Croatia Airlines has temporarily suspended one of its new seasonal summer routes, between Dubrovnik and Stuttgart, less than a month after its launch. The flag carrier inaugurated the service on May 22, almost three weeks later than initially planned, with two weekly flights scheduled through the end of the summer season with the Airbus A319 aircraft. However, the route was first suspended on June 8, remaining inactive for ten days before briefly resuming with flights on June 19 and June 22. It has since been suspended again and is not scheduled to return until July 31, when it is expected to resume its regular twice weekly operation, although further schedule changes remain possible.
Croatia Airlines' only other new route this summer, between Split and Nantes, continues to operate as planned. At the same time, the flag carrier has discontinued six routes that were operated during last year's summer season, stating that the adjustments were made in response to the outbreak of the war in Iran and its impact on the aviation industry. These include services from Zagreb to Milan, Tirana and Bucharest, as well as from Split to Amsterdam, Skopje and Bucharest. Last month, the carrier’s Chief Commercial Officer, Slaven Žabo, said, “We are trying to offset costs through network and capacity optimisation, as well as by improving efficiency. That means aligning capacity with current demand, operating costs and revenue levels on individual routes, which naturally also includes flight cancellations”.
Commenting on its two new route launches this summer, Croatia Airlines’ CEO, Jasmin Bajić, said earlier this month, “Western France has seen growing interest in Mediterranean destinations in recent years, yet it remains relatively underserved by nonstop flights to Croatia. For Croatia Airlines, this presents an opportunity to diversify its source markets, better capture emerging demand and strengthen Split's position as a more accessible destination for French traveller”. He added, “On the other hand, the Dubrovnik - Stuttgart route is almost a textbook example of a logical addition. Stuttgart, together with the wider Baden-Württemberg region, has long been one of Croatia's strongest inbound markets, generating high-spending leisure traffic, benefiting from a sizeable Croatian diaspora, and maintaining stable demand throughout the summer season. For Dubrovnik, the route not only reinforces an already well-established market but also offers passengers greater choice and flexibility, reducing the need for connecting itineraries or reliance on a limited number of flights. Both routes fit neatly into the airline's broader strategy of expanding into new markets while deepening its presence in its strongest existing ones”.
If they lowered the prices by 40% they would make more money imo. You can't be selling the flight for 220€ when lcc flies an hour away from there for 30
ReplyDeleteThey better put themselves out of their misery.
DeleteBravo Hrvatska?
ReplyDeleteAjde sada,
DeleteU sav glas!
“Bravo Hrvatska!”
Za sve nas!
In the end of the day this airline is buying brand new planes , 0 profit , cannot sustain a summer route cancelling after a month of service , this airline without their government financial injection every year , will be bunkrupted by night.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how long EU will tolerate this pathetic excuse for a company. By all financial data and reports they should have been done years ago. Where is the limit?
DeleteThey have not purchased any new planes, it costs even more as they are expensive leases
DeleteIf they cant make a flight into Stuttgart work they really are useless.
ReplyDeleteAnd in peak summer no less.
DeleteAnd to Dubrovnik
DeleteNo worries...Jasmin has many more ideas ready to be tried out
ReplyDeleteAt this rate Croatia Airlines will optimise itself into irrelevance.
ReplyDeleteSo the CEO called the route a "textbook example" of a logical addition, yet it couldn't survive even a month. Someone's market analysis clearly missed the mark.
ReplyDeleteI fear that their market data analysis is literally "oh yeah there is diaspora and tourists from there let's try it out." Just the term "textbook" route already freightens me
DeleteThe logic is not logicing
DeleteThis looks more like an aircraft shortage than a demand problem. If they had enough aircraft available, would this route really have been suspended?
ReplyDeleteAircraft shortage? They don't know what to do with the aircraft they have.
DeleteSeems more like a crew shortage
DeleteBlaming the Iran crisis for cutting routes that have nothing to do with the Middle East feels like a convenient excuse.
ReplyDeleterather sad excuse more like.
DeleteThis airline seems to not be competitive at all atvthe current market
ReplyDeleteI wrote it here earlier: Croatia-Germany market is huge but not the one to bet on to bring the growth this summer.
ReplyDeleteTužno,pretužno...
ReplyDeleteNije dobro…
DeleteGoing for single type short and medium range aircraft fleet and focusing on feeding foreigners, having 13 % market share, and pretending to attempt some p2p from the coast, with several hundreds euro prices, on the market saturated with both LCC's and legacies for transfer, and on the market with over 2 million passengers from distant markets is either total incompetence, or, which is the case, obedient executing of commands given by tied mafiosos and politicians, in order for them to continue getting personal benefits from OU as it is. Growth, connectivity, profitability are irrelevant and aparatchiks "managing" OU are appointed deliberately in order for OU to remain humiliated feeder and individuals which should be trialed for treason to remain getting their benefits. And 100 % media in Croatia silent about this and picture OU as NASA and the most important for croatian tourism.
ReplyDelete"and on the market with over 2 million passengers"
DeleteLiterally no source whatsoever for this claim.
I think you will find that a very large number of arrivals to HR from distant markets so i wouldn't doubt that figure to be correct mate. Personally i dont share PIRs belief that Croatia could ever sport an airline that could operate long haul, however is observations regarding lack of engagement with the very large market are totally correct as always.
DeleteJust Buenos Aires itself has over 2 million due to massive diaspora that travels frequently back to Croatia. Also Johannesburg and Cleveland!
DeletePogledajte sa vedre strane: jedan avion u rezervi više, a takodje posto CA pravi gubitke kada leti, znači manje letenja, manje gubitaka!
ReplyDeleteDid they have competition on this route?
ReplyDeleteFlixbus
DeleteNo airline flies Sturrgart-Dubrovnik.
DeleteIndirectly by Ryanair fm FKB
DeleteIts the kind of route they should be making a killing on, or at very least offering good prices. The city has a huge yugo population! OU should be linking the whole coast with places like this at prices that get seats on bumbs. But hey ho, lots they should do. But as PIR illustrates they dont actualy work as an airline. Just a wahsing machine for monexy
Delete*bums on seats.
DeleteIndirectly FR also flies FMM-DBV so there must be a market . FMM is on the border Bavariia-BadenW.
Delete