Croatia Airlines starts A320neo preparation


Croatia Airlines has begun preparations for the delivery of its first of four Airbus A320neo aircraft in three years time. The airline's aircraft technicians have begun training for servicing the two engine types used on the jet, the first being the Pratt&Whitney PurePower PW1100G-JM engines and the other the CFM International - LEAP-1A engines. Following the completion of the training process and assessments towards the end of the year, the Croatian carrier will undertake certification procedures in order to carry out line and base maintenance on the aircraft type. This will also enable the airline to maintain aircraft of the same type operated by other carriers.

The first two A320neos are scheduled to arrive in Zagreb in 2022, while the other two are due a year later. Croatia Airlines successfully converted a 2008 order for four A319s to the neos in 2015. Although the new aircraft were originally to be delivered by the end of 2013, their arrival was put on hold and the deal was renegotiated. The carrier put off the arrival of the jets due to the company's financial situation at the time. The A320neo aircraft are designed to operate quieter with lower operating costs. Croatia Airlines has made some ten million dollars in advanced payments for the jets. "These A320neos are part of the package that has to be resolved with a future strategic partner", the carrier's CEO, Jasmin Bajić, said recently.
Neither Airbus nor Croatia Airlines have disclosed the exact cost of the aircraft, however, the four jets were valued at 424.8 million US dollars at list price at the time. Airbus' Vice President for Sales in Europe and Central Asia, Kimon Sotiropoulos, previously said, "These jets will give Croatia Airlines access to the most modern aircraft and extend the partnership between both companies well into the next decade". The Croatian carrier currently boasts a fleet of four A319s, two A320s and six Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 turboprops. The latter's operating lease agreement was recently extended. In addition, the airline has been wet-leasing two CRJ1000 aircraft from Spain's Air Nostrum over the summer season for three years running.




Comments

  1. Anonymous09:02

    A320neo is suited for Croatia Airlines and will really help during the summer in terms of capacity.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:06

      But what will they do during the winter? Their average annual LF is currently around 70%.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:12

      Not to mention that they will probably cram even more seats into the neo.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:30

      Ideally they should get these 4 neos and 2 100-seaters.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:37

      Why four? They have less and less flights from the coast and they don't need that much capacity from Zagreb.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:46

      @9.06 have you ever hear of leasing planes?

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:03

    This is like a terminally ill patient planning his holiday next summer.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous09:03

    What does this mean? Is there some issue with this order?

    "These A320neos are part of the package that has to be resolved with a future strategic partner"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:04

      Probably a bank that they are calling strategic partner.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:04

      I can only imagine how high the leases will be for these aircraft.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:05

      A future partner will have to finance the deal. OU has enough for the deposit payment which they have made but not to finance the whole thing.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:10

      Let's just hope they find someone this time around.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:12

      Unless its some business consortium, turnaround "experts" or financial fund I don't see a viable partner.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:16

      Remember the euphoria on here when 4K bought JP and when they started announcing flights, more planes... and in the end in turned into a complete and utter disaster. So OU needs to be careful but I think no one will touch them eve with this year's relatively bad results.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:32

      They can always make a sale and lease back deal.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous13:05

      Like someone wrote, for that to happen it must be indicated in the contract between OU and Airbus. And we are not sure if it is.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:04

    Those A320neos will look great in Croatia livery :)

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:13

      They'll look ok especially now when they went albino.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:24

      Must say I'm not a fan of the albino livery. The plane is too white.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous17:04

      I like it. Hated that blue strip on the belly.
      But honestly, a new livery would be great.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:05

    Good luck, OU!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous09:07

    It would be great if they could operate these planes in June, July, August and the first ten days of September. I can't imagine how they will get the cash to pay the leases when they are flying half empty in winter. This was such a bad move for them. Sticking to Q400s or getting Embraers should have been the right path for them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:09

      Agree. They need more 100 seater jets not A320neos.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:13

      The neos have to replace current A319/A320s which are getting quite old.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:13

      It's also bad they almost have no connections in ZAG on their own to help fill those seats.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:17

      Because the planes to operate to/from different destinations to feed its own hub in Zagreb, operate from the coastal towns to (mainly) Lufthansa group and AF/KL hubs. The most stupid way of running a legacy carrier ever.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous11:41

