Croatia Airlines unveils 2017 expansion plans


Croatia Airlines is considering introducing several new destinations to its network next summer season. The carrier's CEO, Krešimir Kučko, said, "Feasibility studies have been completed for the launch of new services, most probably to Scandinavia. In addition to Stockholm, this would likely include Oslo as well. We have also completed studies for Moscow and Dublin, and we would boost frequencies on several existing routes during the summer". Mr Kučko made no mention of previously announced plans to open bases in several cities in south-eastern Europe next year, including Sarajevo, Pristina, Skopje and Tirana, nor the purchase of regional aircraft. This summer, Croatia Airlines introduced new seasonal flights from Zagreb to Prague, Milan, Lisbon and St Petersburg.

The Croatian carrier initially planned to launch services to the Russian capital in 2011, however, the implementation of the restructuring program put an east-bound expansion on hold. The airline has recorded mixed results on its new seasonal St Petersburg service, which recorded an average cabin load factor of 60% this summer, according to Pulkovo Airport. On the other hand, Croatia Airlines will operate two charter flights from Osijek to Dublin over the upcoming Christmas and New Year holiday period to evaluate interest for the route. There is a growing Croatian diaspora in Ireland. It is unclear whether the planned new destinations would operate on a seasonal or year-round basis. While no mention was made of the acquisition of new aircraft, Mr Kučko previously said the airline would have a "clear picture" on its fleet expansion by the end of the year, noting that the carrier has been in talks with plane manufacturers for two years now.

Croatia Airlines is reporting a stronger winter season to that of last year, however, the carrier expects to continue to be effected by high seasonality over the next few years, where it handles the bulk of its passenger during the summer. The carrier is considering alleviating the effects of the slow winter months, during which it accumulates its losses, through ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance) leases to other airlines. However, Mr Kučko warns that this type of arrangement is made difficult by large-scale maintenance of its aircraft, which are usually scheduled during the winter period. During the first three quarters of the year, Croatia Airlines handled 1.516.197 passengers on board its aircraft, an increase of 3.4% compared to the same period in 2015. Its consolidated net profit fell by 33% to 609.600 euros.

Comments

  1. " Mr Kučko made no mention of previously announced plans to open bases in several cities in south-eastern Europe next year, including Sarajevo, Pristina, Skopje and Tirana, nor the purchase of regional aircraft. "

    Tresla se gora, rodio se mish.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:05

      I think we can safely say that venture has been buried.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:03

    Somehow I am not so sure I can believe this guy anymore. So many announcements so little action. I remember we were told 2016 would be revolutionary for OU. In the end 4 seasonal routes were introduced and we have seen minor passenger growth... Now the airline is again taking restructuring action by selling airport slots.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous09:06

    The list of new destinations actually makes sense. They could cancel LED and go to Moscow instead. Scandinavia is chronically underserved by OU during the summer so Stockholm and Oslo is a good idea. I guess Dublin sales for the Osijek flights proved quite good for them. With Aer Lingus increasing their flights across Croatia, this is a good move to step in first before they start Zagreb ops as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:12

      +1

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:13

      I still think they need to be more active in the region. They could fly to Tirana, Sofia, Bucharest, resume Pristina and Podgorica too.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:15

      Naah too late, places like TIA or TGD need more lowcost carriers, not failing national carriers

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:11

    Some positive news from Croatia Airlines. I really hope they go ahead with these expansion plans.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous09:11

    How on earth will they fly all these new routes without new aircraft? The neos aren't due until the past 2020.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:30

      I assume they will lease some planes.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:35

      Maybe they lease both of Trade Air's fokkers.

      Delete
  6. Alen Šćuric Purger09:12

    Dublin, hvala ti bože, konačno im je došlo iz guzice u glavu. Morali smo samo 12.345 puta napisati argumente za ovu liniju

    Moskva, glupost na 90. potenciju. Uz Aeroflot, krizu u Rusiji i skoro pa ratno stanje sa NATO-om, o bože

    Stockholm i Oslo već godinama govorim da može proći

    No, koji se vrag čeka sa Mostarom. Informacija koju sam dobio što je Croatia tražila za pokretanje ove linije me prenerazila.

