If this happens then OU is done.

Bravo!

I think the same.

Bravo to incompetent OU leadership for being so inactive that foreigners have to come to fulfill domestic demand.

Bravo Hrvatska

I could see Sky Alps applying for these too. There are now a lot of these smaller European carrier that are going after PSOs everywhere in Europe.

The government will never pick a foreign carrier. This PSO funding is vital for OU. Some routes are compensated up to 600 euros per passenger.

Last time the government made such a mess of this tender that Trade air had to suspend domestic flights for months.

PSO for DBV is really not needed especially in the summer.

Dubrovnik/Split - Zagreb could easily be served by Ryanair, but then again CRO gov has the last word, and I think that there is no way of accepting Ryanairs application

Good luck to OU, they should be awarded the whole lot. Keep Ryanair away!

Some of these routes are so useless. They really need to overhaul the whole thing.

Agree. Wasted opportunities. Some route are unnecessary while others not included would be really beneficial.

It's a shame that not more routes are included, especially from Rijeka.

How is the PSO budget set? I mean does the EU take in the size of the country, population, GDP? Or is it negotiated directly with the government?

Zagreb-Split and Zagreb-Dubrovnik shouldn't be under PSO having in fact that Croatia always has full planes on these lines, even in winter months. I think PSO for DBV and SPU is just an excuse to give some money to Croatia Airlines.

Good luck Croatia Airlines and Trade Air. Hope they get those 4 year contacts again.

The sole idea of PSO is not bad, it may however be misused, if the public entity announcing PSO happens to be owner of an airline. Then you may see strange routes or excessive funding.

OSI-ZAG route is ridiculous.

Ryanair's A320s and B737s are too large for these routes.

Weird to see so many people cheering for planned economy in 2025.

Ryanair is full of plan economy

And OU's A220s are not?

It’s about time the Croatian PSO scheme opened up to real competition. For years it’s been a closed shop between Croatia Airlines and Trade Air. Let’s see if Ryanair can shake things up and finally bring some value for taxpayers.

The current list of PSO routes needs a major overhaul. Rijeka is completely underserved, and routes like Zagreb–Split or Zagreb–Dubrovnik are probably profitable during peak season without subsidies.

Why are we still subsidising routes that have multiple daily services and high loads? PSO funds should support underserved regions, not help Croatia Airlines on routes where there’s already strong demand.

Good to hear Ryanair is at least considering entering the domestic market. But I wouldn’t hold my breath.

I wonder if the EU will push for greater oversight on how Croatia allocates these PSO funds. Some of the current routes seem questionable under EU guidelines.

Believe it or not I think Croatia Airlines makes a loss on this route year-round.

There is 0 chance Ryanair will fly any of these routes.

The idea of Ryanair operating Osijek–Dubrovnik or Rijeka–Split routes sounds nice in theory, but I can’t see them committing to year-round service with a 737. PSO flying is a different business model entirely.

Because Croatia Airlines is a failed company that needs to be propped up by government cash to survive.

Why no Brač in PSO tender?

It's always been open to real competition. Why are you writing this nonsense?

Anyone can apply for the PSO tender and Ryanair could even start flying these routes without any PSO agreement.

Zagreb-Dubrovnik on an A320 twice daily would work without any problem at all for Ryanair.

Instead of subsidising flights from the capital to the coast, why not use that money to develop rail or bus links? Air travel isn’t always the answer, especially on short distances.

I hope they don't. They charge extraordinarily high prices and offer very bad schedules.

You have no idea what you're talking about if that's what you believe.

@09:24 Croatia Airlines does not fill these planes.

Routes are not compensated per passenger. Stop with this ridiculous framing. PSO does not get paid out for passengers flown.

+1

I believe it's negotiated directly with the government but the metrics you listed are taken into consideration.

I am talking about how much the airlines received in previous tender based on passenger carried and the amount of money received per route (this is published on the EU's website)
599 euros per passenger on Osijek-Zagreb.
234 euros for Osijek Rijeka
etc

More lucrative than Mostar flights.

Ryanair need to be shut down by the EU. They are a company full of Irish criminals, destroying Aviation in Europe with their pretence low fares and dangerous Boeing 737 Max Aircraft which they try and disguise.

Some PSO rules:

Transparency-1: All awards, modifications and any
abolition of PSO routes, as well as the corresponding
calls for tenders, must be announced in the Official
Journal of the European Union (OJ EU).

