Croatia Airlines is preparing to take delivery of its third 149-seat Airbus A220-300 aircraft, with all three jets of the same type tentatively scheduled to be in service from May 20. On that morning, the carrier plans to deploy the aircraft from Zagreb to Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Frankfurt, all of which will be airborne at the same time, although changes are possible at this stage. In a statement to the “Avioradar” portal, Croatia Airlines confirmed the jet would be delivered in May. It is expected to carry the registration 9A-CAL. The carrier has also confirmed it is in talks with Airbus over the potential display of one of its A220s at the upcoming Paris Air Show, taking place between June 16 and June 22.
As part of its transition towards a single-type fleet, the airline is expected to take delivery of a further five A220s this year, including its first of two 127-seat A220-100 aircraft. The delivery of the jet is currently slated for October, with its first revenue service scheduled for October 26, between Zagreb and Brussels, although changes remain likely. Croatia Airlines expects to generate short-term losses as a result of its transition to an all-A220 fleet, which saw its expenses balloon last year. However, the carrier is confident the shift will produce overall savings in the long run. It posted a net loss of nearly twenty million euros last year. The carrier detailed how the arrival of its first two A220s in 2024, as well as the delay in their delivery, had financially impacted the company. It is due to post its first quarter 2025 financial results by the end of the month.
Commenting on the fleet transition, Croatia Airlines’ CEO, Jasmin Bajić, recently said, “Our strategy focuses on our customer needs, further business optimisation and enhanced competitiveness. Before, it was about survival in our region, which has experienced a lot of geopolitical instability. There have been industry crises too, and, of course, the pandemic. But by the end of 2027, we hope to have fifteen new A220s, which will replace our entire existing fleet. This will not only enable our growth but also make us more competitive and sustainable, which fits our business plans perfectly”. Mr Bajić added, “We must also respect the fact that Croatia Airlines is integral to our country’s transport and infrastructure. That makes our role in tourism vital. We’re working together with tourism and government authorities to boost visitors to our country year-round”.
Finally
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean?
DeleteIt was supposed to arrive in March.
DeleteMaybe you should file a complaint with the manufacturer then? I was like questioning the point of your post.
DeleteIt is not my place to file a complaint. Maybe OU will but then again they are leasing the plane from a third party so I don't see how they can. They did mention the delay of the first two produced millions in losses for them.
DeleteAnyone know the serial number?
ReplyDeleteMSN 55357
DeleteCan someone explain to me the benefit of having your aircraft displayed at an airshow when you have so few of them? Genuine question, not hating
ReplyDeleteVanity and poor management
DeleteIt's a god advert for the airline because all the sites will write about it and there will be tours inside and photos.
DeleteIt’s a nice marketing opportunity for Croatia Airlines on a global stage.
DeleteGood move to showcase the new fleet internationally.
DeleteLike tourist coming to Adriatic really care.
DeleteI also don't get it.
DeleteOn aviation.flights it says that aircraft is already painted, carrying 9A-CAM registration. Same on planespotters.net
ReplyDeleteAnd there is a nice photo of it.
DeleteThe incoming A220 is 9A-CAL
DeleteCAM will be the fourth A220.
DeleteI really hope the A220 investment actually turns things around, because the financials haven’t looked great in a while.
ReplyDeleteThey’re clearly betting on cost savings from efficiency and fuel burn over the next decade. The challenge will be maintaining load factors in a highly seasonal market like Croatia
DeleteI’ll believe the financial turnaround when I see it. This is the same airline that’s been losing money even when demand was at its peak
DeleteThe debts and losses will get bigger. Airbus 319/320 was their OWN and they had no lease costs for it at all. A220 fleet is entirely LEASED, with huuuge amounts and costs for the lease. No way fuel efficiency savings can be bigger than the cost of the airplane itself. On the other hand, A220 has almost double capacity and bigger fuel consumption than turboprop Q400, with almost double seat capacity, and their load factor is miserable and the worst in Europe. Conclusion: new bright and shiny A220 fleet will make their situation worse, but they don't care because they were ordered to continue feeding Lufthansa as their main goal and role, and all additional expenses will anyway be paid by poor croatian tax payers. Pozdrav iz Rijeke.
DeletePozdrav iz Rijeke is back. Long time no hear from you. Was missing your valuable comments. How are you?
DeletePissed off as always.
