Croatian airports are preparing for the upcoming peak travel season with the country to see an increase in the number of nonstop flights and airlines. A total of 483 routes to 130 cities in 38 countries operated by 57 airlines will be on offer to travellers. As a result, there will be a double digit increase in the number of available routes, while the number of carriers serving the country will grow from around fifty last summer. “Air transport is extremely important in connecting Croatia to the world, especially the far south of Croatia with inbound markets. The improved number of flights from destinations in Croatia compared to last year suggests the continued recovery of air travel and is great news ahead of the main summer tourist season. The large number of airlines planning to fly to the country this year confirms the popularity of Croatia on the world’s tourist map and is a continuation of Croatia's positioning as an air destination that is well connected to foreign airports”, the head of the Croatian National Tourist Board, Kristjan Staničić, said.
Split Airport will boast the most flights in the country this summer, accounting for 32% of all services. It will be followed by Zagreb with a 30% share and Dubrovnik with 22% of all flights. The largest market in terms of available capacity will be Germany, followed by the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands and Italy. Croatia’s entry into the Schengen Area earlier this year is expected to give a further boost to the number of travellers from European markets. Outside of the continent, this summer Croatia will offer nonstop flights to the United States (from Dubrovnik), Canada (from Zagreb), Israel (from Zagreb and Dubrovnik), Qatar (from Zagreb) and the United Arab Emirates (from Zagreb and Dubrovnik).
Despite its declining market share during the summer months, Croatia Airlines will still operate the largest number of flights out of the country. It will be followed by Ryanair, which has been significantly growing its share, then easyJet, Eurowings and Lufthansa. New carriers launching flights to the country, or those that have not flown to Croatia for several years, include Aeroitalia, Air Connect from Romania, Sweden’s Braathens Airlines and Sunclass Airlines, Enter Air from Poland, Denmark’s Jettime, as well as Peoples Viennaline from Austria. Some of the carriers that will be deploying wide-body aircraft on its services to Croatia this summer include United Airlines, Air Transat, Sunclass Airlines and TUI Airways.
Everyone wants to visit beautiful Dalmatia.
ReplyDeleteThere is definitely greater potential for long haul in the summer. Hope the tourist board works on it
ReplyDeleteAnd for more routes outside Europe. If Montenegro can have Air Aatana flights, flights from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and more, then Croatia should at least attempt to get them
DeleteI think visas are an issue
DeleteI agree, it would be great if they worked more on flights from far away destinations. I think the previous government did this rather well. I know tourism minister was personally involved in bringing Emirares to Zagreb.
DeleteBravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteIt would and could be much more impressive if OU were strong carrier that built proper network and real hub in ZAG and not just pathetic feeder for LH. Everyone who is not blind or brainwashed can see that
ReplyDeleteThis is impressive. Nobody could even dream about 483 routes. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteHow many routes out of these 483 are operated by OU?
DeletePozdrav, try be positive for once.
ReplyDelete😄
ReplyDeleteThe development of Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik is insane. Who can tell me why Pula and Rijeka are doing so badly? Of course the area is a car destination, but Dalmatia used to be that too.
ReplyDeleteIt's literally north versus south. Simple as. Pula and Rijeka can be reached by car easily.
DeleteBritts and Americans are coming to south while German, Austrians and Italians to north.
DeleteAnonymous 10:17, no, it depends on the vision of the ravnateljica zracne luke Pula. Zero points.
DeleteAnomynous 10:45, many Germans come to Pula by plane. There are many Brits, Scandinavians...they all come by plane. Italians can come by car because nobody thinks that flights to Rome or Naples are interesting. Wrong and here again the oscar goes to the ambitious ravnateljica.
DeleteNorthern Croatian coast is just getting discovered more slowly compared to Southern Croatia. Also, connectivity (getting to some of the northern Croatian islands) like Losinj is still very difficult Ferry's take forever and private air or boat charter is super expensive so this is something which needs to be fixed before the north can become as popular as the south.
DeleteI would be interested in Pozdrav's opinion on this topic, or does he only have an opinion on Croatia. Where do the huge differences between air traffic Istria/Kvarner and Damlatien come from?