      What I don't understand is why they are not launching Bucharest, Thessaloniki, Athens... at night to offer connections via ZAG. A full Q400 from SKG can considerably boost the morning loads.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:10

    So my guess is that an engine choice has not been made for these 4 neos?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:13

      Probably too early.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:47

      Hopefully not P&W. They have had a lot of issues on the neos.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:05

      The airbus320NEO has very unreliable 251 and 271 type of engines.The best engine for Airbus320 is older generation and very reliable 232 engine choice(made in Japan/America and Italy).The gear turbo fan engine put on Airbus 320 (neos) are facing problems leading to engine failures.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:12

    Bravo Hrvatska!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous09:14

    Interesting. I notice that they have pushed back deliveries by a year. When they renegotiated the order they said first deliveries will be in 2021 and completed in 2022. Now they will start in 2022.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:12

      This is an order they wanted to get rid off for a while but there was no way out of it so they had to go along and managed to deffer delivery. It's not the best that they are being hit by payments for this aircraft this year since the company still far from financially stable.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:16

    This order is a financial burden for OU

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:19

      +1 and a big one. Also a burden for any potential partner/investor.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:23

      If they find a big partner it won't be an issue to renegotiate. Etihad resolved Jat's 15 year Airbus order which burdened them a lot within a month.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:13

      Yes but the chances of finding such a partner aren't big.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:19

    Happy that new aircraft are coming.

    ReplyDelete
  12. And that's why the one that has the money gets them first! Aegean ordered the neos three years later than OU and they are gonna get the firsts in 2020.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:39

      Yes but the main difference is that the Greek government isnt involved in Aegean like the Croatian government is involved with OU.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:41

      If it wasn't for the Croatian government this crazy order would never have been made. It has been proven that the order was made on instruction by Sanader who wanted to cozy up to the French because of EU integration voting.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:47

      Yep

      "Smatra se da je taj ugovor zapravo bio politički deal između bivšeg premijera Ive Sanadera i bivšeg francuskog predsjednika Nicolasa Sarkozyja.

      U kuloarima se govorilo da je Sanader na taj način želio pridobiti naklonost Francuske, koja je tada predsjedala EU, i osigurati brži završetak pregovora s EU. Čak se tvrdilo da je tim ugovorom sebi osigurao ulaznicu za Elizejsku palaču, odnosno službeni prijem kod Sarkozyja."

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:46

      Slicna prica i sa Jatovom narudzbinom za A319 1998.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous15:47

      Only difference is that JU managed to get out of it, both that and the neo deal and on top of that they got the deposit back. They were pretty lucky, unlike OU which will get the planes they don't need.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous09:23

    What about regional jets? They can't wet lease CRJ1000s forever.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:25

      They can if they want.

      Delete
  14. Anonymous09:24

    Bravo Hrvatska like you all say. The addition will further contribute to the tourism and business of the country. The OU livery will look amazing on the A32N!
    Greets from Sofia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:22

      Not all we say that.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous09:28

    You have to be crazy to buy new aircraft knowing the financial status of the company. Better to lease out older planes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:29

      They can't do anything about it. Originally planes were ordered for political reasons. But now they can't get out of it.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:47

      When planes were ordered OU was actually doing well financially. The only problem it was over 10 years ago.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous09:28

    For all the people saying they don't need these neos, I will just remind you that the current Airbuses are getting old and will need to be replaced.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:29

      Yes they don't have to replace them with an expensive new aircraft. THey could lease older jets which are younger then their current ones.

      Delete
  17. Anonymous09:31

    They should base two in both Split and Dubrovnik and operate flights with full capacity from March to October.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:41

      There is a huge difference between what they could/should do and what they will actually do in the end.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:47

      It's not all that easy. Competition on the coast is ripe.

      Delete
  18. Anonymous09:31

    Do they really need that size? Wouldn't be A220 enough?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:40

      This order was made 10 years ago when the A220s weren't around. It was also renegotiated when A220 program was owned by Bombardier.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:07

      Now that airbus has taken over the CS project i hope CA will rethink their order in more economical and efficient cs planes

      Delete
  19. Anonymous09:39

    What they need is more CRJ planes if you ask me. Lower capacity plus cheaper.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:42

      Again with what money? As you can see they don't have the cash for these Airbuses let alone extra planes.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:57

      That is why they should replace the A319 with Q400!

