2011 Cheap Flights to Split in Croatia from Ireland and Europe

An overview of flights to Split in 2011 from France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Scandinavia, Eastern and Central Europe, Switzerland and Ireland.

The importance to Croatian tourism of Split – known as the Gateway to the Islands – is reflected in the growing popularity of its airport, with connections to no less than 18 countries. Here is a quick guide to who is flying from where in 2011. It should be noted that air traffic to the Dalmatian coast is seasonal, with most routes operating in the Summer only.

Cheap Flights from Germany

The dominant carrier on German routes to Split is German Wings, which is already well-established in Split. The airline will be expanding its coverage in 2011 with direct flights to five cities in Germany – Berlin, Bonn/Cologne, Dortmund, Hanover, Stuttgart. Flights from Stuttgart and Cologne commence at the end of March and run until the first week of November.

Easyjet flies from Berlin, as does Air Berlin, whose other destinations are Nuremberg, Dusseldorf and Hamburg. Croatia Airlines and Lufthansa broaden the German network with fights to Dresden, Leipzig, Munich and Frankfurt. It should be noted that, although flights are advertised with budget airline Hamburg International, the airline filed for bankruptcy in October 2010. One final regional summer flight is from Friedrichshafen with Intersky whose weekly flight runs from May 7 until October 15.

Cheap Flights from France, Switzerland and Italy

The recent upward trend in French tourists to Croatia is set to continue with several direct connections directly to Split. In addition to Croatia Airlines, Easyjet (from early July until early September) and Dubrovnik Airline are options from Paris. According to the Split Airport website, XL Airways France and Transavia France will also provide a service, although there is currently no confirmation on the airline websites. Advertised flights with Blue Line will not happen, after the company entered administration in 2010. Other cities advertised as connected include Lille (from April 29 with Dubrovnik Airline) and Lyon (Croatia Airlines and Dubrovnik Airline).

Easyjet's growing Croatian network includes direct flights from Geneva and Basel, which both start on April 2 and run until October 29, with Dubrovnik Airline offering a Saturday flight from April to October. In addition to Croatia Airlines and Dubrovnik, the reassuringly Swiss-sounding Edelweiss Air combine to connect Zurich to Dalmatia.

With its close proximity and good ferry connections, flights between Italy and Split are not that plentiful, with major routes of Rome (July 5 - September 3) and Milan (June 26 - September 9) offered by Easyjet, while Croatia Airlines has a year-round service to the Italian capital.

Cheap Flights from UK and Ireland

British tourists are well served with UK flights to Croatia with Easyjet opening the Split season from Gatwick on April 28, while connections from Ireland are surprisingly sparse, with no direct connections from Dublin at all (German Wings has a service from Cologne). The importance of Medjugorje is underlined with the only currently advertised direct flight with Dubrovnik Airline from Knock.

Cheap Flights from Holland

Flights from Amsterdam are offered by Easyjet, commencing on July 5 until September 3, with Croatia Airlines running a longer service from April to October.

Cheap Flights from Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland

Croatia is growing in popularity with Scandinavians and the emergence of Norwegian in the budget airline market has enabled tourists from Norway and Sweden to escape for some late winter sun. In contrast to much of the competition, Norwegian is offering flights later each year, with the last flight home in November. Norwegian's direct flights include Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, Trondheim, Bergen and Stavanger.

SAS also has a wide selection of flights, while other smaller companies connecting Scandivavian cities include Malmo Aviation from Malmo and Copenhagen, Cimber Air from Copenhagen and Air Sweden from Ornskildsvik.

Cheap Flights from Prague and Bratislava

The Dalmatian coast has long been popular with Czech and Slovak tourists, with many driving down, especially now that the motorway runs all the way to Split. Air connections are provided from Bratislava by VIP Wings from June 15 to September, and a combination of VIP and Travel Service from Prague, with routes beginning in late May.

More routes will be added and timetables will change and it is advisable to check the airline websites regularly for the current situation. 2011 promises to be another bumper tourist season for Croatia if the list of planned cheap flights to Split is anything to go by.