Croatian ACMI specialist ETF Airways plans to open a maintenance base in Zadar and has confirmed the deliver of its first ATR72-600 turboprop aircraft next March. At a conference in Zadar, ETF unveiled two new independent companies - ETF Maintenance, focused on aircraft upkeep, which will be based at the airport, and ETF Travel, specialising in travel planning and logistics. The ceremony was attended by Croatia Airlines’ CEO Jasmin Bajić and the Croatian Minister for Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, Oleg Butković.
ETF Airways plans to open a maintenance base in Zadar. Its CEO, Stjepan Bedić, said, "We have ambitions to develop heavy aircraft maintenance and other related services in Croatia. If countries in Eastern Europe can do it, so can we - we’re no less capable. Zadar Airport recognised our initiative and showed remarkable commitment, energy and shared goals. It’s rare to see such a high level of enthusiasm and cooperation". Zadar Airport's CEO, Josip Klišmanić, added, “We are beginning a broader cooperation between Zadar Airport and ETF Airways. ETF plans to launch aircraft maintenance operations right here in Zadar. We hope this partnership will also lead to further infrastructure development, which will contribute to the airport’s growth and the expansion of services offered here”.
ETF Airways’ eight-year lease of an ATR72 aircraft, is expected to arrive in Croatia in March. Commenting last month on the incoming ATR72, Mr Bedić, said, “We are so proud to reach a stage where we can add one more type to our fleet. We were curious about the ATR72 for a while and finally we decided to go ahead and give it a try. We plan to add "Galileo" in Q1 2026”. The aircraft in question is currently eight years old. Mr Bedić added, “We currently have strong demand for ACMI leases involving turboprop aircraft. We believe this is a good niche given current market trends, as competition for leasing Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft is quite strong. Our long-term plan is to add another aircraft of the same type by 2027”.
Will be interesting to see what they do
ReplyDeleteCroatia Airlines could use this wet-leased ATR to start service to Be;grade. Competiton could then upgrade from own ATRs to wet-leased A220s. That would be interesting
DeleteWhenever I read news about OU, I'm always left with more questions than answers.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteETF continues to surprise! From a small ACMI player to now adding a turboprop and possibly working with Croatia Airlines.
ReplyDeletethe best part is that analiticar was screaming for months how OU will fly with A220 to ZAD, PUY and other domestic flights empty, he was not able to see this coop happening.
Deleteonly a blind man would not see it, that croatia airlines must take either a fleet of smaller turboprops to feed the 220s or 2-3 widebodys, in both cases to survive the 220 single fleet. croatia had to take in smaller planes lest they'd be buried from everyone in both expert and layman communities.
DeleteThey aren't working with OU yet.
DeleteETF is the government's new favourite? Wonder if there will still be room for Trade Air.
ReplyDeleteDoes it leave room for Pragusa One?
Deletehahaha good one
DeleteBtw they are active for US/Asia plans. It's not joke.
DeleteSure it's not a joke. Please. It's a scam run by a scammer.
DeletePragusa has nothing to do with Croatia. It is not an airline. It is a British company.
DeleteBravo OU!
ReplyDeleteOn what? In addition to paying expensive leases for A220s they are now going to be paying for wet leases. Just two years ago they owned all their aircraft.
DeleteThis only means they will have more than one turboprop wet lease partner.
DeleteMore than one turboprop partner would create more problems than benefits.
DeleteYou don't have flexibility in crewing and aircraft utilisation especially on a small fleet of maximum 4 aircrafts.
Interesting move. The ATR72 would be perfect fit for domestic ops
ReplyDeleteBesides this, seasonal routes such as Bucharest/Tirana - Zagreb and Skopje - Split might have the chance of becoming year round.
DeleteCroatia Airlines and ETF teaming up sounds a bit unexpected, but it makes sense if OU needs to cover PSO flights while retiring its Dash 8s.
ReplyDeleteIt explains why Bedic was so supportive of OU for the last couple of months... I thought he had integrity but I have been proven wrong.
DeleteBedic has been supportive of OU for decades, way before ETF. You can find newspaper articles about that
DeleteIf the ATRs are for PSO, it does not make sense for the tax payers to pay OU to wet lease another company. Why not pay ETF directly?
ReplyDeleteDoh! Cos of needed transfer options at ZAG and OU flight numbers
DeleteThis isn't a problem for Trade Air is it?
DeleteDidn't this airline also claim at some point that they will lease B777s and nothing happened?
ReplyDeleteYes they did
DeleteThey have made many hot air announcements. Remember how they were launching some airline in Polynesia? It never happened either.
DeleteThe airline never claimed it. zamaaero claimed it, and that is as good as reading it in the tarot cards.
DeleteThey claimed launches in Indian Ocean and French Caribbean and both projects never materialised.
DeleteWas it claimed by them or rather by a certain media?
DeleteSo this will be similar to what Trade Air has with Raf Avia?
ReplyDeleteWhere is RAF Avia from?
DeleteLatvia
DeleteCurious to see whether Croatia Airlines will really let an external operator handle its PSO routes.
ReplyDeleteAnd why not?
DeleteETF has done well in the ACMI market. Adding a turboprop opens up new opportunities, especially as ATRs are in high demand.
ReplyDeleteBut with just one ATR, can they get much business?
