Zagreb Airport is set to see continued capacity growth this year despite there currently being no new scheduled services announced to the Croatian capital, although this remains highly likely to change as the year progresses. The increase will be driven primarily by Croatia Airlines, supported by the earlier resumption of several seasonal routes, frequency increases on selected services and the ongoing transition to an all-A220 fleet, which includes the replacement of smaller-capacity aircraft on some routes. Ryanair’s frequency increases on a number of services will also contribute, albeit to a lesser extent. However, given the carrier’s consistently high load factors, it is expected to have a proportionally greater impact on passenger growth at Zagreb Airport than some other airlines.
During the first six months of the year, capacity growth at Zagreb Airport is projected to reach 5.9%, representing an additional 169.769 seats. This figure does not include T’way Air’s Seoul service. The carrier has confirmed to EX-YU Aviation News that it plans to restore the seasonal route this year but has yet to finalise its schedule. It noted, “At the moment, we are planning to resume the service this year, however, the sales schedule has not yet been finalised and is subject to change”.
During the peak travel months of June, July and August, growth is expected to be more modest. Excluding T’way Air, seat capacity during this period is projected to increase by 4.3%, or approximately 78.000 seats. These figures remain subject to change at this early stage, as airlines are still finalising their summer season schedules.
Among carriers without a base at Zagreb Airport, Turkish Airlines will add the most capacity during the first half of the year, positioning itself as the second-fastest growing airline in the Croatian capital, behind Croatia Airlines but ahead of Ryanair. The carrier has scheduled an additional 16.224 seats on its Zagreb services year-on-year. Other notable increases include Iberia, which will add approximately 11.000 seats during the first half of the year.
The largest capacity reduction at Zagreb Airport over the six-month period comes from Qatar Airways, which has cut frequencies due to an ongoing narrow-body fleet shortage and will shed close to 14.000 seats. This is followed by British Airways, which has transitioned its Zagreb service to a seasonal summer-only operation.
The busiest unserved routes from Zagreb in Europe currently include the likes of Geneva, Lisbon, Porto, Riga, Vilnius, Krakow, Tallinn, Hannover and Nice.
Thanks for this article and for showing the facts. It's badly needed against all the doom and gloom comments over the past few weeks which are not based on facts and reality.
ReplyDeleteYeah but people are going to ignore the facts anyway and call it a "disaster" that Norwegian cancelled one single peak-summer seasonal route which is already served by Croatia Airlines (daily!)...
Delete5.6% growth primarily thanks to OU and its A220s. Enough said.
DeleteThe management needs to lower prices asap to boost load factors across the network.
Delete6% growth driven by larger OU planes may seems fine with you, but reality is completely different. And final blow by TWay is yet to come.
DeleteWhat do you mean by final blow by T'Way?
DeleteI guess he implies that Tway will not resume flights in the end.
DeleteHe is just hoping and praying for it. Nothing to do with actual knowledge...
DeleteWho knows. People keep on saying that for Anon posters and then someone was actually right about ALC the other day.
DeleteActually the report we are reading knows but hope never dies I guess.
DeleteTime will tell.
DeleteWell, both Air Serbia and United announced and started selling tickets to its seasonal flights between Split and Newark/Belgrade and Toronto in early October, 4 months ago. While TWay still didn’t at all, in late January. If you are still optimistic, I really don’t mind
DeleteWell, he might be hoping for that, however the article clearly states that the carrier confirmed resumption of flights.
DeleteSo, I'm not really sure based on what he's basing his hopes.
Admin wrote in an earlier article that Tway confirmed they are returning last week, so I doubt they changed their mind in the last 7 days.
DeleteLast year they put tickets on sale in early January.
Tway confirmed it but some people can't let go of their hope seeing them not returning...
DeleteMy friend, it sounds like it's too good to be true. I can't believe it so I will wait for the fares to be loaded before I can rejoice and celebrate.
DeleteI really hope Zagreb-Seoul comes back on sale because I'm planning to use the route and I'd much rather fly direct (at Tway's cheap prices!) than connect somewhere half-way.
ReplyDeleteIt's cancelled.
Delete^Maybe read the article
DeleteIt's not cancelled (yet), there are just no tickets on sale. Apparently it will happen but I'm a bit sceptical.
DeleteStill hoping I see....
DeleteThis is good news. The only issue is that OU is the main driver of growth. And we know how capable OU is of filling its planes.
ReplyDeleteCroatia Airlines drives capacity growth. I doubt it drives passenger growth. I'm pretty sure that Ryanair will still see more passenger growth this year by swapping routes that didn't work (Pisa and Marseilles) for routes that are completely sold out like Dublin or Malta. And Dublin is getting extra flights too.
DeleteCroatia Airlines is only growing capacity because it is swapping Dash capacity with A220 capacity. I don't think they will see passenger numbers grow at all. Load factor will fall and that's it. They are not changing their pricing strategies.
DeleteYeah but FR can't secure any meaningful growth in passenger numbers by swapping routes. At best 1% or 2%.
DeleteIf we are at 5.6% thanks to OU then we should be happy if ZAG has 1% passenger growth.
