Croatia Airlines plans to expand its network from the country’s coast during the 2023 summer season after launching a number of new routes from Split this year. Speaking to EX-YU Aviation News, the carrier said, “This summer season, Croatia Airlines launched new routes from Split to Amsterdam, Bucharest, Dublin, Milan, and Stockholm. All these new routes achieved expected results. However, the company sees room for improvement and innovative steps in strategic positioning”. It added, “The company is also planning new routes from Croatia’s other coastal airports in the summer of 2023, but this plan still depends on different factors, both internal and external, and will definitely not be ready for publication before the end of the Slot Conference [in Melbourne] in November. It should also be emphasised that Croatia Airlines is the only carrier serving all (eight) Croatian airports”.
Apart from introducing new routes from Split this summer, the carrier based an Airbus A319 and a Dash 8 aircraft in Croatia’s second largest city, enabling it to increase frequencies to a number of destinations. In addition to Zagreb and Split, Croatia Airlines also maintained six international routes from Dubrovnik this summer, as well as one each from Rijeka and Osijek. “We have tried to tailor our flight network to our passengers’ needs and in support of Croatia’s tourism”, the airline previously noted. It further added that it has seen a swifter recovery in demand from the coronavirus pandemic among tourists rather than business travellers.
The airline’s greater focus on Croatia’s coast has coincided with the opening of Ryanair’s base in Zagreb and its launch of over twenty new routes from the city. However, the Croatian carrier said the two are not in relation to one another. “Croatia Airlines has faced strong competition since 2006, when the liberalisation of the Croatian market began. During the last sixteen years, all major legacy and low cost carriers have been present in Croatia, especially during the summer season, and Croatia Airlines has learned to deal with the competition, and, as a member of the Star Alliance, to cooperate with competitors”. It added, “Croatia Airlines provides passengers a high-quality legacy carrier service, offering flights to main European gateways and connecting flights to over 150 destinations around the world. The business relationship we have with Zagreb Airport, our home airport, reflects our traffic volume, and related commercial conditions”.
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Seems they realized money is to be made on the coast in summer.
ReplyDeleteThey are planning fleet expansion since 2005 so maybe new connections are due to in 2039
ReplyDeleteDoes this mean no new routes from Zagreb next summer?
ReplyDeleteMost likely
DeleteHopefully Dubrovnik gets new routes.
ReplyDeleteThey talk about airports other than Split so maybe Pula is an option too.
DeleteWhich other routes could they introduce from DBV?
DeleteInternational routes they currently fly from DBV during the summer:
DeleteAthens, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Rome–Fiumicino, Tel Aviv, Venice, Zürich.
I think there is room for them to start some Scandinavian routes and perhaps Vienna.
They should consider Dubrovnik-Skopje.
Delete^ They need to fly more lucrative routes
DeleteWhat is that green plane in the background of the photo?
ReplyDeleteThe tail looks like it is from a DC10 but the fuselage doesn't look like it's from that aircraft. Look more like a 747 fuselage.
Also the wing mounted engines look further apart than on a DC10
Google says that it's a firefighter training mock up at LHR
Deletehttps://i.redd.it/3disvw4hsor81.jpg
This is quite critical, which many could overview: "All these new routes achieved expected results."
ReplyDeleteIn PR context, achieving expected results is not a good thing, especially when no one knows the expectation.
Maybe the benchmark of their forecasts was very high :D
DeleteIn my opinion, their main focus should be Zagreb and trying to deal with Ryanair.
ReplyDeleteThey obviously gave up on ZAG when they saw how much money they lost trying to fight FR. Also we have to see how much money they will lose this winter season.
DeleteThey have much more competition on the coast in summer than in Zagreb.
