Low cost carrier Ryanair handled over 1.3 million passengers at its Zagreb base last year. Data from the statistical office of the European Union, Eurostat, shows that Ryanair has been a major driving force behind the airport's strong passenger performance in 2024, maintaining a total of thirty destinations over the summer peak. The average cabin load factor across its Zagreb network stood at 87%. London Stansted maintained its position as the busiest route, while Dublin had the highest average annual cabin occupancy rate, amounting to 95.4%. It was followed by Girona and Palma de Mallorca, both of which were launched last year. The table below, provided by Eurostat, indicates passenger numbers for 26 of the thirty Ryanair destinations from the Croatian capital.
During 2024, Ryanair commenced five new routes out of Zagreb, most of which performed strongly. Palma de Mallorca, Alicante and Girona had some of the highest average loads in the airline’s network from the Croatian capital. A notable exception was Pisa, which, with 20.021 passengers, had the lowest load factor amounting to 69.5%, which is considered a soft figure by budget carrier standards. This coming Sunday, the airline will introduce another destination in Italy - Palermo. Ryanair will also increase frequencies on a number of routes over the coming months, with an emphasis on its April operations due to the Easter holidays. As a result, it will become the largest carrier by available seat capacity at Zagreb Airport for the first time next month.
wow those Spanish routes are killing it
ReplyDeleteBy Ryanair standards they are definitely NOT killing it. Solid performance though.
DeleteYes 90%+ loads on Spanish routes just a few months after launch s very bad. Some people here...
DeleteNot related, but Zagreb airport is installing E-gates, they'll be operational in April, when I passed through the airport they've installed 3, and I presume they'll install more, perhaps 6 or 8 in total, but only 3 where being installed when I passed through the airport. This should speed up the process at the passport control quite a bit. As of late the Qs at non-EU passport control are long and often takes more than 40 min wait.
DeleteWhere is the data for Malaga?
DeleteIt's in the table.
DeleteImpressive loads
ReplyDeleteFor LCC it is not so impressive.
Delete87% on annual basis across 30 routes is, even for LCC.
DeleteIt would be interesting to have data on how much subsidies they received per passenger and what is the corresponding share in the passenger revenue.
DeleteTake note that that "business model" takes from both origin and destination airport.
Pisa does not seem to have been the best choice.
ReplyDeleteIt's a major FR base, but it's a bit too close to Zagreb, so people are bound to drive there.
DeleteIt was a weird choice and did not perform well even in the summer. I do not understand why they extended it to the winter. I flew Zagreb-Pisa in September and the flight was only half full.
DeleteAnd Croatia Airlines expects to compete against them...
ReplyDeleteZabole ih paja. Rano je.
DeleteCompete in what terms... Subsidies?
DeleteEven PSA has a better LF than OU.
ReplyDeleteLOL
DeleteThose numbers are impressive! I wonder how many of them are Slovenes, I flew like 10 times from zag last year, always hearing slovene.
ReplyDeletedefinitely lot of them. Especially for Spain and Malta
DeleteFR itself said there were many Slovenians on their flights from ZAG base.
DeleteHere we go again with obsession about Slovenians in ZAG.
DeleteIt's not obsession, it's a fact
DeleteEvery source, from the MoT to the ZAG CEO and Ryanair management agrees that there's a lot ot Slovenes using ZAG. Except for the experts on this forum
DeleteThe Spain routes are heavily loaded with Slovenians, based on my experience. Especially Lanzarote.
DeleteMa kakvi, Slovenians never travel.
DeleteProbably around 60-70% Slovenes on the Ryanair flights, if not more.
DeleteThere are loads of Slovenes, but there are loads of foreigners, especially brits and the French, Spanish and German visitors. I normally travel to Zagreb 4-5 times per year, and have witnessed/experienced a drastic shift in visitor/traveller composition at the airport. Loads of Nepalese and other Asian travellers, very diverse traveller mix at Zagreb airport. Slovenians might represent 5-8% range of the total travellers. Slovenian travellers have a decent choice of airports ranging from Klagenfurt, Graz, Venezia and Trieste to Zagreb and even Vienna.
