Zagreb Airport plans new long haul flights
Zagreb Airport, which currently boasts long haul flights to North America and Asia, is eyeing new destinations in far-away markets with New York being its primary target. The airport's General Manager, Huseyin Bahadir Bedir, said, "New York is a destination we are focusing on. We are in talks with airlines and we expect for the route to be launched. However, a bit more patience is required for a final agreement to be reached on when the flights will commence and who will be the operating carrier". Last month, VisitUSA Croatia, a newly formed organisation dedicated to marketing the United States as a premier travel destination under the Brand USA federal umbrella group, said it was working on expanding flight connectivity between the two countries. "We are primarily looking to secure services between Zagreb and New York as this route would fuel travel between the two countries", it said.
Mr Bedir warned that sustaining long haul operations is difficult which is why Zagreb Airport is taking its time to secure new flights. "Long haul flights are very demanding for airlines, both operationally and financially, and therefore they must be carefully planned. There are some airports in Europe which are two or three times larger than ours but have no long haul flights operated by some of the world's leading carriers. We have set the bar high in attracting some of the world's best airlines to Zagreb, with nonstop services to North America and Asia. Our aim is to have a quality and long-term relationship with each airline we cooperate with", the General Manager said.
The Croatian capital could also soon be linked with China as well. The Chinese Premier, Li Keqiang, who attended the 16 + 1 summit of South East European countries and China in Dubrovnik last week, said nonstop flights to Croatia would be launched in the near future. "We still don't have a direct air route to connect us. This is one of the reasons why the number of Chinese tourists visiting Croatia is still below market demand", Premiere Li said following talks with his Croatian counterpart. He added, "I believe that the day of the launch of nonstop flights is coming soon. Both the Chinese and Croatian governments will directly support it".
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