September 10, 2019 - As the summer season comes to an end, we look ahead to the winter in Croatia. Thus, Croatia Airlines has announced some small changes to its flight schedule this year. 

Recall, Croatia will assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from January 1, 2020. With that said, Ex Yu Aviation reports that the national carrier will add a one flight per week between Brussels and Zagreb, totaling to 12 per week. Furthermore, the seasonal service between Zagreb and Dublin will work until January 26, 2020, while its operations between Zagreb and Lisbon will end at the end of October. 

Croatia Airlines will maintain the same winter operations for other Croatian cities this year, which include flights from Split to Frankfurt, Munich and Rome, Dubrovnik to Frankfurt, and Rijeka to Munich. Croatia Airlines has also announced no changes to its winter operations between Croatian locations. 

Recall, Croatia Airlines is currently undergoing a privatization process, which the Croatian Minister for Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, Oleg Butković, previously said should be completed by the end of the year. “I believe we will deliver within the set timeframe,” the Minister said. Privredna banka Zagreb (PBZ) and Germany's DVB Bank are advising the airline in the process.

While the national carrier projects a 5% increase in passenger traffic by the end of 2019, there are no plans to make any significant changes to its services until the privatization process is complete. 

Ex Yu Aviation adds that Croatia Airlines even dropped its plans to extend the wet-lease for one of Air Nostrum's Bombardier CRJ1000 jets into the winter months, which would have lengthened some of its seasonal routes. Croatia Airlines currently maintains twelve routes from Zagreb during the summer.

Croatia Airlines has welcomed 960,620 passengers from January to June this year, which is an increase of 1.2% compared to 2018. 

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

This year, Dubrovnik Airport welcomed its two-millionth passenger 19 days earlier than last year. 

Namely, Amanda Lynn Lowe from San Diego, California arrived on Friday by a Croatia Airlines flight from Zurich, Switzerland, reports N1.

Dubrovnik Airport director Frano Luetić congratulated the two-millionth passenger, pointing out that the airport keeps breaking records. 

"Reconstruction and improvement over the last six years have brought us growth in traffic. In these seven and a half months, our traffic has increased by 14 percent. In July, we reached a record over half a million passengers, and on August 3, we had a daily record with more of 24,000 passengers,” Luetić emphasized.

The airport hopes to reach three million passengers by the end of the year. 

"The number itself is not so important to us, but we place importance on the quality of service. We hope for good financial results as well," Luetić said.

Croatia Airlines commercial director Slaven Zabo is pleased that the two-millionth passenger arrived in Dubrovnik on the flight of the national airline, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

Croatia Airlines, he added, is connecting Dubrovnik directly with eight international and three domestic destinations this year.

This year's two-millionth passenger at Dubrovnik Airport, a professional bodybuilder, has come to Croatia for an active vacation and will participate in a wellness seminar on the island of Lopud.

This is the third year in a row that Dubrovnik Airport has registered their two millionth passenger - the first time was on September 29, 2017, and last year on September 11.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

August 8, 2019 - Croatia Airlines celebrates 30 years!

Exactly three decades ago, on August 7, 1989, Zagreb Airlines (Zagal), an air transport company providing postal transport services, was born. About a year later on July 23, 1990, Zagal changed its name to Croatia Airlines, the national carrier for the transport of passengers, goods, and mail, announced Avio Radar. 

The first passenger flight of Croatia Airlines took off on May 5, 1991, on the Zagreb-Split route,  which established regular passenger traffic within Croatia. Croatia Airlines began connecting the country with the world on April 5, 1992, with the first international flight from Zagreb to Frankfurt. That same year, it began creating its fleet by purchasing a Boeing 737-200 aircraft. Soon, the ATR42 aircraft was introduced, and commercial momentum and refinement in all areas followed. 

The first development phase of the company was completed by the mid-range fleet renewal cycle from 1998 to 2000, when the Boeing aircraft was replaced by six new Airbus aircraft (four A319s and two A320s). The new development chapter was represented by the renewal of the short-haul fleet (from 2008 to 2010, with the inclusion of six new Dash 8-Q400s instead of the ATR42s. 

