Ryanair’s passenger share in Zagreb reaches 30%


Low cost carrier Ryanair handled over 600.000 passengers in Zagreb during the first three quarters of 2022, just over a year since opening its base in the Croatian capital. During that time, it contended with evolving pandemic-related restrictions up until the end of the first quarter of 2022, as well as operational issues for much of this year, which forced it to reduce a number of frequencies and even suspend a select number of routes at times. However, the airline reached the 30% passenger share mark at Zagreb Airport by the end of September, with London Stansted being its most popular route.

Ryanair’s performance on select Zagreb routes, Q1 - Q3


The airline has also performed strongly on a number of leisure-oriented routes, particularly Malta, Paphos in Cyprus and Malaga. The airline previously said that “Ryanair will change travel habits in Zagreb and encourage locals to travel more by air”, noting that popular year-round holiday destinations would generate greater demand for outbound flights from the Croatian capital. The carrier has announced plans to grow frequencies on a number of routes from Zagreb next year, including Basel, Charleroi, Corfu, Dublin, Malta, Malmo, Sandefjord and Sofia, however, no new destinations have so far been scheduled for 2023. The airline is considering further growing its Zagreb base in the near future. “Currently, we are really satisfied with the majority of the markets served out of Zagreb. For example, the UK market performs really well, as well as Ireland with the Dublin route. Then we see German markets, Swedish markets … so we are very happy with current demand. There are some tourist destinations in the future that are of interest to us too. We really believe that Zagreb can be attractive all-year round, not just for families and the diaspora, but for tourists as well, so we want to use all these opportunities in the future”, the airline said.

Ryanair’s strong performance in just over a year of flying out of the Croatian capital with just three aircraft stationed in the city has impacted Croatia Airlines, which is feeling pressure on a number of routes, including Rome and Dublin, that have been performing well for the budget carrier. Croatia Airlines has still not restored many destinations it suspended from Zagreb during the Covid-19 pandemic and last year added no new routes from the city. So far, it has not included the capital in its expansion plans for 2023. “Croatia Airlines is a distinguished carrier, but it has lost touch with the development of air travel in Croatia, particularly from Zagreb. We do not see them as a competitor because even on the routes we both operate on we fly to different airports. The fact of the matter is that Croatia Airlines has not achieved growth and profit in the past four years”, Ryanair previously said.



Comments

  1. Anonymous09:02

    Impressive result in just a year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:32

      Just the beggining, In 2023 that noumber will double and in 2024, tripple. Ryan Air hopes to handle 2 million pax by 2025. Ryan air also said they plan to have 50 routes out of Zagreb by 2025. I excpect Ryan Air will handle 750 000 passangers this year, 1.3 million in 2023, 2.0 million in 2024.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:36

      In 2025 it will quadruple and in 2026 it will quintuple

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:03


      @Anonymous11:36

      On 600 000 figure? for sure.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous17:06

      Do 2026 sigurno nekih 48 milijuna putnika!

      Delete
    5. Anonymous01:50

      Super brojke. Snažan start u ZG

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:03

    Who would have thought that Paphos would have such results.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:04

      Croatia Airlines had 30 years to launch leisure routes...

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:05

      Its crazy how ineffective they are. i just cant belive it…

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:07

      And their response to Ryanair was to run away.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:28

      It wouldn't be so sucessful if OU started any of these routes. Ryanair has a name of low-cost carrier and even if it is many times not so cheap, people atill rush to buy tickets.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:30

      But OU did the opposite.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:28

      OU is too busy singing deals with record labels.
      https://www.exyuaviation.com/2022/11/croatia-airlines-inks-deal-with-music.html

      Delete
    7. Anonymous18:53

      also surprised Paphos did that well. 2 flights I took seemed pretty full. Hope it continues

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:05

    I am curious to see how ZAG performed financially in 2023.

    OU will probably lose over €30 million..

