Croatia’s love affair with Spain is flying high—with a massive 21% jump in passenger numbers between the two countries in the first five months of 2025!
From January to May, a whopping 141,304 passengers jetted between Croatia and sunny Spain—an increase of nearly 25,000 travellers compared to last year. And leading the charge? No surprise—it’s Ryanair, the no-frills king of the skies.
Thanks to Ryanair’s aggressive expansion out of Zagreb, Spaniards and Croats alike are skipping the stopovers and heading straight to the beach. The budget airline now serves five Spanish hotspots from the Croatian capital: Palma de Mallorca, Alicante, Girona, Malaga, and Lanzarote, joining the already popular Madrid route.
Ryanair’s planes are flying packed. Load factors have soared above 90% on almost every route—topping out at 93.4% to Malaga. The only “slow” performer? Girona, with a still-solid 80.3%.
Meanwhile, Zagreb is leading the Spanish charge, with flights to seven destinations. Not to be outdone, Split and Dubrovnik are keeping steady with routes to Madrid and Barcelona.
But wait—there’s more!
National carrier Croatia Airlines is finally joining the fiesta, having just launched three weekly flights to Madrid for the summer. They’ve also added charter services to Girona, offering sun-seekers even more ways to escape.
And Spanish flag-carrier Iberia is doubling down too—extending its Madrid–Zagreb seasonal service right through to November.