Over the past three decades, providing regular and charter passenger and cargo transportation services, Croatia Airlines has grown into a European airline recognized for its safety, professional staff, and quality of service. Since the first flight to date, the company has performed a total of 603,000 flights and has carried a total of 39,240,000 passengers. In doing so, the company became a member of the most important airline alliances - the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Star Alliance.s

The Croatia Airlines fleet consists of twelve aircraft: four A319 Airbuses, two 320 Airbuses, and six Dash 8-Q400 turboprops. The Airbus type aircraft feature the names of Croatian cities (Zagreb, Split,  Zadar, Pula, Vukovar, Dubrovnik), while the Q400 type aircraft feature the names of Croatian regions (Slavonia, Lika, Dalmatia, Istria,  Zagorje, Primorje). This season, Croatia Airlines’ planes fly to 8 domestic and 30 international destinations in scheduled traffic and directly connect Croatia with 24 countries. 

In this celebratory year, the company and passengers have been flying under the slogan “Creating memories for 30 years,”, which was selected by company employees. Also, many activities have been carried out regarding improving the business processes and quality of service further. Thus, a visual refresh of the fleet took place in March, which makes Croatia Airlines’ aircraft even more recognizable. A new business class menu was introduced on the company’s international flights, where travelers are served meals using native Croatian recipes and ingredients, further strengthening Croatian gastronomy through taste, aroma, and color. Also new is Croatia Airlines’ redesigned mobile application for iOS and Android users, making it even easier to book a flight, with many other enhanced features. 

To thank their passengers for 30 years of loyalty, the company is conducting several competitions this year where travelers can expect valuable prizes. 

Croatia Airlines wishes to create memories for many more decades with its passengers, and sincerely thanks its users for their trust in the past 30 years.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

ZAGREB, July 31, 2019 - Croatia Airlines ended the first half of 2019 with an operating loss of 79.8 million kuna, the national flag carrier said in a financial statement on Wednesday.

The loss in the first quarter was expected because of the usual low demand and minimal presence of competition at that time of the year, while in the second and third quarters, when all traditional and low-tariff carriers are present, it generates profits with which it covers the losses from the winter period.

In the first half of 2019, Croatia Airlines flew 960,620 passengers, of whom 615,000 or 64% in the second quarter, which is an increase of 1% on the same period in 2018. Passenger occupancy increased by 0.2 percentage points to 71.1%. The number of passengers transported domestically decreased by 3%, while the number of passengers flown internationally rose by 3% compared with the first half of 2018.

Looking at the second quarter alone, operating profit of Croatia Airlines was 10.5 million kuna and net profit was 9.1 million kuna, up from 4.7 million kuna and 4.9 million kuna respectively in the corresponding period of 2018.

More news about Croatia Airlines can be found in the Business section.

ZAGREB, July 29, 2019 - Croatia Airlines has extended two long-term contracts with Lufthansa Technik, one of the world's largest aircraft maintenance companies, which will continue to provide support to Croatia Airlines' Airbus fleet, the national carrier reported on Monday.

The contract for support for all components has been extended for seven years while the contract for support for drive units has been extended for a period of five years. Croatia Airlines has also become a user of Lufthansa Technik's Aviatar platform.

Croatia Airlines technical director Davor Bujan said that the company has been recognised in the world as a safe carrier thanks to its highly-skilled technical staff.

Lufthansa Technik's Senior Sales Executive Jens Henningsen underscored that the extended contracts once again reflect Croatia Airlines' trust in Lufthansa Technik.

In 2017, we celebrated 25 years of partnership and we are continuing our close cooperation aimed at achieving the highest level of reliability, efficiency and safety, Henningsen said.

Lufthansa Technik has been a partner in maintaining our aircraft since 1992 when, based on a contract of integrated technical support, it began to support our Boeing 737 fleet, said Davor Bujan.

More news about Croatia Airlines can be found in the Travel section.

Croatia Airlines has announced that it will join the Croatia National Tourist Board in a new campaign next April named “Full of Taste”.

“The Croatia Airlines Full of Taste project will be a gastronomic and enological presentation of Croatia on our aircraft. We will work together with renowned Croatian chefs, restaurants, wineries, wholesalers, and other local producers of autochthonous Croatian products,” said Jasmin Bajić, CEO of Croatia Airlines, for Ex Yu Aviation on June 20, 2019.