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous09:06

    I guess now we know why Croatia Airlines isn't expanding from Zagreb.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:08

      They should have done that to compete against FR.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:09

    So much for some commentators who say locals don't travel. We see from the leisure routes that they certainly do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:20

      These are still very modest numbers and they include Slovenes.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:24

      The biggest benefit of Ryanair's base and what I'm definitely seeing more and more is people going on short weekend breaks and travelling a lot more. They are starting to change habits which is a good thing.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:31

      +1

      Delete
    4. Anonymous02:48

      Well, not a good thing for the environment.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:10

    Not surprised about Malaga. So many people I know have gone there this year with Ryanair.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:14

      Their best destination for sure!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:16

      Well, Spain is popular with Croatians and all Balkans. Language, football, mentality, food... Even if you ignore the cultural and natural attractions

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:21

      Spain is popular in most European countries. Nothing new.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:22

      Yeah im glad JU finally woke up, bow its OU time to do the same, its bot too late they can cooperate with travel agencys in both zagreb and slovenia

      Delete
    5. Anonymous19:33

      Me and many others from Belgrade drove to Zagreb to catch Ryanairs Malaga flight .
      It was absolutaly worth it but in future we will probably use JU .

      Delete
    6. Anonymous22:56

      @Anonymous09:16 There's also a bunch of Spanish expats in Zagreb and Croatia. "Croatia Received Over 35912 Immigrants in 2021" - many came from EU countries, Germany, Austria, Span and France ahead of the Q. In 2022 that figure is even larger, we'll find out in March 2023 when the final figures are released for 2022. Non EU migration is also massive with 25 000 immigrants, mostly from Bosnia, Serbia, Macedonia, but also from far afield, China, Vietnam, Brazil, S. Korea, Nepal, India and so on.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous09:21


      Those EU expats, 90% of them are Croats with passports of other countries and sure, there some Spaniards living in Croatia but I am sure Ryanair will not going to launch a route out of ZAG so the handful of them do not change flights at a bigger airport.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous11:03

      @Anonymous09:21 No, this is data from DZS, these are not dual nationals, they're immigriatns from all over, roughly 10 000 arrived from other EU member states, 25000 from non-EU member states

      Bosnia and Herzegovina – 6,269
      Asia – 4,288
      Serbia – 3,166
      Kosovo – 1,779
      Germany – 1,246
      Spain – 1,187
      North Macedonia – 1,015
      Slovenia – 844
      Ukraine – 730
      Italy – 393
      Austria – 342
      Poland – 282
      France – 269
      Montenegro – 225
      USA – 190
      South America – 190

      Delete
    9. Anonymous11:25

      Spain is the second most visited country in the world for a reason. Of course it will attract tourists from Balkans too.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:21

    This is great but will they launch any new routes in 2023?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:52

      I’d like to see them launching direct flights to PRG and BER

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:22

    Podgorica almost the same number of passengers as Manchester!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:59

      They have identical seat capacity on offer so no surprise.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous18:27

      Manchester was supposed have more flights than Podgorica but because of cancellations this summer it was most affected.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:02

      What are you talking about, not a single flight was cancelled.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:08

      Many flights were pre cancelled.

      https://www.exyuaviation.com/2022/06/ryanair-extends-zagreb-service.html
      https://www.exyuaviation.com/2022/04/ryanair-further-reduces-zagreb.html
      https://www.exyuaviation.com/2022/04/ryanair-cancels-and-reduces-over-dozen.html
      https://www.exyuaviation.com/2022/03/ryanair-modifies-croatia-operations.html

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:21

      Pre cancelled is not cancelled. The two routes had identical seat capacity.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:23

    not bad at all. Although they were announcing 4th and 5th plane last year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:26

      Keep in mind that they have been in Zagreb for just a year and a half. They already have over 20 routes and three aircraft based there. So it's not bad at all. It took years for that to happen in other cities.

