Emirates has suspended plans to restore operations between Dubai and Zagreb this summer season. Although flights were initially planned to resume in late March, the coronavirus pandemic forced the carrier to push back the service until July and then again until September 1. The airline has now cancelled its seasonal operations to the Croatian capital for the rest of the year. The two cities are expected to be linked again by Flydubai at the start of the 2020/2021 winter season on October 25. Flights will run four times per week. By the start of next month, Emirates plans to serve 62 destinations across the world.
Emirates’ Dubai hub has reopened for leisure and business visitors with new air travel protocols that safeguard health and safety having been implemented. All passengers flying to the city undergo testing for the coronavirus upon arrival at the airport in Dubai. Passengers travelling with Emirates from certain countries require to undergo a covid test prior to their flight. Emirates’ partner, Flydubai, has resumed operations to several cities in the former Yugoslavia, including Belgrade and Sarajevo, with flights to Dubrovnik to be restored next week, while Tivat will see limited operations, with just three return services planned for the entire summer at this point.
Shifting market conditions might push the cooperation agreement between Emirates and Flydubai into “almost a merger”, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer, Adnan Kazim, said recently. The vastly different operational models of the two airlines, with Emirates being an all-widebody carrier, while Flydubai appeals to more price-sensitive customers, might complement each other well in the aftermath of Covid-19, Mr Kazim said. “Flydubai is an important supportive element for Emirates Airlines, and the aircraft available in its fleet today are part of our plans, and therefore we should make the most of the aircraft of the two carriers”, the Chief Commercial Officer noted.
Emirates is the latest wide-body operator in Zagreb to have suspended its operations to the city for the year, following Korean Air, Air Canada Rouge and Air Transat. So far, Air Transat has indicated it will resume operations to the Croatian capital next summer season, while Emirates has also put tickets on sale for the route from late March 2021. Changes at this early stage remain highly likely.
Expected.
ReplyDeleteBummer
ReplyDeleteWith DXB-VIE introduced, returning to ZAG that late in the year never made much sense. I mean even QR seems to be struggling there without Asian tourists. I expect FZ to operate two weekly in winter time. Unfortunately corona is back and it's not looking pretty.
ReplyDeleteI hope people don't get this the wrong way but I highly doubt EK will resume this route next year. Demand will be significantly lower next year across the world even if things go back to normal. I'm not sure this route with a B777 could be sustained under such circumstances.
ReplyDeleteThey said they are looking at narrowbodies so we might see them fly those into ZAG. At the end of the day they can always send FZ and get it over with.
DeleteYes, I didn't mean the route will be suspended entirely but FZ seems like a logical choice if things in the world continue this way. Hope for the best in any case.
DeleteWhy not FZ before winter season as in BEG and SJJ?
DeleteThey probably don't think there is enough market, they haven't resumed many flights (FZ). Even in BEG and SJJ they have a modest presence.
DeleteSomething is better then nothing.
DeleteI still can't get over the fact we don't have an air link with Berlin!
DeleteIt is really not understandable especially because it has nothing to do with current crisis.
DeletePlus OU has the spare capacity. Not like they can't fly twice a week on the Q400.
DeleteThey should have flown DXB-DBV seasonal right from the start.
DeleteOr why not even DXB-ZAG-DBV?
DeleteThe "merger" proposition EK is talking about seems interesting. Would this mean EK would take over some B737s?
ReplyDeleteWould love to see a B737 in Emirates livery :D
DeleteHere you go :)
Deletehttps://imgproc.airliners.net/photos/airliners/9/7/1/0772179.jpg
Beauty. Thanks!
DeleteMaybe EK will take over the B737 MAXs once they're allowed to fly again.
DeleteI wouldn't fly on the MAX, no thank you.
DeleteI dont see FZ being fully folded into EK. They still need FZ for the low yield destinations where the FZ model suits it better.
DeleteHowever, I wouldnt be surprised that EK end up taking some of those MAX's. EK desperately needs smaller capacity.
