Asian carriers reduce Zagreb operations over virus fears


Qatar Airways, Emirates and Korean Air have all reduced their operations to Zagreb as a result of continuing fears over the coronavirus outbreak. As of next week, Qatar Airways is reducing its double daily service between Doha and the Croatian capital to twelve services per week. The airline will no longer operate a second rotation on Tuesday and Wednesday until at least the start of the 2020 summer season, which begins on March 29. At this point, the Qatari carrier has kept its schedule unchanged for its remaining destinations in the former Yugoslavia, although the situation remains fluid. Qatar Airways maintains the largest number of flights to Croatia compared to other markets in the EX-YU region.

Emirates, which will resume operations to Zagreb on March 29, is currently in the process of updating its operations for a number of routes. It has reduced its daily service between Dubai and the Croatian capital to six weekly, with the departure on Tuesday removed. The change currently effects only its first two weeks of operations, until Easter week, however, the airline continues to make adjustments across is network. Emirates has asked staff to take voluntary paid and unpaid leave as the effects of the coronavirus across the world ramps up. An email to staff described a “measurable slow-down in business across our brands” and called for “flexibility in the way we work”.

As previously reported, Korean Air has postponed the resumption of its seasonal flights between Seoul and Zagreb from March 31 until April 23. Within Europe, the airline has also suspended flights to Milan and reduced frequencies across its network. Passengers have been asked to continue to monitor their flight status for further changes. South Korea's government earlier this week announced measures to help airlines during the travel slowdown, including offering loans and deferring airport fees. At this point, the effects on Zagreb Airport’s schedule remain limited, with those airlines heavily relying on passengers from Asia making modifications to their schedule.




Comments

  1. Anonymous09:03

    I fear more timetable changes are on their way.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous09:04

    Not surprised about the Gulf airlines. They rely heavily on transfers from Asia.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous09:05

    I wonder what impact it will have ZAG's numbers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:07

      I don't think the impact will be huge, at least not in March. The good thing is that Croatia is currently holding the EU presidency. If you just look at the EU schedule this week you will see that health ministers are meeting in Zagreb, defense ministers are meeting too and various other EU events are taking place in Zagreb, which means a lot of travel. So this will cushion the reduction in demand elsewhere.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:10

      We will see. This summer Eurowings is terminating two routes and Swiss is also discontinuing Zurich flights. There will also be generally less demand for travel.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:12

      And you really think that a couple of flights because of the EU presidency will save the month?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:15

      It's not just a couple of flights. I said it will reduce the impact of reductions, yes.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:20

      And what happens once the EU presidency is over?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:24

      I assume that by the end of June things will be back to normal.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous09:46

      Normal is not good enough as we've seen in the past.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous09:52

      What's there not to understand Anon 09.48? What the other guy referring to as normal for ZAG is just not good enough since the offer was very weak to start with especially since there are no more flights to Berlin, Dusseldorf and so on. For ZAG it's not enough to merely return to where they were, they need to be better than that and to improve their offer.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:08

    Really sad to see Emirates asking staff to take voluntary leave. It must be quite bad.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:10

      And unpaid leave at that!
      At least western carriers keep paying their employees.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:29

      Nope they do not-both OS and LH are doing exactly the same

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:31

      Yeah I know... United is paying their pilots a set basic salary to stay home for a month. Unlike EK....

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:22

      Singapore Airlines has done the right thing. Their top management are all taking pay cuts, including the CEO who will cut his pay by 15%.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:26

      That's commendable. Lead by example. Can you imagine other airlines willing to take a pay cut from manager to CEO level?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous11:43

      The leave at Emirates is voluntary. Staff don't have to take it if they don't want to.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous12:41

      LOL, sure it is voluntary!
      And if the EK staff do not want to go on unpaid leave I am sure their union and the labour laws of the UAE will protect them!

      Delete
    8. Anonymous16:09

      I get the point your are trying to make about the lax labor laws in the UAE, but in this particular situation, the exact same thing is also happening in Germany, a country at the extreme opposite side of the spectrum regarding labor laws: the have a hiring freeze and also offer unpaid leave. Fraport is doing the same and Austrian too.

      I have no reason to defend the ME carriers whatsoever, but 2 arguments seem to get ruminated all these years:
      alleged state subsidies (as if "western" carriers have not had them) and
      alleged bad working conditions (where crews are paid well above other carriers and have same working conditions)

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:08

    Any guesses on how long this might go on for?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:12

      April, maybe May.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:04

      Given the current pace of the outbreak it maiy well be pandemic by late April.... If this is what you are "predicting" :))

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:18

      Everything done before a pandemic is seen as alarmist.
      Everything done after - will seem inadequate…

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:08

    Turkey banned all airlines from all flights to Italy, Iran, Iraq, China, Korea.
    Also the crew of the last scheduled AA flight from JFK to MXP refused to operate the flight and passengers were turned away at the gate!
    This thing is going to get much worse before it gets any better...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:12

      It will be interesting to see if TK also reduces their flights to ex-Yu countries all things considered.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:15

      Quite possible since they also depend a lot on Asian transfers.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:15

      TK will probably receive even larger subsidies from the Turkish government!
      Remember that their move to the new airport is very costly and airport taxes and expenses much higher than the old IST.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:21

      Don't see them reducing Belgrade due to a massive local demand, especially now that numbers are on the rise once again.