      Delete
    2. And don't forget about pLandemic

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:27

    Ryanair's success is a mirror to Croatia Airlines' failure.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous09:28

    There was this person who was posting about ZAG being some sort of elite airport or some BS like that.
    I bet he's not very happy now that trashy Ryanair has taken such a big chunk of ZAG's traffic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:29

      No, it was probably the opposite. I am sure he is happy now, he was just searching for an excuse why ZAG doesn't have LCCs.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:00

      Actually the people talking about Zagreb being an elite airport were always trolls. And Ryanair is not trashy.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous02:56

      i am sorry but ryanair is super trashy

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:31

    Dortmund is more than ok, why Ryanair close this route?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous09:32

    no wonder Rome is performing well. The alternative is Croatia Airlines with a stop! Which airline in their right mind operates an inter European flight with total duration of just over one hour with a stop.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:35

      Making Rome nonstop would be the most obvious thing they could have done when Ryanair came to Zagreb. Yet they chose to do nothing. Now watch it get terminated.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:00

      Not only that but also on a Dash. Ryanair sends the A320 and 737

      Delete
  14. Anonymous09:35

    Also a big challenge to LJU.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:38

      I am from Slo and I know of lots of people how are using FR in ZAG. Shame for our only airport really.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:40

      Indeed. But remember what LJU management said. They are unfazed by FR and the government rejected their proposal to launch flights.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:04

      the only affected route is London.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:15

      There are few other routes that can be affected.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:17

      Maybe in Venice and Trieste ... the only that could also be affected is Podgorica. the rest def not.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous09:35

    Croatia Airlines' only response to Ryanair in this year and a half was to bring back Barcelona in peak summer. Well done

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:48

      Only 1 out of 10 suspended routes resumed... I'm lost for words.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous09:46

    They already have double the route OU has from ZAG, their share is growing, their LF is improving, they are hiring more crew. It is just a matter of time before plane number 4 arrives.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:48

      Hope so. How many new routes could they launch with an additional aircraft?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:51

      I would assume 5 new routes.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:52

      I really hope that FR considers domestic flights. It'll be very beneficial for Croatia.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:52

      It depends of destinations and frequencies

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:06

      @9.52
      That would be a final nail in the coffin. But FR said it is not interested in domestic routes at the moment.

      Delete
  17. Anonymous09:47

    People are complaining that OU is not responding and introducing new routes. Well, usually if an airline isn't responding in face of huge competition it means their finances are stretched to the very limit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:48

      Yet they have enough money to order new A220s.

      Delete
    2. JATBEGMEL13:50

      @09,47

      Or it could be down to incompetent management that either doesn't know how to make the company more competitive or chooses not to. No investment was made after selling assets, no investment made after a couple of cash injections by the state, not even status quo was maintained as they are yet to return to destinations they previously served prior to the pandemic. Finances are obviously not a problem if they can afford to spend money on a fleet modernisation program.

      Delete
  18. Anonymous09:47

    This mess was made by the government. They should have focused on selling Croatia Airlines years ago. Instead now they are have an even bigger loss making airline competing against Europe's largest airline on at its home base.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:50

      True, the government just recapitalized them for 40 million EUR.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:01

      They didn't have to focus on selling the airline, the government like with all state run companies needed have one major job which is to hold management accountable and to replace management if they underperform. Sadly, the motivation from the Croatian government in the the last 25 years has been to steal as much as possible and to ensure people are in place who will help facilitate this. The Croatian government is hooked on easy money like a drug and until we see a major change in Croatian politics, nothing positive in this aspect with state run companies will change.

      Delete
    3. @12.01 Are you from Cacak? According to some posters here, OU is perfect and ideal, Croatia as a country is la la la land, and everyone who dares connecting OU, high politics and crime and corruption is hater, knows nothing about aviation and coming from Cacak 😃

      Delete
  19. Anonymous09:49

    Thank you. Good to see how their routes are performing on an individual basis.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous21:29

      Yes, much appreciated!

      Delete
  20. Anonymous09:51

    Will fares become more expensive now that Croatia is adopting the euro in a few days? I don't mean on Ryanair in particular but in general for all airlines?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:06

      everything will get more expensive. welcome to Euro zone.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:03

      Ryanair prices all Croatia flights in euros already. The airport fees are euro-based.

      Delete
  21. Anonymous09:52

    Ryanair's good performance is great news for Zagreb. Who cares about OU.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:06

      People said the same about Adria and look at the situation now.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:08

      The two can't be compared because there is an alternative in ZAG in the form of Ryanair.

