet, as well as its route network, the carrier is currently in the process of recruiting new cabin crew members, with further information, as well as the application form, available here. The President of the airline’s Supervisory Board, Zlatko Mateša, recently said, “Croatia Airlines is a decent and high quality Central European company, whose strategic goals are, first and foremost, quality and passenger safety. In the words of our owner, the government of the Republic of Croatia, the expansion of our destination network, as well as fleet renewal, is our strategic focus in the upcoming period”.
With all due respect, I'm a bit disappointed. Two planes and maximum of three new routes... and all of them regional
ReplyDeleteAnd just 3 times per week :(
DeleteAnd seems like they will be summer seasonal. :/
DeleteHow do you know there will only be 3 new routes?
DeleteFrom what I've been reading around it seems Tirana won't be happening and it will be just SOF and TGD. The Q400 will have low utlisation because it will also serve as replacement aircraft. The extra A319 will replace CRJ1000 on some routes, plus we read they are doing more charters this year so they will need it for that too.
DeleteThey are also going to be flying from LJU to Greece.
DeleteAh I see thanks anon 9.14
DeleteDo they really need a back up plane?
DeleteWell I will just remind you that each year they have to wet lease some old planes on temporary basis to maintain their schedule.
DeleteTrue
DeleteAgain, how do we know that OU won't be opening new routes, besides TGD or SOF?
DeleteWait and see
DeleteCRJ1000 were only one-year-old in the first year of lease, i.e. brand new planes.
DeleteWell done Croatia :)
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteAnd these are aircraft from companies that maintain their birds very well, not some African or South American no name airlines with a doubtful safety record.
All airlines once they receive new planes inspect them and have them undergo maintenance, it doesn't matter where the planes came from before. I mean it's not like OU didn't inspect them.
DeleteOS is trying to get rid of the Q400 planes so this is a perfect move for them.
Yeah sure - tell that to Lauda for ex. that took over quite a few shabby planes that now are more often AOG than flying, plus all the costs for constant need of extra repairs and extra checks. What matters most is if aircraft have always been well maintained in their history, in that case they are much less likely to cause you trouble in the future.
DeleteSo the EasyJet aircraft is going to be a 150 seater with double overwing exist?
ReplyDeleteIt will probably be reconfigured.
Delete*exits.
DeleteIt is my understanding, and maybe I'm wrong, that the CRJ1000 won't be sticking around the entire summer. It will just be there for a month or two while training is done for new crew and pilots
ReplyDeleteThis actually makes sense because a lot of routes that were operated by the CRJ1000 is now scheduled as A319. But let's wait and see.
DeleteWhy is U2 leasing out not so old plane?
ReplyDeleteSo their average fleet age could stay 7 years? Even that is quite high for LCCs. I think Wizz Air has below 5.
DeleteU2 is not leasing anything. It is a former EZY aircraft that is leased from a leasing company.
DeleteOU needs to move faster, they got millions from the government and this is what we get? Launching TGD ahead of TIA is pure madness. TIA reached ZAG in terms of passenger numbers, there is much more room for growth than in TGD where JU and YM code-share to BEG and offer many, many daily flights.
ReplyDeleteThey are obviously not going after transfer passengers with 3 weekly flights (other than transfers onto domestic network).
DeleteTGD is being launched because Adria dissapeared.
DeleteIn TIA they could have much more chances than in TGD.
DeleteTGD is JU fortress and there are so many flights with YM-JU code-share (more than 40) feeding JU network + YM direct flights + Ryanair flights (6 destinations) + daily TK flights with many transfer options from IST.
Disaster for OU. They will shortly close it as in 2012
What is the O&D traffic between ZAG and TIA?
DeleteOr Croatian and Albania in general?
I would guess daily numbers of travelers are in the single digits.
TIA is pure gastarbeiter traffic. How many Albanian immigrants does Croatia have?