This was a very quiet summer at ZAG and other HR airports, hopefully this changes soon.
ReplyDeleteI think the situation is improving, a friend is flying on JU today from SPU to Tegel and the checkin guy said there were around 80 passengers on the flight to Belgrade.
DeleteGood for JU
DeleteOne of Emirates' big strategic mistakes is having a two whale fleet model.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteThe B777 isnt as bad as the A380. The B777 is at least somewhat active, the A380 not soo much. The routes where the A380 is operating could easily be done on a B777.
DeleteBad news for ZAG
ReplyDeleteSo now it is official there are no more long haul flights in ZAG this year...
ReplyDeleteI think this was expected.
DeleteIs there any other airport in Europe that lost all its long haul flights?
DeleteI don't think so
DeleteI hope people don't throw rocks at me for saying this but I think Croatia needs to do more to stimulate local travel. The suspension of these long haul routes have shown more or less that all these flights are heavily dependent on tourism.
ReplyDeleteI think there is generally a collapse in demand. Look at Bucharest and Sofia, two destinations which have next to no tourists going there yet Qatar was forced to merge them into a single operation. People are still afraid to travel because they don't know what restrictions they might face or what might change before they are supposed to fly back home. Governments have made this crisis much worse because they were mostly clueless.
DeleteI notice QR is often cancelling the ZAG flight.
DeleteReally?
DeleteYup loads were fantastic at first but then they crashed. Flights on 15.07, 17.07 and 20.07 were all cancelled, so three consecutive flights.
Deletehttps://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/qr217
Really tragic to think they can't fill three A320s in five days and only a few months ago they were considering upgrading one of the two dailies to a Dreamliner. SMFH
DeleteUnbelievable. Do they have problems with LF also in another airports in the region?
DeleteI guess they do, they were forced to merge SOF and OTP into a single flight.
DeleteNow that all long haul airlines cancelled 2020 services to Zagreb, what happened with money used for udruzeno oglasavanje and other ways longhaul airlines were subsidized in Zagreb?
DeleteProbably nothing because MZLZ still hopes they'll be back. If they force them to pay it back then it would probably put an end to any future flights.
DeleteHope they do come back next year
ReplyDeleteUnlikely.
DeleteUnlikely as they seem to be cutting destinations. SCL, ADL, OPO have also been cut with more rumoured to come.
DeleteCorrect. Chilean operations are already gone, everyone fired in SCL. ADL also confirmed as cut. OPO not yet but will likely go together with another 8-10 destinations - one or two were a surprise must say! The rest of the network will see significant reductions, like LGW and MUC both going from 3 to 1 daily only.
DeleteZAG is strongly tipped to be among those to be terminated, EK will transfer this route to FZ and will no longer operate it with own metal (77W). But ZAG will regain connectivity to DXB next year which is good news.
Probably ZAG is one of their weakest performer
DeleteTough times ahead for them. Competition around is in a much better position to react to growing demand due to their current smaller capacities available.
DeleteZAG is (was) their only seasonal destination in the whole network.
DeleteAnd one of the smallest ones with direct link to DXB.
DeleteWhy no Flydubai?
ReplyDeleteNo demand
DeleteConsidering they have been reducing this service since it started, I believe this is the final nail in the coffin.
ReplyDeleteZAG was from the start a highly seasonal route for them. Summer loads were great, it was the winter loads that was a disaster.
DeleteTheir numbers in ZAG dropped last summer so there has to be more than just seasonality. Maybe some Slovenes that used them in the past switched to SU from LJU.
DeleteIt could be QR too. It has better prices and a better product.
DeleteTrue plus with two daily flights they offered far more flexibility and better connectivity.
DeleteKE was also flying into ZAG last summer.
DeletePoor EK attacked from all sides.
Delete"Poor EK".
DeleteLooool
Actually the airline with the deepest pocket is Etihad ...
DeleteActually they are not, that's Qatar Airways since Qatar (the emirate) currently ranks as the richest country in the world.