    U svakom slučaju ovo "možda" i "najverojatnije" me plaši. Toliko smo tih planova u posljednjih 3-4 godine čuli od Croatie, a koji su se "izjalovili", da se na to više ni ne osvrčem. Sjetimo se planova:
    - uzimanje A319 od Adrie
    - pokretanje letova za Moskvu (još prije 4 godine)
    - razmišljanje o long-haul
    - suradnja sa Montnegrom i letovi Montenegra iz Zagreba prema Podgorici i trećim destinacijama
    - nabava dva Embraera ili CRJ za prošlu sezonu
    - otvaranje linija prema Istočnoj Europi prvenstveno pema EU zemljama (a to mogu biti samo OTP, SOF, BUD, WAW, te druge Rumunjske, Bugarske, Poljske, Mađarske i Baltičke destinacije) na koncu se sve svelo na St.Petersburg koji nije EU destinacija (nadam se da nitko razuman Prag ne svrstava u Istočnu Europu)
    - dugotrajni leasing 4 do 6 regionalnih jetova
    - otvaranje baza u PRN, TIA, SJJ, SKP
    - ustupanje jednog Q400 Adriji i uzimanje CRJ 900 od Adrije

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:14

      Ne zaboravi da ce se ove zime njihovo finansijsko stanje pogorsati tako da je pitanje koliko ce para imati za sve ova planove.

      Delete
    2. I have criticised OU too but we have to also remember that they were restricted in expanding during the period of restructuring.... let's just hope it's not too late!

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:00

      But they were not restricted on announcing lot of things. In one think they are champions: in announcing huge plans!

      Delete
    4. Anonymous15:45

      Alene, koliko Rusa godisnje posjeti Hrvatsku? Nisam siguran da imas prave podatke o "krizi" u Rusiji..

      Delete
    5. Alen Šćuric Purger20:37

      Ruskih turista u Hrvatskoj:
      2012. 197.000
      2015. 101.000

      Dakle u tri godina brojka se prepolovila.

      U isto vrijeme broj stranaca je porastao za 30tak %.

      Mislim da vam ovaj podatak govori dovoljno, zar ne?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous22:27

      101.000 je jos uvek veliki broj.

      Delete
    7. Alen Šćuric Purger01:17

      Pa i nije:
      - ako to razdjelite na hrvatske aerodrome koji imaju linije za Rusiju (Pula, Split, Dubrovnik, Zagreb) od kojih je najveći dio letova i putnika na Jadran,

      - ako uzmete u obzir da ta brojka rapidno pada svake godine,

      - te ako uzmete u ozbir da je Aeroflot nekada cijele godine letio 7 tjednih letova sa A319, a sada ima letove sa SSJ, a tijekom zime tek 4 tjedna leta

      ...onda to jasno govori da tu tržište iz Zagreba rapidno opada, te da mjesta za Croatiu baš i nema.

      U Zagrebu je pad ruskih turista u 2015. spram 2014. bio čak 13,2% i pao na tek 9.436 turista godišnje. To je zanemariva brojka. Naravno, tu treba dodati i sportaše, političare, poslovnjake... no i činijenicu da Aeroflot prevozi velik broj tih putnika već sada, te da ih dio dolazi charterima (posebno sportski chareri za hokej).

      Konačno mi ne govorimo o velikom broju, nego ste tražili da vam dokažem kako broj ruskih turista u Hrvatskoj nije pao zbog krize u Rusiji, de facto rata i loših odnosa sa NATO-om, te vizama koje Rusi moraju imati za EU (pa samim time i Hrvatsku).

      Delete
    8. Anonymous07:07

      In the meanwhile:

      http://www.tportal.hr/biznis/trendovi/405527/National-Geographic-Hrvatska-najbolja-zemlja-za-obiteljski-odmor.html

      Delete
    9. Anonymous07:10

      And also:

      http://www.seebiz.eu/ove-godine-vise-ruskih-turista-u-hrvatskoj/ar-138570/

      Delete
    10. Alen Šćuric Purger08:52

      OK in some months of this year there were more toutist from Russia, but on some there were not. For example in best month, August there was -2,4%.

      But even if there would be little plus this year, for sure we will not see even near to 200.000 tourists from Russia, like it was in 2012, in near future.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:14

    What is going to happen with the new routes launched this year? Are they resuming all of them? Will some be cancelled? Have sales started for next summer?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:25

      I don't think they have decided yet. I assume one will be cancelled but others will be kept.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:19

    In one word Bullshit

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous09:21

    I will copy a comment made by someone here yesterday. I hope they don't mind. It's spot on regarding this expansion.