O&D traffic between Albania and Croatia is minimal and unconsiderable. This route could only work for transfer pax. Looking at OU's network i dont see how would this work, but as an Albanian i would still love to see them launch it
DeleteSome might find OU's growth humble but I still think they are acting wisely and carefully. It is also normal for them to lease other aircraft until 2022, until the expected arrival of the A32N.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2019/08/croatia-airline-starts-a320neo.html
Following their arrival, it will allow them to become more efficient and launch them on busier routes to be more competitive. By that time, Croatia would've applied for ERMii and adopt the euro, which will help OU even more. I am definitely not a fortune teller but OU situation looks good.
Finally, I think TGD, SOF and TIA will go very well.
I agree with you. Although Tirana seems uncertain at this point, which is even said in the article. TGD and SOF seem to be the only two confirmed new routes at the moment.
DeleteI think they are not inspired to grow and become relevant in the region.
DeleteI hope they consider TIA, the airport and destination are really soaring in figures.
DeleteAs for SOF, they might want to apply the same afternoon schedule JU uses or the previous one by JP. Flight times are comfortable and secure more transfers, especially to the coast.
The regional hub spot is already taken....they need to find a different niche or go belly up.
DeleteThere is no need to be a "regional hub". It is just enough for ZAG to be well connected to the rest of the continent and have decent prices to be reached and flown from.
DeleteIn Europe, there are already real hubs for this and we all know who they are.
OU's schedule is a disaster for transfer passengers, their European destinations outside LH Group hubs depart at only one time in the day so regional destinations need to be with a split schedule. These additions are simply not enough to make them competitive compared to other airlines out there, JU included.
DeleteHad OU been trying to capture transfer traffic, it would have operated all its capacity from its base in ZAG, in order to maximize the fleet utilization. Currently it operates direct flights from its natural feeder markets (SPU, DBV, PUY, even RJK) to other carriers' hubs, instead of its own.
DeleteWhen you become too greedy and try to eat a bite from all cakes (charter market, carrying O&D pax, transferring some pax at ZAG, being feeder for bigger carriers etc.), you end up losing millions every year without having an idea why you keep on losing money. Hope the new owners are professionals and steer the company in the right direction.
Yes but the thing is that OU has been more or less defeated on the coast. They are even going to fly charters from LJU which Turks and Greeks carry tourists from the coast in winter.
DeleteBetter to be successful in each cake you bite than in none of them.
Delete"Ako kanis pobijediti ne smijes izgubiti"
I'm much more worried about the PSO. Croatian government STILL hasn't even issued a tender call. The whole process takes months and summer season in a month and a half away!
ReplyDeleteThe government said how they will cover the period until the new PSO contracts start. But they gave no explanation why are the PSOs late.
DeleteAlso as a result Trade Air has no intra-Croatia flights from March 29.
This is completely on the government. Why are they avoiding starting PSO procedures?
DeleteCan OU fly without PSO?
DeleteCan all airports in HR stay open during winter without OU? Do you really believe that PSO is covering cost for ZAD-PUY route during winter? Seriously?
DeleteAnyone know when the schedules will be out?
ReplyDeleteThis week.
DeleteI still wonder what will they do with these two extra planes in the winter?
ReplyDeleteMaybe they increase frequencies on some routes.
DeleteOr they might make some seasonal routes year round. I remember years ago they said how Bucharest has potential to be a year round route for them. With extra Q400 they can now make it happen.
DeleteI also remember that they said Oslo was the most successful out of the new routes they launched. Although this was a couple of years ago so things might have changed.
Delete^^ Lisbon also is a good performer. Prague should perform well this year as there will be no CSA to compete with.
Delete^It was a bad decision not to extend Prague during the winter in the past. They would havr competedbetter against CSA if they flew year round. CSA is prone to retreating from markets. OU probably would have forced them out much earlier.
DeleteThe Dash is a bit old.
