As most of you are already aware, Croatia and the United States will be connected for the first time in almost 30 years thanks to the new American Airlines seasonal line connecting Dubrovnik and Philadelphia. However, this new route is only the beginning for connections to the USA.
Namely, Zagreb Airport’s current long-haul flights to North America and Asia are not enough, and the capital’s airport hopes to connect with New York, reports Ex-Yu Aviation on April 15, 2019.
“New York is a destination we are focusing on. We are in talks with airlines and we expect for the route to be launched. However, a bit more patience is required for a final agreement to be reached on when the flights will commence and who will be the operating carrier,” said the airport’s General Manager, Huseyin Bahadir Bedir.
Bedir added, however, that Zagreb Airport is in no rush to secure new long-haul flights given their difficulty to sustain.
“Long haul flights are very demanding for airlines, both operationally and financially, and therefore they must be carefully planned. There are some airports in Europe which are two or three times larger than ours but have no long haul flights operated by some of the world’s leading carriers. We have set the bar high in attracting some of the world’s best airlines to Zagreb, with nonstop services to North America and Asia. We aim to have a quality and long-term relationship with each airline we cooperate with,” Bedir added.
You might also recall that just last month, the new organization VisitUSA Croatia is working on boosting flight connections between Croatia and the US, and is primarily looking at a route between Zagreb and New York.
But Zagreb Airport isn’t only looking west. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is also optimistic that nonstop flights to Croatia are on their way.
“We still don’t have a direct air route to connect us. This is one of the reasons why the number of Chinese tourists visiting Croatia is still below market demand. I believe that the day we will launch nonstop flights is coming soon. Both the Chinese and Croatian governments will directly support it,” the Chinese Premier said.
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