Turkish Airlines saw its passenger numbers on flights between Istanbul and Zagreb surpass pre-pandemic levels in the first half of the year, as the airline celebrates 25 years of operations to the Croatian capital. This year, for the first time, the carrier regularly deployed wide-body aircraft to Zagreb, with its Sunday morning service on the route operated by A330s from August 8 until October 22. twice again this week on a one-off basis, with yesterday morning’s flight, as well as this evening’s service (October 12 and October 13) maintained with A330-300 aircraft.
During the first half of the year, Turkish Airlines welcomed a record 92,235 passengers on its Zagreb service, representing an increase of 23.3% compared to 2019 before the pandemic. Its average cabin load factor during the six-month period was 83.7%. The majority of travelers traveling between Istanbul and Zagreb are foreigners, with the rate of Turkish passengers being relatively low. Until the pandemic, 60% of customers on the route were transfers from the Far East. However, the situation changed in the following years due to the closure of many Asian markets. These are now rebounding, but the US market also provides significant flow, including flights to/from Miami, New York and Los Angeles. Turkish Airlines has also benefited from reduced competition from Gulf carriers, with Qatar Airways still operating fewer flights to Zagreb than before the pandemic, while Emirates has relegated its service to Flydubai.
Turkish Airlines performance in Zagreb, first half of 2023
Turkish Airlines began operations to Zagreb on October 27, 1998. During a celebration marking the occasion, Croatian Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjac said: “I congratulate Turkish Airlines on its big anniversary, but above all for its excellent service and reputation. . – In the context of the development of tourism throughout the year, good air connectivity is extremely important for Croatia, which is why we are very happy to have in the person of Turkish Airlines a quality partner that connects directly Turkey to Zagreb and Dubrovnik, and with a codeshare partnership with Croatia Airlines further connects Pula, Split and Zadar. I hope this partnership will expand to other destinations and I wish Turkish Airlines many more years of success.”