DeletePresipanje iz supljeg u prazno, as always. Cut here, add there. With dozens of the biggest and most important companies on the coast which has bigger and newer aircraft, more frequencies, lower prices and better marketing, their results from the coast will be no diferrent as ZAG ones. They need to get rid of political influence, change management, fire excessive administrative working force, grow the fleet, grow the network, open long haul, and make ZAG real hub with propper waves, and offer in peak season flights to SPU and DBV every hour and at least three daily to other airports, to fit into the waves. But it will never happen and they will remain Uhljeb sanctuary, humiliated servant and pathetic feeder with BS PR pretending to be NASA
Delete,
there is not enough profit to be made in Zagreb. You can see that now with Ryanair, their prices and their announced growth plans. Zagreb will not become a HUB for the coasts either. The trend is clear, for years, people want more direct flights, especially beach tourists. If there's money to be made, it's on the coast. See Zadar. Why shouldn't this also be possible for Pula and Rijeka.
DeleteThere is not enough profit in ZAG only. I agree. The same as in any other ex-yu airport. But combination of ZAG, Slovenia, coast, ex-yu, Balkans, tourism and diaspora could make enough profit. Similar to what JU is doing. Without coast and without tourism
DeleteThat could work and would be very good, but never with this Croatia and such managers
DeleteI'm glad they are exploring new routes. This is best strategy they could have under current circumstances.
ReplyDeleteOf course just to add to my comment above that it is too late for this now considering another airline from the region has done exactly that.
DeleteYou really do not understand they are in same ligue as AA? On receiving end.
DeleteWhat about trying to restart discontinued flights from Zagreb like Helsinki, Oslo, Stockholm, Barcelona, Lisbon, Milan?
ReplyDeleteI doubt we will see Lisbon come back since it has already been launched by TAP.
DeleteMost have already been covered by Ryanair.
DeleteI think it comes down to the fact that Croatia Airlines realized it can make more money on the coast during the summer.
ReplyDeleteThis is good news and makes sense.
ReplyDeleteWell they should do something so they can compete. These plans are not so bad.
ReplyDeleteJust OU talking more about plans which rarely become reality.
ReplyDeleteKroatovanje
DeleteCroatia Airlines' growth opportunities are becoming smaller and smaller, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteThey had many years to prepare for serious competition and it was bound to happen at some point. They must have been aware of that.
DeleteGood luck OU.
ReplyDeleteWorth a shot
ReplyDeleteNot like there is much to loose at this point.
DeleteZAG doesn't like this.
ReplyDeleteThey are most responsible for this.
DeleteI really wouldn't blame either FR or ZAG. It is their own doing.
DeleteI remember reading here a few months ago that they will focus on secondary cities and it seems to be the case. I don't think it's a bad strategy. But I wish they would put some sort of a fight from Zagreb too.
ReplyDeleteSo what is the long term strategy?
ReplyDeleteIs this is the BCG strategy?
ReplyDeleteThere is no BCG strategy. BCG was there to split money.
DeleteI wonder if this will come at the expense of Zagreb as did this year's summer expansion.
ReplyDeleteIt is shocking how passive they suddenly became in ZAG
DeletePula would be a good option for them and I think they will likely include it since they will fly Pula-Zurich this winter.
ReplyDeleteWhat is Croatia Airlines' average passenger share in Split?
ReplyDeleteHow about launching some new routes from Zagreb? Tthey could start MAD, WAW, IST, DUS, BER, SOF... There are many opportunities
ReplyDeleteMoving to the coast. I expected this would happen and fully support it.
ReplyDeleteI still think it would have been much smarter to have focused on Ljubljana and opened a base there with 1 Q400.
ReplyDeleteThey will certainly make more money flying out of Split, especially in summer, than in winter,
DeleteLaunch LJU Barcelona please
DeleteGreat news for OU and the coast.
ReplyDeleteGreat news???? CA all but abandoned ZAD, PUY not even offering daily connex to ZAG. In the summer.
DeleteOU finally waking up.
ReplyDeleteLOL
DeleteAnother LOL
DeleteThey used to fly Split-Belgrade until 2019 but then stopped. Any plans to restore these?
