KLM will introduce a second daily flight between Amsterdam and Zagreb next February, underscoring its commitment to the Croatian market despite the coronavirus pandemic. The new service, operated by the airline’s Cityhopper subsidiary, will depart Amsterdam late in the evening. The aircraft will then spend the night in Zagreb before returning back to the Netherlands early in the morning, enabling better connectivity onto KLM’s long haul network. The second daily rotation will be introduced on February 13 and will be maintained with the 88-seat Embraer E175 jet. The service will be codeshared by Air France and Delta Air Lines. Tickets are now on sale.
KLM has become the busiest foreign airline maintaining flights to the Croatian capital since November and has kept its position in December as well. Based on existing schedules, the carrier will also offer the most flights and capacity in and out of Zagreb after Croatia Airlines in January, February and March of next year. It is becoming an increasingly popular choice for transfer passengers to and from the United States and Canada, despite ongoing entry restrictions, as other carriers, which had traditionally been more successful in capturing a larger share of transfer traffic, reduce their operations. KLM also recently scheduled its first winter flights to Split, with the airline to operate services on December 19, 20, 23 and 27, as well as January 2, 3 and 7 with the Embraer E190 jet.
Croatia Airlines and KLM both run flights between the two capital cities. Last year they handled 157.527 passengers, while the combined annual average cabin load factor across the two airlines stood at a high 85.6%. Croatia Airlines offered 118.456 seats between the two cities, compared to KLM’s 66.688, while it also had more seats on sale to the Dutch capital during this corona-impacted year than its competitor. However, the difference between the two will shorten next year with KLM’s additional daily service. Both airlines cooperate on the route through a mutual codeshare agreement.
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 144.033 | 168.404 | 167.469 | 156.889 | 157.527 |
Wow unexpected of them to do it in February.
ReplyDeleteKLM is obviously using to its advantage Lufthansa's absence from the Croatian market.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. I assume many transfer passengers are using them as an alternative since LH no longer does from either Frankfurt or Munich.
DeleteAnd they are a much more reliable option than LH which decides to suspend flights on a monthly basis.
DeleteAlso it's much more comfortable to fly on the E-jet to AMS than on the loud and uncomfortable Q400 that OU uses on ZAG-FRA. It also doesn't help that KLM is a full service carrier which did not reduce its catering like LH did.
DeleteLufthansa recently suspended the second meal on its long-haul flights which will be replaced by a small sandwich and drinks service.
The Q400 is very quiet that what the Q stands for, and it's also very comfortable and fast compared to an ATR.
DeleteWell KLM doesn't have the ATR so the comparison is pointless. Also the Q400 might be quieter but it's not quiet, especially not when compared to the Embraer which KL uses.
DeleteYour comparison between a jet and a turboprop is also pointless.
DeleteWhy when they are competing directly on AMS-ZAG.
DeleteVery nice. This gives much more transfer opportunities.
ReplyDeleteAny extra flights at times like these are a miracle
ReplyDeleteGood to see KLM being so proactive.
ReplyDeleteIdeal aircraft capacity.
ReplyDelete"Last year they handled 157.527 passengers, while the combined annual average cabin load factor across the two airlines stood at a high 85.6%."
ReplyDeleteLF is impressive
How many fights does/will Croatia Airlines have?
ReplyDeleteAnd are they using Dash or Aorbuses?
DeleteI think these days they are using the Q400 everywhere. They just added another one from OS, a 20 year old Q400.
DeleteThey didn't add any aircraft.
DeleteYup they did a few days ago, OE-LGA was ferried from Vienna to Agram.
DeleteNope, these aircraft are being serviced by Croatia Airlines Technic. As have other Austrian Q400s in the past few months. Has nothing to do with Croatia Airlines adding them to the fleet.
DeleteOn AMS route, OU uses mix of Q400 and A319/320
DeleteIt's being transferred to ZAG because the new owner requested it like that.
Deletehttps://www.austrianwings.info/2020/12/aua-flottet-weitere-q400-aus/
Exactly it's going there to be serviced first. Has nothing to do with OU nor did they buy the plane.
DeleteNice to have regional jets around.
ReplyDeleteMany here have said that both OU and JU should have few regional jets alongside their A319/320s...and I fully agree
This reminds me of AF-KL in the last days of JP. Only difference is that in Slovenia AF was the more aggressive one while KL left the market to Transavia.