January numbers will be an interesting indicator. Do we know what the capacity growth is for January 2026?
+5.4% in January.
DeleteThank you. I suppose OU is the main driver of growth so January will be a good indicator of things to come.
DeleteYes, Croatia Airlines is adding 29.300 seats, despite operating the same number of flights as last January. The next biggest increase is by Turkish Airlines with an extra 4.386 seats.
DeleteThank you! What about FR as the second biggest airline?
DeleteThis January, Ryanair's capacity is down 2.6% and flights 3.2%.
DeleteInteresting that Turkish is the biggest grower among non based carriers
ReplyDeleteIberia adding 11k seats is fantastic! Did not expect that.
DeleteIt's good news but still less than what they had before. We need them to bring back winter flights!
DeleteGrowth it is, but smaller much. For largest airport to become, one must add myriad seats!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Yoda.
DeleteLargest where? Zagreb is the largest airport in Croatia.
DeleteOn the ExYu planet?
DeleteThe list of unserved routes is painful. Geneva and Lisbon should already exist and Porto has huge potential with tourism
ReplyDeleteGeneva and Lisbon would be perfect for Croatia Airlines. Porto and Hannover would be perfect for Ryanair. And Wizz would be perfect for Riga and Krakow.
DeleteBut the airport management can't be bothered to expand the airport so they will do absolutely nothing to make it happen.
+1
DeleteIf Zagreb wants a bigger jump it needs at least 2-3 brand new city pairs
DeleteI’d love to see Porto, Lisbon, and Geneva before any more “random” seasonal leisure routes. Those are strategic gaps.
DeleteWhat increases/decreases did Ryanair schedule this year?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2025/09/ryanair-to-grow-zagreb-operations-in.html
DeleteUnpleasant news for concerned commenters...
ReplyDeleteQuite the contrary... article says OU is the main driver of growth. That's worrisome.
DeleteYeah, that is the most upsetting news for concerned commenters.
DeleteIndeed it is. People are right to worry since OU is incompetent.
DeleteI cannot stand the stupid comments of doom and gloom, and things like "Nije dobro" on every piece of irrelevant news like Norwegian cancelling Zagreb flights. BUT the scheduled growth really is not good on 2026 and we know who is to blame. Zagreb Airport management does not want to increase passenger numbers beyond 5 million.
DeleteGrowth is ok, issue is that it comes from OU introducing a much larger plane while having a really bad LF with a whole bunch of Q400s flying around.
DeleteIt is beyond me why Air Baltic has not launched flights to ZAG.
ReplyDeleteBecause no potential in the route
DeleteTwo Baltic cities are among the top unserved from ZAG.
DeleteActually three
DeletePeople were also saying the same for LJU, but now they are even increasing it to 3x per week. It is questionable tho if it could work well in both cities at the same time tho.
DeleteBeing on an unserved top list isn't enough to sustain profitable route. Also, huge question is if ZAG have any demand from Baltic airports at all. Or if there is any, is it enough to support profitability. Obviously not, since no flights so far and no any hints from BT or OU
DeleteBeing on the top unserved list = demand
DeleteKRK could be launched by Ryanair.
ReplyDeleteAgree. Poland is booming for tourism and business travel.
DeleteYes Krakow would be a great route for FR
DeleteI'm surprised FR hadn't launched anything from Poland to Zagreb.
DeleteComparing first half added capacity for top two airports in the region paints quite a picture.
ReplyDeleteWhy? It's like a 3% difference, not that much
DeleteSadly this region continues to fill like Borat and his neighbor Nursultan Tulyakbay who are trying to outdo each other while the rest of Europe is years ahead.
Delete^ LOL, so true!
DeleteBig success!
DeleteIs it only 3% difference??? One will add close to 170 thousand seats, the other airport will add close to 400 thousand seats in the first half of the year.
DeleteIs that weird? It looks like a normal ratio to me for these two airports…
DeleteMath is really simple. Assuming BEG had 8.8M passengers last year, that means BEG is 1.86 times bigger than ZAG. BEG is adding 400k in H1, ZAG 170k so BEG is adding 2.35 times more, clearly punching above its weight in this comparison.
DeleteCorrect. Adjusted for size, Belgrade is adding 42% more capacity in the first half.
DeleteAnd do people still why ZAG is in trouble because its growth relies on OU?
DeleteBEG has JU which does an ok job fighting competition and actually growing.
OU is just accumulating losses and asking government for additional funding.
Croatia Airlines replacing smaller aircraft with A220s will boost capacity, but will it actually grow the market or just add more seats on existing demand?
ReplyDeleteJudging by the loads, just add seats.
DeleteAdding empty seats
DeleteBravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteFor what? Zero new services this year in Zagreb compared to 30+ in Tirana? Double less passengers than Belgrade, and lagging behind even more? Bravo? Com'n, give me a break!
DeleteDouble less?
DeleteYou certainly meant to say ‘half as many’!?
Have you ever heard of psychological effects of written text? Ways of pointing out things even if not "in spirit" of spoken language? You obviously understood what I wanted to say and I said it in stronger and more effective way than the one you suggest. And last but not less important: Nice try to move focus from important facts to irrelevant form. And as usual, failed attempt.
