In the 2022/23 winter timetable period, the three Airbus A320s at the Lauda Europe base in Zagreb will only be used on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. On the remaining days, Boeing 737s belonging to the sister companies will serve routes from the Croatian capital from other airports.

So-called W-patterns only occur in exceptional cases at Ryanair, because the carrier always strives to fly point-to-point. During the corona pandemic, these were often encountered for operational reasons. During the entire 2022/23 winter timetable period, the Irish low-cost airline will once again make frequent use of so-called out-of-base operations.

Zagreb is this first base, where extensive changes to the flight plan are already visible. From company circles it can be heard that the focus will be on the weekends throughout the route network. This would be related to the fact that Ryanair expects a hard winter due to unpredictable factors such as the further effects of the war in Ukraine, but also possible new corona restrictions.

Ryanair is currently preparing for a significant drop in demand during the cold season. At the same time, they emphasize that they see themselves less affected than other providers due to fuel hedging. Nevertheless, it is assumed that the winter of 2022/23 will be tough. The special focus on weekends should be temporary for the upcoming flight plan period in the cold season.

Lauda Europe base Zagreb flies only on weekends

According to the current planning status, the Zagreb base operated by Lauda Europe will only fly on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday with Airbus A320s stationed in the Croatian capital. On the remaining days, Boeing 737s from Ryanair and Malta Air will be used in out-of-base operations. These are stationed in Bergamo, London-Stansted and Dublin, for example. Lauda Europe denies a lack of staff in Croatia as a possible reason for this approach.

It can also be heard from well-informed business circles that due to the fact that a sharp drop in demand is expected for the winter of 2022/23, the focus will be placed on the weekends in the entire route network. Should the travel behavior of the passengers differ from what is assumed today, the offer will be adjusted and increased. Ryanair is expecting major growth again for the summer of 2023.