"Every six months, in summer and winter, we will completely change our onboard menus and their visual presentation in accordance with the various concepts of the Croatian gastronomic map, in order to further elevate the passenger experience,” Bajić concluded.

Recall, this news comes after the airline introduced a new menu for business class travelers, which will further promote Croatia's tourist and gastronomic offer. The new gastronomic offer on flights was created by the celebrated Croatian chef Dino Galvagno and Leopold Botteria of Uje Oil Bar, partners with whom Croatia Airlines launched the project ‘Inspired Croatia’ at the end of 2016, in which business class passengers are offered meals prepared using native recipes and ingredients of the coastal and continental Croatia.

The new business class menu, which was introduced on board on June 19, is primarily motivated by the dishes of Zagreb cuisine such as ham, turkey with mlinci, kale with minced meat, štrukli, and other dishes made from local ingredients which have been used in these areas for centuries and are found in all Croatian kitchens. 

As a national carrier and a company that continuously improves service, Croatia Airlines wants to offer added value to passengers within these projects and bring them closer to the gastronomic wealth of Croatia through taste, smell and color,  concluded the airline in their announcement.

Croatia Airlines was also named among Eastern Europe's best airlines at the World Airline Awards as part of the Paris Air Show on Tuesday. Namely, Croatia Airlines came in 8th place in the top 10 carriers of Eastern Europe. Air Serbia cam in 4th, while Adria Airways came in 9th. 

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

Croatia Airlines introduced a new menu for business class travelers, which will further promote Croatia's tourist and gastronomic offer, reports AvioRadar on June 12, 2019.

The new gastronomic offer on flights was created by the celebrated Croatian chef Dino Galvagno andLeopold Botteria of Uje Oil Bar, partners with whom Croatia Airlines launched the project ‘Inspired Croatia’ at the end of 2016, in which business class passengers are offered meals prepared using native recipes and ingredients of the coastal and continental Croatia.

The new business class menu, which will be introduced on board on June 19 this year, is primarily motivated by the dishes of Zagreb cuisine such as ham, turkey with mlinci, kale with minced meat, štrukli, and other dishes made from local ingredients which have been used in these areas for centuries and are found in all Croatian kitchens. 

“In the selection of meals for the Zagreb menu, I was guided by the idea of creating the ambiance of the Zagreb family table from the beginning to the middle of the 20th century, bearing in mind the strong influence of the Austro-Hungarian cuisine and the wealth of food offered by the nearby rural economy. Zagreb families buy the ingredients for the dishes on our menu at the Dolac market and they are enjoyed almost daily. We want the taste and smells of these dishes to accompany passengers to their new destination,” said Dino Galvagno at the presentation of the menu in Zagreb. 

Apart from Zagreb cuisine, the new business class menu also promotes local ingredients from other Croatian regions, such as anchovies, bacon, cuttlefish and broad beans. Additionally, the new meals for business travelers on all Croatia Airlines flights will contain more vegetables and will be prepared by traditional cooking methods with a minimal change in the character of the ingredients. A special challenge in this project was also synchronizing several catering service providers in Croatian airports, specifically in Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik, to achieve the uniformity of taste and quality.

Other news in the Croatia Airlines’ culinary offer is the new project called ‘Croatia Airlines full of taste’, which is being prepared in cooperation with the Croatian Tourist Board and is expected to start in April 2020.

“Croatia Airlines 'full of taste’ is a project of Croatia’s wine and gastronomy on our airplanes, whose values will be felt by business and economy travelers. We will realize it with renowned Croatian chefs, restaurants, wineries, sommeliers, oil producers, and other Croatian producers of native Croatian products. Every six months, in summer and winter, we will completely change the menus and their visual presentation following the various concepts of the Croatian gastronomic map, to further increase the pleasure of passengers on our airplanes,” said Jasmin Bajić, President of Croatia Airlines Management Board.

As a national carrier and a company that continuously improves service, Croatia Airlines wants to offer added value to passengers within these projects and bring them closer to the gastronomic wealth of Croatia through taste, smell and color,  concluded the airline in their announcement.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

June 4, 2019 - Croatia Airlines has joined the anti-plastic movement with their latest announcement - they’re trading plastic cups for paper on board all of their flights!

