Ryanair announced the first winter flight schedule from the new Zagreb base at a press conference in the capital on Tuesday.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said at the press conference today: “Ryanair is investing in Croatia to help it recover from the tourism industry after Covid and strengthened connectivity with the rest of Europe as Ryanair continues to grow and air transport returns to pre-pandemic levels. As Ryanair takes over 55 new B737-8200 aircraft this winter, we are pleased to base three new aircraft in Zagreb, which will fly a total of 24 new routes during Ryanair’s first Zagreb-based winter.”
Three based A320 aircraft with a capacity of 180 seats will operate on 24 international scheduled flights from Zagreb to Baden Baden, Basel, Brussels, Dortmund, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Eindhoven, Frankfurt, Gothenburg, London, Malaga, Malta, Malmo, Manchester, Memmingen, Milan, Naples, Oslo, Paris, Paphos, Podgorica, Rome, Sofia, and Thessaloniki.
Ryanair also plans to add a fourth aircraft to the Zagreb base next summer and will add a third jet in Zagreb this December, though O’Leary did not reveal which routes could be expected.
“We are not focusing on routes covered by Croatia Airlines but those that are not served from Zagreb. The airport should be handling 3.5 million passengers next year, six million in 2023 and over seven million travellers in 2024”, O’Leary said, as reported by Ex Yu Aviation.
O’Leary also took the chance to criticize Croatia Airlines:
“In the past six months, Croatia Airlines has introduced three new routes, while Ryanair is in the process of adding 24. Croatia Airlines has also been the beneficiary of twelve million euros in state aid. We, on the other hand, receive no subsidies from the government. Croatia Airlines is a distinguished carrier but it has lost touch with the development of air travel in Croatia, particularly from Zagreb. We do not see them as a competitor because even on the routes we both operate on, we fly to different airports”.
Ryanair also stated that the investment in the Zagreb base is worth $300 million.
The new winter lines are currently on sale and one-way tickets are already available at a price of 150 kuna or 19.99 euros. Tickets at these prices must be booked by Thursday, September 23, at midnight.
Follow the latest flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.
