The answer is yes, Flydubai is returning to Zagreb, but only temporarily.
Ex Yu Aviation reports on November 29, 2018, that Flydubai will return to Zagreb after a two-year hiatus and make their comeback already this weekend, as the carrier will replace its partner, Emirates, on the route between Dubai and Zagreb until March 30, 2019.
Flydubai will operate daily to Zagreb using the 166-seat Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, unlike Emirates who runs the route mainly using a Boeing 777 aircraft.
“The move will ensure that capacity is deployed to best serve customer demand by maximizing the frequency for passengers during the winter season,” Flydubai said.
Flydubai will be codeshared by Emirates and will depart from Terminal 3 at Dubai Airport.
“Now we have our commercial strategy, our network strategy and our fleet strategy more synergized,” said Emirates President Tim Clark regarding the move.
The partnership also allows Emirates to handle the drop over the winter season better, while ensuring that Croatia continues to be an essential market for Flydubai, bearing in mind that the carrier also flies to Dubrovnik in the summer.
The Emirates president claims that these seasonal route swaps could even become the norm in the future, and also be a trend that spreads throughout the region.
“Focusing the network according to two carriers playing their role is working well. We haven’t finished that exercise by any stretch of the imagination,” Clark added.
The Croatian National Tourist Board also promises to put a greater focus on the route between Dubai and Zagreb.
“The Croatian National Tourist Board wants to create greater awareness of Croatia’s unique attractions and offerings as a leisure and business travel destination for visitors from the United Arab Emirates. As part of our ongoing efforts to reach out, broaden and strengthen our connections with the UAE, we are seeking to develop new joint business opportunities, the creation of new holiday packages for UAE residents, and, going forward, increased visits from the market to Croatia,” said Karla Bronobić Vojvodić of HTZ.
Recall, Emirates launched the service between Zagreb and Dubai in June 2017 and has been operating on a daily basis ever since.
To read more about the Emirates line to Zagreb, follow TCN’s dedicated page here.