Namely, Croatia Airlines announced that the new measure came into force on Monday, June 3, and that plastic cups are a thing of the past for this national air carrier. 

“In line with current trends and legal requirements in the area of environmental protection, Croatia Airlines is discontinuing the use of plastic cups on all flights as of today. The use of paper cups will additionally raise the quality of our services, as well as promote a positive relationship towards the environment,” the airline announced on their Facebook page. 

It’s not hard to see why the company decided to make the environmentally-friendly move. Ex Yu Aviation reports that plastic cups generate about 28% more greenhouse gasses than paper cups and take up to one million years to decompose. Thus, by switching to paper cups, Croatia Airlines will remove around 26 tons of plastic waste annually. 

Furthermore, Croatia Airlines expects another stellar year ahead with an anticipated 5 percent growth in passenger traffic. Last year, 2.17 million passengers were transported by the airline. 

In this year's tourist season, as well as last year, Croatia Airlines boasts 12 aircraft in their fleet - four Airbus 319, two Airbus 320 and six Dash 8-Q400 aircraft. As in the past two years, two more aircraft will be hired for the tourist season from May to October.

The company marks its 30th anniversary this year, too. For the special occasion, the airline utilized its employees to select the best slogan to commemorate the big birthday, which is “Creating memories for 30 years!”

Along with the slogan, a unique birthday design was created, which also saw the help of its creative employees. 

To mark 30 years, Croatia Airlines has chosen to enhance the visuals of its fleet. Namely, on its 12 aircraft, the “CROATIA” logo has been enlarged, making it even more noticeable. Furthermore, the checkers, as a recognizable symbol of Croatian national identity, extend to the hull of the aircraft. 

The visuals on the exterior can also be noticed on the lower part (belly) of the aircraft, which is now white, giving the plane a touch of elegance. Thus, the Croatia Airlines fleet, which is usually a traveler's first introduction to Croatia, has become even stronger and more recognizable. 

To celebrate three decades, the company will also conduct several competitions this year where visitors or citizens can expect valuable prizes. The competitions will be conducted in cooperation with the media and on social networks, and surprises can also be expected on flights. All details can be found here. 

The story of Croatia Airlines began on August 7, 1989, when it was registered as Zagal (formally, Zagreb Airlines). On December 23, 1990, Zagal changed its name to Croatia Airlines and became the national carrier of passengers, goods, and mail. 

The first commercial flight of Croatia Airlines took off on May 5, 1991, from Zagreb to Split, while the first international flight was between Zagreb and Frankfurt on April 5, 1992. 

From the very first flight to the end of February 2019, Croatia Airlines has achieved 585,500 flights and carried over 38,240,000 passengers. Of these, 11,407,500 passengers flew on Croatian flights, 24,014,500 flew on international routes, and 2,818,000 were carried on special charter flights. For the upcoming tourist season, Croatia Airlines will travel to 38 destinations in 24 countries. 

It is almost essential to note that in the last 30 years, Croatia Airlines has become a member of the most important aviation associations, such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Star Alliance, the largest aviation association in the world. Today, Croatia Airlines is classified as a mid-sized European airline, recognized by passengers for flight safety, professional staff, and quality of service. 

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

Franjo Tuđman Airport in Zagreb, also known as Zagreb airport, welcomed its millionth passenger this year five days earlier than in 2018, reports AvioRadar on May 13, 2019. 

The lucky 'one millionth' was Jela Ravnjak who traveled on the Croatia Airlines flight OU513 from Dublin to Croatia's capital.

“This year’s millionth passenger at Franjo Tuđman Airport was registered on an inbound Croatia Airlines flight from Dublin. We want to point out that this was achieved earlier than ever and is the best indicator of the continuous growth of passenger traffic at our airport,” said deputy director of MZLZ - Zagreb Airport d.o.o. Hrvoje Bradica, who added that the airport also achieved record results in April, with an increase in passengers of 11% compared to April 2018. Furthermore, so far this year, Zagreb airport has recorded a total growth of passenger traffic of 9%. 