ReplyDeleteIn Zagreb however we have both AF and KL attacking OU and LH in an extremely aggressive manner. I think they want to kill VIE and MUC as relevant transfer hubs to/from Croatia.
This is yet another nail in OU's coffin. Serves them right for being a mere feeder carrier for LH Group. They need to ASAP expand their regional and Balkan network with overnight flights to Athens, Belgrade, Bucharest, Sofia, Tirana and Istanbul.
OU did not do it in the times much better for aviation than now.
DeleteThey dont need to go on transfer markets where 2 regional airlines already failed. JP is bankrupt, while JU is losing money with the same strategy, while OS didnt make any money for who knows how much long. OU should not concretate on carying other nationals. They need to expand their operations at the coast and make similar system as Aegean which is highly profitabile airline.
DeleteOMG are you comparing OU to A3 and Croatia to Greece?
DeleteIm not comparing OU and A3. I just say OU should do the same thing as Aegean. And yes, im comparing Croatia to Greece, because they are quite similar markets. Maybe not by passenger numbers, but by the demand strucure.
DeleteCertainly helps the fact that CRO citizens do not have limitations to enter Netherlands
ReplyDeleteThey do on the way back though, they need a PCR to enter the country. These flights are perfectly good for transfers, OU is better for locals as it departs later in the morning.
DeleteNegative PCR and forbidden entry are two very different things
DeleteInteresting strategy from KLM-AF. Remember AF was supposed to introduce second daily flight to Zagreb (similar schedule) this summer but then corona happened.
ReplyDeleteSo, if pandemic situation will be better until spring, next year ZAG will have 3X daily AMS and 3X daily CDG. It is very big impact on SA group, and next summer would be very interesting.
ReplyDeleteAlso FZ scheduled ZAG summer flights 4pw.
FZ hasn't. You can't buy tickets. Choose the dates.
DeleteOk, Im sure it will be available in next days. Because you can buy ticket on EK site for FZ flights, and they are visible in search engines.
DeleteI doubt OU will keep daily flights to AMS and CDG, they will be impacted by all these new flights which do have great times especially if you are a businessman.
DeleteVery nice surprise from KLM :)
ReplyDeleteWhat happened in 2016? How come there were so many passengers on the route then and why did the number fall in 2017? Anyone know?
ReplyDeleteI think KLM turned the flights seasonal that year? no?
DeleteIn 2016, KLM used 737/8/9 on daily basis to ZAG. In 2017., KLM again introduced E190 on weekends, or so...because KLM expaned to SPU.
DeleteAh makes sense. Thank you Petar.
DeleteThis year KLM to SPU had more flights then KLM to ZAG. 13 weakly.
DeleteBravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteWithout Korean, Emirates and AirCanada, and situation in LH, this KLM increase really makes sense. Alot of tourists will come back in 2021, and they need more transfer options.
ReplyDeleteThey reacted at the right time
DeleteNext step will be making Split a year round route
ReplyDeleteWould there be sufficient loads in November and February?
Delete3-4pw E70 would be more than enough
DeleteSome much needed optimism. Good work
ReplyDeleteWow, I thought it was impossible during the covid. At least that's what we've been told in Slovenia. No traffic due to covid. Now I see it's just incompetent LJU management and uninteresting market. Good to know we still don't need a national carrier and our money we'll be better used to support Germany.
ReplyDeleteWell done, Croatia!
what a stupid comment ... just because they PLAN to add another flight ... on the other hand Lufthansa is not flying anymore ... also Windrose added one flight, one week later they were gone. btw February is still far away.
DeleteSkobir, keep telling yourself it's a stupid comment. At least ZAG has flights every day, unlike LJU. Plus, Croatia isn't paying foreigners to fly to their country. Unlike Slovenia.
DeleteBelieve it or not KLM-CROATIA flights compined are the only way to arrive in Zagreb early in the day from my country Greece, those remaining months of the winter timetable. Maybe if I'm not wrong you can arrive early in Zagreb with Air France flights also via Paris.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting. Who knows from where KLM is getting all their traffic to ZAG now.
DeleteSo much about "the best connectivity of ZAG airport in the region" as some so called experts says
DeleteWell played KLM
ReplyDelete"Both airlines cooperate on the route through a mutual codeshare agreement." Not sure if this has changed, but you cannot buy direct OU flights on KL ot AF or vice versa, only connections through AMS or CDG. Intrestingly, OU responded by introducing second daily flight as well although once a week during summer.
ReplyDeleteGood job, considering the ongoing cancellations all over.
ReplyDelete