DeletePozdrav has written on several occasions why RJK is not doing better : 6 bigger and better connected airports in 200 km range, unfavourable location of the airport with frequent crosswinds which close the airport in the winter, Aviogenex crash soon after the airport was opened, and bad management historically, which all combined resulted in local people never created the habit to use the airport, and yes, Kvarner is still mostly car/bus destination which Tourist Board is not exactly running to change, plus the fact that "flag carrier" was never interested in RJK because the region does not support Kradeze rule and needs to be punished for it. All these combined results in RJK being one of the worst in ex-yu, which will highly likely not going to change anytime soon
DeletePozdrav, I was talking about Pula and its indifferent ravnateljica. Pula has way more potential, the fact is that they don't look outside their garden.
DeleteI don't know situation at PUY and I cannot comment on it. I comment only on things I am positive about and have information about, as for example crime and corruption in OU
DeleteThe question was why Istria and Kvarner generate so little air traffic compared to Dalmatia. And here in particular by easyJet, Ryanair, Eurowings, SAS etc.
DeleteAnonymous 11:08, the answer is easy. Because Dalmacija iz Bogu iza leda. It is easier to reach by plane, apart from some nations like Slovenia and maybe Austria. In Pula they could improve the air connectivity by thinking out of the box. They rely on the same old markets, and that's it. Lines from central and southern Italy for instance could work. But you have yo try.
DeleteAnonymous 09:22: I've never read anything positive from him. He only writes about OU here
ReplyDeleteAnything positive about HR triggers pozdrav iz Rijeke.
ReplyDeletePerhaps he has something positive to say about RJK airport
ReplyDeleteHope we see some good growth at airports this year. Passenger number are currently up around 7% across the country.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Croatia.
ReplyDeleteThis just shows how much potential Croatia has
ReplyDeleteAnd also shows how miserably is flag carrier taking advantages of that potential or even better say wasting it
DeleteCroatia needs to reduce seasonality, especially at Zagreb Airport. So I think ZAG and SPU should work on this. For winter DBV for example sees respectable traffic.
ReplyDeleteZagreb is the least seasonal airport in Croatia.
DeleteWith OU like this, primarily feeding LH with ultra expensive leased planes, and not growing, it will never happen, unfortunatelly
Delete@10.18 Still a lot of room for improvement during winter months for all airports.
DeleteZagreb isn't seasonal airport. https://www.zagreb-airport.hr/en/business/b2b/statistics/statistics-for-2023/816 Unless, you think operating 1. million pax in first four months of the year is a seasonal thing.
DeleteBTW Zagreb is expected to handle around 3.75-3.85 million passengers this year, not sure i'd call that a seasonal.
Split is trying to be less seasonal but it ain't easy.
Croatian airport expect to handle around 11.5-12million pax this year.
Zagreb - 3.75 - 3.85 million
Split - 3.2 - 3.3 million
Dubrovnik - 2.5 - 2.6 million
Zadar - 1.2 million
Pula - 550 000
Rijeka - 200 000
other airports total - 80 000~
This is blog on ex-yu aviation. Croatia Airlines is part of it and exactly here is the place to write about it. Did I say in one word these results of Croatia (state) are bad? I did not. I agreed it was impressive. Did I criticize OU for not taking bigger share at such a lucrative market? Yes, I did. If you can't make the difference between the two, or don't want to make it, you are either Party bot, or Uhljeb, or brainwashed individual with limited capacity. Anyhow, I will continue writing about the crime, corruption and incompetence in Croatia Airlines until something changes and/or as long as I live.
ReplyDeleteBtw, post is not addressed to particular poster because all of the above is posted by a single Anonymous, pretending to be multiple, in regular 10 min intervals. Seen already. 😃
ReplyDeleteAny idea how many passengers all Croatian airport could handle this year?
ReplyDelete11.5 mill?
Delete
DeleteCroatian airport expect to handle around 11.5-12million pax this year.
Zagreb - 3.75 - 3.85 million
Split - 3.2 - 3.3 million
Dubrovnik - 2.5 - 2.6 million
Zadar - 1.2 million
Pula - 550 000
Rijeka - 200 000
other airports total - 80 000~
Thanks. So, I was in a ball park at least
DeleteThat's great but crazy that Zagreb has just 1 new route this summer (seasonal to Kos) while loosing year round Dortmund.
