Zagreb Airport eyes new airlines and routes with fresh incentives
Zagreb Airport has introduced a new incentive scheme with the aim of attracting carriers and securing new routes. A similar stimulus program introduced last year resulted in Ryanair opening a base in the Croatian capital and introducing 24 new routes within six months. According to the “Croatian Aviation” portal, the new scheme went into effect on January 1. It covers eight different models including year-round scheduled new destination incentives, year-round frequency increase on existing destination incentives, seasonal scheduled new destination incentives, new charter destination incentives, upgrading seasonal to year-round operations incentives, supplementary long haul incentives, supplementary based aircraft incentive and parking fee discount for stationed aircraft. Ryanair is set to significantly benefit from the new scheme and is likely to further expand its operations as a result.
Most of the incentives include a reduction in fees for landing and the passenger service charge, some of which will be discounted for up to three years. Airlines wishing to launch new routes will be eligible for fee cuts only if the destination in question had not been served nonstop on a scheduled basis during the past twelve months. The proposed route must be operated nonstop at least 36 times in any given six-month period without interruptions on a scheduled basis. Croatia Airlines had previously objected to such incentives, arguing they were not made available to them prior to the coronavirus pandemic and were aimed at low cost carriers. The full list of incentives and their terms and conditions can be found here.
Commenting on the discounts, Zagreb Airport said, “This incentive program aims to establish rules and conditions for traffic growth at Zagreb. The incentive program is aimed at all commercial airlines that operate or intend to operate at Zagreb Airport and which fulfil all the requirements and criteria set forth in this program”. The Croatian Competition Agency recently concluded an investigation into the airport’s incentive program, concluding it does not distort the market or put Ryanair in a privileged position compared to other carriers. For its part, Zagreb Airport said, “Zagreb Airport is subject to strict regulations defined by the European Commission and the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency. All incentive programs implemented by the incentive model are transparent and non-discriminatory and can be used by all airlines under equal conditions”.
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