ReplyDeleteWell a newer one would be significantly more expensive.
DeleteGood for at least another 10 years and well maintained.
DeleteThe good thing about them getting Austrian Dash is that it won't need any reconfiguration. Austrian and Croatia Airlines use the same seats.
ReplyDeleteDid they buy the Dash and lease the A319 from a leasing company? I remember OS wanted just some 5 digit euro value per F100 when they sold those. They are kinda famous for selling their planes nicely under market value and they have already started slowly phasing out the Dashes.
DeleteI assume these two planes will have OU livery and not Austrian's and easyjet's?
ReplyDeleteYes it will be in Croatia Airlines livery.
DeleteDoes anyone know the rates for long term leases of such planes?
ReplyDeleteWhat about Nice, Madrid or Moscow. I think they have more potential.
ReplyDeleteSOF should be on the top of the list and I'm glad they will introduce it.
Delete@9.39 To me it looks they are going after routes with a short block time. Routes where they can do a quick rotation.
DeleteServing both Moscow and St Petersburg would be overkill while I think Moscow has much more potential than LED.
DeleteWhy does it have more potential?
DeleteThey have to compete with Aeroflot on the Moscow route so it makes no sense.
DeleteHas OU ever served Madrid?
DeleteThey did briefly in the 1990s.
DeleteI think it could be a good choice of destination. MAD offers good connections to South America, Caribbean and the Iberian peninsula + Canary Islands.
DeleteThat demand is served by Iberia!
DeleteNow it's the time for OU to launch Moscow. SU is struggling in ZAG big time, this winter they are downgrading ZAG from A320 to SSJ! OU could offer connections to the coast.
DeleteIs ZAG the only destination in ex-Yu that regularly receives SSJ?
DeleteSU is not struggling in ZAG. SU and many other Russian carriers serve the coast in summer. SU is adapting to the P2P demand between ZAG and MOW.
DeleteSo SU downgrading ZAG from A320 to SSJ is them not struggling? They are adapting to demand which is falling, if it wasn't they would be increasing it from SSJ to A320, not the other way around.
DeleteI think Tirana could be profitable destination for OU.
ReplyDeleteWell they have the right idea
ReplyDeleteThey will lease 2 planes and open 2 destinations (SOF, TGD) and from these 2 destinations some will be seasonal :-)))
ReplyDeleteHilarious.
Unfortunately their plane utilisation is maxed out during most of the year. OU carries almost the same number of passenger as JU to give an example but with half the fleet. Goes to show how their fleet utilisation is. The 2 aircraft will primarily relieve their current operations and cater for a backup to reduce delays. On top of that they will introduce a few new routes and reinforce the current system.
DeleteWhat should really make people wonder is how JU can start so many new routes without virtually adding planes. Goes to show how bad their fleet utilisation was. But they are finally working on that.
Does OU have any long-haul destination?
DeleteDoes OU have any European destination where rotations takes 7 to 8 hours? If yes, how many? Maybe DUB only?
Now count it with BEG.
Does OU have night flights returning to ZAG early in the morning? What is OU fleet utilisation during the night?
You see, it is not that difficult
OU had 2.169.000 million passengers in 2018 so in 2019 that number was probably around 2.2 meanwhile JU carried 2.8 million and had a 27% increase in January. How are the two airlines carrying about the same number of passengers as you claim?
DeleteThe number of passengers is not the same.
DeleteFleet utilisation:
I will try once again with simple explanation...
JU flies BEG-MAD
Departure: 17:00, Arrival: 20:15
MAD-BEG
Departure: 21:00 , Arrival: 23:55
7 hours rotation ==> A319 max: 2x144 pax = 288
ZAG-DBV
Departure: 12:00 , Arrival: 13:05
DBV-ZAG
Departure 13:20 , Arrival: 14:25
2,5 hours rotation
3xZAG-DBV rotations are possible for the time of 1xBEG-MAD rotation
3 x 288 = 864
With 1 plane in time frame of approx. 7 hours OU carries 864 pax and JU only 288.