ReplyDeletebut load factor is expected to go up, from 76.3 to around 83.3 which is more important indicator, for this determined demand and larger aircraft that will be landing at Zagreb. Ideally Zagreb airport would like to have load factor of around 95. For example, Vienna has load factor of 126, Hamburg of around 110 and so on,
DeleteA Mostar?
DeleteHow many destinations will JU cover in Croatia this summer season?
ReplyDeleteDubrovnik, Split, Zadar, Rijeka, Pula and Zagreb. Also number of flights and capacity increased.
DeleteMore than OU! LOL! Or, on a more serious note, with exception of symbolic two weekly Brac and equally symbolic two weekly Osijek, it will be the same as OU, operating to Zagreb, Pula, Rijeka, Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik. Bravo Hrvatska!!!
DeleteCan Pozdrav iz Rijeke be banned? His negativity about OU is maniacal and his critic is based on same arguments he repets constantly.
ReplyDeleterepeats
DeleteI think he has the right to express his opinion on OU. He does not insult anyone and he comments his views. So JSG, cool it a bit. And you Pozdrav, you now have nemesis a OU-lover, JSG.....:)))
DeleteNo problem. Can be his alterego.
Delete😉
DeleteJSG has just shown us all why Croatia Airlines is unsuccessful dwarf and loss maker : instead finding models to create growth and reduce losses by accepting useful advices and criticism which could help on that path, their both collective mindset and individual mindsets are stuck back in the 1950's, when every criticism of the Party (Kradeze) and its branch (OU/CTN) should be banned, prohibited, forbidden, and authors of such criticism preferably jailed, while Mafia in form of ruling Party continues stealing and destroying, company, and the country
DeletePozdrav have you done anything to bring down these so called criminals with your potentially libellous comments on here you always post?
ReplyDeleteIts really great there is more travel and connection to croatia, just sad its not because of the national airline but instead foreigners that are taking the profit.
ReplyDeleteCroatia has double the passengers of Serbia and could have double the fleet size with only 50% share. So while the country benefits its bittersweet to see the wasted potential.
Oh, Slav.Man, please don't say that, JSG will ask for you to be banned as well 😃
DeleteHe expresses his opinion in civilized and non agressive manner.
Delete@Slav.Man If you really want to compare to Serbia, Belgrade alone is connected to 39 countries, more than all of Croatia combined. All of that without a coast.
Delete@JSG I am Serbian Slavic, so the reason Pozdrav writes that way is because its closer to him and the failure of the airline hurts him more. I get the same way about Air Serbia and things they do wrong.
Delete@Anon 16:22 i know that's the point. Air Serbia is closer to its hypothetical potential than Croatia Airlines, thats what my comment says. Croatia is in much better economic and political position than Serbia. So Croatia Airlines should be much more successful and much larger than Air Serbia. At least double the size.
So that's why its sad of that wasted potential. and if they don't fix things the gap between the two will continue to grow. Same for Air Bugaria, they in better political and economic position and also should be bigger than Air Serbia, they also wasting their potential.
Unfortunately there is no logical excuse for either airline except........you know....
@Serbian.Slavic 17:50 Your Weltschmerz is well understood. World of aviation in the Western Balkans if far from ideal.
DeleteI love how deluded he is that he seriously thinks that not more than one person could dislike his comments. It's just one evil angry uhljeb and everyone else is cheerleading for pozdrav
ReplyDelete1. get a nick
ReplyDelete2. get a life
or, (which I know is difficult when here on Party duty),
3. start writing facts about aviation, not opinions about me
Anyone who publicly expresses their opinion must also be able to live with criticism. Everything else is mimimiimmi
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 12:57: absolutely correct. Can't imagine there being multiple people who find his posts absolutely annoying and yet totally disagree with OU's film policy. How can you
ReplyDeleteAmazing that easyjet is the third largest airline yet they don't have a single flight to Croatia in winter
ReplyDeleteZadar has been a real disappointment with so few flights up to now. Just shows how seasonal some places are. Locals in tourism need to start working earlier and come back from their winter break in order to encourage visitors. I know it's changing now with the new month, but countries serious about tourism and especially where the economy relies so much on it things need to improve.
