Ryanair plans to operate up to 40 routes from its base in Zagreb by 2022. Ryanair will open a base at Zagreb airport on July 23, one month earlier than expected. The airline has also announced two new routes to Zagreb. Thus, Ryanair is intensifying its expansion in Croatia, as it aims to overtake Croatian Airlines by next year.
At the same time, Ryanair announced two new routes to Zagreb. It will be possible to get to Zagrem and from Malmö, Sweden, and from Weeze Airport, near Düsseldorf, Germany. The total number of new Ryanair routes to Zagreb has reached 14.
Ryanair plans to operate up to 40 new routes by the end of 2022 in Zagreb.
Ryanair is launching 14 new routes from Zagreb and has stated that it intends to operate up to 40 new routes by the end of 2022, wanting to overtake Croatian Airlines, becoming the busiest airline in Zagreb and throughout Croatia:
- Brussels Charleroi, from 2 June
- Milan Bergamo, from June 17
- London Stansted, July 23
- Rome Ciampino, from July 23
- Gothenburg, July 23
- Oslo Sandefjord, from 1 September
- Karlsruhe / Baden Baden, from 2 September
- Paris Beauvais, from September 2
- Memmingen, from September 3rd
- Frankfurt Hahn, September 3
- Dortmund, from September 3rd
- Podgorica, from September 4
- Malmö, from 4 September
- Düsseldorf Weeze, from 4 September
Croatian Airlines is very unhappy with Ryanair's arrival at Zagreb airport.
Croatian Airlines is very unhappy with Ryanair arrival at Zagreb airport. The Croatian national airline claims that Ryanair received unfair financial terms from Zagreb Airport, at the expense of Croatian Airlines.
Ryanair has responded strongly to Croatian Airlines' PR campaign, launching an appeal to the Court of Justice of the European Union against state aid granted by the Croatian Government to the Croatian national airline. Croatian Airlines received a cash injection in 2020, but also in 2019, to cover its operating losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Croatian Airlines has so far made no operational move to respond to Ryanair's arrival in its home territory. The airline has been in talks with Ryanair and the Croatian government with the intention of reducing its own taxes at Zagreb airport. However, the two sides have not reached any agreement, at least so far.
Zagreb airport has not offered Ryanair any specific offers. They have announced an incentive program that offers major reductions in flight operations for airlines that will launch new routes to the airport in the Croatian capital. Ryanair did just that: the airline launched 14 new routes that were never serviced from Zagreb. Croatian Airlines has not seen the situation this way and wants its own taxes in Zagreb to be reduced because Croatian Airlines provides half of the passenger traffic.