DeleteYes, why not?
DeleteI am sure the plan is to soon add several more ATRs if the "trial" proves to be successful
Deletelove the name of the ATR.
ReplyDeleteMe too :) they have good names for all their planes.
Delete+1
DeleteI wish they began their own domestic ops, independent of OU. Croatia needs more domestic competition
ReplyDeleteSold themselves out to OU.
ReplyDeletelol what?
DeleteThey will probably be doing PSO routes from Zadar.
ReplyDeleteno shit sharlok.
DeleteAren't all OU PSOs designed the way that aircraft usage makes only sense with a base at either ZAG or OSI?
DeleteBut I am sure short ferry flights between ZAG and ZAD also wouldn't be an issue...
DeleteReal PSO should be designed with 6 aircraft : one in OSI, DBV, PUY and RJK each, which would connect East, South and Northwest of Croatia twice daily, morning and evening, and operating regional flights from mentioned airports during the day time. Additional two should be in ZAG for thin PSO domestic and thin regional routes. I know it sounds too optimistic and it's highly unlikely to happen but that's what Croatia needs and even better, what could be financed by EU, at least partially. Not to have only ZAG connected to other airports, and especially no wirh PSO for SPU and DBV, even in winter. It's sad and funny at the same time but with the profile of people heading Ministry and "managing" OU, even what we have is too much, despite sad and funny
DeleteThe timeline fits perfectly that this will be for PSO contract. Probably taking over several from OU while operating on behalf of OU.
ReplyDeleteFirst of several new wet lease partners for OU.
ReplyDeleteSo much for one aircraft type. In 2027 you buy an OU ticket want to fly the A220 and get an ATR72.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be better and cheaper to keep two Dash?
DeleteCroatia Airlines never chooses the cheaper and more logical choice.
DeleteThey never choose it because they always know Oleg and friends will be there to pick up the bill.
DeleteNo, Dash is an aircraft much less economical than ATR. The decision by Croatia to change ATR for Dash was a disasterous one.
DeleteOU Management should do many things better, but I don't get this obsession of many on this portal with keeping super old DASH planes. Nobody besides some enthusiasts want to fly on those planes.
DeleteFirst of all they are not super old. Secondly, they are not a disaster operation-wise, thirdly a cost-benefit analysis would always clearly show it would make more sense to keep older Dash instead of contracting new and more economical AtR72 but bear in mind with even less seats. That ain't rocket science.
DeleteWhat happened with Fly Li and Fly Wi? Is atr72 another joke??
ReplyDeleteThey also said how they would get B777s.
DeleteIn my opinion this is related with Pragusa.one.
DeleteETF is a proper airline that has been flying for years with a dedicated team of hard working professionals. Pragusa is a British company and not an airline, and it was founded by a Croatian guy who was involved in a scam in the past.
DeleteSeems like it will be a HDZ and friends gathering in Zadar today.
ReplyDeleteSome of you are being very harsh. Bedić deserves credit for managing to grow steadily without the state’s help. Quite rare in our region.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteBedić is indeed very impressive, against all odds. But this deal now explains why he has been so supportive of Croatia Airlines recently, and I am not a fan of that kind of behaviour.
Deletehe is just anoying guy, together with Marko Banovic. Both are greatly hated among airline community. too much ego.
DeleteOnly jealous guys might hate them. I have been in that world for a while, I don't know what person has to do to be hated. At the end of a day this is business world and not love affair, emotions are not needed. You might agree or disagree with that they do but to say to hate someone is a bit heavy word. It says more about the one who hate them than Stjepan and Marko themselves.
DeleteETF has an interesting concept about maintenance: If countries in Eastern Europe can do it, so can we - we’re no less capable.
DeleteInteresting attitude. Sounds like a deja vu, where just being further to the West is perceived as more capable.
Bravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to see what it is about
ReplyDeleteWhen will we find out?
ReplyDeleteThis is good news for Zadar Airport.
ReplyDeleteIn the end, no cooperation with Croatia Airlines.
ReplyDeleteJust wait a bit haha. You will be surprised.
DeleteThey need to add at least another 2 ATRs in order to become an OU wet lease partner.
ReplyDeleteIt would make more sense if they just operate them on behalf of OU
ReplyDeleteI don't get why were OU and the Minister there? What do they have to do with this?
ReplyDeleteThe Minister I can get, but not sure why Bajic was there.
DeleteBilo taze kahve 🙂
DeleteAny details about ETF Travel? If they still have plans about 777, they would need external or own travel agency to organize charters.
ReplyDeleteOne possibility is that ETF wanted someone else to take all the risk for organizing Boeing 777 charters, but it didn't work out.
DeleteIt is possible they will now try to organize charters using this new, separate entiry ETF Travel. That way, if charter bookings prove to be financially unsustainable, ETF Travel could be closed without taking the rest of ETF businesses down to the bottom.
Nice to see Zadar getting some love!
ReplyDeleteSo at the end no minister, no deputy and no CTN CEO at the event ? What happend ?
ReplyDeleteWho said that there weren't?
DeleteI didn‘t saw anyone of them
DeleteMaybe something feel through
DeleteCongrats ETF
ReplyDeleteCan someone tell me what does ETF stand for, as in the acronym?
ReplyDelete