ReplyDeletePozdrav, you saying to someone else to "get a life", is the pinnacle of irony.
ReplyDeleteWill Zadar repeat its last year's success or was that just an anomaly?
ReplyDeleteI think they will just, but a country that relies on tourism needs to do a lot more, it's not just FR that has started a lot of routes later this year at ZAD it's also EW. U2 have a token presence at ZAD, but could do more if the tourist offering was more rich and had something for people earlier in the year, no complaints about the weather in general, although May was quite wet at times. The area needs more hotels to attract charters for example, not just rely on airbnbs and apartments on booking.com. I can see why Jet2 gave up on ZAD before they even started. Island tourism could be much stronger if links from the mainland were better, but guess that as Jadrolinija is a state owned enterprise it only just goes through the motions so the country as a whole suffers, getting to places such as Rab, Losinj, Pag etc... is a ballache. There is no reason why tourists will not want to travel to the islands and mainland in April and May, but are hindered by locals being on a winter break until June and intent on fleecing guests only in the peak summer period before they hibernate in September for a winter rest. OU aren't interested in ZAD, but the airport relies on the likes of FR and EW so something has to give. Fair play to OU opening a number of new routes from SPU, these are glorified charters, hence why the few remaining tickets are sold at high prices on the 1 and 2 weekly flights. I was in Nin last week and many places were closed despite the weather being OK. Tourists from colder countries would be happy to spend a week on the beach with temperatures around 25c, even if the locals don't care too much. The mindset needs to change quickly.
DeleteYeah, I agree. Especially as someone living in one of these colder countries.
DeleteI've noticed something similar in the Greek islands, but they do come alive somewhat earlier. Then during peak season Croatia in particular has enormous traffic jams and long waiting times to board ferries or even just catamarans, with way fewer airports in the islands. That impedes the island hopping opportunity for tourists.
Also the mindset of working just half a year isn't good. There's so many opportunities for Mediterranean agriculture all year round, fishing, or fusing traditional local crafts with tourism, organizing many wine roads along the coast and same with olive growing...etc.
Not only would such initiatives prolong the tourist season to 7 - 8 months a year, but they could help with lowering the share of tourism in national GDP. Almost 1/5 of the GDP coming from tourism, is not good at all. Even for a tourist country it should not surpass 10%.
Anyhow... keeping the fingers crossed for ZAD to at least reach last year's number, but it's clearly going to be hard.
Pozdrav has the point.
ReplyDelete@Michael
ReplyDeleteThe only pinnacle of irony is anonymous person who writes multiple posts on me PERSONALLY. I have nick, he does not. I write about negativities in OU, he/she writes about me because precisely he is the one who cannot live with criticism of his beloved Party, and OU, its laundry machine. Thought you of all the people are able to distinguish the two. But obviously, ethnicity won over the facts
Pozdrav, most people here don't have a nick and yes you are attacking them personally. Your mere assumption that all of those comments came from one person, is not a fact. It's your coping mechanism and a personal attack against those people, same as when you call everyone who disagrees with you; ignorant, uhljebs, hdz supporters or some combination of the above.
ReplyDeleteCan you not take any criticism without ad hominem attacks??
As for me, I couldn't care less about ethnicity...citizenry to me is way more important, but that isn't the topic here.
@Michael
ReplyDeleteIt seems you missed your logic classes. How can I attack anyone personally if it's Anonymous and I don't know who I am talking to? 😃
Second, what you might have not paid attention to, the style of writing, intervals in which posts are written, formulation of sentence - all of those indicates it is the same person.
The next, you obviously don't live in Croatia - 10 if you did, you would know the amount of damage Kradeze did to the country, and OU in particular. But calling them hdz clarifies everything.
And you are free to join Anonymous and continue spitting on me together with him, but I will not stop writing about crime, corruption and incompetence in OU for as long as I live, or as long as thieves are jailed
Anon 11:17 is Pozdrav without nick
ReplyDelete