PREMIUM
Qatar Airways became Zagreb’s second busiest transfer airline in 2019 behind only Lufthansa and maintained third position in 2020 despite suspending operations on the route for a number of months and significantly reducing frequencies in the aftermath of the global lockdowns, from double daily to one weekly. The Qatari carrier has served Zagreb since May 2012, initially linking it to and from Doha via Budapest. It introduced non-stop flights in October 2014 and continues to maintain operations to the Croatian capital.
In the pre-pandemic 2019, Qatar Airways handled 147.073 passengers between Doha and Zagreb on 1.450 flights (return service included) and offered 204.784 seats on the market throughout the year. It registered an average annual cabin load factor of 71.8%. The majority of its flights, almost 90%, were operated by the two-class Airbus A320 aircraft. In 2020, the airline suspended operations for most of April, as well as all of May and June. It restored flights for the rest of the year with a symbolic one weekly rotation.
Zagreb - Doha - Zagreb passenger performance by year
Zagreb - Doha - Zagreb passenger performance by month in 2020
Australian and Far East Asian destinations formed part of Qatar Airways’ most popular feeder routes to and from Zagreb in 2019. During that year, 73.4% of all passengers flying with the Qatari carrier between the two cities were transfers on a single itinerary. The list of destinations did not differ much in 2020 as the bulk of traffic was generated during the first quarter, prior to the global lockdowns. Last year, 81.7% of Qatar Airways’ Zagreb passengers were transfers.
Qatar Airways' top feeder routes to/from Zagreb in 2019
Qatar Airways' top feeder routes to/from Zagreb in 2020
This summer season, which runs until late October, Qatar Airways is operating just two weekly flights between Doha and Zagreb, which will increase to three weekly from mid-June. The airline’s Zagreb operations are severely impacted by the closure of its traditional feed markets. Inbound and outbound travel from Australia will not be restored until mid-2022, while the majority of markets in Asia are still closed for foreigners. Overall, Qatar Airways is operating 164 Zagreb flights this summer (return service included) with 21.648 seats on sale. All flights are being maintained by the A320 aircraft.