    This is like all other announcements that he has made this year - aircraft orders, new bases etc etc .... nothing concrete of firm, just POSSIBILITY after POSSIBILITY after POSSIBILITY.

    He has been under enormous pressure these past few days due to the LHR slot sale, so an announcement like this serves to deflect things somewhat ...

    Nothing will come of it, just like all the previous announcements.

    This guy is a master in the art of spin

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:25

      We'll just have to wait and see

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:34

      You don't have to wait for anything - Purger already detailed everything that this guy has said over the past few years to know that this guy is like an empty box - full of nothing but air...

      This guy is the master of deception and makes David Copperfield look like an amateur !

      Delete
    3. Anonymous19:58

      I think all these comments against the OU CEO are unfair.... he has a BoD and a Minister that ultimately call the shots. Don't make him the fall guy for a system which simply doesn't function and hasn;t for the longest time.

      That is why govts have no business in owning an airline

      Delete
    4. Anonymous23:12

      This post can only be from Kucko or his PR person

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:36

    This all great. Unfortunately I fear that as the government ponders the CEOs replacement he is trying everything to present that he has a vision for the company. But like someone said lets wait and see. I hope for the best.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous09:45

    I have a question, what do you think will happen this winter? Will they perform like last year or we might see some changes, for better or for worse.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous10:00

    My wife is flying ZAG-CPH on the A319 this morning and she told me that they were maybe 25 passengers on board. I hope loads are generally better on this route.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:43

      Wow that's a very poor load. Hopefully the return flight had better numbers. At least a comfortable ride for your wife :)

      Delete
    2. Danijel11:22

      Why they didnt send Dash??? Maybe return flight is better.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:26

      I just checked and the Dash flew to:

      SPU, ZRH, VIE, BRU and MUC.

      I guess one was in maintenance hence the A319 to CPH.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:19

      Loads are usually better, especially on the morning route to CPH/MUC/BRU/ZRH. The current terminal is too small to handle passengers at that time of morning.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous10:03

    OSL??? Really??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:42

      Why not?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:31

      your wife is very bad at math or needs eye exam, thats all i can say after checking actual data

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:35

      @Anon 12:31, nice response, but replied to wrong msg.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous14:19

      Replying to your own message is kind of sad

      Delete
  14. Anonymous10:28

    If any of these plans materialize I will be happy. At least they are focusing on development.

    ReplyDelete
  15. One thing left out in today's article is that OU also announced changes to their on board product, with what sounded like pretty decent changes to its business class product.

    https://www.total-croatia-news.com/business/14942-croatia-airlines-to-introduce-new-flights

    ReplyDelete
  16. In other news:

    https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2234997/shocking-selfie-video-shows-rookie-pilot-joking-as-hes-left-alone-at-controls-in-cockpit-on-flight-from-heathrow-bound-for-zagreb/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:29

      What did he do? He did nothing, except the captain leaving for a short moment. A story made of nothing.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous19:00

      "He and captain Josip Grgec have been suspended from flying for breaking safety rules on the 156-seat Croatia Airlines Airbus A319 from Heathrow to Zagreb."

      Does OU A319 really have 156 seats?

      Yesterday a guy fumed that JU 128-pitch is "too tight".

      Delete
    3. Anonymous22:25

      It's a different configuration so you are comparing apples to oranges

      Delete
    4. Alen Šćuric Purger01:29

      No, OU A319 has 144 seats, but in same time:

      - cabin has Recaro seats which are very thin, much thinner than Air Serbia seats + they have pocket for newspaper behind table not in leg space.

      - in business class Croatia has 6 seats same configuration as economy with little wider space, for sure not as those extra space business 2+2 seats in Air Serbia business class.

      I use Croatia and Air Serbia at least 10 times per year each, and trust me space in economy is absolutely the same. With my 184 cm I don't have comfortable travel not in OU but also not in JU.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous08:04

      That's what I tried to explain to people. The seats are a problem because of their design but they are just too stubborn, blind and vicious to understand.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous08:17

      Ti si retarde tvrdio da asl ima 144 mesta sto naravno nije tacno, kao i sto nije tacno da u avionima imas isto mesta cak i sa glupavim rekaro sedistima sto tvrdi Purger.

      Delete
    7. Alen Šćuric Purger09:03

      Recaro sjedala omogućuju ubacivanje dodatnih 6 sjedala na istom avionu sa istim razmakom između sjedala radi bitno tanjih naslona.

