Croatia Airlines has confirmed it has entered into a wet-lease agreement with ETF Airways for an ATR72-600 turboprop, recently delivered to the ACMI specialist. The aircraft is tentatively scheduled to enter service on behalf of Croatia Airlines from next Wednesday, although an earlier introduction remains possible. The 70-seat aircraft has had the national airline's corporate livery applied in the form of stickers. A wet lease is an arrangement whereby the lessor provides the aircraft, along with crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI), to another carrier. The Croatian flag carrier has previously said it will have to wet-lease smaller regional jets to make up for the retirement of its Dash 8 turboprops as it transitions to an all Airbus A220 fleet.
The ATR, now registered 9A-ATR, will initially be deployed on Croatia Airlines’ domestic network, as well as on services from Zagreb to Sarajevo and Munich, from Osijek and Rijeka to Munich, and between Dubrovnik and Rome. The nine-year-old aircraft arrived in the Croatian capital on March 29 following a ferry flight from Ho Chi Minh City via Dhaka, Ahmedabad, Muscat and Hurghada. It is scheduled to perform non-revenue test flights tomorrow on routes from Zagreb to Zadar and Pula. The turboprop is being leased by ETF Airways from Singapore-based aircraft leasing company Avation for a period of six years. It was previously operated by Taiwan’s Mandarin Airlines.
ETF Airways, which boasts three Boeing 737-800s in its fleet, has been tipped to become an aircraft provider for Croatia Airlines since announcing plans to add its first ATR aircraft. At the time, ETF’s CEO, Stjepan Bedić, said, “We were curious about the ATR72 for a while and finally we decided to go ahead and give it a try. 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”. Croatia Airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer, Slaven Žabo, noted last month, “Croatia Airlines’ strategy is to operate a single type fleet with A220s, but it does not exclude other aircraft types under different arrangements. We will engage proper capacity on the proper routes through ACMI arrangements”.
Croatia Airlines had previously operated its own ATR aircraft. From 1993 until 2009, the carrier utilised ATR42s, which it replaced with Dash 8s.
What a surprise!!
ReplyDeleteNot a surprise at all, that was always their plan.
Delete09:38 Whoosh! (if you don't understand this one either - the guy you replied to wasn't actually surprised by this OU move)
DeleteФлота једног типа авиона и онда АТР72. Не да није један тип, него ни породица (произвођач) авиона!
DeleteCroatia će imati jedan tip aviona kada svi A320 i Dash 8 avioni izađu iz flote. Wet lease nema nikakve veze sa single type flotom jer je to ipak - wet lease..
DeleteSmart choice.
ReplyDeleteFar more efficient than keeping a dedicated pilot and FA group for such a small fleet.
+1
DeleteHow is that more efficient if ETF does the same thing, but also adds its own markup? If ETF had several ATRs that would make sense.
DeleteI saw the ATR in Zagreb yesterday...I think the logo on the fuselage is applied in a wrong way
ReplyDeleteYes, I think the logo (so the squares) are not where they should be/missing judging by the pictures online
DeleteWhere can I find the photo?
Delete"The 70-seat aircraft has been painted in the airline’s corporate livery." Meaning OU or ETF livery?
ReplyDeleteOU
DeleteIn Croatia Airlines' livery. Although not painted, but with stickers.
DeleteOU, there are already pictures of the aircraft.
DeleteI’m phasing out the Dash 8 to transition to the A220 in order to have a standardized fleet, but I’m leasing ATR aircraft to replace the Dash for now. You don’t really have to understand that right now, do you?
ReplyDeleteCroatia Airlines is not the only airline doing such thing. Take a look at Austrian and SAS, for example.
DeleteActually, the mistake was changing ATRs for Dashes back in 2009, which now has been recognized by the airline.
DeleteActually it is the smart think to do.
DeleteAnd what most ailines doing these days with propeler feeder aircraft. Wet lease the service.
You compare Austrian & SAS with Croatian airlines … wow mate wow…
DeleteBtw, Austrian has terminated lease for turboprops and is flying Embraers even on Vienna - Graz and Vienna - Klagenfurt routes
DeleteFinally something long overdue. Not gonna save them, but might ease the pain as they wither
ReplyDeleteIs it really cheaper to wet lease aircraft, than to dry lease it??
DeleteJU also seems to think that wet leasing is cheaper than actually owing and operating them yourself.
DeleteJU have actually demonstrated a workable and profitable airline in the Balkans can be achieved.
DeleteAt least the deployment makes sense
ReplyDeleteDeploying ATR to Munich is nonsense.
DeleteNot from Osjek...
