Adria Airways' CEO, Holger Kowarsch, has said the airline's fleet is too small and needs to grow in order to support its expanding route network. Speaking on the sidelines of the European Regions Airline Association (ERA) conference in Vienna, Mr Kowarsch told the "ATW" Magazine, "I think critical mass for us would be in the range of 25 to thirty aircraft in the future. The market is showing a strong interest in Saab 2000 aircraft. Part of this fleet will operate in our network, while others will be available for charter and our ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance lease) business, which is growing in Europe. Overall, our strength remains our network with 25 routes".

Adria Airways previously outlined plans to add the fifty-seat Saab 2000s to its fleet in March, but later pushed back their entry into service to June. However, the deployment of the aircraft was recently differed again to September. Despite this, Mr Kowarsch believes the turboprops will likely arrive before the third quarter and will be utilised on Adria's seven new routes this summer, as well as several other services within the region. The aircraft will arrive from former Swiss regional carrier Darwin Airline, which was declared bankrupt in December 2017. It was partly owned by 4K Invest, Adria Airways' owner, and branded as Adria Airways Switzerland.

The Slovenian carrier currently operates three Airbus A319 aircraft, three Bombardier CRJ700s and nine CRJ900s, the latest of which is expected to enter into service on May Day. Out of those, Adria operates two CRJs for Austrian Airlines and one CRJ for Luxair under ACMI long-term contracts. The airline recently filled forty additional pilot positions for its CRJ fleet. The upcoming Saabs will be dry-leased, meaning Adria will operate the aircraft with its own crew. Apart from its growing fleet, Mr Kowarsch recently said the carrier would look into adding new destinations in the future on top of its current summer expansion.