      Delete
  20. Anonymous09:42

    Congrats OU and kudos for the hard efforts.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous09:44

    How many planes does Croatia Airlines own?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:46

      5 airbuses. 4 A319s and 1 A320.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:48

      And also 7 engines. 6 for Airbuses and 1 for Q400.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:04

      It's impressive that they own more than half of their fleet. That brings down costs quite a lot.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous14:59

      4x a319
      2x a320
      6x dash q400

      Delete
  22. Anonymous09:44

    If they are struggling to pay, can't they just arrange a sale and leaseback?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:46

      Easier said then done.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:08

      if the contract with airbus would allow it. sometimes there is such a clause that they cannot do it for let say 5y after the aircraft was delivered

      Delete
  23. Anonymous09:58

    This is great news for LH Group! Neos are very efficient meaning OU can carry passengers to Star Alliance hubs for even less money once they are arrive. lol

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous10:06

    They must act on doing something with their fleet. It is becoming older and older. The Airbus fleet is now 20 yrs old. Yes, the neos are coming but that's only 4 of them. A strategic partner would definitely help here. They don't have the funds to finance a fleet modernization on their own.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous10:06

    This Airbus order which probably costs over 300 million euros is the worst for attracting any sort of potential investor.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous10:12

    Instead of neos they should have picked the CRJ1000. Good plane, good economics and passenger friendly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:24

      It is also expensive.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:27

      And this neo deal is not?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:03

      We don't know the price of the neo deal.

      Delete
  27. Anonymous10:12

    And what happens with this order if they don't find a strategic partner? I doubt they would be able to cancel it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:15

      Government will probably cover the cost.

      Delete
  28. Anonymous10:16

    No matter what people say I'm glad OU is finally getting these planes :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:19

      There are still 3 years until they arrive. I hope they come but there is a lot that can happen in that time.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:27

      From the article, the CEO of Croatia Airlines seems to say that this neo order depends on on a future strategic partner.

      Delete
  29. Anonymous10:48

    New aircraft are the least necessary thing that OU needs at the moment

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:51

      And fly with what, by that time 25 year old planes?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:55

      They can always lease 10-15 year old planes that are much much cheaper than the brand new ones.

      Delete
  30. Anonymous10:51

    Does anyone know what will be the capacity of these neo jets?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:20

      180 seats.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:07

      It all depends on the layout. Wizz Air with tight pitch has 186 seats. For example Air Seychelles which just took their A320neo yesterday and has a similar pitch to Croatia Airlines has 174 seats.

      Delete
  31. Anonymous11:08

    OU definitely needs a change so this is a good development.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous11:19

    Will be interesting to see what their fleet will look like in 5 years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:03

      I don't think it will be much different than today's. Just a few A320neos which will replace A320s.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:44

      It all depends if a partner is found. But the process is very slow. The financial adivosr is still at phase 1 meaning they are just analyzing OU. i.e even if they find a partner, this won't be finalized until late 2020.

      Delete
  33. Anonymous11:20

    A strategic partner would definitely help here. They don't have the funds to finance a fleet modernization on their own.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Anonymous12:08

    At some point you would hope they would get planes to expand their fleet and open new markets and not just to replace older aircraft.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anonymous12:19

    The neos will be a great addition.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Anonymous12:24

    This plane could open some new markets for OU because it has a bigger range.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:31

      Not exactly. Range on A320neo is just marginally greater than on the A320.

      Delete
  37. Anonymous12:30

    This move indicates imho that OU is thinking of a rather 110-120 seater instead of a 90-100-seater jet as a medium sized plane between the Dash and the then larger A320 fleet. Otherwise they would not have converted from the smaller 319 to 320 for all their four open orders.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Anonymous13:14

    Can't wait to see these birds in Zagreb!

    ReplyDelete
  39. Anonymous14:59

    Da li ce Er-Srbija dobiti A320neo pre ili posle Kroacije? Hvala.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:00

      Nece ih dobiti. Narudzbina je otkazana.

      Delete

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