DeleteThere's a massive investment in to Slovenian Railways, and 2nd track on route Maribor to Graz is being added, this will speed up the service to Graz and Vienna, eventually train journey will be cut down to 3h. Trainline to Zagreb is also being modernized and speeds on the line will be increased to 120kmph from current 90-100kmph. On Croatian side line has been upgraded already to 160 kmph, and travel time for intercity trains cut down to 20 min from the border with Slovenia to Zagreb. Once this is done, no doubt more Slovenians will opt to for Zagreb airport, but atm, you need to drive 2h from Ljubljana to Zagreb and then find a parking place for your car. Not ideal atm.
Maybe we just rename Slovenia Zagreb West.
DeleteZagreb should be renamed as Ljubljana south-east. With improved railway it will go from 60-70% to 90% Slovenes in ZAG.
DeleteAdmin, why are these troll comments allowed?
Delete10.37
DeleteYou are correct. There are 70 % Slovenes on FR flights in Zagreb. That's why they don't fly to Ljubljana I guess. Also we were getting the same BS probably from the same poster when flydubai was starting LJU, we were told here now flydubai will quit and leave Zagreb because 70 % on Zagreb flydubai passengers were Slovene (imagine, with all Japanese and Koreans around), and today we have more capacity and more passengers to DXB from Zagreb than from Ljubljana. And absolutely no one in same mind will deny that there are Slovenians in ZAG, which is good, but malomeščani with 70 % complexes is something just to laugh about
I posted the 10:37 post with 60-70% numbers as sarcasm. The amount of Slovenes flying through ZAG is a running joke here, don't take it too seriously :)
DeleteI think correct word is Slovenians, not Slovens. Slovens are memebers of all Slovenian root people
DeleteSlovenes/Slovenians can both be used. Slavs are members of all Slavic people.
DeleteBased on my quick google check
Minimal Slovenes fly from ZAG. The market just isn't there in Slovenia, they have an airport with plenty connections for the population.
DeleteMalta is a big surprise for me
ReplyDeleteOU never saw it as an opportunity...
DeleteI think OU did fly to Malta some decades ago.
DeleteThe LF isn't great, FR look at 95% being good, hopefully they have made a profit.
ReplyDeleteYea they are not making profit ,because of that they are increasing flights and introducing new destinations
DeleteThey have subsidies, hence a lower LF is fine.
DeleteRoutes with 85% lf are viable without subsidies, they just don't launch them without subsidies because there's markets where they can get 95% without them
Ryanair's official load factor of 95% includes no-shows.
DeleteRyanair does not receive any subsidies in Zagreb. They are using incentives oferred to all carriers. Please learn the diferrence before posting. Or, just don't lie deliberately if you know it
DeleteThe incentives were tailpred for Ryanair and Ryanair only.
DeleteAbsolute lie
Delete^ sure ;)
DeleteSo as we see, the airport's decision to bring Ryanair made a lot of sense.
ReplyDeleteIt always made sense for anyone who was not nationalist pro-Croatia (the OU fanboys) or nationalist anti-Croatia (the Zagreb haters).
DeleteVery well said 10.18
DeleteWhat is most interesting is that Ryanair is pushing leisure routes and they are doing well.
ReplyDeleteGoes to show how badly needed FR was. Right decision by management to bring them in. Now it would be great if they could also bring another LCC not to rely fully on FR.
DeleteConsidering issues with Wizz, easyjet might be the way to go.
DeleteThere is definitely no space for two major LCCs based at the airport and neither would Ryanair look kindly on that. Yes, easy could open a route or two to Zagreb but not a base.
DeleteThat was their plan. ZAG CEO said 2 years ago they wanted to attract Wizz with that connecting capital city model.
DeleteThis is a very solid average LF, not ideal for FR, but very very solid.
ReplyDeleteRyanair's official load factor of 95% includes no-shows. This data is compiled from passenger stats so it does not include tickets sold but not flown.
Delete^ could you include the source?
DeleteThe size of their route network out of Zagreb after less than 4 years is impressive.
ReplyDeleteRyan air plans around 50-55 routes out of Zagreb, they'll be adding new routes every year. This year they plan to have 32 routes out of Zagreb. 50~ in 2028.
