November 6 (SeeNews) - Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair could launch a seasonal service to Osijek, the fourth largest city in Croatia, next summer, the Croatian tourism ministry said on Wednesday.
The matter was discussed by tourism minister Gari Cappelli and Ryanair representatives at the 2019 World Travel Market (WTM) event held in London on November 4-6, the ministry said in a statement.
"Both we and Ryanair wish to extend their presence in Croatia. During today's talks with their representatives we insisted on their expansion in the continental part of the country, whose overall development, including the development of tourism, is supported by the Croatian government," Cappelli said in the statement.
At present, Ryanair is present only in the city of Zadar, on Croatia's Adriatic coast, linking it to various European destinations.
Osijek is situated in the northeastern part of the country, close to the border with Serbia and Hungary.
Ryanair is expected to operate flights from Osijek from June through September next year, Cappelli said.
If an agreement is reached, which should become clear by the end of November, Ryanair could transport some 5,000 tourists from various destinations to Osijek next summer, the head of the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ), Kristjan Stanicic, who also participated in the talks, said in the statement.
Stanicic also said that Ryanair has transported 310,000 passengers to Croatia this year, with the number expected to jump to some 400,000 in 2020.