TUI UK will not be operating any of its 18 routes departing the United Kingdom for Croatia for this entire year. The slump in demand for air travel as a result of COVID-19 has hit the likes of TUI particularly hard, but it will hit the aviation sector in tourism-thirsty countries like Croatia even more. Let's take a look at the flights TUI has cancelled for Croatia.
TUI cancels all 18 UK-Croatia routes
Croatian Aviation reports that the multinational tourism giant TUI will not be operating any of its 18 routes between the United Kingdom and Croatia this summer. This represents a major loss for the tourism sector in Croatia, and it is an impact that will be felt by the coastal Croatian airports that TUI used to serve. Furthermore, it remains uncertain how many of these 18 routes TUI will resume operating in the summer of 2021. All of TUI's routes to Croatia are seasonal.
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In some Croatian airports, like in Dubrovnik, TUI used to operate widebody flights on a regular basis. Last year, each Thursday, TUI used to arrive in Dubrovnik Airport with three Boeing 787 aircraft at the same time: they would arrive from London Gatwick, Manchester, and Bristol. There was also a 757 that flew in from Birmingham.
Which routes are cancelled?
From Dubrovnik, which was TUI's busiest destination in Croatia, the following routes have been discontinued:
- London Gatwick - Dubrovnik
- Cardiff - Dubrovnik
- Glasgow - Dubrovnik
- Manchester - Dubrovnik
- Birmingham - Dubrovnik
- Bristol - Dubrovnik
- Doncaster / Sheffield - Dubrovnik
- East Midlands - Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik Airport has been hit particularly hard this year, with many high-profile airlines cancelling their routes there. American Airlines is not operating its daily service between Dubrovnik and Philadelphia, and Qatar Airways has postponed the launch of its Dubrovnik-Doha route.
From Split, all three of TUI's British routes will not operate this year either. They are:
- London Gatwick - Split
- Birmingham - Split
- Manchester - Split
From Pula, in Istria, the cancelled routes are:
- London Gatwick - Pula
- Birmingham - Pula
- Bristol - Pula
- Sheffield - Pula
- East Midlands - Pula
- Manchester - Pula
From Rijeka Airport, the sole route, London Gatwick - Rijeka, has been cancelled too.
Which routes are TUI still operating to Croatia?
Still, not all TUI flights to Croatia have been cancelled. The 18 cancelled routes are just the flights that are operated by TUI UK, serving the destinations departing the United Kingdom. TUI still flies to Croatia as TUI fly Belgium, TUI fly Nordic, and TUI fly Netherlands.
Thus, TUI will still be connecting Croatia to some European destinations this summer. But the loss of so many tourist routes to Croatia from the UK will not be something that the Croatian aviation sector will not miss.
Do you think cancellations like this will be reverted during next year's summer season? Are tourists in 2021 going to be flying as much as they used to before COVID-19? Let us know what you think in the comments below.