ReplyDeleteAlso until a few years ago Croatia Airlines used to fly to London from Split. Perhaps a route to consider restoring in the future?
DeleteBut they still do fly from LHR and LGW
DeleteTrue I didn't realise they resumed London from Split.
DeleteIt wasn't flown for 2 years during Covid.
DeleteThey operated it in 2020. and 2021.
DeleteFor what?
ReplyDeleteIn the end, the biggest winner will be the coast
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteIs the coast more interesting to OU now because of competition by Ryanair in Zagreb or are they going to get money from local authorities to fly from the coast?
ReplyDeleteBecause of pax. There are much more of them at coast during season.
DeleteI really don't understand that the capital city can't generate more year round demand.
DeleteZagreb is loosing its appeal as near-coast capital airport with so many direct Adriatic flights and no hub developed. There's nothing more Zagreb offers than Split, except couple of hours in traffic congestion if you want to reach a seaside.
ReplyDeleteWhen I red the title, my initial thought was “great, they are buying speed boats” :)
ReplyDeleteDon't give them ideas :)
DeleteWell they introduced discounts this year on yachts when buying OU tickets so this would be the next step :D
DeleteThey did?
DeleteYes
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2022/03/croatia-airlines-rolls-out-fly-sail.html
It's actually not bad. It's what sets you apart from LCCs
DeleteThis is actually a good business model. Croatian coast is a gold mine and they should take a piece of that cake. It is criminal that the national carrier of Croatia is the airline that profits from that coast out of all carrier flying there. A shame for ZAG tho, as it will probably stagnate.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteCompetition from the coast is huge. I'm not sure how they expect to be competative.
ReplyDeleteRemember that demand from the coast in summer is huge too so there are more opportunities and the yields are much higher.
ReplyDelete"Croatia Airlines provides passengers a high-quality legacy carrier service"
ReplyDeleteIs this for real?
It is certainly better than FR.
DeleteFrom what I've heard DBV is a rather expensive airport and they are not very keen on incentives.
ReplyDeleteBravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteWhat is the purpose of this article?
ReplyDeleteMaybe to tell you that they plan on introducing new routes from the coast and that the announcement will be made after the slot conference. This Is an aviation site btw
DeleteCroatia Airlines is shifting focus to the coast to capture greater share of the tourist season. Air Montenegro wants to stretch the tourist season by a month in April and October. Air Serbia wants to introduce long haul routes that can help reduce seasonality.
ReplyDeleteSeasonality in aviation has been around almost from day one. Those things have been tried by others and mostly didn't work.
Of course.
DeleteWhich routes could work from the other coastal airports with no or less competition? And which routes could be introduced from Split? East Germany ( LEJ or DRS), Istanbul,Cork, Lisbon, Bern….??
DeleteWhich routes could work from the other coastal airports with no or less competition? And which routes could be introduced from Split? East Germany ( LEJ or DRS), Istanbul,Cork, Lisbon, Bern….??
ReplyDeleteZAG will regret losing Croatia Airlines' dynamic growth. lol
ReplyDeleteIt generated around 40% of its traffic. So it is an important customer for ZAG,
DeleteI think it's the only option left for them - to focus on the coast because Ryanair is too strong in Zagreb now.
ReplyDeleteZagreb should now seek to find even more new airlines considering OU is giving up.
DeleteCan't wait to see the new destinations.
ReplyDeleteThe Zagreb AirPort should be developed as intermodal hub, providing easy transfer to other modes of transport (rail/bus). With the brand new Highway system, and the planned investment in railways, the coast and the Many cities throughout the region should be easily accessable within 2-3 hours. That’s less than it would take to make a transfer flight.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone is reading this from OU I’m begging you to bring back the LGW - DBV route or even go from LHR. WUK to DBV has been a disaster and I think DBV is seen as a luxury destination by many brits so they would be happy to pay a bit more in order to not fly on Wizz or EasyJet.
ReplyDelete