Air Canada is yet to make a decision whether it will commence seasonal operations between Toronto and Zagreb next summer season after cancelling plans to launch the route this year. The Canadian carrier was to initially replace its leisure subsidiary Air Canada Rouge on the Zagreb service, as the latter retired all of its wide-body aircraft during the height of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Furthermore, a planned takeover of Air Transat, which runs its own seasonal services to the Croatian capital, fell through. Asked whether it would restore its Zagreb flight plans for 2023, Air Canada said it is still in the process of finalising its network for next summer, which would be dependent on demand and other market conditions. Air Canada has struggled with staffing shortages throughout the summer, cancelling hundreds of flights.
Canada’s flag carrier initially scheduled to operate three weekly rotations between Toronto and Zagreb starting June 2 of this year with its 297-seat Airbus A330-300 aircraft. It planned to run a total of 54 flights each way, originally placing 32.076 seats on sale between the two cities, before cancelling the flights. Despite this, the Croatian capital still saw the resumption of services to Toronto this summer following a two-year hiatus after Air Transat made a return on the Croatian market.
The Croatia - Canada market is large, comprising of a mix of leisure passengers, as well as those visiting friends and family. The Croatian market has been successful for both Rouge and Air Transat in the past. In 2019 they jointly handled 65.486 passengers, a 14.6% increase on the year before. That same year, based on OAG data, the number of indirect passengers flying between Croatia and Canada stood at 71.254. Despite there being seasonal nonstop flights between Zagreb and Toronto, the route also had the largest number of indirect passengers. It was followed by Split - Toronto. In 2019, Air Transat planned to operate the route once per week between June and September, however, cancelled the service a few months prior to its launch due to “commercial reasons”. An Airbus A330-200 jet was to be deployed on the service. Among airlines carrying indirect passengers travelling between Croatia and Canada, Air Canada was the main carrier of choice, accounting for 29% of the market. Croatia Airlines also benefited, thanks to its wide-ranging codeshare agreement with Air Canada, as well as Lufthansa. Others carrying a notable number of transfer passengers between the two countries with a market share of 5% included British Airways and LOT Polish Airlines.
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Zagreb would benefit from Air Canada flights with many connections throughout Canada as well as the USA and the Caribbean. Hope they come.
ReplyDeleteIf they do start flights, how will it impact Air Transat?
ReplyDeleteI believe they would be less of a competition to Transat than Rouge was which was also a leisure airline.
DeleteBut it would be a much better option. It offers connections, Star Alliance miles, will be more appealing to business travelers
Delete^ They are also much more expensive.
DeleteThey carry completely different type of passengers
DeleteRemember that Air Transat sells packaged holidays. So when a family buys a holiday package to Croatia they will fly with Air Transat.
DeleteDemand is there for both carriers.
DeleteIndirectly I think it will have more of an impact on Lufthansa.
DeleteYou could always buy ticket only on TS too
DeleteDid AC start Budapest this year instead of Rouge or they cancelled that too?
ReplyDeleteIt has been cancelled as well.
DeleteThe plan was AC 787, but it was cancelled becasuse of Ukraine
DeleteIf they are still undecided, bring them to SKP, Toronto - Skopje daily service will make a lot of cash for AC during summer time, and in winter they can combine it with OHD ;)
ReplyDeleteSometimes the airport operator also has to make a case and nudge the airline :)
DeleteAlso double daily Emirates with A380. Big diaspora in Australia.
DeleteIs there demand between Skopje and Toronto?
DeleteOf course not.
DeleteSeasonal flights would work without issue.
DeleteAnonymous 23:04
DeleteLOL, the delution!
Fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see what comes of Zagreb's long haul flights next summer. For now Air Transat is confirmed for 2023. AC still has to make a decision and so does Korean which hasn't decided if they will come back next year. For example they have decided to resume scheduled flights to Budapest. Once per week from the end of September and then two weekly from the end of October.
ReplyDeleteOpportunity for OU.
ReplyDeleteHaha are you serious? :D
DeleteHahahaha the only "opportunity" they took is feeding cartel.
DeleteOU should lease an Airbus A330 and introduce flights to North America.
DeleteToo late. They are in no financial state to launch TATL flights.
Delete@09,44
DeleteThey should, byt they wont.