Now make the calculation with 1xA332 that performs only one rotation in 24 hours comparing to some A320 that makes 4 rotations in a day.
Of course this is simplified version but the point is there.
Yes and OU has a very good domestic network too. The coast regularly receives 320s from ZAG.
DeleteOnce the A32N arrive in 2 years time, the number of passengers will further increase.
Way to go, OU!
Routes that OU fly with more than 5 hours rotation:
DeleteZagreb-Dublin
Zagreb-Lisabon
Zagreb-Tel Aviv
Zagreb-Oslo
Zagreb-Helsinki
Zagreb-Stockholm
Zagreb-London Heathrow
Zagreb-St.Petersburg
Split-London Heathrow and Gatwick
Dubrovnik-Dusseldorf
Dubrovnik-Frankfurt
Dubrovnik-Paris
Mostar-Beiruth
and many charters to Skandinavia from Split and Dubrovnik
And how many of thsoe are year round and more than two weekly?
DeleteWho asked for 5 hours rotation?
Delete@ anonymous 10,59
DeleteI will use 2018 figures as full 2019 figures for both airlines have not been published.
Difference between OU and JU fleet was roughly 35% when the B733 is included (19% excluding B733). This does not include the OU CRJ lease (16 ac vs 20 = 22% difference). 2019 should be a 27% difference (+1 A319 for JU).
Pax figures for 2018 is 2.169M vs 2.48M (difference of 13%). 2019 results for JU ops in BEG vs OU 2018 results shows a 25% difference, could be as high as 30% including INI (guestimate of 140K pax since INI figues are not published).
ASK for 2018 is 2.266B vs 4.03B (difference of 56%).
Finance side of things, OU lost 11.1M€ while JU lost 8.7M€ (minus subsidies). OU produced 24% more losses, when including the money recieved for their PSO routes.
JU was still reporting decreases in their reports in 2018 while OU grew. JU in 2018 was still restructuring, changing its business model, which OU wasnt. 2019 figures would be interesting to compare.
OU should have A LONG time ago made something out of ZAG and its operations in general, however has been very passive. Even more so that Croatia has an excellent name for tourism.
JU in 2019 added routes however has added ac. 2019 saw another A319 join the fleet (YU-APK) and a CRJ900 during the peak summer season (June-Sept), which is where JU was able to add the capacity. This will follow again this year with 1 A319, 1 ATR7 and 1 CR9 on top of 6 new routes from BEG (excluding IST which wasnt there last summer) , 2 from KVO and frequency upgrades in BEG, roughly 50 weekly rotations while capacity increase should allow for 84 rotations (4 a day per ac).
OU will have this year a similar addition to its fleet compared to JU, just with slightly higher pax configurations.
Good luck OU. Wish them all the best.
ReplyDeleteAt least they are focusing on development.
ReplyDeleteThere is big potential for ZAG-SOF. It could work on year round basis with DH4.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteJP started with Saab then upgraded to CR9 and on some days even 319. OU will succeed with SOF, no doubt about it.
DeleteCheck OU's schedule, they are not offering connections to the West like JP did and JU does. This is for locals and for the coast.
DeleteWhat onward connections will OU offer to those travelling from SOF? Only the coast????
DeleteI mean I would expect at least Scandinavia and Dublin except for the *A hubs...
DeleteThey can't because their non Star hub flights are either in the morning or afternoon.
DeleteWTF On their website one can not even book transfers to FRA or MUC.
DeleteTHAT IS A SHAME....
I am concerned about the route now.
They should now concentrate on making the 10 or so routes they launched over the last couple of years year-round and in the middle term to increase fleet utilisation. Zagreb will work well in the winter as a destination from those markets.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I think their priority should have been extending those during the winter or at least some of them before they opened more new routes.
