Croatia Airlines has once again been denied slots at Lisbon Airport for the 2026 summer season, marking the second consecutive year its request has been rejected. The carrier had applied for 180 aircraft movements in the Portuguese capital, amounting to a total of sixty planned flights next summer, as part of its broader network expansion out of Zagreb. The airline has previously outlined that most of its upcoming new routes will centre on Europe and the Mediterranean, with Lisbon intended to play a role in that strategy. However, without the necessary slots, the planned launch remains off the table for now.

Croatia Airlines previously operated seasonal flights between Zagreb and Lisbon from May 2016 until October 2019, briefly extending the service in 2018 into the winter up to January. During the peak summer months, the route ran up to four times per week. TAP Air Portugal had a longer presence on the market, maintaining year-round Zagreb – Lisbon operations from 2009 to 2016, with a stop in Bologna during the winter season. The Portuguese carrier later returned in 2022 for a single summer, operating the route three times per week. Croatia Airlines currently codeshares on TAP Air Portugal’s services between Lisbon and Barcelona, Brussels, Rome, Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich. In return, TAP places its code on Lufthansa’s Frankfurt and Munich flights to and from Zagreb, as well as on Croatia Airlines’ own services linking Zagreb with Barcelona, Brussels, Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich.

Lisbon Airport is among the most slot-constrained in Europe. Beyond its heavy traffic, its proximity to the city centre and an overnight curfew from midnight to six in the morning, and a hard curfew from one until five in the morning, further restrict capacity. The Portuguese government has tasked airport operator VINCI with developing a new airport by 2034 to address the growing demand. Croatia Airlines is among several carriers that were unable to secure slots to commence flights to Lisbon next summer, alongside Austrian Airlines, Aeromexico, Ethiopian Airlines, Jet2, GOL, Arkia Israeli Airlines and Nesma Airlines.