Ryanair Launches Its Third Network Expansion From Zagreb

Ryanair has begun the third wave of its network expansion from Croatia’s capital Zagreb today, 1st December 2021. Since opening a Lauda Europe base in Zagreb in July this year, Ryanair has announced a total of 24 route launches from this city.

Ryanair has a Lauda Europe base in Zagreb with three Airbus A320 aircraft. Photo: Getty Images

Ryanair’s third expansion in Zagreb

Ryanair is continuing its rapid expansion in Zagreb Airport (ZAG), where it opened a base in July this year via its subsidiary airline, Lauda Europe.

Before June 2021, Ryanair never had any scheduled flights to Zagreb. By the end of this month, Europe’s largest airline will have an incredible 24 routes out of Croatia’s capital.

Today, 1st December 2021, the third wave of Ryanair’s network expansion in Zagreb started. This wave will see a total of nine new route launches as follows:

• Today: Zagreb to Malaga (AGP)
• 2nd December: Zagreb to Manchester (MAN)
• 2nd December: Zagreb to Dublin (DUB)
• 2nd December: Zagreb to Thessaloniki (SKG)
• 3rd December: Zagreb to Paphos (PFO)
• 3rd December: Zagreb to Eindhoven (EIN)
• 3rd December: Zagreb to Basel (Mulhouse-Freiburg) (BSL)
• 4th December: Zagreb to Malta (MLA)
• 17th December: Zagreb to Naples (NAP)

As a result of this expansion, Ryanair will overtake Croatia’s flag carrier, Croatia Airlines, by the number of routes on offer out of Zagreb. This is the first time in the history of Croatia that Croatia Airlines is not the airline offering the most routes out of Zagreb.

Also worth noting is that this wave of expansion will see Ryanair launch the first new route from Zagreb that is already served by another airline. This is the Zagreb-Dublin-Zagreb rotation that is already operated by Croatia Airlines. Ryanair will be offering higher frequencies and more capacity on this route.

Nine brand new routes were launched in the first week in September. Photo: Zagreb Airport

Ryanair already launched 15 routes

The route launches come in addition to the routes launched in the first expansion wave:

• 2nd June: Brussels Charleroi (CRL) to Zagreb
• 17th June: Milan Bergamo (BGY) to Zagreb
• 23rd July: Zagreb to London Stansted (STN)
• 23rd July: Zagreb to Gothenburg (GOT)
• 23rd July: Zagreb to Rome Ciampino (CIA) (now swapped to Fiumicino FCO)
• 3rd August: Zagreb to Sofia (SOF)

And the second expansion wave:

• 2nd September: Zagreb to Oslo Torp (Sandefjord) (TRF)
• 2nd September: Zagreb to Karlsruhe / Baden Baden (FKB)
• 2nd September: Zagreb to Paris Beauvais (BVA)
• 3rd September: Zagreb to Frankfurt Hahn (HHN)
• 3rd September: Zagreb to Memmingen (FMM)
• 3rd September: Zagreb to Dortmund (DTM)
• 4th September: Zagreb to Weeze (NRN)
• 4th September: Zagreb to Podgorica (TGD)
• 4th September: Zagreb to Malmö (MMX)

Ryanair’s base in Zagreb is a Lauda-only base and all flights are operated by Airbus A320s. Photo: Getty Images

Zagreb is now a three-aircraft base

With today’s kick-off of a further nine new route launches, Ryanair’s Zagreb base will also receive additional capacity in the form of a third Lauda Europe aircraft.

It is arriving in Zagreb tomorrow early morning from Vienna, Lauda Europe’s main base where aircraft based in the likes of London Stansted and Zagreb are rotated for operational purposes. The three aircraft that will be based in Zagreb for the moment are 9H-LOP, 9H-LOW, and 9H-LMI.

Ryanair has indicated it will base more aircraft in Zagreb to launch more new routes if Zagreb Airport is prepared to extend its program of discounts that it ran earlier this summer.

What do you think of Ryanair’s rapid expansion in Zagreb? Let us know in the comments below.

from Simple Flying https://ift.tt/3dpFTYp
via IFTTT