“We are pleased that this year's millionth passenger at Franjo Tuđman Airport was recorded on one of our flights. Croatia Airlines connects Zagreb with 24 destinations in 22 countries and, through the increase in the number of passengers on our flights, we directly contribute to the increase of passenger traffic at Zagreb airport,” said Slaven Žabo, director of commercial affairs at Croatia Airlines. 

“I am surprised and happy. The greeting was great, and the majorettes also welcomed me. I did not expect this. I came from Dublin where I visited with friends. I love to travel and I will gladly take advantage of this award,” said Jela Ravnjak from Velika Gorica who is a doula, a woman experienced in childbirth who provides information, emotional support, and physical comfort to a mother before, during, and after childbirth.

Ranjak received a gift certificate for the Aelia Duty-Free Shop at Zagreb airport and two return flights to one of Croatia Airlines’ destinations. 

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

May 9, 2019 - In April of this year, a total of 172,758 passengers were transported by Croatia Airlines, which is a record number of passengers in April in the history of the company, the Croatian national air carrier reported on Wednesday.

Croatia Airlines thus overtook its previous record set in April 2011 when it carried 151,231 passengers. Furthermore, April 2019 is 16% better than April 2018, carrying 23,359 passengers more than last April. 

From January - April 2019, Croatia Airlines achieved a growth of total passenger traffic of 3%. In that period, 518,557 passengers were transported, with the average occupancy of the passenger cabin at 69.1 percent. 

Given the favorable bookings and demand, this positive travel trend is expected for the remainder of the year, especially during the tourist season in which Croatian Airlines airplanes will fly directly to 38 destinations in 24 European states.

Croatia Airlines adds that, according to existing indicators, this year expects about 5 percent more passengers compared to 2018, with a record 2,168,863 passengers being transported. The airline will even carry Zagreb Airport's millionth passenger of 2019 on flight OU513, taking off on Sunday from Dublin. 

In this year's tourist season, as well as last year, Croatia Airlines boasts 12 aircraft in their fleet - four Airbus 319, two Airbus 320 and six Dash 8-Q400 aircraft. As in the past two years, two more aircraft will be hired for the tourist season from May to October.

The company marks its 30th anniversary this year, too. For the special occasion, the airline utilized its employees to select the best slogan to commemorate the big birthday, which is “Creating memories for 30 years!”

Along with the slogan, a unique birthday design was created, which also saw the help of its creative employees. 

To mark 30 years, Croatia Airlines has chosen to enhance the visuals of its fleet. Namely, on its 12 aircraft, the “CROATIA” logo has been enlarged, making it even more noticeable. Furthermore, the checkers, as a recognizable symbol of Croatian national identity, extend to the hull of the aircraft. 

The visuals on the exterior can also be noticed on the lower part (belly) of the aircraft, which is now white, giving the plane a touch of elegance. Thus, the Croatia Airlines fleet, which is usually a traveler's first introduction to Croatia, has become even stronger and more recognizable. 

To celebrate three decades, the company will also conduct several competitions this year where visitors or citizens can expect valuable prizes. The competitions will be conducted in cooperation with the media and on social networks, and surprises can also be expected on flights. All details can be found here. 

The story of Croatia Airlines began on August 7, 1989, when it was registered as Zagal (formally, Zagreb Airlines). On December 23, 1990, Zagal changed its name to Croatia Airlines and became the national carrier of passengers, goods, and mail. 

The first commercial flight of Croatia Airlines took off on May 5, 1991, from Zagreb to Split, while the first international flight was between Zagreb and Frankfurt on April 5, 1992. 

From the very first flight to the end of February 2019, Croatia Airlines has achieved 585,500 flights and carried over 38,240,000 passengers. Of these, 11,407,500 passengers flew on Croatian flights, 24,014,500 flew on international routes, and 2,818,000 were carried on special charter flights. For the upcoming tourist season, Croatia Airlines will travel to 38 destinations in 24 countries. 

It is almost essential to note that in the last 30 years, Croatia Airlines has become a member of the most important aviation associations, such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Star Alliance, the largest aviation association in the world. Today, Croatia Airlines is classified as a mid-sized European airline, recognized by passengers for flight safety, professional staff, and quality of service. 

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.