Lufthansa, Eurowings and Austrian Airlines last week revised their Zagreb operations for the upcoming 2026/27 winter season, which begins on October 25 and runs until March 27 next year, with the former two making notable cuts compared to their initial schedules.
Lufthansa will halve its operations between Munich and Zagreb from January 2027. In November and December, the airline will reduce frequencies by one weekly flight to thirteen per week. However, from January, operations will be cut from the initially planned two daily services to seven per week. This comes on top of previous modifications made to the carrier’s Frankfurt - Zagreb schedule. As a result, from January, Lufthansa will operate one daily flight from both Frankfurt and Munich to the Croatian capital. Over the winter season, the airline has scheduled 772 aircraft movements and 101.156 seats on its Zagreb services, down 23.4% and 14.2% respectively.
Eurowings will temporarily suspend its Stuttgart - Zagreb service. Flights will initially operate twice per week in November and December, down from three weekly, before being suspended from January 11 until February 26. During the 2025/26 winter, the route was maintained throughout the entire season.
Austrian Airlines is making a minor adjustment to its schedule, with plans to operate six weekly flights instead of a daily service in January and February. Flights will continue to run daily in November, December and March. Despite the revision, this still represents an increase on January and February 2026, when the carrier maintained just three weekly services to the Croatian capital following the collapse of its wet-lease arrangement with Braathens Regional. However, the use of larger aircraft during the first part of winter will significantly increase Austrian's capacity on the route.
The modifications made by the Lufthansa Group are not limited to Zagreb. Last week, Lufthansa removed more than 1.000 flights scheduled for January 2027, as well as several hundred services planned for December 2026 and February 2027. Eurowings cancelled more than 100 flights in both January and February, while Austrian Airlines removed around eighty services in each of the two months.
Overall, the Lufthansa Group currently has 1.248 Zagreb flights scheduled over the coming winter season, down 15.7% on the previous winter, while capacity stands at 165.756 seats, down 6.3%.
Cutting Munich from twice daily to once daily will seriously reduce the number of useful connecting options.
ReplyDeleteThere is still the OU codeshare
DeleteLufthansa may be directing more connecting traffic through Vienna, where Austrian is maintaining a relatively strong schedule.
DeleteCroatia Airlines flies at exactly the same times as Lufthansa and it never made sense that both of them do that anyway
DeleteVIE-ZAG has modest frequencies and VIE has a modest network, it's not global.
Delete+1 for every comment.
Delete@09:55 VIE serves 200 direct destinations across roughly 65 countries of which 122 are served by Austrian - including 20 long haul. If that is modest or not is a matter of opinion i suggest.
DeleteYeah and then you realize VIE handles fewer passengers than ATH.
DeleteVIE is no MUC or FRA so it's not an adequate replacement.
May be room for OU to step in with the A220.
ReplyDeleteUnless it's too early....
Its far too early
DeleteThis could actually improve Croatia Airlines’ load factors, especially if it maintains its own German network.
DeleteAnd OU could fly MUC-LJU-MUC this winter as LH reduced their flights to zero... But I learned here that it's too early...-
DeleteIf demand were genuinely strong, Lufthansa would not be cutting Munich to one daily flight.
DeleteIsn't OU also cutting a bunch of MUC flights too? From Osijek and Rijeka?
DeleteThose routes has 5 passengers per flight outside of holidays
DeleteOU is a Croatian national airline and they must connect Croatia better and not other countries. They could fly for example DBV-LJUB, but completely avoiding Croatian airport and flying LJUB-MUC doesn't make sense.
DeleteOU is a Croatian national airline only on paper.
Delete'OU is a Croatian national airline and they must connect Croatia better and not other countries'
DeleteIf OU wants to remain it needs to make money. If that means sending their aircraft to Indonesia to ferry tourists to Bali or linking Ljubljana with [insert location here] It might be worth doing. The lack of creativity from the 'Croatian' carrier will ultimately drive it to the ground.
Some here on forum forgets that Croatia is in EU. OU is EU airline like many others.
DeleteI doubt anyone forgets that. It just undercores the lack of creativity in their operation.
DeleteCroatia Airlines should take advantage of these cuts
ReplyDeleteYou are either reactive or proactive, and we all know in which category OU sits.
DeleteThis is strange since we are constantly reassured demand is strong because the EU economy does really well.
ReplyDeleteand you constantly remark how bad it doing.
DeleteIt’s not great, obviously. And getting worse. Obviously
Deleteand your point being?
DeleteYes, the number of frequencies on the Zagreb-Munich route is a direct indicator of the performance of the whole EU economy.
DeleteAnon 09.09
DeleteBecause they are facts and you keep saying they are not. Germany is not doing well so Lufthansa is Adjusting capacity. Just a week ago Varta went bankrupt
@09:44 well said.
DeleteAnon 10.18 and Anon 09.44
DeleteYou might want to read the last paragraph of today's article. You can also go back and read the part where they also cut FRA flights.
Stuttgart is an important route for the Croatian diaspora. Hopefully, Eurowings brings it back as planned at the end of February.
ReplyDeleteRyanair flies to Karlsruhe
DeleteI think demand to STR from the region isn't great. There are not many frequencies from Belgrade either
DeleteDo we know which European destinations were cut the most
ReplyDeleteThe Lufthansa Group appears to be struggling with aircraft availability, staffing and high operating costs across its network.
ReplyDeleteThey have enough planes and crew. Lufthansa isn't making enough money for the group.
DeleteTurkish Airlines must be delighted. Every reduction by Lufthansa makes Istanbul more attractive as a connecting hub.
ReplyDeleteLOT could also benefit.