      Delete
    5. PG will be squeezed even harder by the government and operation out of SAW will be restricted even more in order to help TK.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:27

      Doubt it, TK cancelled SAW Italy flights even before the official ban. I don't think they are doing that well there, they are switching all flights to Anadolujet.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous09:31

      Anonymous at 09:21
      Unless the virus situation is contained there won't be "massive demand" for any route...

      Delete
    8. Anon 2 March 2020 at 09:27
      Your doubts are irrelevant since the Turkish government banned PG from adding more flights from SAW before the virus situation escalated in order to help TK's IST situation.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous09:39

      Well PG might experience a slow down due to the fact that they had 3 major safety incidents within 2 months!

      Delete
    10. Anonymous09:54

      Happy Taxpayer, do you have a source for that because there is no way the government can half the expansion of a privately owned airline which, anyway, already boosted some flights out of Turkey, both SAW and ESB.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous09:54

      Anon 09.39

      TK is no better, the other day they lost their front wheels upon landing atIST!

      Delete
    12. Anonymous09:55

      But won't these Turkish carriers benefit from the fact that Atlasglobal has disappeared?

      Delete
    13. Anonymous10:03

      Turkish carriers are already accustomed to such shocks every few years. There was the coup situation a few years ago, Istanbul terrorist attack situation, currency crash situation etc. They will survive this too.

      Delete
    14. Anon 2 March 2020 at 09:54

      Here you are:
      "Pegasus Sinks as Curbs on Its Hub Seen Boosting Rival Airport"
      Regulator won’t allow new flights at discount carrier’s base
      https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-16/pegasus-sinks-as-curbs-on-its-hub-seen-as-boosting-rival-airport
      And:
      "Turkey Will Stop Growth At Sabiha Gökçen To Promote Istanbul New Airport"
      https://simpleflying.com/turkey-stops-growth-at-sabiha-gokcen-pegasus/

      Delete
    15. Anonymous12:06

      Serb. Gov should stop MXP, BGY & Venice flights - A.S.A.P !

      Delete
    16. Anonymous12:15

      The new IST will be in the biggest airport in the world in 3-4 years; with 6 independent runways and two big terminals, will be able to accomodate 200 millions of passengers in a year.

      Of course the Turkish government will promote IST over SAW. Don't you think it's logical?

      SAW is a domestic hub of Turkey. Those two airports serve different type of customers in many ways, this is why Turkish Airlines is leaving/abandoning SAW this month and letting Anadolujet complete Pegasus; so LCC vs LCC (Anadolujet is not exactly a LCC though but can complete against Pegasus' pricing policy).

      Delete
    17. I think it is highly illogical that a government gets to choose which airlines will win and which will lose.
      I think that this should be the choice of consumers-flyers.
      I think that the Turkish government outright banning Pegasus from adding more flights from SAW because the market prefers it over the new IST shows why the vanity project of new IST was unseeded by the market reality.
      Turkish and international consumers voted with their wallets.
      The Turkish government did not like their decision so they decided to punish PG and SAW.
      Sounds exactly like something the Erdogan regime would do!

      Delete
    18. Anonymous15:20

      First get your facts right.

      Turkish goverment didn't ban Pegasus from adding more flights, it banned giving more slots from SAW which is also used by TK too! %32 of SAW is Turkish Airlines and Anadolujet.

      The main reason of this ban is fatigued asphalt of the runway of SAW and capacity restrictions of this airport. 2nd runway is still on construction but it's taking long since the priority is IST.

      When the weather is real bad in Istanbul you can see many airplanes divert to IST from SAW because it can't work any longer efficently with one runway for this huge capacity (~35 millions of passengers yearly).

      Erdogan and his regime can go to hell, but the new IST is (will be in fact) a masterpiece and as a citizen I approve promoting it over SAW.

      Delete
    19. Why all the lies Turk?
      SAW despite having plenty of space for more slots was banned from allowing PG to add more flights.
      Anadolu/TK though was allowed to add!
      It known by everybody that PG is being actively sabotaged by the Turkish government in order to help TK at IST because it is a more expensive and less convenient airport to use compared with the old IST.
      What you should do as a Turkish citizen would be to start preparing to pay for the billions of dollars in loans that were taken by the IST operator to build it cause it will be unable to service them.

