Croatia Airlines put tickets on sale for flights between Zagreb and Mostar yesterday with the inaugural service scheduled for May 3. The carrier is anticipating improved loads on the route compared to when it previously maintained operations between the two cities. As previously reported by EX-YU Aviation News, flights will run three times per week with a split schedule, enabling better connectivity for travellers originating from Mostar to transfer onto Croatian Airlines’ Europe-bound fights via Zagreb. The route will be maintained with the 76-seat Dash 8 turboprop aircraft. The financial viability of the route has been secured through a subsidy by the City of Mostar of just over half a million euros for this year.
Croatia Airlines last operated services between the two cities from May 2018 until the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. Back then, flights were maintained twice per week. However, at the time, Mostar Airport conceded there was low demand for the service, which was also subsidised. The Croatian carrier has now tweaked its schedule compared to several years ago, enabling travellers originating from Mostar to connect onto the airline’s flights from Zagreb to Vienna, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Paris, Frankfurt and Zurich within two and a half hours of landing. The schedule represents an improvement on the airline’s previous attempt at its Mostar flights which missed most of its Europe-bound connections.
Flights between Zagreb and Mostar have been maintained on and off for two decades. Prior to its service from 2018, Croatia Airlines flew to Mostar in 2003. In January 2006, the now defunct B&H Airlines launched three weekly flights between the two cities with its ATR72 turboprop aircraft. The service was codeshared by Croatia Airlines. However, the route was short-lived, and flights were terminated at the end of the 2006 summer season, after the Croatian carrier pulled out of its arrangement with B&H Airlines. At the time, B&H cited poor loads for the route’s termination. In 2015, start-up carrier Air Croatia announced plans to launch flights between the two cities and put tickets on sale. However, the airline collapsed prior to the planned launch. It was to run the service three times per week with a 52-seat ATR42 turboprop. Mostar becomes Croatia Airlines' second destination in Bosnia and Herzegovina after Sarajevo. The airline runs thirteen weekly flights between Zagreb and Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital. It handled 33.762 passengers on the route last year.
It's good that Mostar is finally getting some flights.
ReplyDeleteI would have been more happy with a low coster like Ryanair, Wizz or easy but I guess something is better than nothing.
DeleteThey finally put them on sale!
ReplyDelete2 weeks before flights start...
DeleteHaha, amazing!
DeleteObviously, due to subvensions, they can't have loss on these flights so they do not care if they are going to fill the plane or not.
In 2018 they also started flights to Mostar on 3 May.
ReplyDeleteIt's good that they have a better schedule but they are missing transfers to key destinations for Mostar - Rome and Dublin. It doesn't help that they halved their Zagreb network since the pandemic and have no intention of restoring it.
ReplyDeleteThat would be a long flight Mostar-Zagreb-Dubrovnik/Split-Rome.
DeleteOU could have based a Q400 in OMO and started flights to a few cities, primarily Italy.
DeleteWhy? It is cheaper to shuttle passengers through Zagreb.
DeleteBecause OMO doesn't have the facilities and because it is expensive for OU.
DeleteWhat are the fares like?
ReplyDeleteObviously expensive
DeleteJust tried few random dates in Mid May. Return ticket to ZAG is 250 EUR and to CPH is 600 EUR.
DeleteRip off
DeleteA joke, how will people afford this and why would they fly on this route when the bus is 5 times cheaper
DeleteAnd there is no sense to have this expensive ticket if their route is fully subsided.
DeleteStill wondering how this will work when the A220 replaces the Dash. How are they going to fill 130 seats on each flight??
ReplyDeleteNikako.
DeleteBravo Hrvacka!
ReplyDeleteHope it works this time.
ReplyDeleteConsidering the subsidies they are getting, it will more than work for them.
DeleteGood luck Croatia Airlines and Mostar Airport!
ReplyDeleteWith Kradeze in charge of both, very good luck is the only thing they need. Unfortunatelly not even very good luck will not be enough
DeleteIt is telling that they had no intention of resuming this route until they got offered money for it.
ReplyDeleteThey seem to be learnig from W6 and FR palybooks.
DeleteBravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteMostar keeps winning
DeleteWill it be seasonal or year round?
ReplyDeleteFor 500,000 EUR hopefully year round.
DeleteIt will be year round.
DeleteThis will be a big year for Mostar.
ReplyDeleteTransfers are good but if I were Croatia Airlines I would also use it to advertise to locals. Why not visit Mostar for the weekend? There is lots to see and do.
ReplyDeleteDon't expect them to do any promotion for this route. They haven't even announced the route anywhere. I mean, yes it is on sale, but they haven't even bothered pointing out to people that it is on sale.
