Turkish Airlines has recorded its busiest first quarter on flights from Istanbul to both Zagreb and Ljubljana. On services to and from the Croatian capital, the carrier welcomed 41.733 passengers, representing an increase of 33.4% on the same period during the pre-pandemic 2019. The airline has been present on the Croatian market since 1998 when it launched a two weekly service from Istanbul to Zagreb, which has since increased to double daily. Turkish is also one of the busiest transfer airlines operating out of the Croatian capital, with domestic destinations in Turkey, as well as Tel Aviv and the Far East being among the most popular transfer markets.
Turkish Airlines’ Zagreb route performance, Q1
Turkish Airlines’ General Manager for Croatia, Gurhan Sozen, met with Croatia’s Consul General for Turkey this week, where the two discussed cooperation. “During the meeting, we had fruitful discussions on exploring opportunities for collaboration which can have a positive impact on business and tourism traffic between Turkey and Croatia. As the only airline connecting these two countries, Turkish Airlines plays a crucial role and we recognise our responsibility to deliver exceptional service”, Mr Sozen said. Turkish Airlines faces no competition on its Zagreb route, with Croatia Airlines discontinuing operations to Turkey’s largest city in 2013.
Turkish Airlines handled 37.585 passengers on its Ljubljana flights during the first quarter, representing an increase of 16.7% on 2019. Last year, Istanbul was the busiest individual route from the Slovenian capital, ahead of Frankfurt, Paris Charles de Gaulle and London Gatwick. Similar to its operations in Zagreb, the airline sees a notable number of transfer traffic on its Ljubljana service. Top feeder routes include Turkish domestic destinations, as well as the likes of Bucharest, the Caucuses and Dubai. Turkish Airlines entered the Slovenian market in 2006 with three weekly services and now maintains double daily flights.
Turkish Airlines’ Ljubljana route performance, Q1
Commenting on its Ljubljana operations, Turkish Airlines recently said, “Our services are particularly attractive to business travellers and tourists travelling to Asia, since Turkish Airlines has good connections with the Middle East and Far East and with the USA. The number of these passengers is growing from year to year. We also place considerable emphasis on promoting Slovenia in foreign markets and on persuading tourists who wish to visit Slovenia to choose our flights. Since we entered the Slovenian market, flights from Ljubljana have led to closer connections between Slovenia and Turkey in the fields of tourism, culture and the economy. This is an achievement of which we are rightly proud of”.
