Croatia Airlines registers strong growth

Croatia Airlines has seen its passenger numbers grow 10% during the first half of the year, with the carrier yesterday handling its millionth traveller for 2017. The annual milestone comes eleven days ahead of last year and 23 days in advance of 2015. The millionth passenger was a German national flying between Frankfurt and Split. In a statement, Croatia Airlines said, "This is the earliest we have ever handled our millionth passenger. During the first six months, we carried an additional 60.000 travellers compared to last year. The growth was generated as a result of the four new seasonal routes launched from Zagreb this year, including Stockholm, Oslo, Helsinki and Bucharest, while we continued to maintain services to Lisbon, Milan, Prague and St Petersburg, which were introduced in 2016".

During the first half of the year, Croatia Airlines registered passenger growth both on its international and domestic networks, with figures increasing 11.6% and 5% respectively. The carrier anticipates handling over two million travellers this year, making it its busiest on record. Overall growth is estimated at 7% for this year. Furthermore, the airline expects to generate some 215 million euros in revenue and to close 2017 with a profit for a fifth year in a row. "With a total of eight new destinations in the last 365 days, Croatia Airlines has offered the market an additional 100.000 seats, which is why in 2017 we expect further growth in passenger traffic and a record 2.000.000 passengers", the company said.

Croatia Airlines' CEO, Krešimir Kučko, previously noted, "Our four new routes this year have been introduced based on internal analysis and market research, which showed significant potential in the Scandinavian and Romanian markets. So far, there is great interest for flights to Oslo and this route has proven to be a big hit", Mr Kučko said. He added that bookings for its four seasonal routes launched last year have exceeded the total number of passengers transported on these flights in 2016, which the CEO says "confirms the fact that we have made the right business decision". He added, "After several years of recession, there is a slight recovery in the Croatian economy and the market requires new leisure destinations. This is why we expect that many travellers, both from Croatia and our new markets, will use our products more. Croatia has been a tourist hit at a global level for several years, not only during the summer season but also in winter. In accordance with these trends and our capacities, in the future, we plan to further expand our European network of destinations and strengthen our position".