Transparency-2: Air fares and conditions can be
quoted to users (in most cases maximum fares
are imposed)

Market failure: Market forces alone have failed to
create incentives for air carriers to provide scheduled
air services on the route.

No obstacle to market functioning: A PSO should
not limit the possibility for air carriers to provide
a higher level of service in terms of capacity and
frequency than minimum obligations required
under the PSO award. National authorities should
not interfere with the way the market fulfils these
obligations. In any case where more than one carrier
is interested to operate a route as an open PSO,
national authorities should not distribute frequencies
or capacities between those air carriers concerned.

Necessity: Routes are considered vital for the
economic and social development of the region
served (routes to an airport serving a peripheral or
development region or thin routes to any airport).

Proportionality & non-discrimination: PSOs are a
useful tool to enhance the contribution of aviation to
the overall competitiveness of the regions concerned.
They must be imposed in a non-discriminatory and
proportionate manner (e.g. no restrictions based on
passenger’s nationality or on the air carrier’s state of
origin, no selective promotion of specific air carriers/
airports).

No alternative: Inadequacy of alternative transport
modes connecting the route(s) under PSO.

EU law: Full compliance with EU Regulation 1008/2008
(compliance with national law only is insufficient).

Route-by-route basis: Necessity of PSO award
must be assessed for each route separately (no
network routes). A PSO cannot link two cities or
two regions, routes must be defined from airport to
airport. States may not make the award to one route

Geographic scope: A PSO route between an EU
airport and a non-EU (except EEA members) country
is not allowed. Intra-EU routes (not exclusively
domestic) are however allowed.

From my experience it they do, in summer flights departing split at whatever hour are full while morning and evening winter flights are fuelled by connections

What do you think airport subsidies and tax avoidance practices are? Free enterprise? Tax avoidance practices are only possible thanks to the dominance of corporations, which have long since taken control of the Western world. Or do you think that politics still serves the interests of individual citizens?

Could Slovenia opt for such a PSO tender?

LOL! Welcome to Soviet Union 1950!

can't believe it has already been 4 years since the last tender.

Can gurantee the list of routes will be just a copy and paste of 4 years ago. That's the easiset way.

Interesting. Thank you

Yes, it is expected that conditions will be created for it once the new aviation law is adopted in October.

This is a real opportunity to rethink domestic connectivity in Croatia. More competition, more accountability and hopefully better service for the regions that need it most.

Without doubt.

Time flies...

Fingers crossed

Why so much hate for Ryanair?

There is. It says in the article

Zagreb - Brač - Zagreb,

Because these routes are that profitable

Sky alps is great for Brac so i think he will aplly for this flights

You may think you are talking about that but your original comment said "Some routes are compensated up to 600 euros per passenger."

Can you give me an example of any EU country where foreign airlines are not fulfilling domestic demand please?

Yes thats is true,
Split and dubrovnik dont neeed to be in Pso tender with flight to zagreb

Your experience is not a very good indicator. Today is 3 July and none of the Split-Zagreb flights are full. In fact, OU 653 at 14:10 and OU 655 at 13:25 are nowhere near full and are selling in one of the lowest Economy fare classes even now on the day of the flight.

What airport subsidies are you talking about? Not a single airport in Ex-Yu gives "airport subsidies". And what "tax avoidance practices" are you talking about, please enlighten me.

What makes them questionable?

Croatia Airlines is useless, the government is corrupt, the airports wanna make money from the foreign airlines and do not want to bother with 3 passengers per day flying from Split to Pula or Osijek to Dubrovnik.

Ryanair hate is a symptom. All the Balkan conspiracy theorists hate it until it arrives in their local airport and they see with their own eyes that it is a perfectly normal company.

The shape of Croatia does not allow for good rail links. It is also a country with a very low population density so rail travel does not make sense.

Bus links are a problem because the government protects the big players and refuses to liberalise the market. FlixBus would start a million bus routes across the country if only it was allowed to.

Wow. There is general hate towards lowcost airlines in Balkan/ ex-yu.