Delete@9.06 it just tells you what the loads are like on this route
DeleteThere a host of routes with no real financial sense. Pula-Zadar anyone?
DeleteYes. TZL-FMM 239 seats makes sense. OU can't fill up 140! Doesn't make sense! Sorry mate!
DeleteThey will need more than 1 ATR
ReplyDeleteThis will remove the load factor
ReplyDelete*improve, sorry
DeleteIsn't this admission from the management that a single type fleet was a mistake?
ReplyDeleteIt was always the plan to outsource the prop flying and keep in house only the jet flying.
DeleteSmart move but I agree they will need more than 1 ATR.
ReplyDeleteFinally some logic. A220 is great but clearly not for every route. Good to see turboprops coming back, even if indirectly.
ReplyDeleteInstead of reducing flights for example SKP, in the days where demand is weak they can send smaller aircraft, you cannot sending A220 daily when demand is varying from day to day. Especially not for a short 1 hour flights in the Ex-yu region. When they were sending the ATR to SKP they were more succefully with that route way better than now with A220. Obviously thas why work with no profit every year....
DeleteFinally they realise that they cannot operate short 1 hort regional flights with an A220 aircraft, which airline is using A220 for daily flights for routes that are 1 hour even shorter? No one, only they try that. Instead of reducing flights they can just send smaller aircraft for no demands days, but they still not realising that and work with no profit every single year😶🌫️
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteSo you're saying when they had a bunch of Dashes in their fleet they were profitable?
DeleteETF Airways really positioning itself well here. First the 737 ACMI work, now ATRs.
ReplyDeleteETF Airways quietly becoming one of the biggest winners in the region.
DeleteNot sure about this… retiring Dash 8s only to wet-lease ATRs? Sounds like going in circles.
ReplyDeleteDomestic network absolutely needs turboprops. A220 is too big and too expensive for many of these routes.
ReplyDeleteGood to see Sarajevo included. It should perform well with smaller capacity.
ReplyDeleteThe ferry route from Ho Chi Minh City is quite something. Nice detail.
ReplyDeleteCroatia Airlines clearly underestimated the importance of regional aircraft when planning the A220 transition.....
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly what happens when fleet simplification goes too far. You lose flexibility.
DeleteBravo OU
ReplyDeleteBravo ETF
Bravo Jasmin B
Delete9 year old aircraft is still relatively young. Solid addition for this kind of operation.
ReplyDeleteWonder how passengers will react switching between A220 and ATR on similar routes.
ReplyDeleteFew care when it is a 1h hop
DeleteThey wont know or care, and if they do they are free to book alternatives
DeleteCroatia Airlines should have kept at least a small turboprop fleet of its own.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely
DeleteIt would be highly inefficient to do that.
DeleteNot really.
DeleteFeels like Croatia Airlines rushed the Dash 8 retirement.
DeleteI guess the WIFI won't be available on those routes then?
ReplyDeleteBecause one needs wifi flying to Sarajevo for 30minutes? Really mate
DeleteIt might be stupid but in the year of Starling being implemented left and right, it is a fair questions especially for younger and business travelers
DeleteNot to be rude, but business travel betweem Zagreb and Sarajevo will survive withou wifi for half an hour i can assure you.
DeleteACMI today, maybe something deeper tomorrow? Partnership could grow.
ReplyDeleteWow, Jasmin gave us such aa nice surprise!! New routes coming.. Thank you Jasmin
ReplyDeleteNo new routes are coming. This is replacing the Dash
DeleteDear readers,
ReplyDeleteI understand large number of you are interested about the current situation development in our company. So we will explain : We don't care much about losses or business results overall. Stoka sitnog zuba will pay anyhow. But, after long years of Q400 double - leases, we realised it's much more profitable for few of us personally, to double-lease 15 new A220's instead 6 Dashes. And, as we have a guy who is undersigning everything we ask, our precious Jasmin, we decided to take one ATR as well for him, which will compensate for his services. And you don't have to worry anymore about trivial and insignificant particularities as LF, deployment on certain flights, or financial results. Those are irrelevant.
Sincereley yours,
Andrej, Ivan and Tena
Živion nam Pozdrav!
ReplyDeleteIf ETF announce adding a Dreamliner, I will get really excited!!
ReplyDeleteActually...In their company presentation it says "B787/B777 EVALUATING OPTIONS OF WIDE BODY FLEET EXPANSION"
Deletehttps://www.etfairways.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ETF-Airways-Company-Profile-SEP2025-FINAL.pdf
This is a new cost too, on top of all the costs they have this year and these years. Before new aircraft they need new management and strategy.
ReplyDeleteAre ETF crew Croatian or international?
ReplyDelete