The delivery of Croatia Airlines’ first Airbus A220 aircraft has been delayed until June of next year. Initially, the carrier was to take delivery of the first jet of the type in February and the second in April of 2024, with the aim for the aircraft to enter the fleet before the height of the summer season. However, they will now be delivered from June onwards. The airline expects to take delivery of only two aircraft next year, followed by six in 2025, four in 2026 and the remaining three in 2027. All of the aircraft will be new, however, they will not be owned by Croatia Airlines. Instead, they will be on financial lease, with the government noting the deal is valued at 500 million US dollars.
Croatia Airlines inked the long-term lease for six units with the Air Lease Corporation, including for two 127-seat A220-100s and four 149-seat A220-300s. The procedure for selecting a lessor for six aircraft that will be delivered based on the signed addendum to the contract with Airbus is underway, as well as the procedure for choosing a lessor for the remaining three aircraft. In total, the airline plans to have three A220-100s and twelve A220-300s in its fleet. The Croatian flag carrier has also signed a contract for the purchase of 33 Pratt & Whitney GTF engines for the aircraft. Pilot training for the new type has already begun.
Croatia Airlines recently sold five Airbus A320-family aircraft that were in its ownership and now leases its entire fleet. It is expected for the older A320 aircraft to be phased out first, with the carrier planning to eventually operate an all-A220 fleet. “Taking delivery of new aircraft and phasing out old ones is a huge job that requires the commitment of everyone in the company, because it is a major project that necessitates all of us to give it our all. At one point we will have three aircraft types in our fleet, which is operationally, financially and in every other sense very demanding”, Croatia Airlines’ CEO, Jasmin Bajić, previously said.
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Did they change number of planes from 12 to 15? Oh and, when are a320/319 and q400 are out of fleet for good? Is it gonna be 1 a220 for 1 current plane or what?
ReplyDeleteIt was 12 +3 from the very beginning
DeleteOh, my bas then 😁
Deletebad*
DeleteNot gonna happen... Take a look at the publicly accessible data on airplane backlogs. There is a backlog of 518 A220 family aircraft. There are three orders AFTER the one made by OU - 33 aircraft. Those are the ones the unsuspecting illiterate taxpayer had payed for and that will be sold and leased back. The other ones... We'll see....
DeleteBravo OU!
ReplyDeleteLOL!!!
DeleteCry baby cry, it's happening, just like the Rafale deal!!
DeleteCry baby cry, when PW1000 starts doing its magic. What is the point of expensive lease rates for new shiny unreliable jet?
DeleteYou should cry, not me, because you are not aware you are being robbed. I am aware. Once you open your eyes, you'll cry. But it will be too late. Baby.
DeleteKindergarten
DeleteMe being robbed?? Engine problems?? Haha!!
DeleteOU - bad news as always.
ReplyDeleteAnd it used to be the best ex Yu airline.
Because the competition was close to nonexisting! Easy to be the best in such a case.
DeleteYou are right.
DeleteThat’s how a free market operates. You perform AND look ahead for new opportunities. OU’s mindset is stuck in a reactionary planned economy mode. Easy to be on top when everyone else is in the bog. But, what if that scenario changes? The results of their forethought are becoming increasingly apparent with each passing day. From a leader to a follower. The same happened to JAT and Adria. Montenegro Airlines, and the plethora of Macedonian airline experiments were in a different league, but that’s a whole other discussion.
DeleteGenerally, I agree with everything. Just one small correction : it did not happen to JAT, it happened to Jat. If Yugoslavia remained single country and single market, with reforms proposed by Croatia and Slovenia, partially already implemented by Ante Markovic, if there were no war, sanctions, shrunk market and everything that followed, JAT today would have been something between THY and Finnair /TAP/Austrian bok Unfortunatelly, everything that happened led to Jat, which I fully agree became pure disaster
DeleteInteresting strategy - leasing new planes instead of buying them. Do any of the other airlines do it the same way, or is it more common practice to actually buy new planes?
ReplyDeleteThe vast majority of airlines the world over is leasing aircraft.
DeleteNo they are not.
DeleteThey are
DeleteOperating lease is a standard procedure for smaller airlines, less than 50 aircraft fleet. Even medium sized airlines largely use operating leasing agreements.
Delete"Croatia Airlines inked the long-term lease for six units with the Air Lease Corporation, including for two 127-seat A220-100s and four 149-seat A220-300s." Very similar to Bulgaria Air except they ordered A200-200 and not 100. 5 A220-300 and 2 A220-200.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-06-bulgaria-air-takes-delivery-of-its-first-a220
Pity for the delay for Croatia Airlines, Bulgaria Air will soon receive its third A220. I read there are delays with the A320neo, but not about A220. At least the Croatian pilots began the training and will be well prepared in summer. Good luck!
There are delays for the A220, mainly tied to supply chain issues.
DeleteA220-200? Lol
DeleteThere are no A220-200’s only -100 & -300.
