Airlines reduce flights to Croatia amid Middle East tensions

Several airlines have adjusted their flight schedules to Croatia as rising jet fuel prices and ongoing tensions in the Middle East continue to affect aviation operations across Europe.

Airlines are making short-term changes to their networks, with most of the reductions impacting flights scheduled for April and May, exyuaviation.com reported.

Turkish Airlines has trimmed services on its Istanbul–Zagreb route. The carrier had originally planned to operate 21 weekly flights during April but now expects to run between 18 and 20 flights per week for most of the month.

French low-cost airline Volotea has also reduced capacity on several routes to Croatia.

Flights between Bordeaux and Dubrovnik will operate once a week instead of the previously planned twice-weekly service during April.

In Split, Volotea is applying the same adjustment, cutting both Bordeaux and Nantes routes from two weekly flights to one.

Scandinavian carrier SAS has temporarily suspended its Copenhagen–Split route. The airline had intended to maintain a weekly service throughout April but will now pause flights between 18 April and 2 May.

Meanwhile, Czech airline Smartwings will scale back its Split operations in May. Instead of the previously scheduled seven weekly flights, the airline plans to operate four to five rotations per week until 25 May.

Low-cost carrier Ryanair is also making minor adjustments. Its Zagreb–Paphos service will run four times per week rather than the initially planned five weekly flights.

The schedule changes reflect a broader trend among airlines across Europe as carriers respond to rising operating costs and shifting market conditions.

Croatia Airlines said last week the crisis emerged at a time of strong operational expansion, requiring careful adjustments to operations and commercial activities.

The airline has activated crisis management mechanisms, focusing on optimising flight operations, careful management of costs and revenues and maintaining a stable and reliable flight network.

The company emphasised that maintaining connectivity remains a priority while ensuring competitiveness in ticket pricing and scheduling.