@09.44
DeleteNot "should". It is "should have done", and at least ten years ago. Together with spreading and strenghtening of its regional network, concluding codeshares within North America, refocusing from feeding Cartel to feeding its own ZAG hub, closely cooperating with ZAG... But.....
Is there any chance for OU to somehow get a A321LR (or even XLR) for flights to North America?
DeleteTheoretically, they could convert A320 neo order, 4 units, to A321XLR. In real life, they will convert it to A220 order and continue to feed the Cartel
DeleteConverting it to A321XLR would be a big gamechanger for them and could be even for Croatian tourism.
DeleteI agree fully. And nobody would be happier than me if it happens. Unfortunately chances for that are next to zero
DeleteWhy can't they make these flights year-round with some dead periods like November or February? I am sure there is a market in March, December, April and May.
ReplyDeleteBecause the route is extremely seasonal.
DeleteRoute is seasonal, like all other ex yu, and not only ex yu routes. But it is not extremely seasonal. Both JAT and Air Canada operated it up to 5 weekly in winter season in the past. It's just the question of capability of using market potentials, which in Croatia equals to zero
DeleteInteresting that Split-Toronto is busier than Dubrovnik-Toronto!
ReplyDeleteMakes perfect sense to be honest.
DeleteSplit has a larger population and larger catchment area. It is Croatia's second largest city after all.
DeleteCould West Jet eventually start ZAG? It would be a better alternative to Rouge.
ReplyDeleteDo they even have aircraft that can reach ZAG?
DeleteYes they have Dreamliners
DeleteBefore Covid they flew to London, Paris, Dublin and Barcelona. Not sure if they restored all of them this summer.
DeleteThey fly to Amsterdam as well.
DeleteAlso to note that all those are seasonal, except London.
DeleteIt amazing how successful the Canada-Croatia flights have been. Both for Transat and Rouge. Hopefully it encourages Air Canada to launch flights.
ReplyDeleteIt really is considering two airlines could sustain traffic during the summer.
DeleteIdk man. Canada has became a strange country with a stranger PM.
DeleteIt's more than obviousll that there is a huge Balkan diaspora in Toronto similar to Chicago. What are they so "hesitant" about? Also like you said, the flights were very successful in the past. They can at least try with even 1 weekly flight.
@09:25 agree 100% - "strange country with a stranger PM" :)
DeleteThis makes me even more surprised that US flights haven't started year. Canada is a much smaller market for Croatia than the US.
DeleteIt will happen eventually,
DeleteI wonder if these flights to Zagreb are more filled with tourists or diaspora.
ReplyDeleteIf AC was number transfer airline between Canada and Croatia, seems they did quite well even without the direct flights.
ReplyDeleteYes they did great. But that's primarily because they have great codeshare partnership with OU from almost all European cities that both fly to.
DeleteThis would be a good alternatives for Slovenians in Canada too. Rather than using LH.
ReplyDeleteEvery single airline/airport in region is already alternative to Ljubljana LH Cartel Airport.
DeleteIf Air Canada doesn't come to ZAG in next year, either Transat should start daily flights or Westjet might start flights.
ReplyDeleteAir Canada will come. Just not sure it will be next year.
DeleteDouble daily at least..
DeleteWhat was the planned scheduling for this route for summer 2022? Anyone remember?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/p/air-canada-toronto-zagreb.html
DeleteThank you.
DeleteIt's interesting that they scheduled a rather long turn around for an A330. Any particular reason?
DeleteGood luck to Zagreb. I hope they can secure more long hauls in the next couple of years.
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of potential so there should be
DeleteWhat is the current status for entry into Canada?
ReplyDeleteOpen to vaccinated
DeleteBut only to those with Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.
DeleteAre PCR tests still required for vaccinated people?
DeleteNo test needed.
DeleteWonder if they will finally drop these requirements next year.
DeleteWith the current Canadian government... don't get your hopes up.
DeleteI'm quite surprised by the number of routes AC serves in Europe, especially the number of seasonal routes. Quite a lot for a North American airline.
ReplyDeleteIf they do start these flight next summer, I certainly hope Croatia Airlines will recognize the opportunity and codeshare on them.
ReplyDeleteThey probably would. They have good codeshare cooperation with them.
