Croatia Airlines has phased out its second 72-seat Dash 8 turboprop aircraft, as the airline transitions to a single-type Airbus A220 fleet. The carrier has retired the seventeen-year-old turboprop registered 9A-CQA (Slavonija), which was returned to its owner in Canada over the weekend. It follows the retirement of another Dash 8 earlier this year, registered 9A-CQB. As a result, the company will operate four units of the aircraft type this summer. Croatia Airlines’ existing turboprop fleet is under an operational lease. In 2024, the Dash 8s were used on 57.8% of the company’s scheduled flights. The average age of Croatia Airlines’ turboprop fleet is just over fifteen years. The phase-out of the second Dash 8 aircraft will result in the airline reducing frequencies on select services after the Easter holidays.
Croatia Airlines plans to select a wet-lease capacity provider for turboprop planes by the end of the year, with the aircraft expected to enter service on behalf of the Croatian carrier in 2026. The airline previously confirmed it would wet-lease turboprops for regional routes to replace its existing Dash 8s. “What we plan to do next is find a partner for 2026 that will operate on our behalf on shorter routes through a wet-lease arrangement. That will involve the partner airline’s crew and aircraft. Austrian Airlines currently has the same agreement with Braathens. These aircraft will be used on shorter routes such as Sarajevo, Vienna, and Osijek”, Croatia Airlines’ CEO, Jasmin Bajić, previously said.
The Croatian carrier will take delivery of another eleven A220-300s by 2027, with the capacity to seat 149 passengers, and two A220-100s with 127 seats, the latter effectively becoming the smallest aircraft in its fleet. Its third A220-300, named “Dubrovnik”, is now expected to be delivered before the peak summer travel period, while the first A220-100 is anticipated before the start of the winter season in late October. In total, five A220 jets are due to be delivered this year. “This will not only enable our growth but also make us more competitive and sustainable, which fits our business plans perfectly”, Mr Bajić noted.
Bravo OU!
ReplyDeleteBravo OU 🇭🇷 🇭🇷 🇭🇷
DeleteI somehow think that this wet lease will be trade air
DeleteIt's gonna be a lucrative deal..
What nobody is mentioning here or anywhere is that the company has had these airplanes were payed for in the first tranche of leasing.
DeleteThe remaining value is typically 15% so most normal companies opt to buy them. But not Croatia.
It would be interesting to see WHO is behind the Ravelin DACs of-shore company... But we will never know
I'm surprised that over half of all flights were operated by the Q400s.
ReplyDeleteWith tremendous LF. It is not easy to copy their cunning business plan.
DeleteI still don't get this strategy when you have a 65% load factor across network.
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine the load factor when the A220 starts operating some SJJ flights as planned this summer.
DeleteThey're going to have to work extra hard to boost that load factor this year
DeleteTheir ridiculous high fares are not helping with LF. I would understand if they are making a killing with their profit and that justified the high fares but they are chronically loss making.
DeleteTheir Airfares are lower then 30 years ago.
DeleteAll air fares are lower than 30 years ago. That's not something to brag about.
DeleteThey are old planes. Time to go.
ReplyDeleteI'm all for them retiring these older birds but their long-term plans is just to wet lease turboprops?
DeleteIt feels like a temporary fix to me.
DeleteThese planes had lots of technical glitches and the cabins are now really showing their age. So I agree it is time for them to leave.
DeleteGood decision.
ReplyDeleteReally?
DeleteThird A220 was meant to arrive in March but seems to be delayed like the other two.
ReplyDeleteBut why not keep existing fleet flying?
DeleteBecause these planes need to go for an expensive D check.
DeleteBravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeletePuno previse prebravo!
Deleteprekul :D
DeletePreje.eno prefenomenalno
DeleteFarewell to the Dash 8s!
ReplyDeleteHow much will wet leasing turboprops cost on top of the A220 payments?
ReplyDeleteIt won't be cheap
DeleteBut it will be cheaper and that is the point.
DeleteWe have been hearing a lot how everything will be cheaper with A220 but so far their costs have exploded.
Delete^^^ Source? Trust me bro.
Delete^
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2025/03/croatia-airlines-grapples-with-costly.html
It's not the point to be cheaper...
DeleteI don’t really believe that 5 A220s will be delivered this year. More realistic is 3.
ReplyDeleteSame. It seems the original timeline keeps slipping.
DeleteThat is Airbuses fault, not OU's
DeleteNo one said it was OU's fault.
DeleteI wonder why they didn’t consider buying smaller regional jets or turboprops?
ReplyDeleteMe too, considering their performance.
DeleteWell the plan is to improve so they will have more passengers and bigger load factor.
DeleteThey didn't decide anything.
DeleteThey are nobodies. Pawns.
They don't own the company, they are not managers, they are apparatchiks
It would have been nice to see Croatia Airlines invest in something like the ATR 72 for their regional operations.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteOU can’t invest in anything. They are loss making company. Only taxpayers may invest on top of those 15 new Airbuses
DeleteATR cannot be used to OMO and A220 is too big. Who can fill those seats?