Delete"No way fuel efficiency savings can be bigger than the cost of the airplane itself. "
DeleteAnd you have calculations? Of course you don't. If new gen jets cost more to operate no one would take them. And please spare me BS that other airlines are taking them because they have money. Airlines would NEVER take take something more expensive to operate just because it's new or it's better for passengers.
It's so funny when someone who gets his orders from Središnjica and gives ZERO numbers, calculations, facts or arguments accuses someone not to present calculations, in case when common sense explains everything. Hilarious!
DeleteThanks JU520BEGLAX. I am very well, thanks. Hope you are as well. Yes, I left this site for a while because I was not to happy with some very sick people posting here and attacking me personally but I decided to come back, because of other nice people, like you for example
DeleteYes, whoever dares to disagree with you is a terrible person
DeleteHail to Rijeka!
Delete13:27 Your logic is unbeatable! But then why all other companies don’t throw 20-30 yrs old planes and buy new, shine ones?? If that is so lucrative and profitable. They are all stupid, even TK, LH, LX, but only OU is clever and wise
@ pozdrav iz Rijeke
DeleteIt is true that certain comments are sometimes aggressive and unfriendly, which I regret. However, your comments and those of Nemjee are among the most valuable for me and I appreciate them very much. Nice to have you back. 😊Greetings from ZRH
This comment is clearly referring to the fact OU was incurring only minor cost for operating the current A320 type fleet as they were already paid out and owned, while they will have to pay for the full lease amounts for the new fleet.
DeleteSo yes, if routes were not profitable without the lease cost… imagine adding that too to the calculation.
Dashes were also leased though.
Yes, they were owned but they are too old.
DeleteBtw Pozdrav every airline has those calculations.
DeleteYes. Airlines do. Politically run and public financed Uhljeb entity doesn't.
DeletePozdrav to Pozdrav iz Rijeke (buy the way, I was in Rijeka last year after 40years and I loved it). In reference to expensive new fleet or gas guzzling old but owned fleet, there are many factors that are included like: fleet utilisation (price of airplanes itself, seasonality or not, LF, Average ticket price cost , maintenance in house or not, owning simulator on not, price of money invested, plan for future, hedging price of fuel for two years in advance etc etc) and we have case of lets say Delta which has good initial price offer because of quantity of order, high utilisation, cheap money, in house maintenance, own simulators, good plan for selling them used or using them for many, many years (like Mad Dogs), buying jet fuel in advance when price is good, their average ticket price is stable and so on make sense to own new initially expensive fleet that would have low out of service time and they will make good money on them. On the other hand, small, financially unstable company with low utilisation, high seasonality, expensive maintenance and training, their chances are much lower that they are going to make money.
DeleteThat is like new cars at Hertz car rental and some Jozo ili Pera who has gaps in rental in Oktober, November, February, March and April and struggles to fulfil their obligations. I wish OU all the best anyways!
How does Croatia Airlines plan to stay competitive when Ryanair is flooding the country with cheaper options and more frequent flights?
ReplyDeleteU guess by getting A220s.
DeleteFleet standardization makes a lot of operational sense. Lower maintenance costs, simplified crew training and better fuel efficiency.
DeleteEven the best aircraft can't fix the airline’s core issues if there are no changes from inside the company.
DeleteA modern national airline helps the whole tourism ecosystem.
Delete@9.26 could not agree more. Croatia Airlines needs a managerial reset, not just a fleet upgrade.
DeleteFleet modernization is essential if we want a competitive airline.
DeleteThe fleet is completely irrelevant. What you need to stay competitive is a route network and prices. And OU has neither. It deserves to die.
Delete09.20, 09.34 and 10.00
DeleteYou should be ashamed for trying to advocate humiliated irrelevant feeder full of incompetence, crime and corruption, totally dependent on politics, generator of losses covered by poor croatian people, entity which missed all opportunities offered on regional market in over 3 decades, whose results equal treason. Shame on you. If you are even aware what word shame means.
Are you ok???? No one is advocate for OU here. Chill.
DeleteWasn't this aircraft supposed to arrive in March?
ReplyDeleteYes, it's late.
DeleteCongratulations!
ReplyDeleteBrqavo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteBrkavo, I agree, with moustache 🙂
DeleteIf they really manage to stick to the plan and retire the old fleet by 2027, it’ll be one of the most modern short-haul fleets in Europe. Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly.
