I'm surprised Croatia doesn't have a second scheduled airline (not including Trade Air PSO flights here). The market seems to exist especially during summer.

I feel it will end up in the bag with the other unsuccessful airlines.

Seems like they are getting the B737 from Oman.

What does ETF stand for?

Someone mistakenly wrote E in stead of W in their official name.

On a more serious note, this is great. Finally a local airline fully dedicated to the coast. I also like their neutral branding, no need for nationalistic branding to bring tourists to the coast.

Bad news for OU.

This will never get off the ground.

Why?

The question is why has Croatia Airlines never started operating charter flights on a wider scale from the coast?

Or from anywhere for that matter.

+1

To many variables to mention.

That is a long list of failed airlines.

Any idea where they will be based?

Because they were unable to compete. For that you need a competent workforce.

Is there a link for the cabin crew job?

Actually I think this type of airline, that will focus on ACMI in winter and charters in summer has the greatest chance of success.

You've answered your own question. Market exists... in the summer.

Airline need to make money year-round to survive, unless, you know, you get millions every year from the government.

Because it is an expensive business.

They should work more with foreign tour operators. Although it makes sense that foreigners will work with their local airlines and not OU.

https://www.posao.hr/oglasi/kabinsko-osoblje-b737-m-z/715989/

Great, another overly ambitious project that is bound to fail.

They could have went with a better name, something more local, or even regional.

There is no need for projects like this. This will never take off. The only way forward is for the state to announce a tender for PSO which would be awarded to some EU-based company. This PSO would be for year-round operations between ZAG and other airports within Croatia. Everything else should be left to the market to regulate.

Good luck.

And what's the issue with PSO being awarded to Croatian carriers?

I think potential customers are becoming very wary of new airlines. There failure rate is astronomical. I would never book with an airline younger than 3 years.

Air Croatia actually had a great network. OU later introduced most of their routes.

I hope that these ideas will become a reality.

Good! Croatia needs an airline with aircraft based on the coast.

I remember Sea Air. It was based in Osijek.

The only serious one out of all of them was Dubrovnik Airline.

Where do they come up with these names?

They can certainly get some cheap lease deals now,betting that covid will somehow disappear before the summer. But, what do you do for 8 months of the year

Their proposed livery is better than Flybosnia lol.

Preferably a scheduled one.

Well if you notice, they plan to offer ACMI. So fly from other parts of the world on behalf of other airlines.

No, not a scheduled one because it would struggle big time in winter.

Thank you!!

Živi bili pa vidjeli

I hope this succeeds and support any kind of enthusiastic idea, especially in aviation industry.

True, plane looks good.

Due to low plane leasing rates, it is quite easy to set up an airline now a days.

Anic Airways, what was that?

There is demand for the coast but only on a seasonal basis.

Agree. Especially when you see respectable carriers with decades of history shutting down overnight.

They plan to start an airline in the age of corona?

EASY TO FLY

ETF AIRWAYS Ltd. – Professional charter and ACMI/wet lease services. https://www.etfairways.com/

This is when charter airlines could have the most chance of success. Why do you think Wizz Air and Etihad are all of a sudden launching charter divisions.

Logo: https://www.posao.hr/pd/html/715989/ETF-Airways-logo.png

Easy to fly

Ohhh. Why not just call it that?!? Sounds better than ETF.

Not likely

Maybe they just set it up so they can apply for PSO

There are certain terms and conditions for applying to that and being a new airline disqualifies them. So it has nothing to do with that.

I'm really hoping that some day someone serious like Eurowings bases a plane in a secondary Croatian city and develops a network on a yearlong basis.

@9.22 Quite a few tour operators actually booked with Air Croatia. But all of them got burned in the end.

A big opportunity for them would be to start flights from Tivat.

What or from where is the livery inspired by or comes from?

What did Dubrovnik Airlines do with its fleet and staff over the winter season?

At least someone is hiring in the aviation sector which is great news.

Staff received basic salary and fleet was parked at Dubrovnik airport. It was possible because of high revenue figures during the summer season.

They did fly a fair bit during the off season on Hajj charter flights from Africa and the Middle East as well as football charters flying supporters around Europe for various competitions.

Good, finally a replacement for Dubrovnik Airline.

When they start to talk about new airline that will start with aircraft like Dash 8 or ATR 72 I will believe this story... But with this A320/737 tales it just hilarious to listen to them, at least from my point of view...

Dubrovnik Airline had Fokker 100 aircrafts, and they are cheap to maintain but have high consumption.

I find it very interesting that Bulgaria has two relatively respectable charter airlines (BH and Bulgarian Air Charter) which have existed for years. But on the other hand, in addition to the sea, Bulgaria has developed ski tourism unlike Croatia so their planes have some demand to fly during the winter period as well.

Lets hope this airline actually works out unlike Dubrovnik Airline.