      Ono što Air Serbiji "oduzima prostor" su sjedala u business klasi gdje ih je 4 u redu (u Croatiji i kod drugih 6), te koja zauzimaju vrlo mnogo mjesta jer govorimo o udobnim foteljama sa jako velikim razmakom za noge. Tako u Croatiji na jednakoj kvadraturi gdje stane 24 sjedala u ekonomskoj klasi u Croatiji stane 18 u bisiness klasi, dok u Air Serbiji stane tek 8 business sjedala. Ovo je razlika od 10 sjedala!!! Ukalkuliramo li to, da Air Serbia ima jednak raspored sjedala u business klasi kao i Croatia imala bi 138 sjedala. Dodatan red zbog Recaro sjedala (6 komada) iznosi 144, što znači da je razmak između sjedala u ekonomskoj klasi identičan.

      No, ogromna prednost je i što je pretinac za novine stavljen iza stolića što daje još dodatnih par centimetara prostora za noge u Croatiji.

      Delete
    8. Alen Šćuric Purger09:08

      P.S.
      Stvarno mi nije jasno zašto treba dokazivati krajnju nekulturu kotištenjem riječi "retard". Ovakav prostački žargon ne uporabljuju ni zadnji pijanci u birtijetinama, lučki radnici ili piljarice na placu. Na zrakoplovnom forumu nema mjesta ovakvim krajnje prostačkim i barbarskim izrazima. Ukoliko vas netko pobije argumentima pokušajte koristiti silu argumenata, a ne argument sile. Kućni odgoj je nešto što primamo u djetinjstvu, a ako niste imali sreće da ga primite, onda se potrudite da se sada sami preodgojite.

      Reči da su "Recaro" sjedala "glupava" je u najmanju ruku nepoznavanje struke, obzirom da govorimo o state of the art proizvodu koji je dobio najviše ocjene struke i putnika, da govorimo o skupom i superiornom proizvodu koji se masovno uvodi u zrakoplove. Uvjeren sam da vodeći ljudi stotina avio kompanije ipak znaju nešto više od vas i od mene, pa je samim time uporaba riječi "glupav" za ovaj proizvod zapravao namjenjena vašoj kvalifikaicji.

      Delete
  17. Anonymous10:42

    I think a Sarajevo base would be an ideal choice for OU. Hope they go through with those plans.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:47

      Base opening could have really marked a new start for Croatia Airlines. They haven't mentioned anything about it for months so I am quite doubtful it will happen.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:26

      With the charges that SJJ have? I don't see it...

      Delete
    3. Anonymous14:22

      They will probably get special discounts. The former head of SJJ airport worked for OU as well.

      Delete
  18. Anonymous11:50

    I have a feeling that the management hasn't decided yet on whether to try to save the airline or themselves.

    Eight

    ReplyDelete
  19. Alen Šćuric Purger12:06

    CTN DBV- ZAG ponedjeljak 21.11. u 16:20
    A319
    107/144 = 74%

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:58

      Nije to lose za ovaj deo sezone

      Delete
    2. Alen Šćuric Purger13:08

      Da, nije, posebno što po danima ima 3 do 4 dnevna leta.

      Delete
  20. Anonymous12:16

    New business class menu

    http://www.poslovni.hr/hrvatska/foto-croatia-airlines-predstavila-novu-ponudu-obroka-inspiriranih-hrvatskom-320881

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous14:27

    Good selection of route which would work well for Croatia Airlines.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous14:37

    SAS will be flying up to 3 times a day between Split and Oslo/Stockholm/Copenhagen next summer. Croatia is flooded by Scandinavian tourists in summer, but OU completely ignores this market. They couls easily open a daily route Split-Stockholm, Split-Oslo and Split-Copenhagen, let alone those to Zagreb, where Scandinavians could easily transfert onto domestic coastal cities in Croatia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:53

      Maybe you should have an idea of airline business models, before suggesting route alternatives. Start with hub&spoke model first. Maybe then you can understand why Adria is expected to go bankrupt, why Air Serbia is doing relatively good and why Croatia Airlines decided to focus more on Zagreb rather than dividing its operations (still a lot of international flights are performed from Split, Dubrovnik and Pula, which in my opinion is the main problem OU faces in consolidating its resources).

