Ryanair plans to further grow its presence in Croatia this coming winter season with the carrier to operate year-round flights from Zadar. The budget airline, which maintains a summer base in the city, will run two weekly flights to Vienna between late October of this year and late March in 2023, marking its first winter service from the country outside of its Zagreb base. Flights will be operated by its Malta Air subsidiary using the 189-seat Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Ryanair will become the only carrier besides Croatia Airlines to maintain year-round scheduled flights from Zadar, as well as the first foreign carrier to run services from the city in winter and the only operator to provide international flights from the Croatian city over the winter months.
Ryanair will boast its biggest summer network out of Zadar this year with 46 routes on offer. Furthermore, it will have three aircraft based in the city during the peak travel period. However, the airline has delayed the launch of planned new destinations out of Zadar for this summer on several occasions, as well as the resumption of some services. A total of 22 routes have been affected. Despite doing so, it will be, by far, Zadar’s largest airline, helping the airport increase its number of flights by 66% this year. The airport expects to register its busiest year on record, outstripping pre-pandemic levels.
The Director of Operations of Ryanair’s subsidiary Lauda Europe, Tadej Notersberg, recently said the Group sees that Croatia has “huge potential”. “We can see that demand in Croatia is generally very high. We can also see that the Croatian market has huge potential. There were many routes missing and the whole potential of Croatia wasn’t utilised in the past. The Ryanair Group recognised this potential. There is also further growth planned for the future. This year we will operate three aircraft, not only from Zagreb, but out of Zadar as well. We won’t stop with these six aircraft in Croatia”, Mr Notersberg said. He added, “Future growth is planned, and we are quite sure and optimistic that we will be able to increase operations out of Croatia soon”.
Ryanair slowly becoming Croatia's flag carrier.
ReplyDeleteAnd on the other hand they are caceling lots of routes out of ZAG, common stop saying and dreaming about ryanair becomeing a flag carrier...
DeleteYou've said it RIGHT!!!
DeleteTheir model of business is exactly comensurate to the purchasing power and habbits of the average croatian
Both rich and poor people use both LCC and legacies. There is no such a thing as average croatian. There is no guarantee LCC ticket would be cheap or legacy expensive. Those are just statistics combined with prejudices. Croatia and ZAG as the biggest city have space for both LCC and legacy traffic. The only issue, and serious one, in croatian civil aviation is Croatia Airlines with the worst thing being owner, the state, has no will to change anything and no idea how
DeleteCongratulations Zadar. Finally year round international flights.
ReplyDeleteNice work! I just hope they don't change their plans a hundred times by the end of October knowing Ryanair.
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering if FR will be subsidized on this route for winter or they just saw pure commercial logic in maintaining it.
ReplyDeleteI am sure FR would not fly to ZAD and even have a base there, if they didn't get noticable amounts of marketing support or however they call it in this case.
DeleteWhat subsidies? They are getting subsidies?
DeleteWill there be enough demand to fill a B737-800 in November or February? I'm not so sure.
ReplyDeleteI don't think so either.
DeleteMeanwhile, Croatia Airlines is fast asleep.
ReplyDeleteApart from a heavily subsidized daily flight to PUY and ZAG, Croatia Airlines has brought absolutely nothing to Zadar.
DeleteRyanair’s average cabin load factor in Zadar amounts to 97% compared to Croatia Airlines’ 71%.
DeleteUnlike FR, OU from Zadar to Frankfurt Main and not to Hahn.
DeleteWhich shows that customers on ZAD-Frankfurt don't care about the airport but costs. OU should have gone for Hahn as well.
DeleteI assume the passengers flying ZAD-FRA on OU are mostly transfers onto Lufthansa.
DeleteDidn't Ryanair used to fly from Frankfurt's main airport to Zadar? I just realize now they suddenly fly from Hahn.
DeleteIt flew both one year! But then they shut down FRA operations.
DeleteWhy are they constantly delaying the launch of route from ZAD? Is it lack of equipment, lack of staff, lack of demand?? I don't get it.
ReplyDeleteRyanair is really hitting Croatia Airlines on all fronts.
ReplyDeleteIt is a sign of things to come for OU. They should have upped their game, prepared better... but instead they relied on some fairytale post covid strategy from BCG and phantom massive aircraft order for which we will soon celebrate the first year anniversary since the announcement.
DeleteCroatia Airlines never cared about Zadar, as illustrated through their network.
DeleteCroatia Airlines never cared about anything except Uhljeb employment and corruption on highest levels which brings financial, material and non material benefits for the selected few
DeleteNow that they will also have winter flights from the coast. The next step will be introducing domestic flights..
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed
DeleteAt least seasonal SPU-DBV on B737 or A320 could work for them without a problem.
DeleteIf those two airports offered discounts that Ryanair is used to, they would already be operating the route without doubt.
DeleteShame SPU doesn't want to lower fees by a single cent.
DeleteWhy should they do that so they make less money? there is enough demand
DeleteExactly. Split Airport is actually highly profitable.
DeleteLet's wait and see, they delayed routes again this week
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to hear but I'm not overly overjoyed by Zadar's huge reliance on Ryanair. Knowing how Ryanair operates and how many airports it has left high and dry if it doesn't get what it wants.
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
DeleteGood for Zadar and Croatia!
ReplyDeleteDoes Ryanair have Lauda planes based in Zadar or from Ryanair itself?
ReplyDeleteLauda
DeleteRyanair handed Lauda operations in Croatia on the whole. Some routes that are not operated with aircraft based in Croatia happen to be Ryanair mainline.