      You should keep in mind that we are leaving in 2020 and EVERYTHING we post can very easily be corroborated.

      Delete
    20. Anonymous16:12

      Lie?

      Here is the link from Turkish civil aviation authority.

      That it says the ban is valid for ANY AIRLINE.

      https://twitter.com/SHGM/status/1217695246521266177?s=19

      Delete
    21. LOL dude!
      Pegasus is forbidden from adding more flights at SAW but Anadolujet is allowed!
      their jets probably do not put pressure on the runway unlike the ones of PG!
      "Turkish Airlines recently announced it will be expanding out of Sabiha Gokcen Airport through its low-cost subsidiary Anadolujet. The new flights are due to take off in March.

      "Interestingly, they will not be impacted by Turkey’s Civil Aviation Directorate’s decision to curb growth at Sabiha. This means that Turkish Airlines will benefit in two ways: by expanding from this airport where it will face lower operating costs, and by seeing any future growth of its main competitor Pegasus halted."
      https://simpleflying.com/turkey-stops-growth-at-sabiha-gokcen-pegasus/

      Delete
    22. Anonymous17:28

      Oh god, you don't understand, do you? 


      Anadolujet are not given new slots at SAW, TK is leaving SAW at the end of March and giving its slots to its sub-brand Anadolujet!!! There is NO new slot TK in SAW. No new slot for Pegasus nor any existing airline!


      The website you sent me just interprets their own opinions regarding the slot ban of SAW. Pegasus uses Izmir, Antalya, Ankara and even North Cyprus as its hub. They have an incredible domestic coverage. Nobody is stopping them by any laws. You can't know it better than an aviation lover citizen, can you? 

      Delete
    23. Anonymous07:36

      Anadoloujet is adding flights because TK Mainline is being withdrawn from SAW, it's a one for one replacement of frequencies/slots. TK is not growing over there, they are maintaining what they already have.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:11

    Not surprising. QR and EK have a lot of transfers from Korea and China on these flights. Chinese market is nonexistent at the moment so...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous09:13

    This is unfortunate, hope all ends up well in the end. Zagreb has had a great run so far which needs to continue in the future.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:35

      Great run? The airport has been virtually stagnating for months, and 2020 isn't looking up either.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:38

      6,2% growth in January is stagnation according to you?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:55

      Anon 09.38

      He said for months which indicates a longer period of time (probably 2019), you are looking at only ONE month. Apples to oranges. One sparrow does not make a spring.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:57

      Growth has been good for several months. December +7.6%, November +5.6%.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous07:36

      Few months, not the whole year.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:17

    Bad timing for this virus from an aviation perspective, right before the summer season.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous09:17

    Unfortunately I think this is only the beginning and it won't be ZAG that's the only one affected.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous09:18

    All airlines but especially Asian carriers are in deep trouble!
    Hainan airlines was taken over by the government of Hainan province.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:22

      Hainan was a mess even before the virus.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:29

      The virus situation just put them over the edge. They are loosing millions of dollars every single day!

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:37

      Hainan has not been taken over by the local government. They asked the government for financial assistance and the government has now set up a work group to see what to do.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:33

      The Chinese government admitted before the virus crisis that their airlines were losing over $3 billion/year on international routes. They knew it was not sustainable.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:39

      Anon 09:37
      "China’s HNA, Hit by the Coronavirus, Is Effectively Taken Over by the Government
      HNA says Hainan officials were called in to ‘effectively defuse risks and safeguard the interests of all parties’"
      https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-hna-hit-by-the-coronavirus-is-effectively-taken-over-by-the-government-11582981584

      Delete
    6. Anonymous12:21

      Hainan has accumulated debt close to $75 billion! Corona might have pushed it over the edge but they themselves came to the edge on their own. They expanded left and right, bought properties that made little sense and businesses that were struggling.

      Now it's time to face the ugly truth and it won't be pretty.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous12:45

      HNA group overpaid for investments in Hilton group and Swissport among others.
      And the interest payments for their debts are huge.

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:20

    Let's see if there will be a major impact in April as this will be Easter month. And this year they fall just a week apart so it will be comparable to 2019.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:26

      It depends on how the situation with the virus evolves.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous09:21

    Honestly QR reducing ZAG to 12 is probably something they should do for the entire winter, even without the virus. Sometimes I wonder how this airline survives when I see how many passengers board their flight on this route (in winter).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:28

      They survive with the help of the Sheikh's money.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:26

      Unlimited arab money. They don't care if they make money or not...

      Delete
  14. Anonymous09:22

    Which QR flights are being cut. The one in the middle of the night or the morning one from Doha?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:23

      The 7.55 departure from DOH.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous09:27

    There could be a big impact on Croatian tourism this year :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:27

      It will be felt everywhere. Not just in Croatia.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:36

      Yeah, but not every country is as dependent on tourism as % of GDP like Croatia is. It could be a dire year indeed.

