Zagreb Airport, i.e. Zagreb International Airport Jsc. which is the concessionaire of the airport, with a new incentive program called Connecting Capital Cities, wants to establish 16 new routes for destinations that are currently not accessible by direct flights from Zagreb.
In an interview with AvioRadar, MZLZ confirmed that after consultations with the Airport User Committee and the approval of the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency (CCAA), the support program was officially announced. This new incentive model will provide financial support for a three-year period to airlines that start direct flights between Zagreb and the capitals of Europe with which Zagreb is not connected. The goal of the incentive program is to connect Zagreb with the maximum number of capital cities, and the incentive model is available for all types of carriers, regardless of their business model or base location. This is an opportunity for all carriers to start or expand their business in Zagreb, with the financial support of Zagreb International Airport.
Capital cities within a radius of 150 km by air are excluded from the program, due to their proximity to Zagreb. Also, those airports that have more than 36 flights to ZAG in 2022 are excluded from the program, for the reason that they are considered serviced.
The airports and cities that meet the conditions of the program are: Prague (PRG), Tallinn (TLL), Berlin (BER), Budapest (BUD), Riga (RIX), Vilnius (VNO), Luxembourg (LUX), Bucharest (OTP) , Stockholm (ARN or NYO), Tirana (TIA), Pristina (PRN), Reykjavik (KEF), Tbilisi (TBS), Kiev (IEV or KPB, after the re-opening of the Ukrainian airspace), Chisinau (KIV) and Yerevan (EVN).
According to the terms of the program, flights to the specified destinations/destinations must operate at least twice a week for a period of 12 consecutive months. The incentive program will take effect on June 1, 2023 and will run until May 31, 2026. Airlines will continue to make regular payments during the period of this incentive program. If the airline fulfills the requirements of this Capital Cities Incentive Program, the Airport Operator (MZLZ) will calculate the amount of the incentive/rebate and issue a financial approval within 30 days after each 12-month period (or by 31 May 2026, if the 12-month period is not fulfilled until May 31, 2026).
Incentives or discounts offered by MZLZ to operators vary from 60 to 90% discount on airport services, and depending on the number of open lines; for 3-4 lines 60%, 5-6 lines 70%, 7-8 lines 80%, 9+ lines 90% discount.
From the incentive program, we additionally learn how airlines can revise their number of destinations/destinations during the incentive period. The list of airports subject to this incentive program may be expanded by MZLZ each calendar year by publication on the official website of MZLZ in the event that any other capital city becomes unserved (having less than 36 scheduled departures in the previous calendar year) during the period of this incentive program. On the other hand, all the airports mentioned above (and those that will be subsequently included in the list) will continue to be eligible for incentives/discounts during the validity of this incentive program, even if direct flights start and/or more than 36 planned of outgoing flights in a calendar year during the validity of this incentive program.
In the event that new destinations/destinations are added to the list and the airline has started operations to such destination/destination and has ceased operations to such destination/destination during the time period of the incentive program and in the event that the same airline resumes operations to the same destination /destination from the list in respect of which it has previously ceased operations, the incentive program will not be applicable to such destination/destination in respect of which operations are resumed. Flights initiated under this Incentive Program may not use any other Incentive Model other than the Based Aircraft Incentive and Based Aircraft Parking Fee Discount (Incentive Models 7 and 8 of the ZAG Incentive Program).
In an interview with AvioRadar, MZLZ notes that Zagreb International Airport already has an extensive Incentive Program that offers support for individual destinations depending on the period of operations (seasonal or year-round) and type (regular or charter flights).