DeleteLet's hope they actually arrive in June
ReplyDeleteI would be almost prepared to bet money that they won't
DeleteBut that's good it will open the possibility of an ad hoc wet lease on the spot market and the accompanied goodies...
DeleteHow much are you betting? I give you 1:5, sounds good?
DeleteJust 2 next year? :/
ReplyDeleteYou really think that they will get even one next year?
DeleteSo, will these new planes have new livery? I suppose they should, since OU mentioned rebranding in 2024?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2023/05/croatia-airlines-to-redesign-visual.html
DeleteThank you! Really curious who will do the rebranding and what will it look like!
DeleteWhat do you mean "who"? Their Head of Corporate Design, of course 😁
DeleteOh you've got the most important spot. Livery.
DeleteSelo gori, baba se češlja
@Vlad
DeleteMaybe she will hire sub-contractors. She is too busy drinking coffee and posting on FB
she will post a request on Behance, lol (she heard, certain lady did this years ago with AS and she got the job done)
DeleteAs someone said a few days ago about another airline in the region - šminkanje svinje.
DeleteExpected
ReplyDeletePratt & Whitney has really messed up!
ReplyDeleteYes. It’s their fault OU has been “renewing” its fleet since 2013.
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2013/11/croatia-airlines-plans-fleet-expansion.html?m=1
Another delay. These planes have already been delayed in the past, not to mention the A320neos that were supposed to come before them.
ReplyDeleteI wonder where OU managed to find 500 million USD.
ReplyDeleteThey didn't. They will sell and lease back them. Anyway, the government is backuping them.
DeleteThey are not selling them and leasing them back. Read the article. They are on financial lease. They can't sell something they don't own.
Delete@10.42
DeleteSale and lease back of few ancient 320F units can't make 10 % of 500 million needed. OU is not backed up by "government" but by criminal organization very similar to Mafia or N'dranghetta. And it is sad, even tragic, that people who have no clue about aviation come here to advocate crime and corruption in OU and Croatia in general
Any advancement (in which there are thankfully many) in Croatia is automatically labeled as corruption by the highly toxic nostalgic Yugoslavs.5
DeleteTypical bolyshevik, pure communist state of mind from Kradeze once again, which is digging the grave for both OU and Croatia in general, calling people who speak painful truth toxic, nostalgic, Yugoslav, and many more.... Totally detached from reality and here for chauvinist reasons only, not to discuss aviation with facts, but to hail Bravo OU and Bravo Hrvatska no matter what reality is
DeleteThe reality is that Croatia is going to overtake Slovenia as the most prosperous exyu nation by 2030 at the latest. Croatia would have been the wealthiest exyu nation a long time ago but as you know there was a 1991-1995 war that completely devestated Croatia’s economy which delayed our EU and NATO entry ….but forget the past….Revenues from Croatia’s Booming IT industry are growing at a rate of 17% annually and now represent 10.7% of Croatia’s GDP and will soon become Croatia’s largest economic sector , larger than tourism. Croatis is also landing many Foreign Investments such as the Jabil factory in Osijek that is currently being built as we speak. Croatia’s GDP has grown 40% since 2016…wages have also increased from 750 euros to 1163 euros…Croatia’s Credit rating went from junk in 2015 to BBB+ with positive outlook and will reach the A level next year. Croatia is now fully integrated EU member and a EU energy Hub via our LNG terminal …Our Rafale Fighters will be equipped with Scalp EG Cruise missles with a range of nearly 600km….Croatia is the Yugosphere leader! Thank HDZ!
DeleteLOL!!! LOL!!! LOL!!!! And once again LOL!!! Sunday sandwiches, extra tasty, extra mayo...
DeleteSo next year will be more of the same in terms of their network. Some more meaningful change could be seen in 2025 when more A220s arrive.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I don’t think anything will change at OU, even when all these planes come.
DeleteThe LF will change for sure.
Delete@12:02
DeleteGood one.. good one.
Good one, I agree. And there will be another one, small and irrelevant thing :more losses
DeletePity
ReplyDeleteAny idea where the pilot training is taking place?
ReplyDeleteThe arrival in February and April made much more sense.
ReplyDeleteNothing connected with OU makes sense.
Deletethis is dissapointing news for OU and travellers. Hopefully there are no more delays and this new schedule is kept. they are all in with this plan and investment.
ReplyDeleteHope OU dont waste the time also, since they have more time to prepare and be ready for entry of the new plane, expect there to be no issues with staffing and trained people prepared to operate the A220.
Another reason why the should’ve gone with the E2 instead…
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteNegative. Not E2. Rather E175/195 instead
DeleteHopefully these A220 bring some new kind of enthusiasm at OU and things start moving in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteIn the fairytale, highly likely. Real life, no way
DeleteAre you so optimistic in your personal life ????
DeleteI'm neither pesimistic nor optimistic in my personal life. I am realistic. The same as here.
DeleteNope, you are toxic.
DeleteDoes anyone know how much the monthly lease will be for a A220-300 and A220-100?
ReplyDelete