Delete🤣🤣🤣
DeleteTell us what is so funny so we can all laugh
DeleteYou think people who used to fly Lufthansa Zagreb-Munich-Hamburg will now fly Zagreb-Istanbul-Hamburg when Croatia Airlines flies to all of Lufthansa Group hubs still, and at the same times as Lufthansa used to fly?
DeleteNo it has nothong to do with Zagreb-Munich-Hamburg but Zagreb-Munich-New York and etc.
DeleteTaking of New York, Lufthansa is also reducing FRA-JFK from 14 to 7 onboard the A350 (B744 last year).
DeleteTransatlantic flying has flatlined to 0.3% growth. 29 routes between Europe and North America stopping this year. Tourism levels have stalled from Europe to the US also.
DeleteI don't know about the rest but the US has become unreasonably expensive, especially hotels. Quality doesn't match the money they are asking for. Asia and even some parts of Africa offer much better value for money.
DeleteThe US ja vast. Rural california is no more expensive than Croatia. In fact it can be cheaper. The quality v price comment sticks for Croatia itself tbh.
Delete"I don't know about the rest but the US has become unreasonably expensive, especially hotels."
DeleteNot really, it's just that the wealth gap between the US and EU is increasing. The same job pays 200k USD in New York and 80k EUR in Paris. Even when you adjust for cost-of-living differences, Americans are left with far more cash in their pockets than their European counterparts.
And with food and fuel prices kept low.
DeleteDon't know, I was in Los Angeles a few months ago and I stayed at a hotel that charged around $500/night.
DeleteIt was ok but definitely not worth that. I don't know, I think there is better value for money in Asia.
^ 12:54 with the greatest of respect that is your decision to spend that. You can find far cheaper. Comparing LA and Asia or Croatia and Barbados doesn't mean much tbh.
DeleteOf course it was my decision but this was a hotel chain and I stayed in their branded hotel in Asia as well. Less money but better quality.
DeleteIt will be interesting to see whether Croatia Airlines adjusts its schedule as well. There is little sense in operating several flights at almost identical times.
ReplyDeleteThis is Croatia Airlines you are talking about. They will probably also decrease flights in solidarity with Lufthansa.
DeleteSmart move. Always follow LH.. Reducing is smart move
DeleteThey will probably get Ryanair to increase flights or try to get Wizz Air to come. Every time traffic starts going south at ZAG like they have this year they run to an LCC.
ReplyDeleteThat's not a bad strategy.
DeleteSays who?
DeleteSays the guy who wrote that comment. What is your problem
DeleteWell i say it is an empty comment. What is your problem?
DeleteThis could also be the impact of the recent fee hike at ZAG.
ReplyDeleteI don't think so, Lufthansa has been cutting flights for a while now. I think this year they terminated like 10 destinations
DeleteA larger aircraft once per day is less useful than two smaller aircraft because it significantly reduces connecting possibilities.
ReplyDeleteZagreb needs more direct routes, not additional dependence on connecting hubs in Germany.
DeleteI disagree. Zagreb cannot sustain direct routes in the winter that it can have in the summer, so connectivity via Lufthansa hubs is really important. Zagreb has always had good connection options.
DeleteLufthansa’s product and service quality have declined while its prices have continued to increase. Passengers are looking elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteLufthansa is the biggest legacy airline in Europe and still growing after decades of growth. But you can keep dreaming.
DeleteIt is not growing this winter.
DeleteAnd also why would I dream? In my experience their product and setvices have declined. Why are you personally offended by that statement?
DeleteLufthansa has become an overpriced LCC
Delete@10:01 All European 'legacy' carriers are that. They need to be if they want to survive.
DeleteAnd these legacies still struggle... just goes to show cutting service and quality isn't the solution.
DeleteThere is no reason for panic. January and February are extremely weak months, and the flights return later in the season.
ReplyDeleteI don't see anyone panicking.
DeleteThe real question is whether these are temporary winter reductions or the beginning of a longe term restructuring.
DeleteA lot of cuts go beyond the January and February period.
DeleteZagreb Airport should actively pursue alternative carriers on German routes
ReplyDeleteRyanair
DeleteWhat are you on about, what alternative carriers. Croatia Airlines flies to all the Lufthansa group hubs
DeleteAs any good feeder should...
DeletePerhaps Lufthansa should withdraw completely from the Croatian market and utilise OU properly as a full part of its operation. Apart from the few domestic routes the airline will need to operate could then simply provide links to Munich and Frankfurt and seasonal coast links promoted and supported by Lufthansa.
DeleteThat would be fine if LH wasn't paying OU peanuts for its feed.
DeleteLet's see if JU also profits from these Lufthansa cuts. Their 13.20 departure to ZAG connects to their European network quite well.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it at 13.15? JU602.
DeleteI would assume that the fewer connecting options from Zagreb will (in a very small way) provide increased options for JU. Certainly I've found Air Serbia the most efficient and well-priced way of getting to Geneva from Zagreb.
JU sends the ATR to ZAG so extra 5 passengers per flight make a difference.
Delete"Certainly I've found Air Serbia the most efficient and well-priced way of getting to Geneva from Zagreb."
DeleteEven with clearing passport control?
@11:40 Indeed.
DeleteFrom what I saw, JU departs and arrives in GVA during the more quiet periods of the day. There shouldn't be a problem with the passport control
DeleteExactly. But also from a price perspective i've found it good. Just my experience on a few uses of the route.
DeleteCan someone remind me, did Eurowings used to fly Hannover -Zagreb until a year or two ago?
ReplyDeleteOil prices are increasing again. You'll find most Airlines across the world profits dwindling and are cutting routes/ frequencies this winter.
ReplyDeleteI can't say I like that.
DeleteOnly thing which might help other airline is that people are avoiding Middle East hubs like the plague. So people might be willing to spend more money now.