The names of these Croatian start ups are going from bad to worse.

What will they do during the winter? Even Croatia Airlines has problems with fleet utilization during the slow season, let alone this airline

Thanks for sharing

Dalmatian, Libertas, Blue Line, Limitless, Air Croatia, ETF... I can't keep up

True dat, Bulgarian Air Charter and Balkan Holidays have quite an experience but they also do charters to Egypt and Turkey. Elektra and ALK are not doing bad but still quite younger.

ACMI at the moment and for next couple of years is such a great business opportunity, as all airlines are utilising 100% of their fleets, and they really need to wet-lease aircraft from other operators.

Time for a reality check.

Anon 09:16
Well, Croatia is an EU country so PSO can only be rewarded to EU companies. And it is, to OU and C3, these are EU airlines.

If you look at Volotea and Aegean, you will see these airlines have still quite seasonal market while carying more passangers with higher profit then Austrian, Air Baltic or UIA which have year round market. Problem of Croatia airlines is that they are not flying so much from the coast during the summer where they can make high profits which would cover their losses during the winter. Same are doing Volotea and Aegean.

Anon 10:11... If you do charters and ACMI, you can't use Dash or ATR. Dubrovnik Airline never had F100s, they had MDs and one 320.

Erm... Aegean has Athens to fill its planes in winter.

This is getting embarrassing. Please stop.

Actually, I think the CEO previously worked for Dubrovnik Airline (as a pilot).

Same as OU has ZAG but still seasonality is high. Aegean has more sesonal routes per year round ones then OU.

Reality check :Avion Express, Lithuanian ACMI operator, operates succesfully throughout covid crisis, leasing out its fleet at this moment in Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka and Kosovo, with ongoing negotiations for further leases

Because they are trying to increase fleet utilisations, as they know they will have under-utilised fleet for couple of years.

Elektrotehnički fakultet :D

1st December 2020: "Avion Express to request protection from creditors"

Yes, they are doing extremely well.

The same thing American big 3 did. Protection in case of. Thinking ahead. Shows how good managing looks like. The main issue is that they DO OPERATE, even during covid, and receive no stare aid. Enough for me.

state aid, not stare aid

So "operating successfully" means not being able to pay off debt. Interesting definition of success.

There are so many ACMi airlines around the world that will be doing this and there will be much less need for ACMI leases in the years to come as so many aircraft are grounded.

+1

But it is not so easy for it to succeed.

https://www.planespotters.net/airline/Anic-Airways

Video from the inaugural flight - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3ETmd3Jo7c

The failed airlines list

Adriatic Skyways
Adria Wings
Air Adriatic
Anic Airways
Air Croatia'
Dalmatian Airlines
Dubrovnik Airline
European Coastal Airlines
Istria Airlines
Ivan-Air
Laus Air
Limitless Airways
North Adria Aviation
Zadal Airline

It's the same case in most countries. There is an endless list of failed airlines. The aviation industry is very expensive.

Wishing them the best of luck!

Bulgaria has 4 charter airlines? wow

See comments below for full list!

Crazy in this economic climate

ACMI wetlease.

LOL!

"Operating succesfully" during covid crisis means reducing fleet from 22 to 15, changing contracts for operational personnel, reducing costs in way acceptable for both parties, managing to change lease contracts for part of the fleet for only hours flown are paid, terminating contracts for part of the office personnel which was modest even before, operating own charters in addition to ACMI operations, flying cargo with passenger configured planes, and above all, finding new clients and LEASING OUT half of its existing fleet during pandemic when aviation generally is collapsing. Plus administrative protection mentioned before. But I believe you belong to the group which believes that succesfully operating means having 50%more employees than needed working on invented positions non existent in real aviation, and getting generous subsidies, covid or not

Far from it, I keep it simple and just think all debt, loans etc. should be paid on time, if an entity (person or a company) is to be deemed successful.

It is very simple and they are not succesfull but VERY succesfull and excellently managed company. Not only that they pay all their debts and loans on time, but make PROFIT after everything is paid. And the best proof they are succesfull is they manage to survive during covid/corona being ACMI operator. If you don't want or cannot understand that we live the crisis never seen in aviation before, I am sorry.

So why the need to apply for bankruptcy protection, if all their debts and loans are paid on time?

You don't see the 3 big LCCs (EZY, W6 and FR) applying for bankruptcy protection.

Zagreb and Athens cannot be compared - at all!

It really is such a stupid name, what a crappy choice. I hope they give it a second thought.

LOL!

Instead of a Let410 a B738?

I have nothing more to say to person who does not make distinction between heavily subsidised LCC's and ACMI operators

"Heavily subisidised LCCs"

Who is subsidising FR to fly STN-BER? Or Wizz to fly WAW-BCN? Or easyJet to fly MXP-AMS?