      Delete
    3. Not every country but quite a few of them. Start with Greece, Egypt and Montenegro.

      Turkey can survive without tourism income though it will be a big hit for them too.

      Croatia is not alone in that boat for sure.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:48

      Turkey already has major economic problems and it's tourism sector was one of the few bright spots.
      This situation will have a major impact.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous15:30

      Well Turkey is the world's 5th most tourist welcoming country over 50 million visiting a year and and first 4 all have corona cases except for Turkey.

      It can increase the number in a way.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous09:28

    The only good news for airlines is that the price of oil is tumbling. So at least some relief there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:29

      That's not good news for Gulf airlines who survive thanks to government money, which depends on oil exports and production.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:40

      True dat!

      Delete
  17. Anonymous09:51

    Will we see any decrease from European airlines? I read somewhere Lufthansa is decreasing their operations by 25%

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:41

      At the moment LH is just adjusting its flights to northern Italy.

      Delete
  18. Anonymous09:52

    This is worrying. And there doesn't seem to be any end in sight.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous10:12

    Sad :(

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous10:12

    Any hope of Korean Air actually resuming ZAG at the end of April? I'm not so optimistic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:16

      I also think it won't resume until June. Even if the virus is contained. Koreans plan their trips a lot in advance and most have cancelled any travel.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:17

      Also, many Koreans have been given leave now as business is slow. If the situation improves, it is questionable if and when they will be able to take holiday leave again.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:17

      Everything depends how this will go with corona, how long. But yeah, I'm also worried, don't think koreans will travel this year so much because of this situation.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:28

      I agree. I think these Korea flights will be quite effected. But you never know. They might extend the flights into winter again as I expect more people will be willing to travel towards the end of the year, and I don't think Koreans care much about sun and beaches.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:51

      KE cancelled MX, VIE, BCN, IST and many others. Lets wait and see how long this will take.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous12:19

      LO just reduced BUD-ICN from 3 to 2 weekly, this is a total collapse of demand from Asia, especially South Korea. The end is nowhere near and I don't know what else we might experience in the coming weeks. :/

      Delete
    7. Anonymous12:33

      Korean will cancel PRG as well, actually Czech Republic will suspend their approval for direct flights to and from Korea.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous13:48

      CSA has cancelled their only long haul to ICN with immediate effect.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous15:24

      What about BUD-Chonqing?

      Delete
  21. Anonymous10:30

    This is just the beginning of a massive decline in world travel. Hotels and airline are about to be hit pretty hard after some greats years. No way all of the airlines survive the corona outbreak. Think we will see more airlines fold or merge and continue to cancel as many flights as possible. It seems like several airlines were already at the brink before the outbreak and the virus is the final straw.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Spot on Anon 10:30. Most spectators have no clue what is yet to come, especially in travel and tourism.

      Delete
    2. Could also be a saving grace for some airlines like OU. They could possible get some 'special financial assistance'. Maybe even this recent loan could be forgiven and this could be approved by the EU as a blanket assistance package by the EU to airlines.

      Delete
  22. Anonymous10:51

    I don't like news like this as it makes me sad. We need more flights, more connectivity to the world, not less!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous11:45

    Let's see if El Al also cancels flights to ZAG.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:48

      For now they are operating normally. But it's just a 1 weekly flight.

      Delete
  24. Anonymous11:45

    Why does QR and EK/FZ decrease only ZAG in ex-Yu?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:49

      Because it has the most number of passengers from Asia on these flights.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous14:45

      Actually it would be logical the number of flights to ZAG to be decreased the most but to be decreased also the number of flights to the other destinations in ex-YU accordingly.

      Here it is not the case.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous14:53

      Not really, since other ex-Yu destinations have far less demand from Asia. Last year, when you combine South Korean and Chinese tourists, over 1 million visited Croatia.

      Delete
  25. Anonymous16:11

    This ungodly virus has come at a really bad time for the tourism industry. In Serbia Chinese are cancelling tour packages until the first half of April. Maybe the best thing countries can do is prepare for the winter season and to make sure that after a complicated summer season winter ends up being quite successful!
    The other day China's tourist organization has listed Serbia as a top 10 global winter getaway along with Alaska, Finland, Switzerland, Norge... Hopefully Serbian authorities forget the summer and start focusing on winter.

    My recommnedations others do the same.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous16:43

    Not gonna be a good year for aviation except maybe Africa and Latin America.
    It is time to move on and start negotiating flights to the bigger, African and Latino metropolitan cities. There is no sign of the virus there...yet!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous20:36

      Nigeria, Brazil and Ecuador already have their first corona cases -
      Forget it .

      Delete

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