DeleteWith so many new flights ZAD will reach 1 million pax next year.
ReplyDeleteMaybe even this year although the Ryanair route launch delays will probably make it difficult.
DeleteCongratulations Zadar! This is fantastic news.
ReplyDeleteFinally. Good job.
ReplyDeleteConsidering Lauda's operational performance, I'm inclined to say "lets wait and see". There are probably not many airlines in Europe with that many delays, technical problems and route deferrals given their fleet size as their are with Lauda.
ReplyDeleteNice. A new winter season market from ZAD.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it is time for Zadar's terminal building which looks (and feels) like an Aldi supermarket in Germany to expand.
ReplyDeleteThey plan to expand the terminal
DeleteWhen?
DeleteIt was announced before Covid. I guess it is plausible that they will start work next year but there is no official date.
DeleteTheir choice of destination is interesting. I wonder what influenced their decision. Is there a larger diaspora from the Zadar area living in Vienna/Austria?
ReplyDeleteYes there is a sizable diaspora.
DeleteWho travels to ZAD in winter?
ReplyDeleteMy thought too. Whole of Dalmatia hibernates from 1.11. to 1.4.
Deletenot to mention that public transport switches to winter schedule in the first week of Sept (Zadar region) lol
DeleteI would travel to Zadar several times in winter and out of Zadar if the opportunity shows with the right route(s) being extended in winter.
DeleteZadar is only interested in tourism for three months a year, mid June to mid September, the locals are on a winter break for the other 9 months,
DeleteMaybe this incentivizes them to extend the season.
Delete@9:26 and all: I do. Regularly.
DeleteYou would be surprised how many people go to Zadar and Zadar in winter. More than half of the passengers from ZG Airport are from Dalmatia.
DeleteThey should definitely add Eindhoven in winter too, this would cover the Netherlands, Belgium and a part of Germany. Their Eindhoven flights to Zagreb for example see very strong demand.
ReplyDeleteGood choice. In my opinion, this is the only route that can work on a year round basis from Zadar (at this moment).
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteCould you elaborate?
DeleteI assume the only route he thinks has year round demand.
DeleteNot in my wildest dreams would I have thought something like this would happen! Way to go Zadar, congratz!
ReplyDeleteHow many passengers will Zadar have this year?
ReplyDeleteI think it could be close to one million.
DeleteThe great things is that not only Lauda is adding flights to Zadar but so many other airlines too. Cudos to Zadar Airport management.
ReplyDeleteIn winter?
DeleteNo, I meant in general.
DeleteTrue. And it's nice to see a few legacies in there too
DeleteUntil september. Than will be reduced. Like all plans...
ReplyDeleteMost likely, unfortunately.
DeleteHahaha yeah right. Just generating artificial cash flow for flights which won’t take place. They’re cutting in the height of the season and expanding in winter.
ReplyDeleteGenerating artificial cash flow with Zadar winter flight?
DeleteWell done to Zadar and Lauda/Ryan. But how pathetic of Croatia Airlines. They have a subtotal of 3 routes in the summer to Zadar. Two of them are subsidised PSO routes. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteCroatia Airlines could have based a plane and launched flights to perspective leisure markets.
DeleteWhat is the price ZAD paid to Lauda for establishing base there?
ReplyDeleteNothing. It's paid from county tourist taxes budget.
DeleteUsually such projects (commercially not feasible ones) are financed not only by city or county tourist board, but also by the country tourist board, as they have the largest budget. Whenever you see weird projects/announcements such as this one, remember that these are financed on a country level.
ReplyDeleteThey could also keep Beauvais in winter in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteVery good news for the local economy and tourism sector.
ReplyDeleteGreat. It is now up to ZAD to try long-haul
ReplyDeleteAjme
DeleteWasn't there an idea to introduce charters from China a couple of year ago?
DeleteYeah the only problem is that the airport doesn't have a long enough runway and wide enough taxiways to handle widebodies.
DeleteIn the case of ZAD that problem can be solved in no time as the land around the airport is not being used for anything and the state can easily use it for runway extension.
DeleteBut didn't Zadar handle widebodies in the past? I remember some Ilyushin landing there.
DeletePlans for the runway extension have been filed. Looking for financing.
DeleteThe fact the runways were not suitable for long range widebody flights did not stop the various government appointed directors at the airport going on jollies to China.
Delete^^ +100
DeleteWidebodies can land but I think there are weight restrictions, and not sure about takeoffs.
DeleteZadar is benefiting from Split's inability to handle more planes (because of lack of aircraft parking spaces) big time.
ReplyDeleteSplit does not have capacity restrictions in winter time.
DeleteCrazy!
ReplyDeleteBravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteJust been to Ryanair....!! You can't book the flights at the moment... Something fishy going on me thinks....
ReplyDeleteThey could be booked this morning.
DeleteProbably still scheduling the flights.
DeleteRyanair: the curse and blessing in one.
ReplyDeleteI wonder, why exactly Vienna?
ReplyDeleteVIE based 737.
ReplyDeleteTechnically speaking, it’s “year-round flights to Zadar”. That’ll be Malta Air AOC VIE based 737, and not ZAD based as it used to be until 2018.
ReplyDeleteZAD based until 2018?? No way.
DeleteZAD was a summer base with one based 737 from 2013 until November 2018.
DeleteFlights taken off sale already
ReplyDeleteAs I said.... before...3 days ago.... FISHY !!!
ReplyDelete