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2022/04/croatia-airlines-expands-air-canada.html
DeleteTroskovi zivota u kanadi su potpuno podivljali i otisli u nebo, definitivno ce ex yu imigranti manje odlaziti kuci na odmor nego pre
ReplyDeletePa bas zato bice i jos vise putnika, frizure, masaže, kozmetičarka, nokti, razlika u ceni bice jos signifikantnija :D
DeleteMozda zubi, liposukcija, plastika, botox
DeleteTheir arrival would be yet another remarkable legacy achievement by ZAG.
ReplyDeleteWell, that remarkable achievement was there in ZAG back in 1988 but Kradeze managed to take us back to 1950's
DeleteAny chances BEG woulf get flights next year from Toronto? A three weekly schedyule would be great!
ReplyDeleteOnly if JU decides to do so. I think there is a bigger chance for AC to launch flights to SKG than BEG for the foreseeable future.
DeleteJust my2cents
As mentioned repetitively here, the limit in the ATA is 2 pw. Actually reading the articles would answer that question.
DeleteJATBEGMEL what stops Canada and Serbia agreeing to am open skies type of arrangement like Canada has with the EU?
DeleteSeems strange to have such a limit, what's the benefit of it and to whom?
What stops Canada having open skies agreements with markets that currently operate to Canada? United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, India all come to mind. The first 3 want more frequencies. EK after operating into YYZ for 10 years got 2 additional frequencies per week for a grand total of 5 pw.
DeleteAre visas still needed for Serbians to enter Canada?
DeleteYes
DeleteAir Transat operates twice per week YYZ-ZAG so they could do the same with their high density A330 on YYZ-BEG. Transat doesn't have business class, just what the doctor ordered for low yield seasonal Belgrade route.
DeleteActually they do have a business class cabin.
DeletePremium Eco, not business class
DeleteThe management should try linking other Canadian routes to ZAG. YYC or YEG.
ReplyDeleteYYC or YEG have very limited direct flights to Europe, even seasonally. ZAG should better concentrate on increasing traffic to YYZ and YUL.
DeleteShame that Transat does not want to try year-round flights.
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear that the loads are healthy. Hope AC comes next year.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Air Canada can get their moneys worth out of these flights.
ReplyDeletefew of my observations: Air Canada operates in a "strange" country since pandemic started as someone already mentioned. As much AC is protected in their domestic market it is at the same time vulnerable in foreign markets where competition is fierce.
ReplyDeleteDue to high energy prices and inflation long haul trips are becoming luxury. Even the winter trips Caribbean to get away from from harsh cold climate has become prohibitively expensive for the average family household in Canada.
In my opinion Zagreb would be way better option for AC then Lisboa to smooth seasonality of the tourist market. I know Toronto and Vancouver have big Portuguese diaspora but it is old diaspora. They don't travel as much as Croatia and ex-Yu diaspora.
Zagreb also has geographical potentials with location in the central europe where Lisboa is on the edge of the continent with one side staring in Atlantic ocean. Zagreb also had head start with eastern european business connections in Ex-Yu and some non-aligned countries from the previous period that did not get fully utilised by Croatia Airlines and Zagreb as a hub airport.
Also you have to be aware that in big Corps like in AC you dont have always "sharpest knifes" in the drawer, They did not read situation in the 1990 almost the same as some in OU did not read in terms of potential for Zagreb as big regional hub.
In this "strange" market AC have to operate as every destination is seasonal except few like London, Frankfurt, New York
Good observations
DeleteThey should fly to LJU ... City of Ljubljana and Slovenia are much bigger market. And when FR moves from ZAG to LJU ... #
ReplyDeleteU potpisu : Josko Joras, tudi tukaj je Slovenija! ☺
DeleteOpravicujem se : v podpisu
DeleteAC has been an absolute nightmare this summer. It's good that they didn't start the planned Zagreb flights.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope they sort this out by next summer.
Delete@pozdrav
ReplyDeleteDo you remember how many weekly flights Air Canada had to Zagreb pre-Yugo break up? Thanks
Yes I do. It was 3 weekly. Operated by L1015 TriStar in summer and B767 in winter
DeleteHave to add they were via Vienna at one time and via Zurich
DeleteWe should know their final decision soon enough. They usually announce their summer schedule in September.
ReplyDeleteThey are waiting to see whether Air Serbia will start with their flights to Toronto.
ReplyDelete