DeleteNever!
DeletePsychology aside, your Bantu English is a laughable matter considering your pretentious arrogance and attitude of a little bully!
This currently feels like a year of consolidation, not expansion. But lets see how the year pans out.
ReplyDeleteOne can hope for it but data presented show that 2026 will be another great year for ZAG.
DeleteCroatia Airlines adding seats to the existing network with already bad LF will not bring another great year for ZAG for sure.
DeleteSeasonality is still a big problem. Many routes and airlines are summer only.
ReplyDeleteI agree but better situation than before.
DeleteActually Zagreb Airport has remarkably low seasonality, even for European standards but especially for Croatian standards.
DeleteQR has really shot itself in the foot with its narrow-body strategy.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteReally hope they sort it out ASAP.
DeleteWatch Ryanair’s impact on passenger numbers. Even without adding new routes, frequency increases with 90% loads will move the needle more than people think.
ReplyDeleteCapacity is up, but where is the network growth?
ReplyDeleteRead the article
DeleteZagreb will grow but slowly. It needs either a bigger Ryanair push or a new base from someone like easyJet or Wizz. OU I can't take seriously even at time of 'growth'.
ReplyDeleteThis is not in the concessionaire's interest.
DeleteExactly! Zagreb will grow slowly as long as there are no plans for expansion of the airport.
DeleteYeah but if this stay like this, ZAG risks having less passengers than in 2025. Growth is modest and it relies on OU.
DeleteThe airport needs more Northern Europe routes. Tallinn, Oslo, Helsinki demand is growing but Zagreb is lagging behind.
ReplyDeleteRyanair will once again be the quiet “winner” because high load factors = real passenger growth, not just extra seats.
ReplyDeleteZAG’s problem isn’t demand, it’s ambition from the airport operator.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this. They first cut the original terminal project size. They had some ambition and momentum in 2009-2012 when they got a bunch of new airlines, including long-haul and Emirates, but after that it levelled off until Ryanair. Now again levelling off.
DeleteZAG and Croatia (country) main problem is decision of tied politicians and Mafiosos to hand over croatian air travel market to foreigners. That's why there is no strategy, that's why ZAG is not using its position to be the hub for SE Europe, that's why Croatia Airlines is midget and feeder "managed ".by aparatchiks, that's why even LCC are not in ZAG in bigger numbers. ZAG could easily sustain Croatia Airlines to New York, Chicago, Delhi, Bangkok, and minimum 10 more regional destinations, Air China to Beijing and/or Shanghai, JAL or ANA to Tokyo, American to Philadelphia, Air Canada to Toronto, Transat to Montreal, return of Emirates, minimum 10 more destinations and 2 more aircraft based by Ryanair, another LCC based with 2-3 aircraft, as well as return of SAS, Swiss, Brussels, Finnair, TAP, new flights of Air Baltic and ITA. But as long as we have traiters leading the country to catastrophy, it will not happen. And if only I was mistaken.
DeleteYour belief in croatia is admirable indeed. Shame its been run by lopovi and the era when this could be has been wasted
DeleteI used to work for OU in Buzin for a few years. Trust me, new talent isn't going there because of politicians. It's chased away by incompetent people who already work for OU.
DeleteIf you are competent they make sure you leave really fast.
Lol
DeleteAny chance of seeing a proper LCC push to Lisbon or Porto? These routes feel perfect for a carrier like Ryanair.
ReplyDeleteI don't get what T'way is waiting for exactly to put tickets on sale?
ReplyDeleteDid Eurowings fly ZAG-HAJ at some point?
ReplyDeleteNever. They flew Hamburg.
DeleteThey flew HAJ from Zagreb West (RJK). But of course, it's been cut, same as Tel Aviv, Heathrow, Bristol, Oslo, Riga, Paris, Marseilles, Barcelona, Rome, Warsaw, Szceczin, Gothenburg, Bergamo, Basel...
DeleteSuch a shame. Does it even make sense to have RJK and PUY? What about one airport serving the two cities.
DeleteZAG and OU have not really to position themselves as the regional hub and BEG/JU has taken that role especially after the demise of Adria.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore the croatian tourism hotpots are served by direct flights.
So ZAG is floating in between 2 waters.....
Pity about QR. They are losing their competativness with these constant frequency cuts.
ReplyDeleteThey have also become much worse for customer service.
DeleteQR only has itself to blame for their fleet troubles.
DeleteIt was nice while it lasted. QR will never be what it used to be while Al Baker was in charge. Now it will slip into irrelevance especially with Saudis going strong with their own magnificent airlines.
DeleteAl Baker is the sole person responsible for QR's fleet issues.
DeleteIt's not just OU's performance in ZAG but on the coast as well we should be taking a closer look at. There are a lot of cuts all over Europe. Just yesterday easyJet terminated several routes at the end of the winter season:
ReplyDeleteBCN-LYS
BCN-NCE
BCN-RNS
CDG-RBA
AMS-KRK
This is the second time easyJet is making cuts for the summer season. A few weeks ago they terminated some high end routes like ORY-BER,