DeleteGood point. What will they do with Mostar
DeleteTrade Air could jump in to OMO ZAG with it's Saab?
DeleteSo who is going to be the wet lease operator? Any idea?
ReplyDeleteMaybe Trade Air gets turboprops and starts operating for OU.
DeleteIs there any LH group carrier with turboprops?
DeleteNone have turboprops to lease to someone else.
DeleteBraathens is a possible option for wet-lease partner. However, it is questionable if they have enough ATR's since they already lease them to Austrian and SAS.
DeleteLet's see if they go for ATR or Dashes again.
DeleteHope it will be ATRs
DeleteBarely no airline operates Dash Q400 in Europe anymore.
DeleteGood luck
ReplyDeleteDon't get this strategy.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteThe routing for 9A-CQA: Zagreb-Brussels-Glasgow-Reykjavik-Narsarsuaq -Nuuk-Goose Bay-Montreal
ReplyDeletewow
DeleteHere it is at Nuuk!
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2NXM2qHg8A
Amazing find
DeleteActually, they diverted from Narsarsuaq to Nuuk.
DeletePlane has a range of approx. 5 hours, especially when empty. Not sure why they didn't fly to Reykjavik non-stop for ex.
How many A320-family planes have they retired so far since fleet transition began?
ReplyDeleteOne, 9A-CTI was retired. In total 3 aircraft have already been retired.
DeleteOne, in total three. Which one is it then, one or three??
DeleteHe meant 1 A319 and along with 2 Dashes that is three retired aircraft.
DeleteI wonder if this plane will get a new operator or it will be scrapped?
ReplyDeleteNew customer in Australia.
DeleteCool, thanks
Delete@09:43 Do you come from the land down under?
DeleteYou better run, better take cover
DeleteAny idea on how many aircraft they will wet lease? 6 to replace all 6 Dash 8s?
ReplyDeleteLess than 6 since they want to replace Q400 on routes such as Zurich and Brussels. For Sarajevo, Vienna, Pula, Zadar, etc they need maximum 3 aircraft.
Delete2 aircraft would be optional.
DeleteBut those 6 Q400s operated over 50% of all their flights yet LF was 65% And now they will use larger A220s...
DeleteLow LF was because expensive tickets, bad flight times, lack of connections, etc.
DeletePhasing out the Dash 8s is understandable, but what about the gap until 2026 when the wet-leased turboprops come into play. The company's load factor will be interesting to watch this year.
ReplyDelete2026 is in 8 months.
DeleteSo what is the strategy exactly? They are getting rid of planes they obviously need in favor of planes that are too large for many routes so they are going to wet lease turboprops until when? 5 years? 10 year? 20 years?
ReplyDeleteSimply cut nonsensical routes. Like who tf even needs flight to Vienna???
DeleteVienna is a nonsensical route?
DeleteVienna is an important route as VIE is big hub for connections.
DeleteZAG-VIE numbers have been falling as have frequencies. It seems its being replaced as a transfer point from Zagreb by AMS
DeleteThey are being replaced as a transfer point because Ryanair now flies from Zagreb to many European cities. So transferring is no longer necessary.
DeleteThey will need turboprops mostly in the winter
ReplyDeleteFor some routes they need them year round.
Delete* for more than 50% of routes they need them year round.
DeleteBaffling they are getting rid of them
DeleteThis whole fleet transition does not seem very well thought through.
ReplyDeleteWhen is the next PSO tender in Croatia due? Would be interesting to see for what will OU apply with their new fleet.
ReplyDeleteIt is supposed to be next year but who knows. Government delayed the last one by many years.
DeleteGood riddance!
ReplyDeleteWhy?
DeleteObsolete piece of equipment...
DeleteIf there is no demand to fill a normal plane every day between two pairs of cities - don't fly
Who says there is no demand?
DeleteNice.
ReplyDeleteEven the A220-100 is too big for the routes that used to operate with the Dash.
ReplyDeleteYes, big jump in capacity for OU.
DeleteWill they be using A220s for ZAG-SJJ and ZAG-OMO in the future?
ReplyDeleteSome SJJ flights this summer are with A220 but primarily because they are missing Dash 8s. The idea is for Sarajevo to be operated with wet leased props in the future.
DeleteAnd as for Mostar, the A220 can't land there so they will have to find some solution.
DeleteTook a flight from ZAG today. It was kind a busy day, 65 departures altogether, and of course significant number of Croatia Airlines flights. And surprise surprise : brand new shiny A220 parked on tarmac next to the new terminal, while Q400's and 319/320's operating. Just saying, saw it with my own eyes...
ReplyDeletehuh?
DeleteWasn’t there supposed to be a delivery of a third a220 by the End of March? Is there more delays?
ReplyDeleteWhy a220 can not in omo,whats problem
ReplyDelete