Zagreb Airport sees gradual resumption of long haul operations
Zagreb Airport’s long haul network, which was completely suspended over the past two years during the coronavirus pandemic, is being gradually restored, with more flights to resume in the coming period. The network is expected to fully recover by 2025. This summer saw the resumption of Air Transat’s seasonal service between Toronto and Zagreb after over two years. Its rival, Air Canada, which initially scheduled flights to the Croatian capital for this summer, has told EX-YU Aviation News it still hasn’t made a decision over its potential return to Zagreb in 2023. “Air Canada will continue to adjust capacity and take other measures as required, including to account for passenger demand, public health guidelines, and travel restrictions globally, as well as other factors, such as inflation and other cost pressures. As a result, we continue to monitor market conditions and will make a decision in due course”, the Canadian carrier said.
Korean Air will return to Zagreb in a limited capacity this year with a total of five charter services planned from Seoul. The flights are scheduled to run from the South Korean capital on behalf of the Hanjin Travel tour operator on September 30, October 7, October 14, October 21 and October 28 with the 218-seat Airbus A330-200 aircraft. Similar to Air Canada, Korean Air is still undecided on whether to resume scheduled services to the Croatian capital next summer. Its decision will also be impacted by its the low cost long haul competitor T’way Air, which has announced plans to serve Zagreb in the future.
The General Manager of Zagreb Airport, Huseyin Bahadir Bedir, previously said he believes it will take up to 2025 for the airport’s long haul operations to be fully restored. “It is no secret the resumption of medium and long haul flights primarily depend on travel restriction imposed by different countries. Zagreb Airport had a notable number of passengers from the Far East, Australia and North America. The return of these flights will depend on boarder restrictions. We expect the gradual resumption of these services between 2022 and 2025”, Mr Bedir noted. He added the airport was working on establishing more long haul services. “We are in constant contact with carriers across the world to negotiate and reach an agreement to increase airport traffic. The US market is no exception. We are working on the establishment of nonstop flights between the United States and Zagreb. However, ultimately, whether these services will be introduced depends on the commercial decision of the individual carrier”. Mr Bedir noted.
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