ReplyDeleteMedium, not short.
DeleteAs long as 45 minutes to Minken and one hour to Vrankvurt is medium, I agree 🙂
Delete20:00, you are talking about utilization, I'm talking about range. Two different things.
Delete07.06, have you seen the smiley at the end of my post? The message is, as you obviously didn't understand : They don't need medium haul aircraft, because they will use it on short range only, in order to continue successfully feeding Deutsche Lufthansa Gmbh
Delete^ Amsterdam, Brussels and Copenhagen aren't exactly LH feeder routes, but hey...don't let facts get in the way of the narrative you're clinically obsessed with.
DeleteProud to see Croatia Airlines pushing forward despite the challenges. We need a strong national carrier.
ReplyDeleteHumiliated feeder with 14 percent market share operating regional aircraft only is anything but strong
DeleteWhich city name could be next for the fourth A220? Pula?
ReplyDeleteOr Zadar.
DeleteNašice would be just fine for me. Or Otočac. What's the difference?
DeleteImotski
DeleteImocki.
DeleteI have better proposal : next two should be named Minken and Vrankvurt, and I believe you all know why so 😂😂😂
DeleteThe A220 is hands down one of the best narrowbodies out there - quiet, efficient and perfect for regional European routes.
ReplyDeleteThe A220 is a good aircraft. The question is whether Croatia Airlines can become the good airline it has the potential to be.
DeleteThat's all irrelevant if it flies more than half empty.
DeleteOU is a good airline already. Not great but good. Whether it will becomes profitable or not remains to be seen.
DeleteI have to ask how is it good? What makes them good? No proper transfer waves with many flights missing connections within 10 minutes. Very small network, very poor onboard service for premium business class passengers. Small market share, very poor load factor and poor financial performance.
DeleteTrack record alone makes them a good carrier.
DeleteAsk FB or CY how good is the plane. PW problems expected like all other companies
DeleteIt’s rare to see a national carrier go all in on a single-type fleet this aggressively. The last one remember is Air Baltic.
ReplyDeleteThat turned out well....
DeleteThey were profitable until they overextended and overgrew for their market
DeleteThe war in Ukraine significantly affects Air Baltic.
DeleteIt's rare to see functioning national carrier at all these days. So much about how single type is bad and more type fleet is good.
DeleteRare to see functioning national carrier these days? Are you for real? They are all expanding, combating LCC's and most important, have positive financial results. Only very few struggling, headed by OU
DeleteYes, I'm for real. You are simply blind.
DeletePlease let the new aircraft also come with improved scheduling and customer service.
ReplyDeleteThis will either make them or break them. Hope for the best.
ReplyDeleteThese are taking long to be delivered.
ReplyDeleteAirbus production issues.
DeleteCroatia Airlines has come along since the ATR and early B737 days. Let’s hope this fleet renewal writes the next, better chapter.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteDid OU at one point fly MD82s or Fokkers? Or did I mix something up?
DeleteYes they had 2 MD82s and they operated one Fokker 100 for a few years.
DeleteAirline lose another €20 million and no one bats an eye...
ReplyDeleteI'm interested to see the Q1 results.
DeleteIf they are getting further five this year, that means one new aircraft every 45 days-ish? Don't see that happening with the current pace... but it would be good if they got the 4th one at least by July
ReplyDeleteYes, I don't think it's realistic. The delivery time has slipped quite a bit.
DeleteI’ve flown Croatia Airlines for over a decade. The fleet was long overdue for a refresh, so this is very welcome news. Just hope they also improve onboard service.
ReplyDeleteThe fleet was fine. The Airbuses are great. The Dashes could have just been refreshed inside.
DeleteGreat plane, great airline, great country
ReplyDelete+1
DeletePlane : mediocre. Country : great, fully agree. Airline : disaster and shame
DeleteFantastic news
ReplyDeleteHow many planes have they retired now?
ReplyDeleteOne A319 and two Q400s.
DeleteThank you
Delete3rd nail in the coffin .......... no way the A220 is a better comercial option than the A320 NEO .... and/or the externded range version ..... for sure the A220 was a political order .....
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteSeeing the A220 in SKP almost every 3th flight they serve, and I really love it , way better then A319 and not even close to the Dash-8 we were used too before.
ReplyDeleteCroatia treba postati dio Air Serbie!!!!!
ReplyDelete