DeleteAt the time EK announced ZAG opening that article had the most comments here on this blog. That fact shows how people in Croatian capital were happy at that time and how losing EK now is a big blow for ZAG.
ReplyDeleteEven some so called experts said at that time that EK arrival in ZAG was bigger than all Air Serbia project. We see now how far from truth it was. Even FZ does not open ZAG before winter.
It remains big question if EK will return to ZAG at all.
I remember these "experts" saying how Emirates in ZAG is just "catching up" with BEG because JAT Airways was flying there for 20 years, and how there is no difference between Flydubai flying with 737 without proper business class and Emirates with 777. But on the other side it seams to me that these people wants so much to see Emirates in BEG so if they saw Emirates there it will totally not be the same as Flydubai or JAT Airways. So overall you can just see pure nationalism in coments here and not normal converation.
DeleteAviation does not end with Emirates. The whole wide-body-only-fleet proved to be unsustainable.
ReplyDeleteAs far I know, one of the most profitabile airlines in the world are Emirates and Singapore Airlines, both with only wide body fleet.
DeleteSingapore Airlines needed a 1e billion US dollar bailout and is merging with Silk Air, meaning B737s will be flying in Singapore livery soon.
Delete*13 billion
Delete737s in Singapore Airlines fleet will just be a service upgrade on couple of routes operated by their fully owned regional airline Silk Air. Like to Darwin, Medan, Penan, Kuching etc. Its not like that their only widebody system is not good, they just want to make more money with higher prices tickets by making couple of 737s from Silk Air more premium. They will then be able to sell business class with fully flat seats on destination where Silk Air usualy flies with 737.
DeleteThe industry is constantly changing, and will change after this. Being a widebody only carrier doesnt necessarily mean its a bad idea, all airlines have been hit including those who have narrowbodies (ie LH, AF, KL, OS, AA, DL etc), its just some have the flexibility to rebound faster than others. EK just took things to the extreme with a massive A380 fleet and no smaller capacity from the B777. The A380 was problematic even before the crisis let alone during one and the immediate period after. Kind of reminds you of Pan Am.
Delete"The whole wide-body-only-fleet proved to be unsustainable."
DeleteIt's rather ZAG as a destination that proved to be unsustainable.
Certainly, as did many other destinations worldwide while others never bacame part of EK network. Times have changed. But one thing is for sure: having a flexible fleet is an advantage.
DeleteNot surprised at all. Flew a few days ago CDG-DXB with A380. There were barely 40 of us in economy.
ReplyDeleteHow was the flight? Did they decrease level if service?
DeleteI should have flown this October with their A380 but it is cancelled now...
Service has been reduced but there is still a meal and inflight entertainment.
DeleteFrequencies (Qatar Airways)
ReplyDeletebeat capacity (Emirates).
Now a proven fact.
You forgot the fact that Emirates makes every year around 300 million$ and Qatar Airways every year loses 900 million$ .
DeleteQatar definitely has the upper hand on this route .
DeleteProduct is good on both airlines but Qatars customers have much more flexibility .
But yes, i also doubt that either of them made any profit on this route .
Just too many seats available ...
I think QR made money before EK came and dumped all those seats on the market. Also, I think the same way TK was forced to reduce ZAG to 10 weekly in winter, probably because of QR. So it's kind of like a circle.
DeleteThe situation is so fluctuating and by autumn 2020, things might change again for Zagrab.
ReplyDeleteI don't think EK will abandon ZAG anytime soon. After all, the HR diaspora in Australia is huge and it's not enough to just have QR.
EK are in a quite tough situation similar to dozens of other carriers. It will be all good for ZAG but will take a matter of time.
Malo morgen ...
DeleteThere are no any posibilities to Emirates be back this year. They will probably be back next year.
DeleteOnly thing that's certain is that the Dubai link will be back, we don't know who will be responsible for it, Emirates or flydubai.
DeleteMy money is on FZ.
We are always unsustainable it seems....in every sense :(
ReplyDelete