No progress on nonstop Zagreb - US flights
Zagreb Airport is unlikely to see the introduction of nonstop flights from the United States next year despite favourable circumstances for the launch of the much-awaited services. Although the major US carriers have not completely finalised their 2024 summer operations, two have announced their planned new long haul routes for the coming year. American Airlines will launch seasonal flights to Copenhagen, Naples and Nice, while Delta will commence operations from New York to Munich, Naples and Shannon, and from Atlanta to Zurich. United Airlines is yet to announce its full summer schedule, however, it will resume seasonal operations from Newark to Dubrovnik on May 24.
Zagreb Airport recently said, “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”. Sani Sener, the founder of TAV Airports Holding, one of the operators of Zagreb Airport, noted, "The most desired route from Zagreb would be New York”. New York is Zagreb’s busiest unserved destinations in the United States, accounting for 21% of all passengers between the Croatian capital and the US. It is followed by Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, Miami, Boston and Houston. Lufthansa shuttles the most passengers between Zagreb and the States, accounting for 22% of all indirect travellers. It is followed by Croatia Airlines, which benefits from the notable number of codeshare partnerships it has with airlines flying to the US, including Lufthansa. British Airways also accounts for a sizeable number of transfer passengers between the two markets. Croatian passport holders no longer require a visa to enter the United States.
Zagreb Airport currently offers airlines incentives for the establishment of long haul flights, that is, service that are seven hours or longer. They include discounts on landing fees and the passenger service charge. The reduction in fees is dependent on whether services are operated on a year-round or seasonal basis. Incentives are also available for long haul charter flights. The last time Zagreb boasted scheduled flights to the United States was during the summer of 1991, when Pan Am maintained four weekly nonstop roundtrips from New York with its Airbus A310 aircraft. Prior to that, JAT Yugoslav Airlines ran services from Zagreb to New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.
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