DeleteThere has been advertising on social media this week for this route.
DeleteZagreb Airport, Mostar Airport and OU have been advertising this route over the last few days! I've seen adverts from all 3 on Facebook and Instagram!
DeleteIt's sad that this is the only new Croatia Airlines route from Zagreb this summer. And even this seemed to be ad-hoc.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the new route.
ReplyDeleteSo how many passengers would be realistic for Mostar in 2023?
ReplyDelete500.000€ for one route?
ReplyDeleteOne more way to pour money in OU.
DeleteAnon 09:21
DeleteCope harder about BiH subsidies!
511.200 EUR. Enough
Delete@9.51 believe me there are more expensive routes in the region ;)
DeleteWho gave them so much money? Was it from the local government or the central one in Sarajevo?
DeleteBosnia is not exactly a rich country.
I believe that there are many money laundering machines in the region. But, at least then they don't need to charge tickets. It will achieve more effects if the planes are full. Marketing, political, and even economic and financial. Empty and overpaid planes are a real fiasco
DeleteNis-Istanbul and some of the croatian PSO routes are way more expensive
DeleteYes but those actually have potential in the long run, this one doesn't.
DeleteNis-Istanbul is on A319 and was packed when I've flown back in January
DeleteSo yoy think there should be no subventions for Nis-Istanbul route?
DeleteIST and HHN can survive without subsidies now but in the beginning loads were horrible.
DeleteWill OU fly those charters from Mostar to Beirut this year?
ReplyDeleteMostar used to have a lot of flights back in the day (80s). All for Medjugorje. But back then JAT used to shuttle them in from all corners of the globe, Asian pilgirms in particular.
ReplyDeleteOvce su za šišanje, so good on JAT that they took advantage of this scam and earned some cash off of it.
DeleteJAT, especially during its last decade as flag carrier of SFRJ, 1980-1990 was taking advantage of each and every market they served. It had two excellent last CEO's and highly competent people in management, marketing and sales particularly. It was increasing its on time performance and brought its product to very high levels and it was recognized worldwide. In addition to that, company was self - sustained and profitable, with no single cent provided by the state. It also had unbelievably good plans for further growth, development and improvement. Unfortunatelly, older chauvinists and brain washed youngsters from all over ex-yu refuse to admit it and keep on spitting of what used to be real pride of all of us working in ex-yu aviation
DeleteWell, at least JU today is working towards that goal and in many way JAT should be proud that Air Serbia is continuing its legacy.
DeleteHead node
DeleteOU tried and failed in Mostar. I hope this time it's different.
ReplyDeleteMaybe gazda Ivan plans to retire and needs convenient connection to visit home often
DeleteWell, the bar is set pretty low. If they have 10 passengers per flight that would still be an improvement compared to the last time they operated this route.
ReplyDeleteCould OMO work for JU?
ReplyDeleteGood question my friend! I was wondering the same.
DeleteI think it could work more than it works for OU, considering JU has a lot better connecting times and a lot more destinations. There are also some 6000 serbs living in Mostar area. Also Belgrade is very popular weekend destination here in Mostar. You have travel agencies that make money only from that so it shows there is enough demand. I think JU has a good chance in Mostar but stays to see if they take it.
I hope in the following years we will se flights from Mostar to Belgrade.
If they get some subsidies they should give it a go for summer 2024. 2 weekly at first.
DeleteATR, three times a week, will be good.
DeleteHahaha do you think that HDZ want to gave money for route to Belgrad? As I know in the time of war HDZ sold 7% of the OMO to the Croatian government. So, you know now why ZG rout is stupidity supported without any sense.
Delete@21:01
DeleteBravo!!!
You can also connect to and from Warsaw via ZAG, but schedule is not suited for city break.
ReplyDeleteSo, we can safely assume that BiH has now 4 fully operational international airports. Well done!!
ReplyDeleteLooking it from a drivers view, Mostar is not a walk in the park. You are landing in the bathtub.
ReplyDeleteRemember old times with much less advanced technologies assistance and help, and don't exactly remember any ex-JAT "drivers" having issues with LQMO "bathtub"
DeleteYesterday I immediately booked the first fly from ZAG to OMO (in C). I’m happy for any connection from/to OMO, especially when connections from ZAG are possible (good move this time when negotiating). Any flight is better than no flight. Who think he can go to Zagreb by car cheaper than 100€ is free to do so. I think there is still a bus connection too.
ReplyDeleteI am so happy to be able to fly to Mostar. Already booked ow WAW ZAG OMO.
DeleteI am sure you two arw working for OMO. You are really obvious with these comments.
Delete