Are you for real?or what, concerning PSO? Croatian PSO is useless and designed just to pour public money in OU. Slavonia, Istra/Kvarner and Dalmatia are NOT connected each with which other at all. Twice weekly one-direction flights are ridiculous and senseless. Each of the three regions should be connected minimum twice daily, every day, morning and evening, year-round, in order to have meaningful regional connectivity according to original PSO idea. Instead, Split and Dubrovnik are PSO to Zagreb, which won't be needed if ZAG was real hub, OU had decent network which strong coastal airports could feed, and if OU had competent management and Croatia competent government, not performing for interests and benefits of foreign countries and their carriers. Hailing Bravo for idiotism we currently have in aviation in Croatia is not only pathetic but equally idiotic. PIR

Of course. Uhljebs in the Ministery have much more important things to do. Singing Danke Deutschland for example. Or writing Bravo Hrvatska on every article. Or drinking coffee and gossip. Or some private things to do...

Agree with absolutely everything 11.53, except there are much much more passengers on routes you mentioned, and with propper PSO, they could be +100 daily. But as you said, useless OU and corrupt government is killing us softly...

It is clear what he meant.

599 euros per pax on OSI-ZAG? You can fly to Japan for that price.

Yes, if they survive.

Croatia Airlines is THE BEST airline in the EU. tačka

Brac neeed in sommer minimum 4 weakly flight to zagreb,
In winter time 2 flight,in somer they neeed 1flight to osijek

Will be great to have Pula Brac ,and Brac Dubrovnik..

OSI-ZAG is necessary because Osijek has barely any flights.

How do u see loads, don't look at seat maps as they only show pax that are checked in. I've been surprised many times

Best RUPA BEZ DNA in the EU for sure.

Good Lord 599EUR per pax 🤡
This is what I call a Get rich and keep pumpin" 😂
How will government forbid Rya to attend tender?

It's a national airline and I don't see nothing ridiculous in connecting the biggest city in East Croatia via plane. Tourists and business people connect via Zagreb to get to Osijek.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgziE1Y-k-ayVUaLJKP2GuFssRZqu52shwR_kVwzNdIRTVUJn4U1Q15U83oQwMnRJd8dRMMzbYhAoDzecFL-1qnZ7LUtRF_AEE_Abf_5ibNa7L6CZW-zvHkaatbBRfPHUwXaf24RO29mjTpp7HljZ07eX9w_sLIzL23AGPmQ1vkCwAIcf-Jil3xg1Sv6w=s670

Unless Croatia Airlines or Trade Air press them to make some changes to these tenders, nothing will change.

Judging by the fact that theat LCCs rule the ex-Yu market, I would say it is mostly just keyboard worriors that are loud about it.

Who goes to Brac in winter?

And just a note Dubrovnik City Council also pays Croatia Airlines for the ZAG-DBV flights. So on top of the PSO money, Dubrovnik buys a certain amount of tickets on each flight. Nuts.

Their Mostar adventure does not seem to be doing so well.

And the government delayed it by 2 years. Original PSO tender ended in early 2020.

Is there a possibiltiy of introducing PSO to some other EU destinations?

To where from Croatia to where in the EU would a route be vital for it to be subsidised by European taxpayers?

True. Oleg certianly does not care.

Well there was covid

No there wasn't. Covid started in March 2020 while the new contracts were supposed to come into effect from march 2020. They hadn't even started tender procuedures at that point.

It seems like its the only way for LJU to get flights to some remaining key Europen destinations.

No one, but maybe locals want to get to the mainland.

I also don't see FR applying for any PSO routes.

Mario, unfortunately it is NOT national airline. They work for interests and benefits of Germany and their national airline, aircraft they operate are owned by Irish lessors, they don't connect properly all parts of Croatia with which other and even this OSI ZAG service is useless and with very very few passengers because they don't have network that the service could feed plus their prices are ridiculous. So, no, they are definitely not "national airline" and entire PSO is senseless, useless, and serves only to pump additional money in OU

That's not true. Dubrovnik subsidizes part of the ticket cost to its citizens, not to OU. Not by paying money nor buying tickets.

I suggest Vrankvurt and Minken 🤣🤣🤣

From all cro airports 🤣

0953, one way ticket DUB to ZAG on 3/9 costs eur44. Stop trolling!

You are being hysterical, pozz iz Čačka!

People who own properties on Brač, their family members and friends. Quite a sizeable group in Zagreb area actually!

I hope Ryanair wins ZAG - DBV and also launches ZAG -SJJ where they could sell tickets for €30 and fill two planes a day considering the strong demand, crazy OU prices and how long it takes to travel between the two cities by car or bus.