Croatia – United States Direct Flights ‘Likely’ to Launch in 2018

Direct flights between Croatia and the United States look likely to be launched in 2018, with year-long services being introduced the following year.

There has been a concerted push for direct flights between Croatia and the United States for a while, and now Croatia’s Minister of Tourism has weighed in on the topic.

“We are in serious negotiations over the introduction of year-long flights from Croatia to New York, most likely from Zagreb and Dubrovnik, even from Split”, Minister Gari Cappelli said on Friday.

Cappelli says the Croatian embassy in Washington is already seeking out potential operators and that talks regarding the introduction of flights will continue over the summer during his official visit to the United States.

New York

“According to the Minister, all signs are pointing towards the introduction of seasonal flights during the high season in 2018 and year-long services in 2019”, EX-YU Aviation News reports.

At the end of 2016 Zagreb Airport, which will open its new terminal in the Croatian capital next month, confirmed that negotiations to resume a direct service to New York were in place.

Zagreb’s new terminal to open in March (photo credit: Petar Mežnarek/Zagreb Airport)

Last year a petition was launched in the United States to put pressure on the powers that be to introduce direct flights.

“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.

Scheduled flights between Croatia and the United States last operated in the 1990s.