Ryanair charts EX-YU return with new routes and base
Low cost carrier Ryanair intends on restoring the majority of its operations in the former Yugoslavia by June and will launch several new routes. It has also reinstated plans to open a seasonal summer base in Zadar by stationing one aircraft in the city. The airline recently announced it would commence new operations from Vienna to Niš in July in order to replace its terminated Bratislava service. The no frills airline also plans to resume operations from Bergamo and Malta to the south-east Serbian city in May. Elsewhere, the carrier will launch its new Vienna - Banja Luka route in June, and has restored plans to introduce flights from Bergamo to Banja Luka, which were initially to launch in 2020. This new service is set to begin on July 3. Overall, all of Banja Luka’s Ryanair flights will, at this point, be restored through May and June.
Plans to re-establish a base in Zadar in 2020 was derailed by the coronavirus pandemic, however, the airline now plans to station an Airbus A320 aircraft from its subsidiary Lauda Europe on the Croatian coast from July. Initial plans for last year were to see three of the airline’s jets based in Zadar. The A320 from Lauda Europe will operate alongside Ryanair’s B737-800 aircraft which will be deployed on certain routes from other bases. As a result, the low cost airline will introduce new flights from Naples to Zadar in June, while the Zadar-based Lauda aircraft will maintain services to Marseilles, Memmingen, Berlin, Weeze, Beauvais, Krakow, Wroclaw and Gothenburg. Overall, Ryanair will operate 1.662 flights from the Croatian city this summer (both directions included).
Commenting on Ryanair’s operations in Zadar, the airport’s General Manager, Josip Klišmanić, told EX-YU Aviation News recently, “Ryanair closed its base in Zadar in 2018. However, despite not having aircraft stationed in Zadar in 2019, it saw passenger growth of 42.5% compared to the previous year. The end result does not ultimately define whether a certain destination is a base or not, but it certainly has a positive effect on the prospects of future growth”. He added, “As was previously announced, in 2020, Ryanair intended on stationing three A320 aircraft in Zadar operated by its subsidiary Lauda. However, Covid-19 made it impossible for these plans to materialise. Zadar Airport is logistically prepared to provide services to stationed aircraft and we are certain this will occur”.
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