EX-YU airports seek Zagreb connecitivty
Several airports in the former Yugoslavia are hoping to get better connected with the Croatian capital in the coming period. Within the former state, Zagreb Airport is currently linked with Belgrade, Skopje, Sarajevo and Mostar, once domestic flights within Croatia are excluded. Podgorica, Ohrid and Pristina all hope to see services to the city, with the recent collapse of Adria Airways creating opportunities for carriers to fill the void to cater for transfer passengers. Montenegro Airlines recently noted it is considering flights to Zagreb. “One of our target destinations is Zagreb. The Montenegrin national carrier aspires to link nearby cities. Passenger growth on a global scale and the importance of the Montenegrin market leaves room for us to make such plans”, a spokeswoman from the carrier said. She added, “The regional market, as well as the terms and conditions offered by airports, are constantly reviewed. Zagreb certainly has the potential of being a future destination for us”.
Croatia Airlines, which discontinued its three weekly flights between Zagreb and the Montenegrin capital in February 2012, held talks with operator Airports of Montenegro last year over its potential return. “The resumption of flights between Podgorica and Zagreb would be of great importance to the Montenegrin diaspora in Croatia, but also for Croatian nationals in Montenegro. Furthermore, it would serve as an added benefit for the tourism sector which is vital for both countries”, the Ambassador of Montenegro to Croatia, Boro Vučinić, said. The resumption of flights between the two has also received support from the mayors of Zagreb and Podgorica, as well as the Croatian Ambassador to Montenegro.
The head of the Agency for the Promotion and Support of Tourism in Macedonia, Ljupčo Janevski, recently held talks with the Croatian Minister for Tourism, Gari Capelli, as well as representatives from Croatia Airlines over the potential launch of flights between Zagreb and Ohrid. Some 22.600 Croatian tourists visited Macedonia in 2018, while 35.600 Macedonians travelled to Croatia. Croatia Airlines is the busiest airline from the former Yugoslavia operating in Skopje, with its passenger numbers on the route increasing over the past two years. In 2015, the carrier introduced a seasonal one weekly service between Split and the Macedonian capital, however, the flights were short-lived and cancelled after just two flights.
The President of Kosovo has advocated for the resumption of flights between Pristina and Zagreb to help bolster economic cooperation between the two. Croatia Airlines pulled out of the Kosovo market last year by terminating its seasonal flights between the two cities. It marked an end to its gradual reduction of operations on the route. The Croatian carrier had maintained year-round operations between Zagreb and Pristina until 2016, after which services were downgraded to seasonal summer flights. It commenced operations to Pristina back in 2008, with three weekly services. The route was primarily targeted at transfer passengers at a time when there were limited options for travel from Pristina. At one point, it ran up to seven weekly flights between the two cities. However, with the arrival of new and low cost carriers in Pristina, as well as an increasing number of travellers from Kosovo using Skopje Airport due to its generally cheaper air fares, Croatia Airlines became less competitive.
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