      Delete
  22. Anonymous10:04

    In this pace ryanair will soon hold market share in zag similar of wizz in skopje haha.. remember how bad they said JUs market share of 50-60% was for beg, wonder what they will say soon

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:07

      I do see them overtaking Croatia Airlines' share in a year and a half.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:04

      "They" is a guy who picks fights between Croatia and Serbia to boost the popularity of his "analytical" output. And you are falling for it.

      Delete
  23. Anonymous10:20

    Excellent results

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous10:20

    I'm not a big fan of Ryanair but I must say they said everything correctly here. Croatia Airlines needs to get its act together and fast.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not gonna happen. They simply don't give a s.it because they have unlimited acces to our money which they throw away left and right, the latest example sending 319 to Doha for luggage

      Delete
  25. Anonymous10:20

    Soon they are going to have more flights than OU.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous10:21

    How many passengers have Croatia Airlines carried so far this year?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:28

      1.087.997 from all destination in Croatia
      https://www.exyuaviation.com/2022/10/croatia-airlines-posts-13-million-loss.html

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:30

      Thanks. Any idea how much they had from Zagreb?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:33

      Sorry don't have those numbers.

      Delete
  27. Anonymous10:28

    I am surprised Podgorica is near the bottom for passenger numbers, I know only 2 times a week but despite the not great times it is always busy as I use it quite a lot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:32

      Probably in winter months - january, february and march passenger numbers are not too great.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:05

      There were no flights in those months this year at all.

      Delete
  28. Anonymous10:31

    "There are some tourist destinations in the future that are of interest to us too."

    This is interesting. After the likes of Paphos and Malaga, what other leisure destinations could be launched from ZAG?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:33

      Tenerife maybe?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:43

      Lal Palmas, Palma dM, Porto or Faro, Alicante, Rhodes...would be nice :)

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:44

      They could also consider a destination outside of Europe. Maybe Amman, Tel Aviv or a destination in Morocco?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:19

      I think they will stick with EU markets first.

      Delete
  29. Anonymous10:51

    I find it odd that Zagreb has no new routes announced for next year, while almost all other ex-Yu airports do. Hopefully Ryanair changes this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:20

      I'm certain FR will announce an expansion from Zagreb.

      Delete
    2. LJU has no new routes announced.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous17:31

      LJU has Athens.

      Delete
  30. Anonymous11:20

    Great news

    ReplyDelete
  31. Anonymous11:20

    Good so we will continue to see some diverse ZAG ops and not just diaspora.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous11:24

    I'm really glad Ryanair took the chance launched routes which are not pure gasto and are targeting leisure demand like Paphos, Malaga, Corfu and Naples. Glad they have worked out and I'm really interested to see what other such destinations they will launch.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Anonymous12:06

    Interesting to see that Baden-Baden is their busiest German route. For the rest I find some of the destinations they will increase frequencies to rather surprising. I would have expected a frequency increase from EIN.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Anonymous13:09

    They need to discontinue Brindisi and Bratislava, and turn Naples and Manchester into seasonal routes. Then bring an extra aircraft and use the capacity to launch Berlin, Prague, Pristina, Porto, Lyon, Edinburgh, Stockholm and Dubrovnik.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:29

      Totally agree

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:34

      Zagreb-Dubrovnik is a PSO route so they can not launch it.

      Delete
  35. Sa takvom obalom i ponudom ja ne bih ni putovao van hrv. Mozda je to logika uprave ou

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sto se obale tice, apsolutno, jedna od najljepsih na svijetu. Sto se OU tice, nit to ima upravu nit to ima logiku. Vidljivo iz rezultata u odnosu na ulupane milijarde

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:35

      Dee - ljudi vole putovati i zimi a ne samo ljeti. Nasa obala nije bas mnogo atraktivna zimi.

      Delete
  36. Ryanair's comment about OU having lost touch...essentially with reality, is spot on.
    Really good results, thanks for posting the figures!

    ReplyDelete

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