Ryanair launching Dubrovnik and Split flights
Europe's busiest airline, Ryanair, will commence flights to Croatia's two largest coastal airports following years of talks. The low cost carrier will introduce four weekly flights from Dublin to Dubrovnik and Split next summer season. The airline said, "Ryanair is pleased to announce another two new summer routes from Dublin to Dubrovnik and Split, our newest airports, which will operate from June, as part of our expanded Dublin 2019 summer schedule". The carrier has avoided the two due to high costs but has been attempting to launch flights to both Dubrovnik and Split for several years. Recently, the carrier also confirmed it had entered talks with the Croatian government over potential services to Zagreb.
Dublin Airport's General Manager, Vincent Harrison, noted, "We are delighted to see Ryanair expand its route network further with the addition of Dubrovnik and Split to its schedule next year. These beautiful Croatian cities are full of culture and history and I have no doubt they will be hugely popular destinations. We will work close with Ryanair’s management team to promote its new services”. The low cost airline will compete directly against Aer Lingus on the two routes. During the 2018 summer season, the Irish national carrier maintained daily flights between Dublin and Dubrovnik, and three weekly services to Split.
The General Manager of Dubrovnik Airport, Frano Luetić, recently told EX-YU Aviation News, "We have been in talks with Ryanair for over a decade, however, our stance remains unchanged. Ryanair is more than welcome in Dubrovnik but under the same conditions as the other sixty airlines operating here. We are strong and united in this regard, hence, we would not want to destroy the excellent relations we have with other carriers in order to post big numbers". Last year, Ryanair requested for Dubrovnik Airport to reduce its fees and sign a multi-year contract prior to it starting operations. The airline's Route Development Manager said at the time that the budget carrier would maintain year-round flights from Dubrovnik, describing it as an extremely interesting destination.
Similarly, Split Airport has previously said it cannot reduce its fees to accommodate Ryanair. General Manager, Lukša Novak, noted, "In Croatia, they [Ryanair] still operate exclusively from airports which provide support for their flights. We have held meetings with them and established contacts, however, for now, they will not come to Split as we have not changed our policy. Neither Split, nor Dubrovnik, need to stimulate carriers during the season as traffic continues to grow. That would only create a mess on the market. We are always open for talks, but we do not intend on changing our business policy". Ryanair is Croatia's fifth biggest carrier based on the number of weekly departing seats. It operates flights to the country exclusively during the summer and maintains services from Croatia to over twenty destinations. The airline has already announced a number of new routes to Zadar for next year.
Flight details for the new Dublin - Dubrovnik flights can be found here, while further information for the Split service can be viewed here.
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