DeleteIn winter season is also seasonality. But that's no problem to make an interruption on some routes in mid January/February.
DeleteOther (network) airlines are also doing this. These weeks could be used e.g. for base maintenance.
In winter season is also seasonality. But that's no problem to make an interruption on some routes in mid January/February.
DeleteOther (network) airlines are also doing this. These weeks could be used e.g. for base maintenance.
Bravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteGood luck OU and I hope they will be bought by Aegean airlines in the end. By the way Aegean airlines presents tomorrow their new livery starting firstly with the a320neo.
ReplyDeleteAegean buying OU would be great!
DeleteKolike su sanse da netko drugi osim croatie dobije pravo na novi PSO u hrvatskoj?
ReplyDeleteWhat are the conditions of PSO?
DeleteWhat a massive disappointment. Total of TWO new routes and SEASONAL :(
ReplyDeleteDo these flights connect onto any of their other flights?
ReplyDeleteSo Sofia connects only to the coast then? This has disaster written all over it. Hopefully there are enough locals to fill seats.
ReplyDeleteSo actually, we have 3 A/C in lease this upcoming summer. One CRJ from Air Nostrum will service seasonal routes like previous years, one A319 will also go on seasonal routes and charters (like previous 2nd Air Nostrum's CRJ), aaaand, we have additional Dash, which will open 2 new routes, to SOF and TGD. Dear God, they will have one dash totally unused in ZAG! I mean, I understand it is risky to have tight schedule network during the summer, but, keeping aircraft on the ground just in case something goes wrong with another dash is definitely stupid. Well done. Instead of adding additional flights to ZRH (Swiss cancellation), PRG (CSA cancellation), MXP (low freq), OTP (low freq), maybe additional flight to MUC, or something close to the base. Jesus, who is doing planning there? Happy - soon - bankrupt!
ReplyDeleteMaybe they use that Dash which you say will stay on ground for PSO coastal routes which are now operated by TDR, and Turbolet for RJK /PUY - SPU/DBV in peak season is with absolutely insufficient capacity for those routes, which where usually sold out months in advance. That's what I would do, and maybe that's why PSO tender is still not out. Not claiming they do it, however, what happens lately is starting to slowly give me some hope for eventual improvement in OU
DeleteWhat hope? They just launched two destinations with minimal connections. I don't think they learned anything, anything at all.
DeleteBasically TGD will only connect VIE, MUC, FRA and BRU. Ouch.
ReplyDeleteWhat a contrast compared to yesterday's news on JU. I expected OU to launch TIA and to have a split schedule to SOF and TGD so that they can offer connections to the west.
ReplyDeleteHuge contrast
DeleteThey should change this airlines name to Yawn Airlines
ReplyDelete+100
DeleteThey should get Atr instead, as some people say here. Q400 is just too expensive, unreliable and no match for the Atr. But in stead they are getting a 7th one. Oh my....
ReplyDeleteBlaaaaaaaaaah
ReplyDeleteI was being sarcastic :)
DeleteOkay, SOF is a zero risk destination considering the surprising success of Adria.
ReplyDeleteGood decision, bravo Hrvatska.
OU is not offering a single destination JP used to offer so it's not a replacement.
DeleteOU just launched their schedule on the GDS!
ReplyDeleteSOF will receive absolutely the same schedule as OTP, which reconfirms the theory that the coast connections especially to DBV and SPU are now guaranteed.
OU319 ZAG-SOF 08:45 11:30 DH8
OU319 SOF-ZAG 12:10 13:10 DH8
Mon-Wed-Fri
1st flight - 01.05.2020
Return ticket is 160€ which is quite good for a start!
You might want to read the article, schedule has been there for hours ;)
DeleteOmg, my bad :) Sorry!
Deletewhy are they afraid to launch OHD ?? o_O . btw it took them only 20 years to introduce a second daily flight to SKP and suddenly the route performs ...
ReplyDelete