Friday, July 5, 2024 Croatia Airlines is on the cusp of significant expansion, marked by the arrival of its first Airbus A220-300 aircraft as part of a refleeting initiative starting this month. This strategic move is expected to diversify the airline’s route offerings, particularly focusing on destinations south of Croatia to cater primarily to leisure travelers. This expansion aims to mitigate the seasonal nature of its operations, providing more consistent service throughout the year.
The airline’s CEO, Jasmin Bajić, emphasized the potential for new business opportunities with the gradual addition of fifteen A220 aircraft to the fleet by the end of 2027, which will facilitate the launch of new routes and increased frequencies on existing ones. This refleeting is not only a fleet modernization effort but also a strategic expansion into untapped markets. To support this network expansion, Croatia Airlines can leverage Zagreb Airport’s Connecting Capital Cities Incentive Model.
This model incentivizes airlines to launch at least two weekly year-round flights to a minimum of three out of sixteen pre-selected destinations. The eligible destinations under this incentive scheme include major European cities such as Prague, Tallinn, Berlin, Budapest, Riga, Vilnius, Luxembourg, and Stockholm, as well as other important hubs like Tirana, Pristina, Reykjavik, Tbilisi, Kiev (post-reopening of Ukrainian airspace), Chisinau, and Yerevan. This year, the airline has already commen.
