The two Adriatic capitals are getting reconnected by air. Air Montenegro plans to start flying between Podgorica and Zagreb from 24 November, with three flights a week under Montenegro's Public Service Obligation (PSO) programme, which subsidises routes that wouldn't otherwise be commercially viable.
The schedule is tight and practical: flights run Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays through the winter timetable, with the inbound aircraft arriving in Zagreb just after 08:00 and departing back to Podgorica at 08:50. Air Montenegro will use its Embraer E195s, which seat 118 passengers — around 53 rotations and 12,508 seats on offer this winter alone. The route is also expected to carry into the summer 2027 season, which runs from late March to late October.
Why it matters: there is currently no direct flight between Croatia and Montenegro at all, so this fills a genuine gap. Until now, anyone travelling between Zagreb and Podgorica has had to connect or go overland. The route should serve a mixed crowd — business and government travellers, people visiting family, and tourists looking to combine the Croatian capital with Montenegro's coast and mountains.
The route has a stop-start history. Croatia Airlines flew it from mid-2008 until early 2013 with 76-seat Dash Q400s. Ryanair revived it in September 2021, mostly twice weekly on Thursdays and Saturdays with larger A320s, but pulled out at the end of October 2023, blaming rising airport fees in Podgorica. Air Montenegro's return on the route ends a gap of more than three years without direct service.
One caveat before you book: ticket sales, exact return times and the final schedule are still pending the airline's official winter 2026/2027 announcement. There's a chance the first flight slips if administrative hurdles pop up, though the route itself looks set to go ahead.
For travellers, this opens an easy two-country trip. Zagreb gives you coffee-house culture, museums and a walkable centre, while Podgorica is a practical gateway to Montenegro's Bay of Kotor, Budva's beaches and the mountains of Durmitor — all within a couple of hours' drive. With morning departures both ways, a long weekend across both capitals is very doable once tickets go on sale. Keep an eye on Air Montenegro's channels for the go-live on sales.
