Croatia Airlines has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus for the purchase of six A220 aircraft but is yet to firm up its order, the European plane manufacturer told EX-YU Aviation News. The contract is expected to be formalised once the financing for the deal and other paperwork is finalised. Airbus will officially list the six A220s in its order books when the process is completed. Once the order is officially placed, exact details will be made public, including which of the two versions of the aircraft the carrier has opted for. It is believed the airline will include both the -100 and -300 variants in its future fleet (three each), although this is yet to be confirmed. Furthermore, it is expected for Croatia Airlines to have further options as part of its order.

The agreement between Croatia Airlines and Airbus involves a historical order for A319s, which was later converted into an order for the A320neos, that have now been substituted for the A220s. The Croatian carrier is believed to have deposited several million euros for the previous order. The scrapped A320neos were to be delivered to the airline this year and in 2023. Croatia Airlines has said renewing its fleet is part of its “strategy for success” where it plans to radically turn around its business in just a few years.

Croatia Airlines intends to replace its entire fleet of five A319s, two A320s and six Dash 8 Q400 turboprops with the A220s. “The fleet renewal over the next four years represents a significant development cycle for the company with the aim of having a single-type fleet of A220s in the future”, Croatia Airlines said. The carrier’s current average fleet age is 17.3 years, with the A320s an average of 22.3 years old, the A319s 21.1 years old and the Dash 8s 13.3 years old. During the first three quarters of the year, Croatia Airlines utilised its smaller turboprop fleet on 10.326 flights, or on 58.7% of all operated services, while the remaining 41.3%, or 7.260 flights, were maintained by the Airbus fleet. “The structure of the equipment used is adapted to traffic needs and the given circumstances. Although the use of Airbus aircraft was increased during the nine-month period, the emphasis nevertheless was on the use of the Q400 fleet”, the company noted.