Direct Croatia – USA Flights to Start in Summer 2017?

Direct flights set to resume between Croatia and US (photo credit: Ballota under CC)

Direct flights between the United States and Croatia might not be far away. EX-YU Aviation News are reporting today that a deal between Zagreb International Airport and a ‘European carrier’ was imminent…

“Zagreb Airport is close to securing flights to the United States, which, if launched, would mark the resumption of services between the two countries after 22 years. A European carrier is currently in talks with Zagreb Airport over possible seasonal services to New York, which would run during the 2017 summer season”, EX-YU Aviation News writes.

Although no final agreement has been reached, there is increasing talk that the announcement confirming the direct flights is a matter of when and not if.

“In the US, New York would be an excellent destination, although it is true that this metropolis is well connected to all major European airports”, Zagreb Airport General Manager Jacques Feron said earlier.

Earlier this year a petition was launched from the United States to put pressure on the powers that be to introduce direct flights between USA and Croatia.

New Zagreb airport which will open soon in March 2017 (photo credit: Zagreb Airport)

“Dubrovnik, Zagreb, New York and Split are the world’s most vibrant and entrepreneurial cities but DO NOT have an overseas direct non stop flights which could connect our cities in just over 8 hours. Through our petition we can show the airlines there’s strong demand for a direct New York – Dubrovnik – Zagreb flight, providing essential market research on how profitable the route could be,” the petition stated.

Any European Union registered airline are able to operate services from any destination in the EU to the United States if they holds a valid foreign air carrier permit with the United States Department of Transportation.

Direct flights from US to Zagreb stopped in 1991 (photo credit: Sandra Tralic)

The last time Croatia had scheduled flights to the United States was during the summer of 1991, when Pan Am maintained four weekly nonstop roundtrips from New York to Zagreb with its Airbus A310 aircraft. Prior to that, JAT Yugoslav Airlines maintained services from Zagreb to New York, Chicago and Los Angeles”, EX-YU Aviation News concluded.