May the 2nd, 2026 – The very first direct plane from New York to Split has landed, marking a huge step forward for Croatian tourism.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the very first aircraft of the American airline United Airlines operating on the new seasonal direct flight linking New York to Split, which will fly on this route three times a week, landed at Split Airport on Friday morning.
It’s expected that the New York-Split route could grow into a year-round airline in the future. Split Airport Director Josip Ćorić emphasised that this landing marked a historic day for the airport, recalling that this route is being established in the year in which Split Airport celebrates its 60th anniversary, writes HRT.
“The introduction of the direct flight New York to Split confirms the strategic position of Split Airport as the key gateway of Dalmatia to the rest of the world,” said Ćorić, emphasising that this year, Split Airport is connected to 26 countries and offers links to a total of 86 direct destinations.
Senior Vice President for Global Planning at United Airlines Patrick Quayle emphasised that the introduction of this route provides Americans with the opportunity to arrive in Split more easily.
“With this line, we’re further expanding our network of destinations across Croatia,” said Quayle, noting that a little earlier, the New York-Dubrovnik direct line was also established.
The State Secretary in the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, Tomislav Mihotić, pointed out that the introduction of the New York-Split line represents a “huge leap forward” in the connection between Croatia and the USA.
“For Croatia, this means the further opening up of our beautiful Adriatic coast to a wider American audience. This will contribute to the strengthening of our tourism sector and the local economy in Dalmatia. This encourages stronger business relations between Croatia and the USA and the cultural exchange between the two countries,” he said.
The State Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Monika Udovicic, stated that the establishment of the New York-Split line is a great step forward for Croatian tourism.
US Ambassador to Croatia Nicole McGraw said that this direct line is extremely important because, according to her, it will contribute to the arrival of American tourists to Croatia this year being higher than last year’s 850,000.
“With the introduction of this direct line, we’ll be able to accommodate fans of the Croatian national football team to travel to the World Cup, in which the Croatian national football team is also participating, and the USA is one of the hosts of that competition,” she said.
She then expressed her belief that this seasonal line will eventually end up turning into a year-round one. She announced that this summer, in collaboration with the Ultra Festival, a celebration of the 250th anniversary of American independence will be organised in Split, and she expects that many Americans will travel to Split for this celebration via this direct line.