DeleteAnd they already have a fifth plane in Zagreb since recently
DeleteI was expecting them to start more new routes this year.
ReplyDeleteThey are focusing on frequencies this year.
DeleteI really thought they would start Prague, Hamburg and Porto. Maybe even Corfu.
DeleteThey fly to Corfu
DeleteNo they do not.
DeleteThey fly to Corfu. It's not difficult to check on their page or app, takes less than minute, I just did it
DeleteBravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteAdmin, which destinations are missing from the table?
ReplyDeleteRome, Marseille, Corfu and Kos.
DeleteI got Rome because of OU flying there, but why the other three?
DeleteEasyjet commented they would never return to ZAG after the way it was treated on the LGW- ZAG ( which was always full when i flew it 5-6 times a year)..They claimed ZAG fees were hiked for all but OU...who knows? was some years ago..
ReplyDeleteAlicante needs a 3rd frequency at least during summer the route is performing extremely well even in winter
ReplyDeleteRyanair is underperforming in Zagreb relative to their own expectations from 2021:
ReplyDeleteWe plan on carrying over ten million passengers in cooperation with Zagreb Airport over the next five to six years”, the company’s Group CEO, Michael O'Leary, said
https://www.exyuaviation.com/2021/12/ryanair-begins-latest-zagreb-expansion.html
Those are not "expectations", those are statements made to generate free press coverage.
DeleteHe also had high hopes for Zagreb Airport but ZAG failed to deliver, this is from 2021:
Delete"The airport should be handling 3.5 million passengers next year, six million in 2023 and over seven million travellers in 2024"
https://www.exyuaviation.com/2021/09/ryanair-to-unveil-zagreb-expansion-today.html
Yeah, 4 based planes, additional flights from other bases, 30 destinations, good LF, mumber one carrier for the first time ever on monthly basis, solid income, increased connectivity for the airport, possibility to passengers to fly with good prices, more tourists to Zagreb, yeah, you are right, they are underperforming, if it makes you happy 🙂
DeleteComments are quotes from previously published statements by Ryanair CEO. Unless you have evidence quotes are not accurate, you may want to respond to the airline, not the person who posted those quotes.
DeleteNo one is disputing the quotes. The problem is your interpretation.
DeleteI am not interpreting at all. This is an example of "How it started and how it's going". Ryanair made statements in 2021, actual numbers for 2024 (FR@ZAG 1.3M, ZAG 4.3M) indicate that didn't age well.
DeleteAnd this is what you take from a total success story of bringing Ryanair to ZAG??
DeleteYou go digging for old exaggerated PR statements. Yeah, sure...a perfectly normal reaction.
You're not a troll, bitter for some reason, at all. Okay.
Regardless of how funny your reaction is, it is even more so interesting - the mystery of what makes people like you tick.
If Jasmin stopped drinking his coffee at Buzin and did some work he could see OU could operate some leisure flights and make some money if they priced accordingly.
ReplyDeleteI see him quite often drinking his coffee in Buzin, must be working really hard….
DeleteA table of missed opportunites for OU, oh Well add more frequency to Munich and Frankfurt!
ReplyDeleteThey can add as much frequency as they like to Germany, but LF will still be around 60%. How on earth the local taxpayer accepts subsiding this national disgrace is beyond me.
DeleteWhen it comes to some topics, Croatia (country) today is worse than Soviet Union during Stalin rule. Some topics are simply forbidden, or even better, non existent. Tax payers, or general population in Croatia have absolutely no idea that OU is disgrace and one of the biggest eaters of public money. Not even in "opposition media", not even newspapers, not even in the local ones, let alone national level. Day by day and year by year, media in Croatia speak about OU/CTN in superlatives, absolutely not mentioning one single negative thing about it. For croatian media and croatian journalists, OU/CTN is Star Alliance member, operator of the most modern fleet, bright and shiny, generator of tourism and economy, flag carrier, national pride and so on and so on. Not one single word about how miniature it is compared to similar european countries/carriers, how many opportunities it missed, how actually it performs as LH feeder, how full with politics, incompetence, inertness, crime and corruption it is, and how many hundreds of millions of euros it blown in the wind. Sad but true. Pozdrav iz Rijeke.
Delete