      Delete
    2. Anonymous01:40

      if they had any brains they would get 3x A330 and fly Split - Scandinavia with them and DVB - Seoul

      Delete
  23. Anonymous15:04

    Not surprised to see Moscow on the list. Kucko announced it as a possible new route a few months ago. Good to see them looking to expand.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous17:40

    Love the photo!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17:46

      Yes it sure is - except for the fact that it is anything but blue skies ahead for OU...

      Delete
  25. Anonymous18:16

    This morning JU501 from New York landed at Belgrade Airport with only 80 passengers on board. cccccc...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous18:26

      Great for the pax.

      Delete
    2. that is a pretty bad LF, but do remember that November and February are the worst months in the aviation industry.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous18:44

      That's actually a great lf, much better than 40 pr 50

      Delete
    4. Anonymous18:48

      @YYZ:

      Errr, nope. They are in most parts of Europe (excl. ski destinations), colder countries, etc.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous19:22

      Probably a one off due to yesterday being a big Slava, as well as it being on the back of US Thanksgiving... flights have otherwise been in the mid to high 60's LF wise - which is ok at this time of year

      Delete
    6. Anonymous19:56

      No it is not ok at all! Don't fool yourself! Look at Lh, Tk, Af, Au etc They still all fly to / from the US with LF >90%. JU has not developed the required feeder network but rushed to fly over the ocean just because politicians in Serbia wanted to put a feather on their hat while not knowing anything about civil aviation.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous20:04

      Yeah, they still fly with greatly reduced capacity over the winter - did you miss that news ?

      And no one flies with greater than 90% LF at this time of year - except for LCC's - or did you miss that as well ?

      Delete
    8. Anonymous21:15

      In past few years I flew across Atlantic with BA, DL, LH, VS, AB, JU...30 pax in BA 777 from IAD to LHR, less then 50% in economy from IAD to MUC on LH 333, but average is around 70% on all carriers I flew including Air Serbia

      Delete
    9. Anonymous21:47

      So what , are you shareholders of air serbia ? This is the best thing that can happen to passengers in a transatlantic route . Believe me it is the best thing having four seats on your own in a ten hours trip .

      Delete
    10. Anonymous22:24

      All Serbian citizens are shareholders since it's our tax money that is used to keep the airline alive. Because of that I demand for them to bring back the old, good service

      Delete
    11. Anonymous22:48

      @7:56PM Worse than that, they cut lines and frequencies directly feeding the JFK flights.

      Delete
    12. Stuck at SEATAC06:24

      Ha ha ha you demand the good old service? Like 2012 Jat service? Riiight!

      Just because you claim to pay taxes does not give you any right to decide how government business will be run. You get the right to vote and thats it.

      AF LH BA all fly TATL for more than half a century and still have poor loads from time to time in Nov and Feb, I have been on some and was surprised by mostly empty cabins.

      Delete
    13. Anonymous08:01

      Yeah and what happens if my party did not win? Do I get the right not to pay taxes or for my money not to be wasted?

      And service as in 2013.

      Delete
    14. Flew out of SEATAC10:45

      Same happens for Hilary voters. They may hate what Trump does with their tax money but they still have to pay it!

      ASL service is about 10 times better thanin 2012.

      Delete
  26. Anonymous18:18

    Ne znam koliko im je pametno da uvode SVO.
    Ali svakako im je pametno sto ce uvesto OSL i ARN ako je to istina posto ima dosta O&D putnika i jos dosta Transfernih putnika.
    INN-NS

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous18:54

    Moscow and Dublin are potential destinations. STO and OSL definitely not. Why not MAD and LED instead? Spain has recovered a bit from the crisis and now MAD has more business + connections to South America, Carribean & of course the Iberian peninsula + Canary Islands. RO has code share with UX, FB have with IB, I think OU can do the same and benefit from this huge market.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:17

      What makes you think Oslo or Stockholm are not good choices? Does OU face competition on those routes from Zagreb? Copenhagen is the only city in Scandinavia where OU flies, so maybe it could work.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous23:08

      Because of the smaller market. Spain has much more to offer + Croatia can be much more popular as a destination.

      Delete
    3. Alen Šćuric Purger01:37

      Oslo and Stockholm has huge potentials:

      - diaspora (especially Stockholm)
      - tourism (huge numbers in Zagreb and Croatia)
      - business
      - EU capitals (politics, army, collaboration, education, projects)

      Delete

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